Epson PowerLite 675W Ultra Short Throw Classroom Projector Review – Special Features

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Nikki Zelinger

Epson PowerLite 675W Ultra Short Throw Classroom Projector Review – Special Features: Ultra Short Throw Projection, Wireless LAN, 3 HDMI Inputs, Warranty, Brighter Futures Education Program

Ultra Short Throw Projection

This is a desirable feature for classrooms, as it allows the projector to be mounted just inches away from the screen surface to produce a rather large image. The Epson PowerLite 675W can project up to 100” diagonally from only 11” away. That means that there is less shadow interference than would be seen with your typical short throw or normal throw projectors, which need to be mounted 5-10+ feet back in order to achieve the same size image.

Epson PowerLite 675W Projector Front Angled

The most common practice for mounting these ultra short throw projectors is wall mounting. That means they will be mounted just above the screen, a foot or less out from the wall. This kind of setup makes it easy for installers – or your IT department – to get the projector up and running. Ultra short throw projectors are a great choice for presenters, because of that lack of shadow interference I mentioned – presenters can be right up against the screen with no real consequences to the image.

Wireless LAN

The Epson PowerLite 675W has wireless capabilities! Using Epson’s Wireless Module ($99) and the Moderator software, up to four devices can be connected to the projector simultaneously. This projector has Mac compatibility, which is a huge plus. In this day and age, you would expect all projectors to be Mac compatible, but that is not the case. Many are, but it is important to find out if your system relies on Mac computers or if there will be presenters with iMacs or MacBooks, which you can almost bet there will be.

The Wireless capability on the PowerLite 675W can handle both iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as Chromebooks and PCs, and, of course, the aforementioned Mac. That Chromebook compatibility is awesome, as we are seeing a trend in schools where students are assigned their own personal Chromebooks, and many parents are buying these as an alternative to more expensive laptops for students who are mainly using it for word processing. This wide range of compatibility is a great feature to have, as it makes PC-free presenting available to more students or presenters.

3 HDMI Inputs

Three HDMI inputs! Guys, this is huge. Art's been on manufacturers for years to add a third HDMI input to their projectors, both in the home and business/education. Devices add up - BluRay players, DVD players, computers - so having a third HDMI slot is a real life saver when you've got a lot to connect.

In addition to the third HDMI input, one of the three can handle MHL. MHL is for streaming sticks like Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV - this is a big time saver for teachers. My teacher friends all regularly use YouTube and Netflix to show videos to their classes, and by using a streaming stick, they can free up their computers to work on their own stuff while the kiddos are otherwise occupied.

Warranty

The Epson PowerLite 675W has a great warranty – two years parts and labor. This warranty covers any manufacturer defects. Epson also gives a 90 day warranty on the lamp, so should you experience any trouble with it within those 90 days, you’re totally covered. It does not have a rapid replacement program, but you can purchase one for an additional cost – more on that in the next section.

Brighter Futures Education Pricing

I love a good education program, and Epson has one! Their Brighter Futures Education Program provides hefty discounts to schools, which comes in really handy when buying in bulk, as most school districts do. Their education pricing brings the Epson PowerLite 675W down from $1,190 to $940. This really ups the projector’s value proposition. It does not extend to the UST wall mount, however, so you’d still be looking at $109 per unit. Not bad.

The warranty does not come with a replacement program, but Epson offers their Brighter Futures Whole Unit Exchange Program for extra coverage. There are two options for this. The first is one where you must purchase the extended warranty at the same time the projector is purchased, and you can get one year for $65, two for $99.

The second option allows you to purchase the extended warranty any time before the original warranty expires. So that’s any time within the first two years of purchase, and you can get the one year for $99, and the two year for $149. You can see how the first option is a money-saver! All said and done, the Epson PowerLite 675W is a great value for schools where 1080p (or rather, WUXGA resolution) is not necessary.

Epson PowerLite 675W Ultra Short Throw Classroom Projector Review – Special Features: Ultra Short Throw Projection, Wireless LAN, 3 HDMI Inputs, Warranty, Brighter Futures Education Program

Ultra Short Throw Projection

This is a desirable feature for classrooms, as it allows the projector to be mounted just inches away from the screen surface to produce a rather large image. The Epson PowerLite 675W can project up to 100” diagonally from only 11” away. That means that there is less shadow interference than would be seen with your typical short throw or normal throw projectors, which need to be mounted 5-10+ feet back in order to achieve the same size image.

The most common practice for mounting these ultra short throw projectors is wall mounting. That means they will be mounted just above the screen, a foot or less out from the wall. This kind of setup makes it easy for installers – or your IT department – to get the projector up and running. Ultra short throw projectors are a great choice for presenters, because of that lack of shadow interference I mentioned – presenters can be right up against the screen with no real consequences to the image.

Wireless LAN

The Epson PowerLite 675W has wireless capabilities! Using Epson’s Wireless Module ($99) and the Moderator software, up to four devices can be connected to the projector simultaneously. This projector has Mac compatibility, which is a huge plus. In this day and age, you would expect all projectors to be Mac compatible, but that is not the case. Many are, but it is important to find out if your system relies on Mac computers or if there will be presenters with iMacs or MacBooks, which you can almost bet there will be.

The Wireless capability on the PowerLite 675W can handle both iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as Chromebooks and PCs, and, of course, the aforementioned Mac. That Chromebook compatibility is awesome, as we are seeing a trend in schools where students are assigned their own personal Chromebooks, and many parents are buying these as an alternative to more expensive laptops for students who are mainly using it for word processing. This wide range of compatibility is a great feature to have, as it makes PC-free presenting available to more students or presenters.

3 HDMI Inputs

Three HDMI inputs! Guys, this is huge. Art's been on manufacturers for years to add a third HDMI input to their projectors, both in the home and business/education. Devices add up - BluRay players, DVD players, computers - so having a third HDMI slot is a real life saver when you've got a lot to connect.

In addition to the third HDMI input, one of the three can handle MHL. MHL is for streaming sticks like Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV - this is a big time saver for teachers. My teacher friends all regularly use YouTube and Netflix to show videos to their classes, and by using a streaming stick, they can free up their computers to work on their own stuff while the kiddos are otherwise occupied.

Warranty

The Epson PowerLite 675W has a great warranty – two years parts and labor. This warranty covers any manufacturer defects. Epson also gives a 90 day warranty on the lamp, so should you experience any trouble with it within those 90 days, you’re totally covered. It does not have a rapid replacement program, but you can purchase one for an additional cost – more on that in the next section.

Brighter Futures Education Pricing

I love a good education program, and Epson has one! Their Brighter Futures Education Program provides hefty discounts to schools, which comes in really handy when buying in bulk, as most school districts do. Their education pricing brings the Epson PowerLite 675W down from $1,190 to $940. This really ups the projector’s value proposition. It does not extend to the UST wall mount, however, so you’d still be looking at $109 per unit. Not bad.

The warranty does not come with a replacement program, but Epson offers their Brighter Futures Whole Unit Exchange Program for extra coverage. There are two options for this. The first is one where you must purchase the extended warranty at the same time the projector is purchased, and you can get one year for $65, two for $99.

The second option allows you to purchase the extended warranty any time before the original warranty expires. So that’s any time within the first two years of purchase, and you can get the one year for $99, and the two year for $149. You can see how the first option is a money-saver! All said and done, the Epson PowerLite 675W is a great value for schools where 1080p (or rather, WUXGA resolution) is not necessary.