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發表於 2017-6-26 16:54
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http://www.avsforum.com/epson-home-cinema-4000-4ke-hdr-projector-debuts/
Epson Home Cinema 4000 4Ke HDR Projector Debuts[size=1.1]by Scott Wilkinson on June 26, 2017SHARE
COMMENTS (5)
 [size=1.1]As most AVS Forum readers know, the front-projector market is tiny compared with flat-panel TVs. But as the screen size increases, the cost of those flat panels rises sharply. At some point, it becomes more cost effective to consider a front-projection system. That’s the idea behind the new Epson Home Cinema 4000, which offers much of what modern flat-panel TVs do at screen sizes they can’t touch for 10 times the cost. Of course, few projectors can achieve the brightness of most flat panels on a large screen, but the HC 4000 is no slouch with a specified light output of 2200 lumens. As Epson points out, that means 2200 white lumens and 2200 color lumens, which is difficult if not impossible to achieve with single-chip DLP projectors. However, it’s easy to do with Epson’s 3LCD architecture as well as 3-chip LCoS models. The Home Cinema 4000 is fully capable of reproducing high dynamic-range (HDR) images in the HDR10 format. At the low end of the brightness scale, a feature called UltraBlack is said to help achieve a dynamic contrast ratio of up to 140,000:1—and based on what I’ve seen from Epson projectors in the past, they tend to have excellent black levels. Another important factor for HDR is wide color gamut (WCG). Epson claims that the HC 4000 encompasses 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and I was told that celebrated calibrator Kevin Miller measured 98% of P3. The company has also adopted the L*a*b* color space for its measurements, because it more accurately represents the human visual response and is device-independent. As with many Epson projectors these days, the HC 4000 utilizes three 1080p imagers. Each pixel reproduces two independent pixels by quickly shifting back and forth between two positions diagonally to form a total of 4 million pixels to simulate 4K/UHD resolution. The company called this “4K Enhancement” or 4Ke, and it’s essentially the same as JVC’s e-Shift. The projector can accept and display a 4K/UHD signal as well as upscale 1080p images. It isn’t true 4K/UHD, but it’s higher resolution than a native 1080p image. I was amazed to learn that the HC 4000 offers motorized lens shift, zoom, and focus, and these settings can be saved in 10 different memories. This is wonderful for viewing content with different aspect ratios—say, 16:9 TV shows and 2.39:1 movies—on a 2.39:1 screen at full image height in all cases. A fully motorized lens with memories is normally found only on projectors that cost much more than the HC 4000. Speaking of which, how much? $2200! It’s available starting today at select retailers, e-tailers, and the Epson online store. Side-by-Side DemoIn preparation for this announcement, Epson invited me to see a side-by-side comparison of the HC 4000 and the BenQ HT8050, a single-chip DLP projectorbased on TI’s new 4K chip, which has 4 million pixels that are quickly alternated between two positions diagonally to form an image with 8 million pixels—essentially, true 4K/UHD resolution. It offers the same light output as the Epson—2200 lumens—but it does not support HDR or WCG, and it provides only manual lens shift, zoom, and focus. It lists for $8000, almost four times as much as the HC 4000! For this demo, Epson had hoped to acquire an Optoma UHD60, another single-chip DLP 4K/UHD projector that does offer HDR capabilities and costs around the same as the HC 4000, but that didn’t happen for some reason. I wish it had; the UHD60 is much closer to the HC 4000 in price and capabilities, though the Optoma’s zoom, focus, and lens shift are all manual, and it provides only vertical lens shift, not horizontal. Each projector was firing onto a Cirrus Pearl White screen (135″ diagonal, 2.35:1, 1.0 gain, 3.5″ black-velvet frame). Each of these particular screens carries a list price of only $1200, far less than unity-gain screens from the major manufacturers. The throw distance was 18 feet, which is at the short end of the zoom range for both projectors. The source was an Oppo UDP-203 UHD Blu-ray player. The player’s main HDMIoutput was connected to a 4K-compatible, active HDMI splitter that sent the same signal to both projectors. The standard dynamic-range (SDR) mode of both projectors had been calibrated by David Voncannon, a THX-certified calibrator. This is unheard of in manufacturer-hosted side-by-side demos. Most such faceoffs are conducted with displays in their out-of-box modes, so this was quite refreshing. Before the demo even started, I immediately noticed a strong rainbow effect from the BenQ displaying the player’s screen saver, which is the Oppo logo moving around on a black background. Of course, the Epson had no rainbows, which manifest only in single-chip DLP projectors because of the color-filter wheel. The demo material was the movie Why Him?—a strange choice IMO. Looking at the SDR images side by side, the amount of detail was close, though the BenQ edged out the Epson in that department. In terms of color, the BenQ had a slightly redder cast, but I’m not familiar with this movie, and I didn’t see the calibration measurements. Overall, I think the BenQ produced a slightly better image, but the difference was relatively minor—and not worth nearly four times the price, especially without HDR/WCG capabilities or a motorized lens and lens memories. Epson switched the player to HDR output, which the BenQ couldn’t handle; it’s image became totally washed out and unwatchable. But the Epson looked quite good. I couldn’t spend much time studying the HC 4000’s HDR performance—and the clips we saw weren’t exactly prime HDR demo material—but from what I saw, it seemed fine. The Epson Home Cinema 4000 is a new and very strong contender in the home theater-projector marketplace. For $2200, you get fairly high brightness, 4Ke resolution, HDR, WCG, and a fully motorized lens with memories. Can it replace a large flat-panel TV in a living room as Epson intends? With a good ambient light-rejecting screen, it could. But in a dedicated home theater, it seems hard to beat in terms of performance and value. For more on the Epson Home Cinema 4000, click here.
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發表於 2017-6-26 15:19
