Epson PRO EB-PU1008W 3LCD Large Venue Laser Projector Review - Performance

COLOR REPRODUCTION

The Epson EB-PU1008W provides an image that balances color performance and brightness well out of the box. With the purchase of an optional camera module (ELPHD01) for $99, Epson offers an Auto Color Adjustment feature to adjust for color uniformity.

This feature is helpful when utilizing multiple projectors because, according to Epson, it can "detect subtle color inconsistencies between multiple projectors and screens that have become unevenly colored over time." This function can be used manually or set to automatically check at predetermined intervals.

The colors that the EB-PU1008W displays are stunning. The preset picture modes looked really good. Out of all the modes, I found the CINEMA and NATURAL modes looked best with the majority of the content I viewed. Keep in mind I use a lot of entertainment content in my testing, which can be far less forgiving than presentation content.

Projectors like the EB-PU1008W are mainly utilized to display presentation-style content, but they will also be used to project video and images in museums or galleries. Skin tones were a bit dynamic, but this can be adjusted if necessary. Take a look at the two galleries above and decide for yourself.

BRIGHTNESS

The Epson EB-PU1008W's ability to produce an estimated 8,500 lumens is impressive, especially considering that 2,000-lumen projectors were the high-end solution for rental and event production houses not so long ago. I remember clearly what 2,000 lumens or less looked like in hotel ballrooms. The Epson P series is a quantum leap in brightness.

Just how close did the EB-PU1008W come to hitting its target of 8,500 lumens? I set the projector’s Picture Mode to DYNAMIC and its Light Source Mode to NORMAL, the projector’s brightest configuration. With the lens at its widest angle, I took 3-4 readings about 15-20% out from the center of the lens. This gives a pretty good approximation of ANSI lumens unless a projector brightness rolls off excessively at the edges, which this projector does not do.

According to my testing, the Epson EB-PU1008W measured 8,544 ANSI lumens of brightness. This is 44 lumens brighter than the manufacturer’s-rated 8,500 lumens of brightness.

Medium lamp mode reduced the projector's brightness by roughly 19%, and Quiet mode showed a reduction in brightness by roughly 32%. The chart below shows my measurements of the projector's out-of-the-box picture modes.

HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE

The EB-PU1008W has the ability to adjust HDR tone mapping in small increments to suit your taste. Be mindful that increasing the HDR10/HDR10+ setting makes bright highlights more visible, but this results in an overall reduction of brightness.

Overall I was not terribly impressed with the EB-PU1008W HDR performance. Yes, tone mapping brings out bright highlight details, but the HDR content I viewed did not significantly improve details in the darker part of the image. 

I preferred the look of SDR content over HDR material. That being said, the picture on this projector looks really good, especially for a large-venue professional projector. In the default HDR settings, the darker areas were crushed. Please see the galleries below for a better idea of what I saw when evaluating this projector. This can be improved by increasing the brightness setting.

BLACK LEVEL AND SHADOW DETAIL

The EB-PU1008W has what it takes to display the type of content found in a museum setting or for displaying photography/videography or presentation content in a large venue.

The projector's ability to display dark shadow details was above average for a large venue projector, they could have been better. This projector has a very mild blue/green hue that is more noticeable in dark scenes. I adjusted the projector’s BLUE GAIN, and there was some improvement, but it did not completely fix it. While better blacks may be achievable with adjustment, this is far outweighed by the benefit of having so much brightness available.

The Epson  EB-PU1008W can brighten and dim the laser-light engine, providing the same benefit as a dynamic iris. The laser engine shuts down entirely on black frames containing no content, producing a dark black frame.

AUDIBLE NOISE

In my testing room, I fully expected the EB-PU1008W to be extremely noisy. This is an 8,500-lumen large-venue projector. Typically this projector is used in a much larger space than my lab.

I was surprised that the EB-PU1008W was only a bit louder than a larger home theater projector. Even in my much smaller lab, I didn’t have to raise my voice to talk over it. The heat this projector generates is a completely different story. I had my air conditioner turned way down, and the room was still warm. This is not going to be a problem in a large venue.