#EpsonUltraBlacktechnology

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Evolution of Epson 4K UHD projectors

As known, fierce competition in the consumer electronics segment stimulates companies to constantly increase the competitiveness of their models. Of course, it traditionally depends on the price, quality and functionality. As a result, all companies conduct a flexible pricing policy through distribution, warranty, price reduction, etc. But the resource of increasing competitiveness due to the quality of bundling and assembly is almost exhausted today. In fact, even the budget modern models from popular brands demonstrate a very high level in this aspect. Therefore, further improvement of this indicator requires significant costs, which, of course, reduce competitiveness due to price increases. As a result, the expansion of functionality has become the main instrument of competition. Of course, the rapid development of digital technology has radically expanded the possibilities of engineers. This trend is clearly evident in almost all segments of household appliances, including TVs, coffee machines, robot vacuum cleaners, etc. Of course, high-tech projectors are no exception. Leaders of this segment almost annually replenish their model lines with new projectors. But this, of course, a positive trend, has formed a small problem. Of course, the leaders of the segment are actively promoting their products around the world. Unfortunately, companies often use different names for one model for different markets. As a result, the market annually offers several dozen new models and a huge number of models of previous years from several companies under different names. As a consequence, a potential buyer is forced to choose between a huge number of models, many of which simply have a different name. Epson projectors well illustrate this problem. For example, today Amazon offers 5040UB/EH-TW9300, 5050UB/EH-TW9400 (USA/Europe), etc projectors. Therefore, even a simplified classification can simplify this task.

Epson UHD Pro Cinema 4030 and Home Cinema 5020UB/5030UB projectors

In the autumn of 2012, EPSON announced its next generation of Full HD 1080p 3D home theater projectors, including PowerLite Pro Cinema 6020UB, Home Cinema 5020UB/5020UBe (EH-TW9100W) and 3020/3020e. As known, the "UB" in the projector's name stands for Ultra Black. Today Epson Ultra Black technology uses a proprietary compensation filter to control the light polarization. It suppresses any stray light within the signal, producing in new models an unprecedented dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and more. Besides, UBe models, unlike UB models, have step-up package that integrates wireless HDMI technology based on the well-regarded WirelessHD standard. Of course, they are more expensive about $ 300. Otherwise, the models have identical specs. New line of Full HD 1080p projectors was presented оn the CEDIA Expo 2013. It included 6030UB, 4030 (EH-TW7200) and 5030UB/5030UBe (EH-TW9200). All these used an advanced Fujinon Opti Cinema lens with 2.1 zoom ratio, 480Hz Drive Technology for 3D mode, and a built-in cinema filter to improve color accuracy. In addition, all projectors supported a new Black and White Cinema mode (classic films), THX 2D and 3D Cinema modes, and a PiP (Picture-in-Picture) optionn for simultaneous use two content sources.

Epson 4K projectors

After few years, June 21, 2016, Epson introduced first 3LCD 5040UB/5040UBe (EH-TW9300) and Pro Cinema 4040 projectors with 4K UHD Signal Input and HDR for under $3,000. But already in 2017, the company offered Home Cinema 4000. It was cheaper ($2,200/$2,700), but had lower brightness (2200 vs 2500 ANSI lm) and contrast (140,000:1 vs 1,000,000:1). In fact, these models have different filters for color compensation. Moreover, 5040UB uses LCD panels with UB (Ultra Black) technology LCD imaging panels, which provide a radical increase of dinamic contrast. But overall, the 5040UB vs HC 4000 does not have a definite advantage due to the very attractive price-quality ratio of the HC 4000. The video at the end demonstrates the capabilities of this model. In the autumn of 2018, Epson introduced the Pro Cinema 4050 and 4010 (EH-TW7400), which became the first projectors of the new 4K PRO-UHD lineup with improved 4K-Enhancement. In fact, Epson Home Cinema 4010 can be positioned as a consumer version of Home Cinema 4050. Epson HC 4010 is slightly superior to HC 4000 and has a very attractive price, which provided a fairly successful competition for HC 4010 vs 5040UB. Finally, in the spring of 2019, the company introduced Epson 4K PRO-UHD 3-Chip HDR Home Cinema 5050UB/5050UBe ($2,700 / $3,000 ) projectors that come to replace 5040UB/5040UBe. Respectively, 5050UBe has a 4K wireless HDMI transmitter.

