Two new HD models extend Epson's dominance of the home theatre projector market

November 2009

Auckland November 2009: Epson's dominance of the HD 1080p home theatre projector market in New Zealand will be further consolidated with the release this month of two new models with innovative technologies that dramatically improve picture quality.

"Consumers have really taken to the superior quality of the image from Epson 3LCD projectors for their home theatre systems," said Bruce Bealby, Epson's Business Manager Visual Imaging.

"The 2010 models push the standard for HD images higher, with some ingenious hardware and software changes that help produce fantastic images, especially with fast action sequences and dark scenes," Bruce said.

"We expect the market for HD projectors to continue to grow by about 10% a year, driven by the strong growth in HD sources such as sales of Blu-Ray players, more HDTV channels, and the incredible impact of gaming on a 3-4 metre screen as more game consoles go HD."

Top of the 2010 range is the EH-TW4500 with its contrast ratio almost trebled to an extraordinary 200,000:1, producing even deeper and richer dark tones and blacks that draw viewers into the scene.

The dramatic increase in contrast has been achieved by making fine adjustments to Epson's dynamic auto iris, combined with Epson's innovative DeepBlack™ technology and Epson's energy efficient 170W E-TORL lamp, that delivers 1600 lumen White Light Output and 1600 lumen Colour Light Output.

Epson has also improved the Frame Interpolation software to give smoother motion in very fast action sequences, particularly vertical motion.

Using its extensive experience in creating algorithms that faithfully reproduce colours in images printed with its renowned inkjet printers, Epson has fine tuned the colour Look Up Table [LUT] in these projectors to ensure it accurately renders every tone in the moving image. They also have a 12 bit driver in the image processors to deliver smoother colour gradation by reproducing up to 68.72 billion colours

As a final touch Epson has added Super Resolution Technology that examines blurring and boundary effects in lower resolution images and adjusts them to create a sharper picture, producing a high definition effect in standard definition sources.

The TW4500 retains the Hollywood Quality Video (HQV™) Reon™ VX video processing chip for smoother and less jagged lines, mosquito noise reduction, block noise reduction, contrast enhancement (user selectable), and 4-4 pull down, improving the overall image quality.

The state-of-the-art OptiCinema lens system in the TW4500 is a precision, high quality optical grade system co-developed with Fujinon, a top supplier of precision camera optics to the world's leading HD camera makers and a brand trusted by renowned Hollywood film makers. This lens system offers:

• Maximum picture uniformity
• Clarity across the entire screen
• Freedom from colour fringing
• Precision focus with 2.1x zoom
• Maximum installation flexibility with 96% vertical / 47% horizontal lens shift

The highly popular entry level for HD 1080p home theatre projectors is the EH-TW3500, where the contrast ratio has been doubled to 36,000:1, and Epson's energy efficient 170W E-TORL lamp delivers 1800 lumen White Light Output and 1800 lumen Colour Light Output.

The TW3500 is designed for all round entertainment including gaming while giving the full high definition experience available in the latest games and movies on a supersized screen.

With three of Epson's D7 LCD panels with larger apertures that increase the native contrast of the projector, the crystal clear images are filled with natural colour and easy on the eyes.

And with two HDMI ports and a 12-bit LCD driver the TW3500 supports full 10 bit colour processing, producing up to 1.07 billion colours that deliver a deep and rich image expression across a broad colour gamut with ultra-smooth tonal gradations.

The TW3500 also boasts a very quiet 22dB noise output that will not distract from the high quality viewing experience of sports, concerts, movies and games.

This projector fits easily into your lifestyle and living arrangements with flexible vertical and horizontal lens shift capabilities for easy positioning away from the centre of the screen. The projector can be positioned up to nearly two screen widths horizontally and three screens vertically off-centre without altering the image shape or compromising image quality.

The TW3500's wide range of connection options includes two HDMI 1.3 ports, Component Video, Composite Video, S-Video, RS232C, PC and Trigger Out connection ports, allowing the projector to be configured effortlessly within virtually any home cinema set up, regardless of signal source.

These market leading HD home theatre projectors will be available through selected AV specialists:

Epson EH-TW3500 - RRP $4,499 including GST and available in November.
Epson EH-TW4500 - RRP $6,399 including GST and available in November.

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