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

I have had this since since around late 2017 and the bulb just went out today (May 2020)! I am going to order a replacement bulb from epsons online store as I have read comments and most cheaper replacements bulbs are crap. I do find it odd how they do not sell elplp88 thru amazon. Side note: the replace your bulb light came on maybe for like ~6 months? something like that. but i am still happy with this decision. I thought about a TV or a projector and it works for me since Im a student and have to move a lot. Lastly, it does make it nice for entertaining purposes as it creates a unique experience (simply put tv vs projector). I did find this (https://www.amazon.com/EPSV13H010L88-Replacement-Projector-PowerLite-955WH/dp/B00UPWWM4A) which says it is sold by epson but its around $30 cheaper than on epson.com which is nice but also sketchy as they do not have any amazon reviews. I did click the sellers link (Epson) and it takes you to the Amazon Epson page which i used before, but i dont want to deal with a possible return during a pandemic.

This projector is absolutely fabulous. The colors are great, the sharpness is fantastic and the blacks are great. I dont understand the complaint about the blacks. Im a graphics professional for over 25 years so Im in a good position to judge picture quality. Compared to my HC2030 the blacks are rich and appear very black. To judge blacks, firstly I look at visual experience, and then technically I compare the edge of the image to the screen (the part of the screen that receives no light except for the ambient light). The blacks will appear no blacker the appearance of the white screen. I can only guess that the projector needs to be adjusted to get visually appearing blacks. I use the eco mode and find the fan noise to be very quiet. Love this projector and I would ignore negative complaints about the blacks.

Background: I am nearly finished with a large and expensive remodel involving adding a playroom and bathroom to my house. I love home theatres so I installed a 7.2 sound system and painted a 110” screen on the far wall bordered by 3” felt tape. My intention all along was to spend $2700 on the Epson 5040ub upscaling UHD projector that I know from personal experience produces a fantastic image. The reality: after a year of remodel and hemorrhaging cash I couldn’t justify spending $2700. I read a ton of reviews and nearly pulled the plug on a Optoma HD DLP projector that got rave reviews here on Amazon. The significant drawback was the presence of rainbow artifact related to DLP projectors. Within the reviews for the Optoma this projector was mentioned as the replacement the person made after sending the Optoma back. All I can say is I am thrilled I read that users review. My review: this Projector cost about $100 more than the Optoma which I felt was a tiny sacrifice for rainbow free images. It installed easily albeit much closer than I had planned since it does not have an electronic zoom like the 5040ub. Keystone, focus and zoom were easy enough to adjust. The good: 1. Terrific clarity and detail of picture. My couch sits 14’ feet back from screen and I would have a hard time distinguishing this image from the 5040ub based upon resolution. 2. Color is excellent. I can say it does not match the 5040ub but I can’t expect it to. Selecting “Dynamic” picture really enhances the color and I do prefer this setting. 3. Color saturation very good. Richness and brightness of color rivals my Samsung 65”LED TV. 4. Contrast at 35,000:1 is sharp and deep. Again not nearly as much depth as the 5040ub but hey that one is 1,000,000:1. No contest. 5. Brightness at 2,200 lumens is plenty bright for cinema use in dark environment. Daytime use is totally achievable if you darken the room with drapes/curtains. 6: Price-nuff said. 7: Size and weight super easy to handle. When I do upgrade to the 5040ub this one will be my incredibly portable projector. 8. Pattern selection helps you size and center your image. The Bad: 1: Contrast. I’d prefer deeper darks but this is really a minor complaint. 2. Would have like electronic focus, zoom, etc. makes for a much easier adjustment since my projector is ceiling mounted. 3. Color saturation just a slight bit weak but again I have extremely high expectations. 4. Fan noise level just a tad more than I’d prefer. Overall this inexpensive projector is an incredible buy. If you are on the fence do not hesitate giving this a try. Coming from a movie buff and seasoned home theater user I really don’t see anything wrong with this little giant and can not recommend it any higher. Thanks for reading. It’s been about 6 months since I purchased the Epson 2040 projector. I still absolutely love the projector. For the price i think it is unbeatable. Fast frames never smear. Color is really nice and sharpness top quality. I still want the UHD upscaling Epson but find that this does so well I can’t justify spending $2400. Really wish contrast ratio was better. In a dark room it is noticeable. In the day with curtains pulled this little projector shines. The semi dark environment allows the contrast to looks its best. Still no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this projector. Our home has become the “mini movie theater” for the kids friends. Super immersive e perience especially with a top notch sound system.

