Epson EMP-TW200

Innovative lens shift adds to projector

By Tony Davey

August 2004

Epson EMP-TW200 projector. $4999

Continuing on with the recent astronomical growth in home theatre projectors is another strong performer from Epson.

Best known in the projection field for their data/office projectors, one of Epson’s first ventured into dedicated Home Theatre projection was the TW100, a hugely successful projector that set a performance benchmark for many to aspire too. Travel forward in time, and Epson have taken the basics from that projector and looked to build on that success.

The TW200 is their mid-range home theatre projector (with the Epson TW10 below as their entry level projector and the TW500 at the upper end of the scale) and is suitably equipped in its price point.

The TW-200 is a 1280x720 16:9 HDTV resolution projector with respectable published specifications, including a brightness level of 1300:1 ansi lumens (based on the “living” colour mode) and a 800:1 contrast ratio. Savvy readers will make obvious comparisons with other projectors in the price bracket (namely the Panasonic PT-AE 500 and InFocus ScreenPlay 4800). The Epson is certainly the brightest (by specification) of the three but also has the lowest contrast ratio. As with anything, specifications only tell part of the story, and I certainly wouldn’t discount the TW200 on this basis alone.

The TW200 has most common connections (component – interlaced or progressive, s-video and composite). The TW-200 also comes equipped with a D4 connection (alternative type of progressive signal input – not commonly used in NZ). Notable by its absence is the lack of a DVI input, this only comes with the more upmarket bigger brother, the TW500.

One feature unequalled at this price level is vertical and horizontal lens shift, plus the inclusion of digital zoom and focus controls. The “lens shift” feature alone could very well be a strong influencing factor in many people’s purchasing decision as it helps eliminate the requirement for perfect placement by shifting the image horizontally and vertically to fit the image to a screen without the need to use keystone correction (which reduces the resolution of the image).

When it comes down to the projected image, the TW200 is a solid performer, but for me didn’t have that “wow” factor.

Where the TW200 was left wanting a little was with contrast levels. At 800:1, the TW200 is at the lower end of the market when comparing similarly priced projectors. Although specifications are always so open to interpretation, in reality I found the TW200's picture too grey. Without being capable of greater levels of black, the picture just didn’t leap off the screen, which left the night scenes in LOTR and True Lies looking a little hazy.

Aside from the relatively low contrast levels, the TW200 still has a lot of good things to offer.

There was ample detail in the image. I found the image in Lord of the Rings, Toy Story and other movies viewed took on a realistic “soft” but focussed look, minimising the “digital” and over-etched look that you can get with many projectors. With its high light output, the TW200 was capable of filling a large 120 inch screen with an image bright enough to cope with some ambient light.

The screen door effect (seeing individual pixels – a notorious problem with LCD projectors) was not an issue with the 1280 x 720 panel, particularly when sitting at a suitable distance from the screen (approximately 1.5 times the screen width), even with large single colour images (sky) and animation. (Despite the “Toy Story looks good on any display device” stance you’ll find among some projector enthusiasts and retailers, I find animation can be very problematic for LCD projector “screen door” issues).

The obvious comparison is between the Epson TW200 and the Panasonic AE500, as they are both 1280x720 HDTV resolution LCD projectors and the both cost $4999. While no side by side comparison could be made, my memory suggests that the Panasonic has the better contrast levels and, as a result, more depth to the image.

If black level isn’t the largest driver in your purchasing decision then the Epson’s features will become important: the ultra short throw lens (2.7 metre wide screen from approximately 3 metres from the screen), the ability to operate in ambient light, a bright film-like image and the very handy lens shift feature. The Epson EMP-TW200 is certainly a worthy addition to your projector short list.

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