Evolution to 5040UB

As know, Epson Home Cinema 5020UB for several years was considered one of the most successful projectors in its class. Relatively low price, excellent specs, including Full HD, dinamic contrast ratio 320,000: 1 (full on / off), 2,400 ANSI lm, 30 - 300 inches Image Size, 22 dB in Eco mode, Full HD 3D, etc provided excellent competitiveness of this projector. Home Cinema 5030UB has become the next model in this line. By retaining the same chassis, engineers improved image quality by increasing the contrast from 320,000: 1 to 600,000: 1 and expanded the functionality. In particular, the model supports the Frame Interpolation option to smooth high-dynamic scenes. But the Epson 5040UB 2016 made a powerful leap in comparison with its prototypes. Its design fully coincides with Epson HC 4010. But in this model, the company first used 4K-Enhancement (pixel-shifting technology or wobulation) technology, increasing the resolution to 3840 x 2160. Of course, experts often argue about the validity of using the 4K name for this technology. Indeed, pixel-shifting does not increase the physical number of pixels. But these disputes are linguistic in nature, because wobulation really enhances the clarity of the image in its visual perception. Of course, 5040UB vs 5030UB showed many other improvements, including all-glass, 16-piece 2.1x zoom lens with 4K performance, motorized zoom, Lens Memory feature, etc.

Epson 5050UB

The latest Epson 5050UB vs 5040UB becam one more jerk. Epson Home Cinema 5050UB costs $ 700 more ($ 2,700 / $ 2,000) and provides 100 ANSI lm more (brightness of 2600/2500 lm for color and white). But, of course, the improved pixel shift technology is their main difference. Model uses the individual pixel plate with tighter tolerances. It increases the angle of the leading and trailing edges of the electronic shift pulse, redusing the delay between the trough and crest of the pixel shift changes. As a result, new projector has less downtime, providing more light output and a faster signal. In fact, 5050UB provides better accuracy, more output, and higher speed. According to the company, maximum supported resolutions of 5050UB reaches DCI 4K (4096 x 2160) vs 3840 x 2160 for 5040UB. Moreover, 5050UB provides Improved HDR Support. The projector automatically detects the HDR standard (SDR, HDR10 or HLG) and supports its adjustment from the menu. But, the final assessment of the price / quality ratio depends on the individual preferences of the buyer and his budget. Of course, projectors support a different set of technologies from EPSON, providing different functionality.

Conclusion

Of course, Epson was offered in this period a much wider range of projectors, including excellent Full HD Epson 3100, 3700 and 3900, etc. But the article format considers the line Home Cinema 5020UB/5020UBe - 5030UB/5030UBe - 5040UB/5040UBe – 5050UB/5050UBe and Epson Pro Cinema 4030 - 4000 - 4010. The parallel line of Pro Cinema 6020UB - 6030UB - 6040UB - 6050UB, differs only in the way of sale. They usually are available for sale within the custom integrator channel. But these models have identical specs with the 50xx series. It may be noted that some models have a different color. 4K PRO-UHD series use eponymous technology, which, according to the company, increased the efficiency of wobulation (4K Enhancement or pixel-shifting) and signal processing. As known, this technology divides the 4K signal into several lower-resolution pictures (Four-Phase and Two-Phase Pixel Shifting), shifts them relative to each other and displays them on the screen sequentially. As a result, the high frame rate creates an illusion of the perception of one high-resolution frame by summing up the pixels of each frame. Moreover, these models support Full HD for 3D Mode. Thus, today EPSON offers models, covering almost all price segments in this class. The simplified list includes: 1 - Full HD, including Home Cinema 5020UB / 5030UB and Pro Cinema 4030; 2 - 4K, including 5040UB (or 5040UBe, +$300) and HC 4000 ($1,850 / $1,465); 3 - 4K PRO-UHD (improved 4K-Enhancement), including 5050UB (or 5050UBe, +$300) and HC 4010 ($2,700 / $1,800). Of course, all these factors affect the choice of the optimal projector. Read the full article

