Epson MovieMate 85HD - A Review of An All-in-One Home Projector 2

Epson MovieMate 85HD Special Features

MovieMate 85HD Brightness

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Although we will cover in greater detail in the Performance section, it's of importance to note the hefty 2500 lumens this all-in-one Epson can produce. Even in its "best" mode, it's as bright as many home theater projectors are in their "brightest".

Also worthy of notice is that this Epson is one of the few projectors that actually measured brighter than they claimed. That's doubly special since the lens wasn't on full wide angle (where manufacturers measure), but in this case, full telephoto, which definitely costs some lumens! The brightness of the MovieMate 85HD is one of its real strengths. It can "boldly go" into lighting situations that are just a bit too much for all but a few regular home theater projectors.

MovieMate: Standard DVD player On board

The MovieMate 85HD has a single load slot in the front, for its DVD player. It would have been really nice if the MovieMate 85HD had a Blu-ray player inside, but I fully understand the logic of sticking with a basic DVD player. After all, this is more of a portable, or family machine. It's fun, but it isn't designed for enthusiasts. While most people will think it does a really nice job, those of us really into projectors will recognize it as an entry level, 720p resolution, solution. As such, a standard DVD player probably better meets the budgetary needs of owners, who probably also appreciate that this MovieMate 85HD, would almost certainly cost at least $100 more if it had a Blu-ray player instead.

The good news are the component and HDMI inputs. Rock bottom pricing will find you a Blu-ray player for under $80, maybe under $70 these days. If you really want the step up in picture quality that Blu-ray delivers, you can have it, just as an outboard addition - one more thing to move around, when you are "portable". You may already have a Blu-ray player at home, let's say hooked up to your 40" LCDTV. No problem, when you are tired of focusing your eyes on that tiny, distant, 40" set, just plug the MovieMate into that Blu-ray player and temporarily watch a nice, decent sized image, in the 80 to 120+ inch diagonal range.

MovieMate 85HD Audio

As mentioned, the MovieMate 85HD, has a pair of 10 watt speakers. They are capable of achieving some respectable sound levels. I watched the Expendables last night (Blu-ray, fed to the MovieMate from my PS3), and the audio did get pretty loud. Not bad. Of course, once cranked up you do realize that there isn't much lower bass at all. Despair not, when you don't mind bringintg one, there are any number of small, powered sub-woofers you can buy, that you can use with this MovieMate projector.

Extended Warranty for the MovieMate

Two years is great, but for an additional $89.95 (MSRP), from Epson you can complement that 2 year warranty with a two year replacement program