Epson Home Cinema 705HD Projector Review

Epson Home Cinema 705HD Projector - Overview

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I know what your are thinking - "Not another Epson home theater projector review!" Sorry, I can't help it. The problem is, Epson has far more home theater models than than anyone else. In addition to their big Home Cinema line including this projector, the Home Cinema 705HD, there's the slightly differentiated Pro Cinema projector series. Don't, of course, forget their all-in-one MovieMate line, and the fully integrated Ensemble HD systems, essentially 3 extremely high quality "Instant (high quality) Projector based Home Theater Sysems". There's no escaping Epson. (Well, so far, no pico projectors from Epson.) They simply have more projectors with more differing features, at more price points than anyone else, and probably more than their two or three biggest competitors combined. Gee, Panasonic has 2 projectors, Mitsubishi has 4, Sanyo has 3 (one may be discontinued as of this writing), and so on.

The image above was taken with a fair amount of ambient light in the room with partially open window shades, and a south facing sunny view!

Last spring we reviewed the Home Cinema 700 which was essentially a cross-over projector, also suitable for business. It was so cross-over, that Epson sold a "business" version and a home verison that were identical but for the model numbers. This time around, again there is a business version, the Powerlite S7, although it sports some slightly different specs.

The Home Cinema 705HD is a small, lightweight, kick-ass projector. You can just put it on a table when desired, or you can ceiling mount it. It's really bright compared to just about everything else out there, although the venerable Panasonic PT-AX200u is competitive.

Ultimately, the 705HD is the direct descendant of the 700. What I said in these paragraphs below, about the 700, also apply to the 705HD.

"This is one of those projectors, that are no fuss: Hook up the wires, turn it on, and watch that sporting event, movie, or general HDTV/TV content. If your room has more than the slightest amount of ambient light, this projector is designed for the job. Only a couple of projectors can push out more lumens than this low cost projector, and most projectors we've reviewed are no match at all in brightness, when comparing "best" modes, and few have more than 2/3 of its brightness in "brightest" mode.

If you just want to watch, while the wife has some lights on, and is reading, that's really not a challenge for the Home Cinema 705HD, in fact that's what it's particularly good at."

Want a projector you can pack up and take to your cabin (and it does have a small speaker in it, for basic sound), or take along on your summer vacation, or, want to watch it in the family room tonight, but the kids want it in their room tomorrow, or, perhaps you need a projector that can double as a business projector? That's the Home Cinema 705HD appeal.