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

I was in the market for a project for under $1000 and this one was constantly rated at the top of the charts. I have a dedicated room so I can control the light fairly well and was blown away upon turning it on. The quality and color is great and even in eco mode has plenty of light to show a movie with moderate ambient light. The project has vertical as well as horizontal keystone correct which helps mounting it as it doesnt have to be perfect. I watched a couple of movies now and love every single one. I have a 144in screen at 15ft back. While the projector looked good on my wall paired with the Carls ProWhite I was blown away. The colors pop and the contrast looks good. Im sure the contrast would look better on a higher end projector but its left me nothing to complain about.

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.

Best projector for the price right now. I like it better than the BenQ I recently owned (1075) in 9 out of 10 scenarios (brightness, latency/gaming, frame interpolation, lamp cost, menu options, contrast, no rainbow effect, cost, image enhancement, lamp life). The only thing it doesnt appear to do quite as well is black levels. But I doubt most people would be able to pick out the difference. And theyll definitely notice the speed, brightness, and frame interpolation if they watch sports, or dont have a dark room. And the fact that they were the first to move many high end features from much more expensive projectors down into this price range is commendable. If this had a motorized lens, with lens memory, I could sell dozens of these to folks looking to replace their aging home theater projectors. Epson did a really nice job with this one.

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 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.

I have had the Edson 2040 for less than a week, but I can say without doubt, this is the perfect traditional TV replacement! I had a 65 Panasonic television for nearly a decade (720p). It was a great television, but it was time for an upgrade and I was on a budget. Im not a huge fan of 4K resolution, its just TOO sharp for my old eyes to enjoy to the fullest, but I planned on going that direction until I found that for my money I was going to have to go with a 55 screen... Then I discovered projectors. I studied up... for a bright room get 3000+ lums, for good dark images go DLP, so on so forth... I shopped long and hard... finally I came to the Epson 2040. 1080p. Great short focus. 3D. Interpolation. It has it all. I was only worried that my bright living room would be the doom of any image. NOT SO. The Epson 2040 is AWESOME. Period. There are 5 windows in my living room area that get the evening sun. Full sun behind sheer curtains (block about half of light), and floor lamps lit, even low light cinema mode provides great light on a 120 Eleite Screens screen. My projector is ceiling mounted and about 12 from the screen, above the heads of the center seats. Screen is a manual pull down mounted on the ceiling about 8 from the wall. With the screen up, it frees the entire living room space. Screen down, and my entire wall is my television! I run the projector on cenima mode (the dimmer energy saving mode) most often. The picture is great, even in fairly bright light. There is a little bit of warm up time when the unit is turned on, but its not bad at all. HDMI control means when I hit the power button on my cable remote, the projector powers up and automatically turns on my surround sound receiver and everything is ready to go. Some reviews have complained of noise... the projector does make some noise, but NOT THAT MUCH. Its literally mounted a few feet over our heads, and we dont even notice it while watching movies or television. Its really not much difference from my old TV or my PlayStation. The bottom line is, the Epson 2040 is a fantastic projector! Easy to use, fabulous picture. Get rid of the old tv and choose your own screen size!

I have spent much more on projectors, but this is my favorite so far. The picture quality in a light controlled room is excellent, and the picture quality in a room with moderate ambient light is fine. I love that replacement bulbs are easily acquired for under $100. My past projectors required builds over $300. At the price of bulbs for this projectors, its easy to update when the picture dims, rather than dealing with a faded picture and waiting for the bulb to pop. I was looking for a budget projector. I wanted a good movie watching experience. I have all that and more and I am well pleased. There are projectors in this price range with better contrast ratio. Contrast ratio is important. I may well like those projectors better if I tried one. I chose this one because of the cost replacement bulbs. I was not concerned with having the best and newest. That can get expensive. I wanted a great movie watching experience for an affordable price.

Overall: I cannot express how truly happy I am with this projector! I received this projector in December and have been using it non-stop since! I previously had an Epson 705HD and that was a good projector but this one makes that seem like it was childs play. The image is definitely 1080p and colors are vibrant and bright. There are several color modes to choose from (Dynamic, Cinema, Bright Cinema) and I prefer to use Cinema. I have not used the 3D capability as of yet because I do not have a 3D player as of yet, but I expect that the 3D is just as amazing as the rest of the projector. I want to talk about the frame interpolation a little bit. This is something that many high-end projectors have and it is very apparent when it is on. I personally love it because it makes the images seem clearer and smoother. At times, however it makes the images look fake because of the effect of the heightened frame rate. There is also a slight problem with the processing of movement with words. When the interpolation is on and there is a sweeping landscape, or when there are words on the side of a vehicle driving through the frame, the words lose their definition. Here it is obvious that the interpolation programming is attempting to pick the relevant information and becomes obvious. Even with these negatives, the overall opinion I have is that the interpolation is worth it; the picture is smoother and, to me, appears crisper. There are many inputs and outputs from the unit which make it quite versatile. I have only one HDMI plugged in currently, but it is a comfort to know that I could use more inputs if need be. The noise from the fan, as some people have noticed, is present, but only when the bulb is set to normal. Keeping the setting on Eco fixes this and makes the fan almost silent. I find that Eco is plenty bright for all the purposes I need. Also, having a good 5.1 system will really help with the noise (i know, duh) because this will diminish what can be heard coming from the fan. Only during silent scenes will there be any noise heard, and this is less than the sound that most fridges make when they are running. There is very little light leakage. Some projectors have lines of light rays that escape from the housing and cause bright spots in the dark room; I have not noticed any of these. I am using the projector with a 100 inch screen and it is very crisp and bright. I have used bigger screens with the projector and, of course, with a bigger screen comes the downside of seeing more pixels. You will definitely want to start using Blu-Ray players if you havent already. With my previous projector and some TVs the difference between the two is negligible, but not so with this projector. DVDs are much less clear and it is very obvious once you begin using blu-rays. The remote reaches from very far and very many angles; there are 2 sensors on the projector for the IR signal and this means that you dont have to be in the right place like some other projectors on the market. Thank you Epson! I was comparing this to some DLP projectors and ultimately went with this one. I have not used a DLP and therefore cannot speak to their image quality, but I can assure you that you will not be disappointed by making this your next home theater investment. I am a very happy customer and have recommended it many times!

I have put ~ 50 hours on this projector in the last 3 weeks. I use it with my Elite Screens grey 135 inch homemade screen. I really like it but there are a few things that could be better. My Pros: Bright - I have total light control in my theater so most of the time I run it in economy mode. Quite - Not too loud in eco mode, see cons for normal mode. 3d - Works great. Price - I picked this up when it was on sale for about $600 shipped from Amazon. Bulb costs- Ive found them for as low $65. I never feel guilty watching it. Cons: Loud - I use normal mode when watching sports and it is very loud. Creative frame interpolation - I wanted to like this feature. Not enough horsepower as it lags/stutters a lot. No lens shift means that my projector hangs down 6 inches from the ceiling. Automatic Iris - I shut it off. It was too noticeable while on. One note about the contrast. I recommend a grey screen for this projector as it needs all the help it can get for contrasts. Once I settled for eco mode and set the processing from fine to fast, I do enjoy using it. I will never go back to a flat panel TV.

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.