Ultra-short-throw projectors are a good fit for folks who don't have the space for overhead home theater setups, as they can be plonked near to the wall or screen. Epson has now introduced a new "super-UST" flavor that can snuggle even closer.
The super-ultra-short-throw EpiqVision Ultra EH-LS800 projector is so-named as it's capable of throwing 80-diagonal-inch visuals from just 2.3 cm (0.9 in) from the rear of the unit to the wall or screen – the power and I/O ports are usefully positioned to the side – or 28.5 cm (11.2 in) for 150 inches.
It's built around Epson's own 3LCD projection system with a laser light source, and employs pixel-shifting technology to achieve 4K UHD resolution with 10-bit color, HDR10, 2,500,000:1 contrast and up to 4,000 lumens of color and white output.
Thanks to cooked-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi, onboard Android TV can serve up movies and shows via numerous entertainment apps, content on a smartphone screen can be mirrored large thanks to integrated Chromecast, and Google Assistant is available via the supplied handheld remote. For gamers, Epson has included a dedicated gaming port that's reported to get input lag down to 20 ms.
Bluetooth is also available and users can cable to external hardware over HDMI (with support for ARC) and USB. Whatever content is being thrown on the wall, users can look forward to immersive listening through a 20-W 2.1 speaker system with sound by Yamaha.
Epson's first super UST projector is available from next month priced at £3,299.99, and can be had in either black or white.
Update September 29: Epson has now announced US availability for the EH-LS800, though the super-UST projector has been slightly renamed for the US market, to the EpiqVision Ultra LS800. The suggested retail price is $3,499, and it can be optioned with either a 100-inch or 120-inch SilverFlex Ultra ALR Screen for optimum viewing.
Product page: EpiqVision Ultra EH-LS800