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Epson 3LCD 4K 5040UB (EH-TW9300) projector Review

Initially, models with 4K resolution began to actively displace Full HD format in the TVs segment. However, this process was slow enough due to several reasons. First, the small amount of 4K content significantly limited the development of this segment. Secondly, the difference is visually perceived only on large enough screens (50" and above). But the screens with a diagonal of 90" and above already perfectly demonstrate the difference. Of course, such model worth a lot. Therefore, projectors offer a very good alternative. But a few years ago, 4K projectors have also been very expensive. For example, the most affordable 1 chip DLP-projectors with a 4K resolution are only slightly cheaper compared to LCoS-models of entry level. But they have much less contrast, a strong rainbow effect, do not support HDR and 3D and usually do not provide real 4K resolution. Of course, the development of Pixel Shifting technology radically changed the situation. But the development of Pixel Shifting technology radically changed the situation. As known, it uses wobulation to increase the resolution. The device divides the original 4K signal into several arrays, shifts them relative to each other and sequentially displays several images with offset pixels (2 or 4 for Two-Phase or Four-Phase Pixel Shifting, respectively). Increasing pixel density on the screen and high speed create the illusion of increasing resolution. Today, several companies use this technology in their projectors under various names, including e-Shift or eShift (JVC), 4K Enhancement or 4KE (Epson), and TI UHD (Texas Instruments, informally). Of course, their real resolution is inferior to Native 4K. But a significant increase in visualization at a relatively low price ensured the immense popularity of these projectors.

Epson 5040UB (EH-TW9300)

Epson 5040UB (EH-TW9300) became the first model with 4K-Enhancement technology in the evolution of Epson Full HD/4K projectors. As the name implies (UB abbreviation), the projector supports, Epson UltraBlack technology, which uses a compensation filter to increase the efficiency of controlling the light polarization. In fact, it suppresses excess light in the signal, increasing the dynamic contrast ratio to an unprecedented value of 1,000,000: 1. Epson 5040UB has 2.1x zoom lens and amazing setting range, including Lens Shift of ±96% vertically and ±47% horizontally. Throw ratio of 1.35:1 - 2.84:1 (D:W) provides Image Size of 127 cm - 762 cm at Throw Distance of 3.1 m - 9.0 m. In fact, the projector provides 150" diagonal (for a 16: 9 format) from a distance 14.75 - 31 ft. But, of course, the zoom lens reduces the lumen output while increasing the distance. The loss of brightness at the maximum distance reaches 33%. The projector supports Vertical Digital Keystone. Input lag varies from 28 ms without FI (frame interpolation) up to 104 ms. Model also has Picture-in-Picture, Frame Interpolation and Lens Memory functions. Traditionally for 3LCD projectors, Epson 5040UB has low noise level, which does not exceed 20 dB in Eco mode on a 106-inch screen. The model also supports UHD Blu-ray format and modern Internet services, including Netflix, Amazon, Okko, etc.

Testing

Measurements of real brightness in different modes demonstrated the following values: - Dynamic – 3527 / 2719 / 2645 ANSI lm (High/Medium/Eco) - Bright Cinema – 2401 / 1851 / 1801 ANSI lm (High/Medium/Eco) - Natural – 1864 / 1437 / 1398 ANSI lm (High/Medium/Eco) - Cinema – 1100 / 848 / 825 ANSI lm (High/Medium/Eco) - B&W Cinema – 2194 / 1691 / 1645 ANSI lm (High/Medium/Eco) - Digital Cinema – 1165 / 898 / 874 ANSI lm (High/Medium/Eco) Thus, the real brightness in Dynamic mode was significantly higher compared to spec (3527 vs 2500 lm). But, more importantly, the brightness with a more accurate color in Bright Cinema almost corresponds to the stated, reaching 2401 lm. Bright Cinema provides достаточно яркое изображение для 225" diagonal (16:9 image) at 2400 lm in a dark room. Of course, viewing HDR content requires a reduction in image size. Eco mode reduces lamp power by about 25%.

