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Epson TW100 by Alex - Oct 07, 2003
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| HD 720 (1280x720), 700 ANSI Lumens, 9.3 lbs, $4,499 (MSRP) |
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| Personal Experience |
| I have my Epson TW100 since May. I have the 2nd generation model where the contrast is higher (800:1). I got mine at Presenting Solutions since they were local & I was able to compare it with the Sanyo PLV-70. The TW100 is WXGA - 1280 x 720. This is part of the reason why I was comparing it with the PLV-70. The one reason that I went with the Epson was the lamp life - 3000 hours. Out of the Box, I did not calibrate it for a week. I simply want to warm the lamp first before calibration. After using AVIA & DVE to calibrate it, the setting from TW100 out of the box came close to the viewing color, tint & sharpness. I watched DVD using my Pioneer 47ai. The picture comes out superb. The TW100 upconverts it to 525p (there is a menu option in Epson that tells you what it converts to). The Faroudja DCDi scaler was perfect. This projected to a Stewart Firehawk - 100". The pictures from Animatrix and Star Wars Episode 1 & 2 was vibrant. Like any LCD projector, you will not get perfect black - so dark movies like Matrix, Hunt for Red October, Usual Suspects all come out okay. The shadows are not pronounced. However, shows in HD are superior. My have Discovery HD & HDNet showing at 1080i. I also have my local channels CBS, NBC & ABC in HD. ABC's Monday Night Football comes out in 720p. I felt like John Madden was next to me when viewing it from the TW100. Here is where the Epson has a few fault. With 100" screen, the closer you get to the screen - say within 7 feet, the more you will notice the screen door effect. The black like I mentioned earlier was not perfect. My room size is 23L x 17W x 9H. If the screen fills the 16 x 9, and the picture is bright - this projector is as good as any $10,000 DLP projector out there (assuming you are sitting about 12 feet or more behind the screen). But if you have black bars (say normal Directv 4:3) the black comes out dark gray. Personally, it doesn't bother me since my focus on the center, and with 100" screen, why would you focus on the side of the screen. I think the Epson excelled in SERVICE. |
| Problems |
| My first TW100 had a problem -- I had a hard time turning it on. I called their 800 number and within 40 seconds, a tech support person answered. She was very knowledgable about the product and from the serial number, they know whether you got the high contrast version or not. I called on Monday, and Wednesday, I got the replacement shipped to me. How good a service is that. But, it did not end there. The second unit they send me had a fault as well. This time, there is a green light showing on the screen. Apparently, the mirror where the picture is being projected had a scratch and the green light was projecting thru the scratch. So I called this time on Friday. This time I got the replacement on Tuesday. Within 10 days, Epson sent me 2 replacements - UPS shipped directly to my door. And customer service / tech support did not give me a run around. Try getting that kind of service from Sony (or even B&K - but this is a whole other story). If you are looking for a moderate priced front-projector and you want to get a native HDTV, look no further. TW100 maybe the best value out there. I did my research, compared this with NEC, Infocus, Sanyo, Sony, Yamaha & Optoma. I went from store to store to personally view each one of them. I am glad I went with the TW100. I don't think I will get the same service from other vendors. BTW, I recommend to use the Stewart Firehawk with the TW100. Until DLP prices drops down to $4500, and still be capable of HD I don't see any product in the market that can compete with this. The service alone pays for this investment. And don't forget the lamp - each lamp cost $500. Only a few projector lamp life has 3000 hours. |
