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The new Epson 4K Home Cinema 4010 and Pro Cinema 4050 projectors represent another small step in the evolution of 4K capable, pixel shifting projectors. More bang, less bucks!  They offer an improvement over the previous generation of Epson’s projectors that could also handle 4K content including HDR and expanded color!

The HC4010 and PC4050 have a sharpness advantage compared to the older, higher end HC 5040UB/PC 6040UB and HC4000/PC4040 home theater projectors thanks to improved pixel shifting.  There are other improvements, but the more expensive, and physically identical looking “UB” series still has some advantages, and we expect (it's just logical) that in the upcoming months, replacements for the Epson 5040UB and 6040UB will appear as Epson wishes to have their higher end models incorporate the same improvements found in the HC4010 and PC4050, while maintaining the other advantages.

Epson calls these new projectors PRO-UHD (just what we need, another trademarked - resolution oriented name to help keep us confused, but folks, that's marketing), and they offer a wider color gamut that can reach very close to the full 100% of the P3/BT.2020 color range (sometimes called DCI-P3 - the term for the movie theater standards). Now that's a claim that’s been echoed by several others since CEDIA 2018, but as yet has not been delivered upon – we’ll see if the HC4010/PC4050 can actually pull it off!  Most under $3000 projectors don’t even come remotely close to P3 color, many can barely do great on the older REC709 standard  (Hint:  These Epsons come very, very close to P3!!! – art)

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2019-2020-Home-Theater-Report_Best-Performance-4K-HT-$1000-$2000
Epson Home Cinema 4010/Pro Cinema 4050 Specs
Price $1999/$2399
Technology 3LCD
Native Resolution 4096x2160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 2400
Contrast 200000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio 1.85:1
Lens Shift Yes
Lamp Life 3500 hours
Weight 24.3 lbs.
Warranty 2 years

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Overview

Epson’s new Home Cinema 4010/Pro Cinema 4050 are bright, 4K Capable – 2,500 lumen – and fully featured projectors.  The two projectors are identical, but for the color of the case.  The Pro 4050 – aka the PC4050, is all black.  The Home Cinema 4010 – aka HC4010, comes in a white case.  These two projectors are sold through different dealer channels, with the HC4010 easily found online, as well as big box houses.  The PC4050 by comparison might make it into some big box houses (Best Buy’s in-store Magnolia showrooms, for example) but are primarily available through a large network of trained, local installing dealers.

The Pro Cinema 4050’s list price is $2,399 (including extras), while the Home Cinema 4010’s is only $1,999.  Why the difference?  It’s a marketing thing.  The Pro Cinema series of projectors come with a high quality ceiling mount, one spare lamp, and a cable cover.  The HC4010’s warranty is Epson’s standard two year warranty with two years of rapid replacement program.  The PC4050 takes the HC4010’s warranty and upgrades it, making it three years of warranty with three years of their rapid replacement program.  The Pro Cinema 4050’s warranty package is by far the best of any warranty for a projector below $2,500 available today!

For those of you familiar with Epson’s popular UB, or Ultra Black, Series, these are one step down.  Essentially, they have all the same features but utilize the new 4K PRO-UHD processing chip, which offers improved pixel shifting, but less native contrast, and therefor isn’t quite as good as the HC5040UB and PC6040UB when it comes to the darkest scenes.  These two projectors, the HC4010 and PC4050, are the replacements for Epson’s previous HC4000 and PC4040 models.  The differences are evolutionary, providing so definite improvements, but nothing drastic.

I took the time to play with the projector (they sent me a Home Cinema 4010, not the Pro Cinema version) for a few days – completely uncalibrated, before shipping it to Eric to calibrate.  It should come as no surprise there were several modes that provided some really fine looking color, and overall picture quality, without any adjustments at all.  Okay, I did lower brightness from 50 to 49 on a 1-100 scale to get the black levels optimized, but that adjustment was just something that was easy to eyeball.

Interestingly, with the shipping of new models, these two are now a bit more advanced than the existing, now two year old, HC5040UB and PC6040UB projectors.  I mention that because logic would indicate the Epson would need to upgrade their higher end models with improvements.  If you are reading this in 2019, my guess is that Epson will have already replaced their older UB models.

Let’s take a quick look at these new Epson’s most important highlights, features and benefits.  Then, we’ll get into all the details: Special Features, Hardware, Picture Quality and Performance, before wrapping it up with a Summary page, where we will discuss these projector’s competitors.  Let’s get started!

