Epson Home Cinema 3020 Projector - Physical Tour-3

Posted on October 22, 2008 by Art Feierman

The only noteworthy change I can think of, is that when you are in 3D mode, the Auto Iris is not grayed out. Epson, with the 3020 projectors now gives you the ability to choose whether you want the iris working in 3D or not.

Sub-menus: here's the Gamma control sub-menu, with 5 preset gamma's and the ability to customize the gamma, if desired. They work well and offer wonderful flexibility. I find their choice of adjusting gamma by image, or by the "chart" below, to be extremely handy

Below, the Settings menu. Since this menu was shot from a 3020e, note the WirelessHD feature. Note the User button on the remote - can be programmed, in this case, it is set to reverse mode for 3D glasses.

Also on this menu are the split screen controls where you can adjust which source goes where, size of each window.

Epson is loaded with User memories, a total of 10. I do tend to use a number of them. By the time I returned to Epson the older 5010, I had 8 memories in use.

It's nice, for example, to be able to have four calibrated "best" modes, with the only differences, being combinations of having CFI on or off, and brightness on full or eco. I might even have another couple with slightly lower saturation for that content that is just "over the top". And a customized "brightest" mode or two.

Epson's menus haven't changed much but for the addition of lots of new features, over most of the last decade. I would say Epson's layout is about as good as it gets. That's not to say there aren't four or five other brands with equally good, but different menu layouts. No complaints!

Epson Home Cinema 3020 Remote Control

No changes to the Epson remote this year. The Home Cinema 3020 remote control is big, and black, and backlit, and has all the same buttons, in all the same places as the older 3010's remote control.

Overall, a very good remote control, with very good range, I have to worry far less about where I'm pointing this remote, than most others, and I attribute that to range and spread of the IR beam.

The top row as the big power On button on the left, a smaller Off button in the middle, and the backlight button far right.

Next comes two rows of buttons with your Source choices. On the "e" version of the projector one of them is for the WirelessHD HDMI setup. With support for HDMI-Link, the remote provides all the usual DVD type controls since it should run any HDMI-link player. In fact on the row of large buttons immediately below, are the HDMI-Link button, and Volume Up and Down.

Below those, white buttons from 2D/3D modes, Color Mode, and Memory

That takes us to the navigation controls - four arrow keys in a round formation with a center Enter button. Below all that are three buttons in a curve,

Below those buttons are Default, Menu, and Esc (takes you back a level on the menus).

Finally, near the bottom, 7 more buttons offering direct links to features/menu items: AutoIris, Color (RGBCYMK), Aspect Ratio, Split Screen, test Pattern, User (programmable from menus), and AV Mute.

I have two complaints: The backlight itself, could be a touch brighter, but it really is ok. (Better than one of those remotes with overly bright, blinding blue LED lights!)

The other complaint (and that's about it), it's that the backlight button is way at the top right, and the backlight doesn't come on, when you press any button. With a remote this long, the backlight button is far from the center of balance, so you really can't hit the button while holding it balanced in one hand.

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