Epson Home Cinema 6100 - Review Summary 1

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Art Feierman

Epson Home Cinema Bottom Line:

The Epson Home Cinema 6100 is not only a well thought out projector, but it is solid in every category: Placement flexibility, post calibration color accuracy, shadow detail. Black level performance is better than almost all of the similarly and lower priced projectors, with the exception of the BenQ W5000. The Epson 6100 has a pretty standard set of inputs, good menus, and respectable documentation. If it has a weakness, it is the audible noise, which is a little louder than average, but still quieter than just about any DLP competitor. You should also Epson's excellent support reputation, and a warranty that is better than almost all the competition.

All of these things combine to earn the Epson Home Cinema 6100 our Hot Product Award. These factors should also make this Epson a strong contender for a Best in Class Award (entry level 1080p projectors) in our upcoming annual 1080p Projector Comparison Report.

In a nutshell, the Epson 6100 projector doesn't seem to have any real weaknesses. It performs as intended. Our only serious recommendation is to do an end user calibration using one of the popular calibration discs, to get the most color accuracy. (Failing that, plug in our calibration numbers into your unit - it is a good place to start.)

If you are limited in funds, if you aren't into spending a significant amount more for the "last 5% of performance", if you just want a projector that works almost flawlessly, and produces a very bright image in either a dark, dedicated home theater, or a family room with modest ambient light, then the Home Cinema 6100 is likely a great choice for you. Definitely put this one on your short list.

Please note: For those of you looking to buy and have your system installed by a local dealer, you can also consider the more expensive Pro Cinema 7100. That model comes finished in black, instead of white, supports an anamorphic lens, and comes with third year of warranty.

Epson Home Cinema 6100 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities

Epson Home Cinema 6100 Projector: Pros

Very good color accuracy even before calibration, in best mode
Slightly brighter than average in "best" mode
One of the brightest home theater projectors in "brightest" mode
Black levels very good, about as good as any projector that doesn't fit into the "ultra high contrast" (and more expensive) category
Very good skin tones
Dynamic image, with lots of "pop and wow" in almost any mode
Two HDMI 1.3b compatible inputs
Very sharp image
Very good remote control
Excellent placement flexibility with 2.1:1 zoom and lens shift
Excellent menu layout
Good color management controls
Great lamp life - rated at 4000 hours whether in low or bright lamp modes
12 volt screen trigger
One of the most affordable 1080p projectors
Not a serious issue to report
Excellent price/performance

Epson Home Cinema 6100 Projector: Cons

No internal support for an anamorphic lens (would require outboard processor, or purchasing the more expensive Pro Cinema 7100 version)
Could be a little brighter in "best mode", for working with larger screens
A pretty basic looking projector from a styling standpoint

Epson Home Cinema 6100 Projector: Typical Capabilities

Black level performance is typical for lower cost 1080p projectors
Selection of inputs
Shadow detail performance
Documentation (lacks in-depth explanations of some features - which is typical of most projector manuals)