Epson Launches Its Most Advanced Home Cinema Line Model, the LS11000 4K Laser Projector

(March 16, 2022) On the heels of releasing its Pro Cinema LS12000 4K Laser Projector, Epson is launching an all-new top-of-line Home Cinema model, the LS110000. Much like the LS12000, the LS11000 uses 1080p imagers and a Precision Shift Glass Plate pixel shifting system to display 8.29 million individual pixels on screen. The result is nearly indistinguishable true 4K image quality. A converted blue laser light source is distributed to red, green, and blue LCD chips, eliminating any concern of rainbow effect visual artifacts. Epson says the light source is capable of 2,500 ANSI lumens with a total life expectancy of 20,000 hours.

The LS11000 has a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,200,000:1, supports HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG High Dynamic Range, and utilizes a 3-Way Motorized Lens for precise shifting capabilities (+/- 96 percent horizontal, and +/- 47 percent vertical movement). A 16-step HDR curve adjustment fine-tunes HDR performance, while a newly deployed Picture Processor can provide real-time picture quality adjustments on a frame-by-frame basis.

“A 65-inch flat panel isn’t cutting it when it comes to achieving total immersion in today’s stunning movie and gaming experiences,” said Rodrigo Catalan, group product manager, projectors, Epson. “If you’re looking for a 4K HDR home theater and gaming experience that will exceed your expectations, the Epson Home Cinema LS11000 is one of the best Home Cinema projectors Epson has ever made.”

The Home Cinema LS11000 is priced at $3,999.00 and is expected to begin shipping later this month. For more information, read Epson's release notes (below) or visit the LS11000's product homepage.



Additional features include:

• 4K PRO-UHD1 – Advanced pixel-shifting technology works in parallel with three individual high-definition LCD chips without sacrificing picture brightness
• Precision Shift Glass Plate Technology – Unique, digitally controlled Precision Shift Glass Plate precisely refracts pixel light to display a 3840 x 2160, 8.29-million-pixel image on screen for an exceptionally sharp and clear picture
• Epson Picture Processor – Powerful video processing technology, the proprietary Epson Picture Processor handles real-time color, contrast, HDR2, frame interpolation and resolution enhancement
• Laser Array Light Source – True multi-array laser diodes are the optimum light source to power the unique 3-chip 3LCD projector engine for incredible picture brightness, black contrast and color accuracy
• High Picture Brightness – Impressive 2,500 lumens of color and 2,500 lumens of white brightness3 for an exceptional picture in virtually any theater environment – even in rooms with some ambient light
• True 3-Chip 3LCD Projector Engine – Advanced 3LCD technology uses three individual LCD chips to continuously display 100 percent of the RGB color signal for every frame; this allows for outstanding color gamut while maintaining excellent brightness without any rainbowing or color brightness issues seen with other projection technologies
• Impressive HDR2 – Full 10-bit HDR2 color processing accepting 100 percent of the HDR source information to faithfully reproduce HDR, HDR10+ and HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) content for an exceptional visual performance; real-time HDR curve adjustment allows for 16-steps of control to finetune the HDR performance regardless of the content
• 120 Hz Refresh Rate – Refresh rates up to 120 Hz allow for smoother motion for supported content while providing the option for impressive Frame Interpolation for content below 120 Hz
• Impressive Contrast – Taking full advantage of the Laser Array Light Source, Epson is able to suppress stray light within the signal and enhance the picture contrast to produce a Dynamic Contrast Ratio exceeding 1,200,000:1
• Epson Cinema Lens – Designed for zero light leakage, the Epson Cinema Lens utilizes a proprietary multi-element precision glass structure for outstanding image clarity and edge-to-edge focus uniformity
• 3-Way Motorized Lens – Making installation simple, you can precisely shift the lens up to +/- 96 percent horizontally and up to +/- 47 percent vertically without picture distortion or loss of clarity; you can also set the zoom and focus, then store all the settings in one of ten lens memory presets
• Real-Time Scene Adaptive Correction – Powered by the Epson Picture Processor, the user has the option to automatically adjust the picture quality based upon the scene information itself; this provides a simple way to get impressive color and contrast, regardless of the content being displayed
• HDMI® 2.1 – Supports the full 48 Gbps bandwidth for accepting uncompressed 4K HDR2 content up to 120 Hz; along with ARC and eARC support, this allows for outstanding compatibility with the latest AV receivers and next-generation gaming consoles
• Epic for Gaming – Gaming up to 4K at 120 frames per second, along with input lag times below 20 milliseconds, allow serious gamers to take full advantage of the latest generation of gaming consoles and even higher-end gaming PCs

