(August 20, 2024) Every year, one or two unexpected home theater treats drop into our collective laps, sending shockwaves of surprise through the larger community. Today’s news carries one such treat, compliments of Epson, and I predict this one will deliver a jolt to the projectorverse with a powerful kick right in the light source.
Epson’s projectors have spent the last decade firmly anchored in bang-for-your-buck territory, with top-tier models giving budget-conscious fans access to image qualities approaching those offered by JVC and Sony. Take the company’s LS12000, for example. It’s a 3-chip 4K e-shift laser projector that arguably challenges JVC’s NP5 and Sony’s VPL-XW5000ES, but has an MSRP that’s $1,000 less, landing at $4,999.
That price tag and pricing found on less expensive Epson projectors have allowed the company to carve out a comfortable niche within the market, and Epson has done an exceptional job keeping that niche outfitted and refreshed with updated models. That’s exactly why the company’s latest announcement is a head-turner. With pricing ranging from $7,999 to $29,999, Epson’s three new projectors are unlike anything we’ve seen from the company in the past.
The “Q Series,” as it is called, was born from Epson listening to the custom integrator and installer base. That base told Epson their segment wanted a class of projectors with higher price tags to match high-end projects and performance parameters that allowed those projectors to operate in great rooms and media rooms bathed in ambient light.
So, with that information, Epson’s engineers and corporate minds visited and analyzed real-world, high dollar bright-room environments, returned to the drawing board, and crafted the Q-Series. This new series certainly delivers on elevated pricing, with dealer margins that Epson says are “best in class.” It also delivers eye-popping brightness with relatively compact designs that run whisper-quiet compared to the competition. Consider this: the top-shelf QL7000 hums along at 33dB in max output mode (10,000 lm), which is 6dB lower than Sony’s VPL-GTZ380 (10,000 lm) and 13dB less than Barco's Njord (9,500 lm).
Much of that quiet is achieved by using a new high-efficiency laser light source that’s 75% smaller than previous versions and capable of 20% more brightness. The entire module is affixed to a vapor chamber heat sink that works like a heat pump, keeping the system cool.
Light from Q Series projectors couples with three individual LCD chips for color, and a version of e-shift that utilizes dual-axis shifting glass plates to display all 8.3 million pixels of a 4K image simultaneously. Yes, the imagers are technically 1080p, but the dual-axis nature of the shifting allows for a true 4K image – as stated, 8.3 million pixels are displayed at the same time. More importantly, Epson says the reliance on an e-shift platform allows its projectors to achieve brightness levels greater than levels achievable with native 4K images.
Here’s a look at model numbers, pricing, and delivery dates:
- QB1000 ($8,000 MSRP), 3,300 lumens, available in September.
- QL3000 ($15,000), 6,000 lumens, available in October.
- QL7000 ($30,000), 10,000 lumens, available in October.
The QL3000 and QL7000 are the true light cannons, sporting “body only” models. That means they ship without a lens. Also, it's worth mentioning they only support HDR10. Both are compatible with Epson’s stable of short- and long-throw lenses and use Epson’s Double Micro-Lens Array technologies to produce more than 8.29 million pixels on screens up to 300” diagonal.
The Epson QB1000, QL3000, and QL7000 will be demonstrated publicly for the first time at the upcoming CEDIA Expo. If you're in attendance, visit booth #3107 from Sept. 5 - 7, 2024.
Additional Reading:
- A Win For Epson is a Win for You; Company Settles Projector Brightness Lawsuit with Formovie
- Everything You Need to Know about JVC's New DLA-NZ800/RS3200 and DLA-NZ900/RS4200 4K Projectors
- Hisense Reveals the PX3-PRO Laser Cinema UST Projector, Delivering Affordable Large Screen Performance
- Barco Unveils I600 and QDX Projector Families, Redefining Visual Excellence
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