Epson has unveiled a new long-throw laser projector that delivers a claimed “zero compromise” 4K picture thanks to a 3-LCD chip system with new pixel shifting technology. The Pro Cinema 4K PRO-UHD LS12000 also comes with an HDMI 2.1 port, promising 4K gaming at up to 120 frames per second.
Epson stands out from other projector manufacturers by using its own 3-chip LCD system rather than single DLP chips from Texas Instruments. That generally results in better color fidelity and none of the annoying “rainbow effect” of DLP projectors, but less perceived 4K resolution.
It has apparently solved that problem with what it calls “precision shift glass plate technology.” As with other models, it uses three LCDs for red, green and blue, with each limited to 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. However, the shift glass plate system runs at a high refresh rate and accurately shifts pixels “to display a 3,840 x 2,160, 8.29-million-pixel image,” the company said.
The laser light source, meanwhile, pumps out up to 2,700 lumens and lasts for up to 20,000 hours. It also allows for deeper blacks with a claimed contrast ratio of over 2,500,000:1. There’s no sign of Dolby Vision, but it does offer HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, with the latter supported on Hulu, Amazon Prime and YouTube, but not Netflix.
It should be one of the best gaming projectors, as well, with the aforementioned 120 Hz refresh rate, lag input below 20 milliseconds, 1080p upscaling and relatively high brightness. The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 4K PRO-UHD projector is now available for $5,000 — expensive, yes, but a relative bargain compared to comparable 3-chip 4K projectors from Sony, JVC and others.
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