Epson's new LS100 laser projector short throws a lamp-free 120-inch screen

Why go to the cinema, if you can bring the cinema to you? Epson wants to put a giant 120-inch display in your home this fall without breaking the bank with its new Home Cinema LS100 Digital Laser Display.

It's essentially a short-throw projector, but Epson's using a different sort of technology to create that whopping image. Rather than using a traditional lamp, it's using laser technology.

That's great for two reasons. Firstly, it means the projector is good for 20,000 hours – roughly ten years of use at around 4 hours a day. Secondly, if you've got a decent quality projection screen to throw it onto, you'll get as vibrant a quality picture (in daylight, no less) as an LCD display. 

There's a catch...

The other numbers read well too – 4,000 lumens of brightness help push that impressive daytime viewing capability, a 2,500,000:1 contrast ratio should deliver deep blacks and Epson's 3LCD technology should mean you've no color wheels to worry about or annoying rainbow effect. You've 3 HDMI inputs too, letting you hook up a trio of devices.

There's an elephant in the room though, and that's resolution. As the home cinema world moves to a 4K standard, the LS100 is stuck at a relatively lowly Full HD. Who knows what A/V delights will exist by the end of its 10 year lifespan, given it's already a step behind.

But that's probably why you can pick it up relatively affordably, as far as short-throw projectors go. The Epson Home Cinema LS100 Digital Laser Display goes on sale this fall for a dollar shy of $3,000. That's roughly £2,300, or AU$3,760, though we're still waiting on availability details for territories outside the USA.

Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.