I had a Epson DLP projector from 2005 that gave a nice 720p picture - so when it came time to replace it, I thought Id buy another Epson. I am not disappointed. In fact this model is SOOOOO much better. The picture is sharp from corner to corner. Bright and full saturated color. I keep it on the economy setting and it is silent. In regular mode it makes very little fan noise. I keep the auto-iris turned off. It makes an annoying noise and doesnt help the picture. Im not sure what they were thinking when they added that feature. It throws a 100 picture in a 8 foot space. The lens is amazingly sharp. There is supposed to be a problem with contrast with LED projectors, but this one makes blacker blacks than my 11 year old DLP. I watch a lot of old movies in black-and-white and again this projector blows away the old DLP. Add to that a lamp replacement cost of under $70 compared to the $450 for the old model and the 8000 hour lamp life and you have a compelling reason to get this one. A great projector, a great picture (the Super Bowl looked amazing). The 3D is totally immersive. It looks like stuff comes right off the screen in front of you. Very effective. I got Panasonic and Samsung glasses and they both work perfectly with the Epson. I bought a grey screen to cut down on light scatter. My room doesnt get very dark, yet the picture is perfect. I am very happy with my new projector and recommend it very highly.

This projector is ok. Its not the best, but its not the worst either. For a sub $1000 projector it is pretty good. Why only 3 stars? The projector has a manual lens cover for starters. If youre mounting this higher up, youll need a stool to reach for it every time. A slight annoyance, not a huge deal breaker though. The particular unit I received had very severe color separation from the lcds not being matted together perfectly. I ran all sorts of tests as you can see in the photos. I believe this is outside what can be considered tolerable. Maybe it was a manufacturing defect, but I was disappointed. I am very sensitive to it, which is also why I opted for the LCD vs DLP projectors. The unit is bright, but that also comes with a sacrifice... noise. When you have it set to bright, its LOUD! On the other brightness settings the fans really quiet down and I found it to be bright enough even during the day time. Ive had a PLV-Z4 for 8 years and its been a great projector. Ill be looking at upping my price and testing out the 5030 soon. Overall, this is a decent little guy, but I found too many cons to outweigh the pros for my particular set up.

Very Crisp colors and detailed picture even on a sunny room movies and shows look amazing, my only concern seems to be the software at times buggy, when turning on I hear the fan noise but not picture is displayed, I use the remote to change source or display menu and no response I have to resort in to unplug the device and plug in to make it work again, I contacted Epson customer service I have a case number Im waiting for a software update to correct this but nothing so far, Ill try to contact them again to see if they help me solve and update on the outcome

One very important note. DO not use this with a throw distance over 18 feet. It cant scale down enough. Mine is displayed on the side walls and I cant adjust it any smaller. Update: 9/10/18. The power cord that comes with it could stand to stick into the prongs a bit better. When we recently moved this to a throw of about 17 feet and tried to maneuver it to the right height and mark the ceiling hole, it would cut out as we were holding it. Thought it was the lamp, no, it was just the cord coming slightly loose in the projector. So far though, aside from the shorter throw limit, it has worked flawlessly. Son uses it for gaming and wife and I use it for movie watching. We didnt paint he dang wall, and it seems fine for all of us. No screen pain or special cloth. We all still enjoy it. Its hard to complain when your TV just grew to a 9x7 picture.

We always find that epson products just work and work. No difference on this projector. 4 years and on the 3 bulb, it just keeps wowing. Colors pop, black is black, no rainbow. This projector can keep up with fast action movies without skipping a beat. It is not as crisp as a 4K, or course, but for high end every day and videophiles, it is a reliable workhorse that doesnt let you down.

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 is a wonderful projector. Pros: --1080p HD . . . the projected picture from my non-retina macbook air was so much better than what Im used to seeing on my laptop . . . it had an air of unreality to it because it was so hi-def --LCD means no rainbows --Easy to set up each time with a very easy-to-adjust front leg & two adjustable back legs --Has a sliding lens cover built in for protection --Plug-ins all in the back and their placement makes sense --Plenty of settings to make any viewing situation work (including in room flooded with daylight--not ideal, but we were able to do it) Cons: --Possibly the cost. If you dont see or arent bothered by rainbows, then this is probably a bit much to pay. The Acer H5380BD (a DLP projector with 720p) is a bargain and I would have kept it had the rainbow effect not been such a problem. --Not quite as portable as Id like and didnt come with a carrying case (like the Acer did) . . . but this is a much better projector.