Epson launches affordable, gaming-ready HD projectors

IFA 2008: Epson unveils new range of HD projectors
IFA 2008: Epson unveils new range of HD projectors

Epson has unveiled a bunch of new, simple-to-set-up home cinema projectors at IFA 2008 in Berlin this week, with new models announced for various budgets, with the affordable end of the range looking particularly appealing to movie and gaming fans (well, at least it is if you have a spare £500 to splash on a new home cinema).

First up, the sub-£500 EH-DM2 projector is an attractively designed all-in-one 3LCD model with a built-in DVD player, (fairly basic) surround sound speakers, a USB port and – perhaps most appealing for gamers – a special game mode that speed-ups up the image response time, particularly ideal for some large-screen Wii gaming.

Bore your neighbours in HD

You can also shove your photo albums on a USB stick and bore your neighbours yet again with your holiday snaps in full HD. They'll like that…

Next up in the new range is the £650 Epson EH-TW420, available next month, featuring HDMI input, component video, 720p resolution and an impressive 2000 ANSI lumens brightness, so you can happily play or view movies in the middle of the day. This is the projector you need if you want big-screen PS3 or 360 HD gaming.

The Epson EH-TW420 also features a game mode, a DarkWall option, two rudimentary 7W speakers, a USB port and a SD card slot for playing photo slideshows.

If money is no option...

At the (far) more expensive high-end of the projector market, Epson showed off its new £2399 EH-TW5000 at IFA, the black beauty you can see pictured right here.

If money is no option, this is the one you need to be investing in! Featuring a dynamic contrast ratio of 75,000:1, the impressive sounding DeepBlack technology ("it's like, how much more black can it be?")

Also unveiled were the £2000 white/silver EH-TW3800 (contrast ratio of 20,000:1) and the white £1300 EH-TW3000, both releasing in October.

Adam Hartley