Highlights

  • 4K Capable
    • Supports HDR (HDR10 Standard)
    • Supports better color space BT2020/P3
  • 2,500 lumens – Use in home theater or rooms with good lighting control
  • Pixel shifting used to enhance detail
    • New pixel shifting hardware design
  • CFI for smooth motion
  • 3D Support (1080p – there are no 4K 3D standards)
  • Backlit remote with HDMI-link
  • Good gaming projector
  • Great warranty on HC4010, even better on PC4050

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Epson Pro Cinema 4050 Lifestyle

At CEDIA 2018, Epson announced their new Pro Cinema 4050 home theater projector. This exciting new projector offers improved pixel shifting from their previous models, such as the Epson Home Cinema 4000 and 5040UB, made possible by utilizing the new PRO-UHD 3LCD chip. Epson advertises this model as having a wider color gamut, reaching 100% of P3/BT.2020, HDR with balanced color brightness for that extra pop and wow factor. Being 3LCD, the projector delivers the same brightness across all colors, which allows it to combat ambient light better than its DLP counterparts. In this First Look Review, we will explore the hardware and features of the Epson Pro Cinema 4050 and discover just what this new addition to Epson’s home theater lineup has to offer.

Before we get started, you may be asking “Just what is a First Look Review?” Well, a First Look Review is a simple one-page review where we take a close look at the specifications of the projector, along with its features and our thoughts based on what the manufacturer has claimed. This all takes place before our reviewers actually get their hands on this projector. Therefore, these First Look Reviews are a mix of insight and common sense. Of course, we won’t know if the Pro Cinema 4050 will meet our expectations until we actually get it in for testing, but given what we know about similar Epson projectors, we can make some fairly safe assumptions. Let’s start with our First Look Review of the Epson Pro Cinema 4050 home theater projector!

Epson 4050 Specs
Price $2,399
Technology 3 LCD, 3LCD
Native Resolution 1920x1080x2
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 2400
Contrast 200000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio 2.10:1
Lens Shift Yes
Lamp Life 3,500 Hours
Weight 24.3 lbs
Warranty 2 Years

Overview

The Epson Pro Cinema 4050 is a $2,399 home theater projector with advanced pixel-shifting technology, thanks to the new 4K PRO-UHD chip offered by Epson, with a 1920 x 1080 x2 resolution. That’s a pretty good price for a 3LCD projector offering 4K video, an included ceiling mount and an extra lamp, especially when you consider the Home Cinema 5040UB is a couple hundred more without those extras! While pixel shifters have been around for a while, what is exciting about the 4050 is the previously mentioned enhanced PRO-UHD 3LCD chip, which makes its debut with this new projector and the similarly spec’d HC4010.

As a 3LCD projector, color is accurate, vivid and as bright as white light; 3LCD projectors offer the same number of lumens for colors as they do white ones. The new Epson Pro Cinema 4050 has a brightness claim of 2,400 lumens, which is nicely bright for a home theater projector, and is a good fit dedicated home theaters or living rooms with at least some good control over ambient light. This 4K capable projector also supports HDR10, which provides more vivid color than projectors without HDR.

Epson claims a lamp life of up to 5,000 hours in ECO Mode, which is enough potential life for more than two years between lamp changes with a viewing schedule of 6 hours a day, every day. In High Mode, the lifespan of the lamp is reduced to 3,500 hours, which is still respectable – most projectors have a lamp life claim of between 3,000 and 8,000 hours, with the higher end of that spectrum being ECO Mode claims.

Epson Pro Cinema 4050 Lifestyle Shot
Photo provided curtesy of Epson, from their Advertorial (see link at bottom of page)

While DLP projectors typically offer better black levels than 3LCD, the contrast ratio claim here is 200,000:1. With a claim like that, I would expect black levels to be better than entry level. In Art’s reviews of the 4K UHD DLP projectors, he’s been saying that most of them have merely entry level black level performance. With Epson’s improved technology, we can at least hope that the black levels of the Pro Cinema 4050 will be at least as good as the HC4000’s, if not as good as the HC5040UB’s. Like I said, we can hope, but a final determination on that will have to wait until we actually get to review one and see for ourselves.

