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The Offical Epson 2040 Thread

250K views 2K replies 271 participants last post by  DaddyGadget 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been researching projectors and just noticed that Epson announced three new ones. I am interested in this one so I figured I would start a thread. If I need to change or add anything please let me know.

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/Product.do?UseCookie=yes&sku=V11H707020

Projection System: Epson 3LCD, 3-chip technology

Projection Method: Front / rear / ceiling mount

Product Color: Whiteand Gray

Driving Method: EpsonPoly-silicon TFT Active Matrix

Projected Output: 2D,3D, Full HD 1080p

Pixel Number: 2,073,600 dots (1920 x 1080) x 3

Color Brightness (Color Light Ouput): 2200 lumens1

White Brightness (White Light Output): 2200 lumens1

Aspect Ratio: Native16:9 widescreen

Native Resolution: Native 1080p (1920 x 1080)

Resize: 16:10, 4:3

Lamp Type: 200 W UHE

Lamp Life:

•ECO mode: Up to 7500 hours2

•Normal mode: Up to 4000 hours2

Throw Ratio Range: 1.22 (Zoom: Wide) – 1.47 (Zoom: Tele)

Size (projected distance): 34" – 332" at (2.98 ft - 35.89 ft)

Keystone Correction:

•Vertical: ±30 degrees (Auto)

•Horizontal: ±30 degrees (Slide bar)

Contrast Ratio: Up to35,000:1

Color Reproduction: Full-color (up to 1.07 billion colors)

Color Processing: Full 10 bits

Zoom Ratio: 1.0 – 1.2manual


EDITED: added link to Epson website.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
If definitely looks interesting. Based on the press release it appears that there are legitimate updates to the 2030. Frame interpolation, a new lcd panel, and epson is utilizing a completely new auto iris system from an outside tech company that is supposed to create "deep" blacks. We'll see, but I'm looking forward to reviews.

Edit: it looks like it has super resolution as well.

Starting price $799.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for posting this. Even if it is only a slight upgrade in the "real" contrast, the super resolution and frame interpolation might make me give away one of my HC2000s for a new HC2040 or 2045. At the very least, this means the HC2000/2030 will drop to lower prices as they clear inventory.
 
#4 ·
I'm very interested in this projector but I'm still not sure that it will meet my needs. My projector will be going into a completely dark room with black walls. I wish they would update the Epson 8350 because there are not may choices between 800 dollars and 2000 dollars for the 5025ub which seems to be the next step up.
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
Art's review is really just a description of features since he has not actually tested the 2040.

The only new information I picked up from his article was the price.

The base Home Cinema 2040 has an official “street price” of $799 while the HC2045 comes in $50 higher at $849. They will be sold by a a small group of key e-tailers, as well as through retailers.
That is a very intriguing price point.
 
#9 · (Edited)


I moved to a new house, and need a projector that has a different focal length. The Benq 1070/1075 and Epson 2040/2045 both fit the bill. I'm waiting till the reviews come up to purchase. Right now I am thinking that the Epson 2045 sounds like the best. We will see.


Best Regards,
Stan
 
#11 ·
The reviews should start coming out in weeks from now. We should know better then. Epson is moving a lot of there digital processing from the 5030 down to the 2040. So, this is technology that is fully test. But, now on a new platform, of course. We will find out.

Best Regards,
Stan
 
#21 · (Edited)
Expect a 2000/2030 running 3000/3500/3600-ish software (aka, CFI and 2D-3D and an extra sharpness menu setting).

Pro- same $99 replacement lamps.
EDIT: It looks like Epson absolutely nailed the input-lag problem with this model..reviews are saying it is about as fast as they come.

Con- same 300:1 contrast.
Also they didn't squeeze any zoom or lens-shift in there..and it likely has the same odd offset as its older sisters.
 
#22 ·
I often question as an owner of two of the Epson HC2000s what would happen if I went to the BenQ threads to attack the projector everytime someone posted an interest in getting one, what the response would be. For the record, I sampled the BenQ W1070 for about three hours and I really didn't notice much difference other than the light leakage from the BenQ, so I purchased a second HC2000. It also helped that I have seen no reports of exploding lamps, rainbows, dust issues or having to replace the lamp at 1500 hours unlike an other popular projector that I will not name. ;)

For me the HC2040, addresses a few of the things that I think could be improved upon: sharpness and black levels. Motion and gaming lag aren't issues for me.

I look forward to Art's review, but at the end of the day the $99 lamp (if offered), 2 year warranty and the fact that I have had a Epson HC2000 for almost 3500 lamp hours and 21 months of problem free service, will be the deciding factor for me. As several reviews said about the HC2000/2030, it is the best choice as a TV replacement which is my primary use. A TV with a 169inch image.
 
#23 ·
You can feel free to attack the non-upgrade "upgrade" new Benq models as I've also done..but it might feel a little redundant.

My post above wasn't attacking outliers nor obscure features, it was directly addressing all-model traits that were being questioned.
Things that will be experienced by any 2040 user to some degree or another that previous posters were asking about...aspects good, bad, and neutral.
 
#24 ·
You can feel free to attack the non-upgrade "upgrade" new Benq models as I've also done..but it might feel a little redundant.

