Epson has added what's described as a super-short-throw projector to its home cinema options. Like its ultra-short-throw cousins, the EH-QS100 model snuggles up close to the screen to throw huge visuals while its laser light source is reckoned good for lights-on viewing.
The EH-QS100 actually comes as two models, but they differ only in the color of the housing – one being black and the other white.
Epson employs pixel-shifting to achieve 4K Pro UHD image resolution here, where the onscreen pixel count comes in at 4.14 million instead of the 8.3 million of the official 4K UHD standard. As such, you'll get a much better viewing experience than you would from a 1080p projector, but it won't win the pixel war with a true UHD unit. That said, the company is promising "crystal-clear visuals with enhanced sharpness and fluidity."
A throw ratio of 0.16:1 will get it pretty close to the screen or wall, and this model is reported capable of producing visuals at up to 160 diagonal inches though Epson's F1.8 glass.
The 3LCD laser engine puts out 4,500 lumens, which is reckoned good for well-lit rooms as well as darkened home theaters. There's 10-bit color too, along with support for HDR10+ and HLG content. Dynamic Tone Mapping is cooked in as well, which adjusts HDR scenes for brightness, contrast, color and clarity.
Native contrast is reported to be 1,800:1, but that ratio gets bumped to more than 5-million:1 of dynamic contrast "for well-defined shadows and even deeper blacks." Epson has also included "a range of advanced image enhancement technologies, such as 4K frame interpolation to ensure smooth images, and super resolution to preserve detail in every scene."
This is not a smart projector, so you'd need to cable it up to a media source over one of its three HDMI ports – one of which supports audio return, which allows the user to integrate the system into a home theater setup or cable to a soundbar. Ethernet LAN and USB are available too, together with IP control through a web browser as well as supported smart home systems.
"These latest additions to our Q Series range on professional home laser projectors demonstrates how committed we are to this exciting market." said the company's Ben White. "As the demand for larger screen entertainment grows, these projectors are emerging as a cost-effective alternative to flat panel screens and achieve high quality, vibrant and expansive images in bright living spaces or media rooms."
However, Epson Europe hasn't revealed pricing at this stage but expects the black or white EH-QS100 models to be available at "specialist home cinema and Pro AV resellers and integrators" from January 1 2025. We've no word on availability elsewhere at the moment.
Product page: EH-QS100B
