Epson MovieMate 30S All-in-One Home Theater Projector System: Overview

Posted on January 22, 2007 by Art Feierman

Specs Preview

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Epson MovieMate 30s Specs
Price	999
Technology	3LCD
Native Resolution	854x480
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	1200
Contrast	1,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio	1.50:1
Lens Shift	Yes
Lamp Life	Up to 3000 hours (low power)
Weight	15.4
Warranty	2 Year Parts and Labor

Epson MovieMate 30S All-in-One Home Theater Projector System: Overview

Back last April, I got a chance to review the MovieMate 25, Epson's first pass at an all-in-one projector for the home. The MovieMate 30s, is an evolutionary change, with minor performance improvements, but major improvements elsewhere.

Immediately noticeable is the change from the old MovieMate 25's white finish, to a much more attractive silver. (the MovieMate 25 reminded me of a large microwave oven).

Overall, image quality is very similar, and, of course I'll go into that in more detail later.

Perhaps the most notable improvement is in interfacing. Sadly, the old MovieMate 25 was limited to working with "low resolution" video signals - composite and S-video. The new MovieMate 30s, adds a computer input - a big enhancement, and equally important, it can now accept HD source information through that computer input, from any device with component video output - which is basically everything that can do hi-def. First thing I did was see if it would work with my HD-DVD player, and I'm pleased to report - no problem at all! It also worked easily with my laptop.

The MovieMate 30s sent to me, actually came in a big box labeled as a MovieMate 33s. An inquiry to Epson and my suspicions were confirmed. The 33s version that I received is a full "bundle", and when it arrived, included in the main box was a small, powered subwoofer. A separate box contained Epson's recently announced Duet tripod screen, that sets up quickly and can be opened for 16:9 or 4:3 viewing. More on that below.