Supersized TV

REMEMBER THE

rear-projection TV (RPTV)? RPTVS were big, boxy contraptions housing a projector that beamed an image at the rear of a screen mounted on the set’s front surface. While necessarily inelegant compared with the sleek flat-panel TVS that eventually replaced them, the RPTV in its heyday solved the problem of getting a big image— screen sizes topped out around 80 inches diagonal—without having to resort to a room-dominating two-piece system with a ceilingmounted projector and separate projection screen.

The reason I bring up RPTVS is that ultra short throw (UST) projectors like Epson’s new Epiqvision Ultra LS500 remind me of the category, mainly because they deliver maximum image size while taking up a minimum of space. Epson even calls the LS500 a projection TV, most likely because it’s sold as a complete solution with 100-inch ($4,999) or 120-inch ($5,999) ambient light-rejecting (ALR) screen included.

While most of the other USTS Sound & Vision has reviewed have used DLP technology, the LS500, in keeping with other projectors from Epson, is a 3LCD design. Also similar to the company’s other models, it features 4K PRO-UHD tech that diagonally shifts pixels on the projector’s 1080p display chips to double resolution to just over four million pixels. The LS500 supports the HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma HDR formats and uses 12-bit video processing to eliminate banding noise and other compression-related artifacts in images. Epson’s UST model is also spec’d for an impressive 4,000 lumens light output—a big help toward beaming sufficiently bright images in the well-lit spaces it’s likely to be installed in.

The LS500 comes with an

Epson's basic remote lets you easily jump to streaming apps.

Android TV dongle that connects to an HDMI port under the removable grille on its front panel. The Android TV interface is populated with streaming apps like Netflix and Youtube, and you can download others such as HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock, Disney+, and Vudu from the Google Play store. Chromecast built-in is also supported for “casting” from an Android or IOS device. A compact remote control included with the LS500 is designed for easy browsing and playback of streaming apps, and it also has a built-in microphone to enable Google Assistant voice searches. To try this out, I pressed the centrally located Google Assistant button, uttered “James Bond,” and an array of Bond films, along with a synopsis for each plus links to apps where they were available for streaming or purchase popped up onscreen. (My choice: From Russia

starring the recently departed Sean Connery—the first and best Bond.)

Although Epson’s handset simplifies app browsing, with no backlit keypad or direct buttons to access inputs or picture modes and adjustment menus, I found it to be a step down from the excellent remotes the company typically packages with its projectors. Using it made me wish the company had packaged both remote types with the LS500.

Other features tucked beneath the projector’s frontpanel grille include a 2 x 10-watt stereo speaker system and a full set of control buttons for switching inputs and navigating onscreen menus should you misplace the remote. There’s also a manual lens focus adjustment that’s used for setup. The screen-facing rear panel contains two additional HDMI 2.0 inputs, one with ARC for connection to an outboard audio system or soundbar, a minijack stereo audio output, and LAN (Ethernet), RS-232C control, and USB type-a ports.

Looks-wise, the Epson’s streamlined form and frontfacing mesh speaker grille (both black and white case options are available) make it exceptionally living-room friendly. I simply grabbed an available end table to support the LS500 for my installation, but it would certainly make an elegant match with many low-slung credenzas or media consoles.

SETUP

As noted above, the LS500, a product aimed at Diy-inclined home theater enthusiasts, ships with either a 100- or 120-inch ALR screen designed for short throw that you need to assemble and install. Since I already had a 100-inch diagonal Screen Innovations Zero Edge screen with 0.6 gain Short Throw material on hand, Epson agreed to send me just the projector itself to simplify the review process. The one caveat was that I had discuss the

LS500’S screen—something I will now do.

Epson has a comprehensive video on the Epson America Youtube site that guides you through assembly and installation of its screen. Basically, you need to fit four sides of an aluminum inner frame together, attach screen material to it using tension-creating springs, and screw on the four sides of an outer frame. Once that’s done, you attach the included brackets to your room’s wall (you’ll need to use a stud finder and a power drill for this step) and then hang the screen on the brackets (wearing the included white gloves and tapping the services of a friendly helper is required here).

The next order of business is to get the projector properly aligned with the screen. Epson’s online manual lists the exact distances required for installation, which for a 100-inch image are 15.4 inches from the projector’s rear panel to the screen’s surface and 13.4 inches from the projector’s top surface to the image’s bottom edge. Once situated, you then physically shift the projector left or right to eliminate horizontal keystoning, and use its adjustable feet to eliminate vertical keystoning. An onscreen test pattern helps with these steps, and it provides markers in each corner that are used to manually dial in focus. Beyond its manual adjustments, the LS500 has electronic keystone, zoom, and blanking (to eliminate light bleed outside the screen area) settings, though you’ll want to avoid using these if possible since they will reduce picture resolution.

Once the screen and projector are installed, it will be time to turn your attention to picture adjustments. Fortunately, Epson provides most of the same settings and menus found throughout its main projector lineup, including fully adjustable picture presets and multiple memory settings to store and load adjustments. Drilling down to specifics, the LS500 provides variable Light Output and Dynamic Contrast, multiple Gamma presets,

menu and navigating several steps to the item you want to adjust, which makes on-the-fly tweaking impossible.

For my setup, I created and stored a Daylight memory preset to view Youtube vids, sports, nature docs, and Netflix comedies. With the LS500’S Light Output set to Normal (100 percent), maximum brightness was 36.6 footlamberts (ft-l)— more than twice that of the last UST projector I measured. With the Epson delivering that much light, images looked acceptably bright and punchy even with my room’s shades open and overhead lights turned on. The one downside was that the projector’s fan noise, which was barely noticeable with Eco Light

Output (50 percent) selected, got boosted by around 6db and became quite audible.

I also created and stored memories for dark room viewing of Hd/standard dynamic range and 4K/high dynamic range movies, using the projector’s extensive settings to calibrate color/grayscale, and gamma. Calibrated light output in HD/ SDR mode was 21.5 ft-l—sufficiently bright for viewing in a dim or dark environment—while the LS500’S measured full-on/ full-off contrast ratio was 1,413:1 with Eco Light Output selected, and 1,830:1 in Normal mode.

I did note some HDR issues when watching programs via Android TV. While the included dongle does support 4K/HDR streaming from Netflix and Youtube, and will shift into HDR display mode when Auto mode is selected in the relevant menu, regular HD/SDR programs also sometimes registered as 4K/ HDR. I did not experience the same problem with regular and Ultra HD Blu-ray disc playback, and when I swapped out the Android dongle with a Roku Streaming Stick+, all programs were displayed in the proper format by the LS500.

PERFORMANCE

Viewing in daylight conditions, TV shows like Schitt’s Creek looked crisp, clean, and bright—the LS500 is definitely more powerful than most other

UST projectors I’ve tested when it comes to light output. While many similar models are marketed as an alternative for a flat-panel TV, Epson’s actually could serve as the main screen in a typical well-lit living room.

Epson says that one of the main applications it had in mind for the LS500 is sports viewing, and while my current lack of a cable TV subscription (I’m a longtime cord-cutter) prevented me from watching NFL football, I did check out some highlights of that other, international football version, queueing up a replay of a Manchester United vs. Chelsea match on the Peacock TV app. Even viewed in a well-lit room with overhead lights on, the image