The Pro Cinema 4050 is a sizeable 24.3 lbs, and measures in at 7.6 inches tall, 20.5 inches wide and 17.7 inches deep; right about the same size as the Home Cinema 5040UB. Other than the new PRO-UHD chip, there are a few other key features which we will get into in the Special Features section of this page, which follows the Highlights section below.

Highlights

  • $2,399 List Price
  • Native 1920 x 1080 x2 Resolution – With 4K PRO-UHD Pixel Shifting Technology
  • 2,400 White Lumens and 2,400 Color Lumens – Bright Enough to Handle Modest Ambient Light
  • 3LCD Technology
  • Lamp Life of 5,000 Hours (ECO Mode)
  • 200,000:1 Contrast Ratio
  • HDR10 – Full 10-bit Color Output
  • 15-Element Glass Lens
  • Creative Frame Interpolation
  • No Color Wheel – No Rainbow Effect
  • Full HD 3D
  • Lens Memory
  • Picture-in-Picture
  • Dual HDMI inputs
  • 2 Year Warranty with Free, Next-Day Exchange with Extra Care Home Service

Special Features

The Epson Pro Cinema 4050 offers 1080p resolution with pixel shifting up to a 4K UHD image resolution.    The 15-element glass lens features Lens Memory, allowing quick switching between your regular HDTV, 16:9 content to widescreen viewing for movies. This is great for those home theater fanatics who, like Art, own a wide screen. In addition to Lens Memory, the Pro Cinema 4050 has motorized lens functions such as powered zoom and focus, which is a major plus.

Epson’s new 4K PRO-UHD technology is built into the Home Pro Cinema 4050. This new chipset is comprised of three hardware processors for Resolution Enhancement, HDR10, and Image Processing.  This means there are three dedicated processors working in parallel to display an amazing 4K HDR image, possibly among the best seen from any projector currently on the market. Epson’s new dedicated pixel-shifting technology delivers more sharpness than the older models, which greatly improves the detail of the image. Again, we won’t know how improved until Art posts his review of the PC4050/HC4010, which should be within the next month.

Hardware

The Epson Pro Cinema 4050 is intended for home theater use and, as such, has very few connections and inputs. There are two HDMI inputs (one HDCP 2.2 for 4K content, and one regular 1.4), a powered Type A USB, a standard USB for an optional wireless dongle and firmware upgrade, a Mini USB for service only, a standard RJ-45 Ethernet port for wired networking, a VGA input for computer connection, a RS-232c for legacy command and control, and a 12 V trigger.

The Bottom Line

The Epson Pro Cinema 4050 should offer a stunning 4K image with its new PRO-UHD technology and dedicated pixel shifting processor. Its list price of $2,399 will make it an exceptional value for those shopping for a dedicated home theater projector. With the color quality we have come to expect from Epson, combined with its new chip, its 100% of P3/BT.2020 claim, and support of HDR10, I think we’re in for a treat when Art gets to take a look at one in action. Epson has provided us with an advertorial for this projector – click here to check it out!

Optoma – with its brand new UHD51A 4K UHD projector, is one of the first projector manufacturers to offer up a smart projector design for the mainstream of the market. This projector is 4K capable using the the smaller/less expensive of the two 4K UHD resolution DLP chips.

The secret sauce – if you will, the smarts – is supporting Alexa (and also Goggle Assistant) which I’ll go into at length in this review. Optoma put their “home theater” color wheel in this projector, but still manages to claim 2400 lumens, more than other 4K UHD projectors with similar wheels. (Hint, the UHD51A did not meet its brightness claim, but is comparable to the competition).

The UHD51A is $1699 list price, be aware, also that it has an almost identical twin, the UHD50, this is only $1399. With the UHD51A, it’s those smarts that you are paying for, with the difference in list price. (I suspect the selling prices will be closer to each other).

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Optoma UHD51A Specs
Price $3199
Technology DLP
Native Resolution 3840x2160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 2400
Contrast 500,000:1, 500000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio 1.30:1
Lens Shift No
Lamp Life 4000 hours
Weight 11.8
Warranty 2 years

Overview

Meantime, with the UHD51A, you should expect a very sharp image on 1080p and lower resolution content, and even sharper with 4K content. There is little difference in sharpness at normal seating distances between projectors using the two different chips, and they are all very close in sharpness to the least expensive true 4K projectors (but not high end ones). In the world of more expensive lenses (lenses costing a lot more than this projector), you might buy a little more sharpness, but you also get more clarity – a clearer image (as if a film was removed from in front of the image).

