Epson PowerLite L610W Laser Projector - Hardware Part I

Epson PowerLite L610W Laser Projector Review – Hardware: Overview, Inputs and Connectors, Lens, Auto Source

First thing I noticed about the Epson PowerLite L610W was that it was not as big as I was first expecting. Make no mistake, at almost 19 pounds, and being about 17.5” x 12”, it’s by no means a small, portable projector.  But to my surprise, the projector was indeed compact enough that if needed, it could be placed on an A/V cart so that it could be easily transported to whichever room the projector is needed.  I ended up placing the projector on a side table to the right of my couch, and used the quick corner correction to straighten out my screen.  It took just minutes to have a crisp, straight and level picture perfectly matched up with my screen.

The L610W is a solid, well-built projector.  It can be mounted but it also includes 3 screw-adjustable feet for aiding set up on a flat surface.  As well, a horizontal and vertical lens shift enable you easily adjust your projector to fit your picture where you need it on your screen.  All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to find a solid projector that while it was certainly large, it was not so huge that it couldn’t be handled with ease.

Starting from the left side on the back of the projector, the input panel includes as follows. The Ethernet LAN and HDBaseT ports appear first on the top left of the input panel.  Moving along to the right you will find your two HDMI ports side by side.  As you move to the right and down one row, the Computer 1 (RGB) and Computer 2 (Monitor Out) ports are located right above both Audio inputs.  The Audio Out port is located directly to the right of the 2^nd Audio input.

Next to that audio output is the RS-232C port for external control and right above that resides the USB port, which is compatible with Epson’s wireless dongle and PC-Free projection. Lastly, a service port is beside the USB port, and can be used for such things like saving your projector’s settings to a computer, and even transferring those settings to another projector or computer.

You cannot use both projector audio and an external speaker at the same time.  Only one or the other.

The lens on the Epson PowerLite L610W is significant in size and does stick out from the projector itself, presenting a possible issue with something coming into contact with and damaging the lens.  That said, since this device is unlikely to be moving around too too much, this likely won’t present much of an issue.  A detachable lens cap is included.

The zoom and focus knobs are both located directly on the front of the lens and are both easy to maneuver so you can get the sharpest picture at the size you want.  Unlike some other Epsons I have reviewed like the smaller PowerLites 990U and 108, this unit does not maintain it’s focus while adjusting the zoom.  Again, give the expectation that this won’t move much, again, this may not be a big issue but I thought it should be noted for those that like to keep tabs on such minutia.

The lens on the Epson PowerLite L610W is significant in size and does stick out from the projector itself, presenting a possible issue with something coming into contact with and damaging the lens.  That said, since this device is unlikely to be moving around too too much, this likely won’t present much of an issue.  A detachable lens cap is included.

The zoom and focus knobs are both located directly on the front of the lens and are both easy to maneuver so you can get the sharpest picture at the size you want.  Unlike some other Epsons I have reviewed like the smaller PowerLites 990U and 108, this unit does not maintain it’s focus while adjusting the zoom.  Again, give the expectation that this won’t move much, again, this may not be a big issue but I thought it should be noted for those that like to keep tabs on such minutia.