Epson Home Cinema 710HD Projector: Pros and Cons

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Art Feierman

Once you start enjoying football, concerts, CSI or whatever your taste is, on a 100 inch or 120 diagonal screen, you'll be wondering how your friends survive with only a 55" or 65" LCDTV. It must be traumatic for them. You can do this - afford this: This Epson projector paired with a 100" diagonal motorized screen should start at about $1000. Bottom line: Enjoy the really big screen - for you, your kids, even the spouse. Some of you have parents that remember when TV was black and white (it was when I was a very little kid), and some remember their first color TV. Others remember buying a huge 17" diagonal TV. Now we think back to 17" diagonal and that's what? an overized tablet, but certainly too small to be a serious "TV". Well it won't be that long, you'll remember your old Epson Home Cinema 710HD, and fondly remember that some folks actually had to watch TV back in the 2010's on sets that were only 40 or 55 inches diagonal. Yes, those early days of the 21st century were so barbaric, until Epson's 710HD made "decent" sized viewing - affordable!

Epson Home Cinema 710HD Projector: Pros and Cons

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Have fun with this one. Everyone should. But, if you are the kind who expects you might just catch the Home theater bug... - to become an enthusiast...this is still a good starter projector. Once owning this one, if you then decide in a couple years to get really "serious", the 710HD will have helped you decide what your next and better projector should be capable of. And thanks to the great - and longer than most of their competitor's warranty, (and the exceptionally long lamp life) this little Epson may command more dollars if you were to sell it, than most of the other similarly priced 720p projectors out there, which have only 1 year warranties.

Epson Home Cinema 710HD Projector: Pros

About as bright (measured over 2500 lumens at max) as under $1000 home projectors get
Can handle some moderately bright rooms when it can be paired with the right screen
Pretty good color, right out of the box, even better post calibration
Can easily double as a business portable WXGA projector
Very long life lamp (4000/5000 hours)
Lamp can be changed without unmounting the projector
Geared for the tyical consumer, not the enthusiast
Geared for the "family room" not the dedicated theater/cave
Built in speakers - means quick and easy sound outside or for a quick setup in a room.
HDMI input
Good Documentation
Easy to use, menus nicely designed
Lightweight and portable
A mass market projector that provides value, with Epson's good rep for reliability
Best warranty and support package around

Epson Home Cinema 710HD Projector: Cons

Black levels definitely could be better
Lacks a full color management system for fine tuning individual colors
Only a single control for each primary (instead of the usual 2), when adjusting grayscale balance
Lacks a color saturation control
Remote control is not backlit
Lacks CFI for smooth motion (typical for entry level projectors)
A good bit noisy (fan) at full power, though OK in Eco-mode
Lacks the multiple user memories more expensive Epson models have
Limited placement flexibility (1.2:1 zoom, no lens shift) but typicl of the price point
Only a single HDMI input (buy a $39 switcher if needed)
No lens shift (a great feature you just aren't likely to find on any projectors under $1000)
Cannot engage auto iris in Living Room mode (not a big deal)