The feature set is better almost all of the other 4K UHD DLPs in the price range, but that’s fair, as it is one of the most expensive using the 1920x1080x4 pixel shifting chip.

The difference between the two relates to the smarts and Wifi. The UHD51A comes with the wireless module which is not available for the UHD50. So you are getting the smart tech, and the wireless to make it work. And of course the wireless has other uses besides Alexa... If you don’t need the fancy, the UHD50 will save you enough money for a very good 4K Blu-ray UHD player, or a couple of years of Netflix subscription.

3D and smooth motion – a.k.a. Creative Frame Interpolation are both found on the UHD51A, add the WiFi to that, and the modest amount of lens shift, and without looking further, you have the best equipped of the 4K UHD DLP projectors (that using the smaller, less expensive chip). Now I would have loved to see a good dynamic iris, but you can’t have everything at this price point, considering this is the pricing range for “entry level” 4K content capable projectors.

The images in this player start out with some 4K content from Blu-ray UHD movies (Passengers, Ghostbusters, Journey To Space, followed by some 1080p and 1080i content (movies and HDTV). The last image is 4K content streamed from Netflix (Red from The Blacklist), which looks great in 4K although not HDR content.

approaching Mars

4K content from Journey To Space - stunning approaching Mars

Still a very impressive projector from Optoma so let’s get this review moving forward with the quick list of Highlights, then the Special Features... -art

Highlights

    • 4K UHD resolution (the smaller, of the two DLP chips)
      Large pixels, but achieves 4K UHD by pixel shifting: 1920x1080 x4
    • Supports HDR (high dynamic range), and larger color space
    • Smart – Alexa compatible – Google Assistant too
    • 2400 claimed lumens with a “home theater” RGBRGB color wheel
    • 1.3:1 manual zoom lens
    • Comes with Wifi module (plugs into one of the 3 USB ports
    • Modest amount of lens shift (15%)
    • CFI for smooth motion
    • Built in speakers (5 watt x 2)
    • 3D
    • Built in media player plays 4K videos
      • Control slideshow using Alexa commands
    • For those not needing Wifi or Alexa type smarts you can
      • Save with the lower cost UHD50

InFocus is a well established manufacturer of projectors for the business and education market segments.  The IN1118HD, reviewed here, is a portable DLP projector designed for business presentations on the go.  It comes with a soft carrying case that holds the projector, remote, and cables.

The IN1118HD uses a single DLP display chip (i.e., DMD) with 1920 x 1080 resolution combined with a 6-segment color wheel and a conventional lamp light source.  The projector's lens has a modest 1.3x zoom range and has manual zoom and focus adjustments.  There are no optical lens shift adjustments offered and the projected image has some vertical offset.  Thus, when the projector is placed level on a table, the bottom edge of the projected image will be a few inches higher than the position of the projector's lens.

$2500 and change gets you great black level performance, and a first class projector in terms of picture.  3D, and 2 pair of glasses, best warranty…for excellent price/performance.WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Epson PC6020UB "Projector Reviews TV" Video Summary The Epson Pro Cinema 6020 projector is nearly identical to the Epson Home Cinema 5020UB, which we reviewed in October 2012. We had both the 6020UB and 5020UB here, but to write two fully separate reviews on these two projectors made no real sense. After all, image quality and performance should be identical, except that the 6020 fully supports use of an anamorphic lens. As such, the following pages discuss the 6020, but much of the text is taken directly from the Home Cinema 5020 review.WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Epson HC5020UB "Projector Reviews TV" Video Summary  WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: Epson PC6010 "Projector Reviews TV" Video Summary The Epson Pro Cinema 6010 is the big brother to the Epson Home Cinema 5010 reviewed late last year.  These two home theater projectors are similar in almost all ways with the Pro version having a few extra features, a different method of distribution, and it comes with some extra accessories. While I have received a Pro Cinema 6010 projector from Epson to work with, and I've been watching it, it was decided the two projectors are too simiar to go through the entire review process again. The differences, with two exceptions, are slight. This mini review of the Pro Cinema 6010, therefore, will focus primarily on the differences, with the goal of helping you decide if this Pro Cinema 6010 makes more sense for you, than the 5010. Click for the full Home Cinema 5010 review. Please note, as this goes live, most of the images in this review have been taken using the 5010, not this 6010. Any Pro Cinema 6010 images to be added, will be so noted.

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