Epson Home Cinema 2040 1080p 3D 3LCD Home Theater Projector

Id been wanting to get a projector for some time. After a fair amount of research and real-life observation of various models in use at sports bars, Id decided to get one of the Epson lcd models. Replacement bulbs for this model are reasonably priced. I opted for the 2040 over the 2045 as the Widi functionality wasnt worth $50 to me. After having this in place for several weeks I can wholeheartedly recommend it to others. I have mine set to approximately 100 projecting on to an inexpensive 100 screen in my basement. It has met all of my expectations. If youre in the market for a projector, the 2040 provides impressive performance for the price. I would definitely buy it again.

Item arrived earlier this evening and I instantly set it up and tested a couple of blu ray DVDs in my collection from Avatar to MI:Ghost Protocol to Game of Thrones to Man of Steel and lastly, settling with Inside Out (my daughter and son requested for them to see it again) and instantly, my family enjoyed it out of the box! The picture was so clear although I was playing a bit in its initial setup with keystoning but I didnt need to as the throw was just about right. We couldnt be any happier with our purchase and as 1st time home theater owners, wed be looking forward to spending time in the theater room more often, probably re-watching some favorite blu ray titles we have in our decent collection. Id recommend this for 1st time or even experienced owners.

I bought this after doing a moderate amount of research. It seemed like the right projector for me at this reasonable price point (I picked mine up for $650, but it seems to fluctuate on Amazon), and after a week of regular use Im pretty satisfied. There is one area this projector is severely lacking in though, and that is black levels. Ignoring the insane numerical contrast ratios that Epson likes to throw around, I can tell you that this is clearly the biggest weakness. Before purchasing, I read a few reviews and comments praising the black performance, but Im here to tell you this is incorrect, and probably sourced from people who are easily pleased. For most families and first time projector owners, it will be fine. But as a designer and photographer who scrutinizes and edits digital images all day, Im a little let down. I did a little more research and it would appear that this is a LCD projector technology limitation. You can find a few projector models in the sub $800 price range that have slightly improved blacks, but those are DLP. Im sticking with my 2040 because of the brightness, colors, and because Ill never have to deal with the rainbow effect on DLP projectors. Its also great for gaming, with the lowest lag time Ive found in this price range. I have taken a few steps to improve the ambient light in my room, hoping it will deepen the blacks. Draped black fabric above and to the sides of the screen seems to help a little because it cuts down on reflected light back on the screen, but dark scenes still struggle a little and tend to look gray and washed out. Do not be fooled by reviewers who dont know what to look for in an image. For the average Joe or anyone who wants a beautifully sharp and vibrant image, as well as the ability to blow up movies to insane screen sizes... This is a great purchase. Id recommend the 2040 if you arent willing to shell out $200-$300 more for deeper blacks.

This projector has a lot going for it, and some drawbacks as well. Lets jump right in: Brightness: Very bright. The color brightness is just as bright as the whites since its a 3 chip projector. DLPs cant make that same claim, though some come close (RGBRGB models). Contrast: Sub-par, even for the under $1,000 category. DLP projectors will beat this one every time with black levels and contrast. Positioning: This projector gives you both vertical and horizontal keystone for ease of setup, though using this will make the image less sharp since its not using all of the pixels when the keystone is used. Most people wont notice, however. Pixel fill: The lines between the pixels are the thickest and most noticeable on 3LCD projectors. In other words, on DLP and LCoS projectors, you sit slightly closer to the screen without seeing pixel structure. Colors: Colors are fantastic, and have a lot of pop to them. 3LCD projectors excel with bright colors. Animated films look great! Noise: In eco-mode, its not very noticeable. In normal mode, youll notice it on quiet movie scenes for sure. Extra features: This projector has some features not typically found on entry level models. These include frame interpolation (smooth motion for sports, etc) and detail enhancement, which makes images appear sharper using special video processing. While it may seem a lot of my review was negative, this is a really good choice for an entry level projector. For those who havent seen better blacks on a projected image, they probably wont even notice the not-so-great blacks, but will be amazed at the huge, colorful, full HD image on their wall or screen. Another plus is that, unlike other lower end (and lower resolution) Epson models, this has an audio out port for those who take advantage of the portability of this projector and take it outside or to a friends house for movie night. I believe if Epson produced a projector like this one, but had blacks as good as the 8350 (not the best, but very respectable), they would overcome the only serious weakness of this model and sales would higher than Im sure they are now. Regardless, this a solid choice for those looking to get in on the big screen action at home.

