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Epson Announces The LS500 - Their First 4K Capable Laser TV – Proving Bright, UST Projectors Can Work Great In Living Rooms and Family Rooms

Laser TVs are the big game-changer for enjoying the large screen, immersive experience, without demanding a dedicated theater or cave, and Epson, with their new LS500, shipping early next year, promises a brighter, richer image than the competition thanks to 4000 laser-powered lumens, combined with 3LCD technology.

It’s time to enjoy a 100” to 120” immersive picture in your favorite room of the house. The LS500 will turn your “common” room, into a truly uncommon experience. And that should be true whether your “thing” is movies, sports, music videos, general HDTV, gaming, or all of the above.

As a Laser TV, the Epson has an Ultra Short Throw design (UST) that places it just inches in front of, and inches below the bottom of your screen. It has built-in sound, and smarts. The smarts are Android TV-based as is common in other smart TVs, including OLED and LCD TVs. Run major apps like Netflix. HBO, ESPN, Disney, and other streaming providers.

Control the LS500 and your viewing experience with voice control!

This newest 4K capable projector from Epson is in one major way, similar to their 4000, 5000 and 6000 series models in that it is a pixel shifting projector. Epson calls their pixel shifting (and image processing) 4K UHD-PRO2. Epson hits the screen twice with each pixel shifting it’s location by ½ diameter to all for more detail than without. Although DLP UHD projectors pixel shift up to 3 times (hitting the screen 4 times), Epson has consistently demonstrated that their solution can look as sharp or sharper than the competition, thanks to excellent image processing.

Epson boasts full REC709 color, and support for HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), (the latter being a somewhat newer HDR geared for broadcast). A broadcast TV tuner is optional.

Epson LS500 Laser TV

4000 Lumens requires additional comment. First, most of the home laser projectors, including the UST laser TVs aren’t as bright – typically 3000 lumens on the laser projectors. Add to that the 3LCD ability to produce excellent color without sacrificing many lumens, and the end result should be the brightest viewing experience found in this class of projectors (exception – a $25,000 laser projector).

We anticipate that the LS500 will be an outstanding gaming computer. Epson’s other 4K capable projectors offer 27ms input lag, not the very fastest, but considered to be very good gaming performance, and much faster than most. Add to that the rich HDR picture on 4K 60fps games, and you should be enjoying a gaming experience like no other!

The LS500 will be available in black or white finishes. The package with 100” ALR (light rejecting) screen is announced to be $4999, while the LS500 with the 120” ALR screen is $5999.

The Bottom Line: We’re big fans of these new Laser TVs (aka ultra-short throw projectors + sound + screen). Note, the LS500 also has stereo audio out to feed a larger sound system. They are generally pretty smart, starting to rival most smart LCD TVs.

The Epson LS500 though should prove to be a stand out performer, for several reasons, including our expectation for more calibrated lumens than the competition (and more lumens right out of the box, too), full REC709 color, and lots of smarts, and a two-year warranty.

One additional point I didn’t mention above. These UST laser TVs simplify owning a projector. Finally, no more ceiling mounts, running wires from your “gear” in the front of the room to a projector in the back, etc. Owning the LS500 is really no more complicated than owning a 65” LCD TV mounted to your wall. So why not enjoy an image 2X to 3X the size! Wow.

The only downside: We will all have to wait for Q1 2020, for the first shipments. -art

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