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PRICE: £2599
EPSON.CO.UK
Epson EH-LS500 Epson’s EH-LS500 has an ‘ultra short- throw’ design that means it can be right on top of the wall or screen it’s projecting on to. The closer you get, the smaller the projected image will This short-throw projector can create a huge, high-quality picture in very small spaces
SPECS › Price £2599 › In the box Projector,mains lead, remote, quick-start guide. › Features 3D depth adjustment, 4K enhancement, automatic keystone correction, built-in speaker, horizontal and vertical keystone correction › Output 4000 lumens › Projection system 3LCD › Lens Optical, digital factor 1-1.35, manual focus › Image size 65in to 130in › Light source Laser, 20,000hrs › Contrast ratio 2,500,000:1 › Interfaces USB 1.1 TypeA, USB 2.0TypeMini-B, RS-232C, wireless LAN, stereomini jack audio out, 3x HDMI (HDCP 2.2) › Loudspeaker Built-in, 10Wstereo › Dimensions (wxdxh) 45.8x37.5x22.8cm › Weight 9.3kg › Contact epson.co.uk
be, but even at the closest – when the lens is about 40cm from the wall – it’s 65 inches diagonally, so pretty huge, and bigger than most TVs. The image has a top size of 130 inches, and at that point the projector is only about 85cm away from the wall. So basically it’s great for small spaces, or when people moving in-between the projector and target is a problem. Setting up is simplicity itself. Switch on the unit and it takes about 30 seconds for it to come to life. There is some fan noise, but it’s easily defeated by the integrated speakers if you’re playing video through the unit. Control is via either an included remote control, or an interface on the rear of the unit. The latter is found behind a detachable fabric mesh that attaches with magnets and pulls on or off easily. It’s a tidy design. Hit the menu button and go to Settings > Installation Guide for a simple pictorial step by step, showing how to position the projector and control the output size, manual
keystoning using the projector’s foot height adjustment, angle and focus. The guide has vertical and horizontal lines to help. In the Settings menu, there’s further digital control over keystoning with +/-12 in the horizontal and vertical aspects. You can access keystoning via the Home screen, and with the Up and Down arrows on the main control panel. Focus can only be controlled by a manual lever on the main control panel, but it’s plenty accurate enough. Due to short-throw design,
On the top left you can see the front of the projector – the part that faces closest to the wall or screen. Here, you’ll find the majority of inputs. At the rear of the projector is a magnetised screen (see top- right picture) covering more inputs, the main controls, and the unit’s speakers. The unit’s main control panel (bottom- left picture) is clearly laid out and easy to use, and there’s a remote control option, too. Bottom right, the short-throw design of the projector means you can get a big image up close to a wall. In this example, the lens is only 46cm from the screen and is projecting a 70-inch picture. adjustment is more sensitive at the top of the picture. So basically if you get the top right, you’re sorted, and it takes only seconds. The picture display begins about 20cm above the deck of the projector, rising to about 60cm at the maximum size, and I couldn’t find any way of repositioning it, save for physically raising the unit. There are plenty of inputs, including three HDMI sockets – two at the ‘front’ of the projector that faces the wall or screen, and one in a panel at the rear, along with a USB-A
port, so you can power and hide a small streaming device in there, like a Google Chromecast. There’s also a LAN port, if you want to connect to internet TV and movie services that way, and another USB-A. I tried multiple sources and the LS500 had no trouble picking up any of them. This included plugging in via an Apple MacBook Pro, using a Nintendo Switch console and connecting multiple cameras to the unit via the HDMI connection. LAN takes more set-up, but I had no problems with that either. Picture quality and brightness is excellent, and a literal eye-opener if you’re used to older units. The image is easily bright enough to be seen in a sunlit room, and it has a contrast ratio of 2500,000:1. As well as an overall Color Mode, which can be set between Dynamic, Cinema, Bright Cinema and Games, contrast, brightness, colour, dynamic range and more can all be individually set. Images looked great on the default mode to me – depending on the ambient conditions – and even in conditions where the ambient light means you’re not going to get true blacks, the image is contrasty and bright. It has a Full HD 1920x1080 output, with what Epson calls a 4K Enhancement. Basically it upscales the signal, but does it very well. Details are crisp, even viewing way closer than you’d be likely to do with images of this size, and you can control sharpness and the level of added details, too. KS
Verdict The LS500 is packedwith features and adjustments, but works brilliantly right out of the box.We tested it as a photo projector, but if you invest you’ll be getting a superb device formovies and games, too. I even ran video calls out of it for ‘life-size chats’.The size of image available spans 65in to 130in, so it’s actually less versatile in that regard than Epson’s cheaper EF-100, reviewed in PN 72, but it’s brighter, and the‘short- throw’designmeans it can be right up against awall or screen and still give a massive picture. PROS Superb picture quality, great for small spaces, really easy to use CONS Large and heavy, not native 4K, costs pro-lens money
24 Photography News | Issue 76
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