This thing rocks! TV, Movies, Gaming, for the price you cant beat it. Ive had it for almost 9 months and started on the existing 100 inch screen, then expanded to 125 with a screen I built with blackout cloth. I would go bigger, but the wall I am projecting on is inset. The 1080P HD picture is bright and beautiful and will easily handle indirect light, even on eco mode. Brighter rooms and/or direct light will wash out the picture some, especially with darker shows. 3D works well enough for me, even for video games. Online gaming is great now with no noticeable lag. The projector it replaced definitely had lag and would routinely find ourselves on the losing end of a melee. Not any more. Again, this thing rocks! I did a lot of research. Went back and forth between this one, the BenQs, the Optomas, high end, low end, etc. I would love to try out to the BenQ to be able to compare, but I am more than thrilled with this Epson. If you are new to buying a projector, like I was, make sure you know exactly where you are going to mount it and the projectors throw angle, throw distance and zoom capability (throw range). These where variables that I did not originally consider, but ended up being one of the bigger variables I had to reconcile with my mounting limitations before ordering. Performance, price, features, replacement lamp cost . . . . you cannot do better! You will not be disappointed.

With this purchase, one thing I have learnt is to always purchase products from trusted brands. My new Epson Home Cinema LCD projector is an amazing device, perfect for my basement home theater. The picture quality is impeccable, 35000:1 contrast ratio provides a very good rendition of black levels. 2200 lumens is just enough for my needs. Could not have found a better projector at this price. I am extremely happy with this purchase. The Good: Image quality, color rendition, brightness levels are perfect. 35000:1 contrast ratio Decent inbuilt speakers. Quieter than many other projectors I have seen 2 HDMI ports Light and Small Simple IR Remote The Bad: (which is not so bad) No optical audio port slight vibration (which is probably a normal characteristic of projectors, but I have seen Epsons that just do not vibrate - of course they are in a higher price band) All in all I would recommend this product to anyone who is looking to buy an inexpensive projector for their home theater. Good buy! Tip: Wait for a Thanksgiving deal to buy this item, I bought mine for $499

I bought this because of the advertised color brightness and... WOW! They werent kidding. Leaves DLP in the dust. Dust that is very muted in tone with no color richness to speak of. DLP is fine for your Powerpoint presentation, but if you want to watch a movie in your home theater, you want something more like this. Because there are three different image elements in this projector creating three different images, you only get perfect convergence at one distance from the lens. I had this projecting onto a wall in my garage (dont know exactly how big the image was, but it was over 10 feet wide) and the color separation was about 1/4 at worst. I didnt notice this issue unless I was being picky and looking for it.

Bought this Projector with the hopes of creating a home theater. While I have gone back and started redoing the walls for the theatre room, while this was up the picture quality was awesome and the video brightness was acceptable in the normal/eco modes. It has plenty of inputs, and the remote worked well. They Keystone also worked amazingly well for when I had sat the projector at a funky angle. It was able to throw it on the wall at an angle, compensate and make it nearly level/flush. The one issue with doing this is that it slightly goes out of focus because of it throwing further in certain corners. I did not leave it like that, but I used it for a few days like that. Noise wise, it isnt bad at all. To me it just sounds like a quiet fan, Im not worried about it, but would definitely consider building a box with fabric on the inside that would dampen the noise for a purely theatre feel. IT DOES 3D. Bought some cheap 3D glasses (active) and they were recognized by the projector. Also had to fiddle with the blu-ray player to get passive 3D to work. Both types worked for me. The quality is very good considering the price point. I personally could not understand wanting to spend more money for a projector with the same features and maybe slightly further throw distance. When I was working for AT&T as a wire technician I would see many types of projectors in use. I feel like I have saved a lot of money because many of the customers paid multiple thousands for a projector with no significant quality difference in my opinion. Remote works well from various angles.

I cannot stress enough how good of a purchase this was. Before this I was limited to using my 26 inch television for everything: TV, movies, and games. Now with some careful positioning Im able to project the equivalent of a 125 inch screen onto a homemade projector screen in a very dark room. This darkness is important, as the projector doesnt need to work as hard while at the same time providing an extremely vivid image. Of course Ive had the lights on as well in this room which has washed out the image significantly, but it is still visible. I am new to the world of projectors, and after a couple years of researching and comparing I think I have found the best introductory model for me. Your situation may be different, but I would still recommend the Epson Home Cinema 2040 if youre thinking of starting down this road. I honestly believe that I couldnt be happier with this purchase.

This is my first projector. I love electronics, but would not consider myself to be hardcore about the quality, so I am sure there are better projectors than this, but I cant imagine a better one from a cost to value measure. I did a ton of research on projectors (including reviews here at Amazon, thanks to everyone else) and chose this model because it was going into a room that wouldnt be completely dark (so the 2200 lumens was a positive) and video games were going to be played (this model has an incredibly low lag time). My original goal was to put up a fixed screen either 110 or 120 inches away, so I mounted it at a distance that would work for both and played with the zoom to compare sizes before ordering the screen. I was just projecting on to the wall that was not painted with special paint and the projector had not been fine tuned, just pulled it out of the box and plugged it in. As I was comparing the sizes I kept marveling at how great the picture was just on the wall and decided to save a few bucks and skip the screen. I have had friends and family over to watch sports and movies and constantly ask their opinion on if they think a screen is needed and no one has said yes. The best compliment I have received is one buddy said he just assumed I had used a special paint. We have only been in the house 30 days, so we have a few repairs to to do in the basement. Once completed I will post some photos to show the quality.