For homeowners who want the cinematic, larger-than-life experience of a home theatre, getting a projector seems like a no-brainer. But which one do you get, when there’s so many factors like size, brightness, and price to consider?
A while ago, we had the opportunity to try out the Epson EH-TW7000, a 4K PRO-UHD projector specifically designed for home use.
Design and Setup
It comes in a white chassis that may not break any new design ground, but feels sturdy and is unobtrusive enough as electronics go. It also features rounded lines, which is more aesthetically pleasing than most standard boxy projectors.
Setting it up was easy enough: in our living room, we have a white wall, and despite the TW7000’s relatively larger size (41.0 x 15.7 x 31.0cm) it was still compact enough to be propped up on a side table or coffee table without the need for a ceiling mount. It also comes with a large remote featuring sturdy, light-up buttons, so it’s easily accessible even in the dark.
You can adjust the keystone via the remote, but other settings like the focus need to be adjusted on the projector itself. It has two HDMI ports at the back, so you can connect smart dongles like Google Chromecast.
Viewing Experience
The resolution itself is astounding. On most other projectors, you can see the individual pixels when you go up close, but for this projector they’re virtually invisible. Everything is rendered with crisp clarity — I could see every bristle on Vince Vaughn’s chin when we watched Unfinished Business — and the colours are bright and vivid, without the warm tinge that some projectors have. Thanks to the brightness of its 3,000-lumens lamp, you can also comfortably watch movies in the daytime.
Wireless Audio Connection
One of my favourite features of the EH-TW7000 was its ability to connect to an external speaker via Bluetooth. Our own projector (and most projectors, in fact) doesn’t have this ability, so we’re usually forced to connect our laptop to it via cable, then connect to the speaker from the laptop itself.
The EH-TW7000 didn’t have this problem. We were able to connect it wirelessly to our speaker, and then simply cast our laptop to the projector. This meant that the projector took care of both visuals and sound, and we didn’t have to mess around with cables. This feature alone puts the TW7000 a cut above the rest, since all you have to do is hit a single button on your laptop for an instant cinematic experience. For the rest of the movie, you can control the playback and volume on the remote, just like you would for a regular TV.
Overall, the EH-TW7000 is an excellent choice for those who want the projector option, but don’t want to compromise on viewing quality and convenience. Although it doesn’t come cheap at $2,099, it’s a worthy investment for a home theatre, and a good alternative to the more common flatscreen TV.
The Epson EH-TW7000 retails for $2,099 exclusively at KEC Sound & Vision and Art of Entertainment.