 

[welldun]

Looks like the price jumped up by $1,000, is there that much more tech in these over the previous model to warrant the jump?.
I'm still enjoying my 5040UB, so this one will have to wait, but I like what they are doing with these, the laser is a nice upgrade.
As for the size, I hope it's not bigger than my current PJ, I have a low ceiling so I had to get a special low profile mount for it otherwise it wouldn't have cleared the door that swings under it.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Supply chain is undoubtedly factoring into the new pricing... and probably recovery of R&D. It's a whole new pixel-shifting technology. That's said, you ask a legitimate question: is it worth an upgrade? If you're still enjoying your 5040... I'd ride that pony as long as possible. I'd only upgrade if there were a major performance issue.

 

[mechman]

It’s a laser so that more than makes up for the $1K. Should be fairly close in size to the 5040.

 

[natty]

Great to see this come in at $1000 less the the other laser model. I would love to understand better what the performance step down is.

Has anyone measured the native contrast and ansi contrast yet?

How much of the P3 color gamut does it cover?

 

[mechman]

Great to see this come in at $1000 less the the other laser model. I would love to understand better what the performance step down is.

Has anyone measured the native contrast and ansi contrast yet?

How much of the P3 color gamut does it cover?

It was just released here in the US two days ago. I don’t think anyone here has had the time to do any reviews as they are still concentrating on the 12000. I know the numbers are out there though as I had seen them a few months back - these projectors have been in Europe for 4(?) months. Off the top of my head I cannot recall exact figures, I just remember thinking that there was a fairly clear line between the 11000 and the 12000. Whereas in the past the difference between the Pro and Home models was not so defined.

I’ll see if I can find them and put them here.

 

[mechman]

German review comparing the LS11000 to the 6050 - turn on subtitles and auto-translate to English.

 

[natty]

Thanks. Looks like it doesn't improve over the 6050 in terms of most measurements according to that video. Though of course it has the convenience of not being lamp based.

I'll keep looking for more data comparing the 12000 versus the 11000 (though based on that review, the 6050 at like half the price is hard to argue against)

 

[mechman]

As I said, Epson is making a pretty clear delineation from the Pro models so it won’t be as good as the 12000. Here’s another German review - auto-translate.

 

[mechman]

From some early European reviews, the LS12000 measured anywhere from 4000-9000:1 depending upon zoom, if that helps. I haven’t looked lately but I don’t think there’s a review out yet in the US for either of the models.

 

[mechman]

FYI - there are 5050ub refurbs on Epson’s site for $2399.

 

[theoone]

Hi what is the true contrast ratio when measured?

 

[natty]

Hi what is the true contrast ratio when measured?

We dont have an apples to apples comparision yet (ie, there have been measurements but none in a controlled environment that has been used to also measure other projectors, so that we can objectively compare the two).

Projectorcentral.com has published a review and while they don't publish contrast measurements in the body of the review, they do share them in the comments.

It appears the 11000 has half the on/off native contrast of the 12000, but it otherwise very similar in terms of calibrated light output, color, and so on. So the extra $1k gets you that improved black floor, and a "free" mount. In a bat cave, that might well make sense.

But the bargain is the $4k MSRP for the 11000, which likely means the street price settings in below $3500, which for a laser light sourced machine of this caliber is pretty impressive.

Of course, it still looks like the 5050UB is the way to go on a budget, with better black levels. Just a bit more maintenance due to the lamp based technology etc. The interesting "math" is when one figures in lamp replacement (for most of us, that works out to about $100 a year), whether we can do our own calibration need to spend a few hundred a year on a professional calibrator (or just don't care that much for absolute accuracy), whether one needs the increased output, the instant on, etc etc.

Time will tell but I predict that 11000 will become the "go to" unit in the price category.

 

[mechman]

Epson is making the difference between the Pro and Home models more pronounced. I always wondered why they would sell basically the same model in white plastic as the model in black plastic at a much better price.

 

[natty]

Epson is making the difference between the Pro and Home models more pronounced. I always wondered why they would sell basically the same model in white plastic as the model in black plastic at a much better price.

They were pretty savvy about their market channels.

1. The custom installers will spec the black model for an install, with the healthier margin.

AND

2. Epson can also capture the DIY market of more price sensitive buyers with the white model.