PROS & CONS

Pros: - very high image quality; - Full HD 1920 x 1080p native resolution with support for 4K content (4K Enhancer); - impressive performance for gaming and 4K Blu-Rays; - HDR and 3D modes; - Netflix, Amazon, Okko, etc; - low fan noise level; - 2.1x zoom lens; - very wide range of lens shift; - very high image clarity; - low price. Cons: - 4K Enhancement, Frame Interpolation and Noise Reduction do not work simultaneously; - low efficiency Fast Mode (practically does not reduce input lag); - limited HDR signals compatibility (support for not all frame rate, bit depth, and chroma sub-sampling combinations); - execution delay of Auto Iris option at High Speed; - low saturation of colors in the green range; - only one HDMI Port for 4K HDR; - no built-in speakers; - too high heat during operation. Of course, all these factors affect the choice of the optimal projector. Today, Epson 5040UB continues to compete successfully with Epson 4010 (EH-TW7400) and even with 5050UB of 2019. This video demonstrates the capabilities of the Epson 5040UB projector. Read the full article

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New technologies in EPSON projectors

Of course, EPSON projectors need no introduction. As known, Seiko Epson Corporation is the holding company of the Epson group of the Japanese diversified concern Seiko Group. Company has production facilities in Japan, USA, Italy, Great Britain, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. As known, the development of one of the main projection technology called Epson 3LCD became an important event in its history. Already in 1989 the company introduced the world's first 3LCD VPJ-700 projector. Today, three-matrix 3LCD technology successfully competes with DLP and LCoS (D-ILA, SXRD) technologies. Of course, over the past decades, the company has radically improved its projectors by developing a large number of innovative technologies. As a result, virtually all modern Epson projectors, including the 4K PRO-UHD series (5050UB and 4010) consistently included in the group of leaders in this segment.

EPSON innovations

4K PRO-UHD Projection This innovative technology includes a set of video signal processing algorithms. Of course, the increase in resolution due to wobulation (e-shift or Pixel Shifting or 4K Enhancement) is a major one. But new processing algorithms also improve color accuracy and color range. As known, 4K-Enhancement pixel-shifting technology divides the original high-resolution image into 2 or 4 pictures (Two-Phase or Four-Phase Pixel Shifting), shifts them relative to each other by half-pixel diagonally and transmits sequentially on the screen. High speed creates the perception illusion of these pictures as a single image. In addition, its resolution is perceived as the sum of all resolutions of these images due to their shift, which visually increases the pixel density. In this way, technology transforms Full HD resolution into pseudo 4K. This technology uses S2 Pixel-Shift Processor for precise control of each LCD chips. Moreover, it supports full HD resolution in 3D Mode. In addition, the Precision HDR Adjustment option very precisely adjusts HDR performance with 16-level discreteness. Digital Cinema mode provides the Extreme Color Gamut option to reproduce full DCI-P3 color space. According to the company, the increase in color performance reaches 50%. As known, Epson UltraBlack technology uses a compensation filter to increase the efficiency of controlling the light polarization. In fact, it suppresses excess light in the signal, increasing the dynamic contrast ratio to an unprecedented value of 1,200,000: 1.

Other

The company also improved its 3-Chip color processing algorithms (True 3-Chip), increasing the RGB coverage for each frame to almost 100%. As a result, the new models provide a display of the full color gamut with minimal loss of brightness. Powerful ZX CPU supports ADC processing without delay for 12-bit signals. Its performance provides high smoothness of tonal transitions without bands and other artifacts due to compression. Moreover, new Epson projectors have H2 HDR CPU with support HDR 10 standard for very accurate playback of HDR content. Moreover, modern Epson projectors use patented VRX lenses with additional focusing at the edges and without loss of luminous flux. Besides, the motorized lens provides a lens offset of ± 96% and ± 47% vertically and horizontally, respectively. In addition, the lens memory stores ten presets for zoom and focus. Of course, all modern Epson projectors support HDMI 2.0, color formats and 4K HDR content at 60 Hz. Unfortunately, not all EPSON models support the full range of these options. Its list mainly depends on the class of the model and, accordingly, its price. But EPSON 4K PRO-UHD home theater projectors, including EPSON 4010, 5050UB / 5050UBe and 6050UB support them. Of course, all these factors affect the choice of the optimal projector. This video presents some innovative technologies in modern Epson projectors. Read the full article