My post above wasn't attacking outliers nor obscure features, it was directly addressing all-model traits that were being questioned.
Things that will be experienced by any 2040 user to some degree or another that previous posters were asking about...aspects good, bad, and neutral.

To be clear, I am talking about great entry level projectors (HC2000/2030 and W1070/1075) and two companies pushing each other....but:


Really... so if I look at a sampling of your posts, I will not see Epson bad BENQ GOOD. I might have you confused with other posters who often attack the Epsons and other brands in favor of the BenQs. I may be wrong but don't you have or had a BenQ?


I notice the same posters over and over jump in with negative about the Epsons be it the 2030, 8345, 8350, 3000s, 5025 and 5030. Do you have one of these models?


Yes, the current 2030 has a native contrast of 324:1 corrected with the auto iris to 1170:1 vs the BenQ W1075's native 1062:1. (Source: Sound & Vision) What is the contrast of the average movie theater 500:1 or a 1000:1? (Source: Wiki) I know I prefer my Epson to my year old Regal Cinema.


Like you I like to look at the expert reviews good or bad...but some forum experts seem to make statements based on what they own and not facts. (2030 has no real lamp price advantage since the BenQ's lamp will last 5000 hours to the Epson's 2000ish hours - made up fact - look on the forum at BenQ and replacing the lamp or my BenQ lamp blew up.) I recognize that LCD projectors aren't for everyone and maybe some really do see a screen door effect, we do at about 4 or 5 feet from our 169 inch image, but who sits that close?


So forgive me if I wait for the expert review and enjoy my projector with the odd placement to see what improvements Epson has made to the 2040 be it positive/negative or no real difference.


I saw all negative into your prior post and responded. (You did list the $99 lamp as a pro. :))
 
#25 ·
I think if Epson chose to squeeze even a tiny bit of the 8345/8350 qualities into their 2000/3000 lines, they'd be much more competitive.
The 8350/8345 has faster input-response than anything else they make by far, 3x the contrast and much more placement flexibility than the 2000's and a stronger price (and still more flexibility) than the 3000 series.

I wish Epson put more work into the contrast and lens of their 2000's or simply replaced the series by lowering the 3000's prices to compete against the DLPs (and brought the 3000's lamp price back down to $99-150).
I wish Epson went back to making a low-lag model so gamers wouldn't have to compromise if choosing an LCD.
I'm super happy for what they're doing for competition prices with Sony and the hw40 VS 5025/5030 and their $99 lamp has to be doing something at least somewhat similar to the market in general.

I do like to see these easy (but enjoyable) software features no longer relegated to the $1500+ crowd..this Epson, the new RGB Vivitek, and LG have done a good job forcing folks to realize this software is nothing you should have to pay extra for.

The fact that a fan of Epson or LCD has to buy a 1/2decade old model for speed or pay almost twice as much for similar contrast as a cheap DLP..that makes me mad, because Epson has already proven they could easily remedy that.
Imagine if the 2040 didn't need gamer-mode for speed, added a tiny bit of vertical lens-shift and hit 900:1CR for the same $700-750..
Imagine if Optoma simply plopped an RGB wheel into the 141..
If Benq slipped CFI and 2D-3D into the 1075 at the same input-speed.
If the 5025 and hw40 permanently set prices around $1500.
It FEELS like we're almost there, but the companies are dragging their feet.
 
#26 ·
I think if Epson chose to squeeze even a tiny bit of the 8345/8350 qualities into their 2000/3000 lines, they'd be much more competitive.
The 8350/8345 has faster input-response than anything else they make by far, 3x the contrast and much more placement flexibility than the 2000's and a stronger price (and still more flexibility) than the 3000 series.

I wish Epson put more work into the contrast and lens of their 2000's or simply replaced the series by lowering the 3000's prices to compete against the DLPs (and brought the 3000's lamp price back down to $99-150).
I wish Epson went back to making a low-lag model so gamers wouldn't have to compromise if choosing an LCD.
I'm super happy for what they're doing for competition prices with Sony and the hw40 VS 5025/5030 and their $99 lamp has to be doing something at least somewhat similar to the market in general.

I do like to see these easy (but enjoyable) software features no longer relegated to the $1500+ crowd..this Epson, the new RGB Vivitek, and LG have done a good job forcing folks to realize this software is nothing you should have to pay extra for.

The fact that a fan of Epson or LCD has to buy a 1/2decade old model for speed or pay almost twice as much for similar contrast as a cheap DLP..that makes me mad, because Epson has already proven they could easily remedy that.
Imagine if the 2040 didn't need gamer-mode for speed, added a tiny bit of vertical lens-shift and hit 900:1CR for the same $700-750..
Imagine if Optoma simply plopped an RGB wheel into the 141..
If Benq slipped CFI and 2D-3D into the 1075 at the same input-speed.
If the 5025 and hw40 permanently set prices around $1500.
It FEELS like we're almost there, but the companies are dragging their feet.
Well said and sorry, I've got to stop posting after midnight.
 
#31 ·
#36 · (Edited)
Was about to pull the trigger on the LG 1500 led pj for our mbr renovation. Have an ae8000 in the main room. Throwing 120" in the mbr, trying to decide which makes more sense now. The epson with two extra bulbs is cheaper than the lg, and it's twice as bright. Thinking that by the time I go through the three bulbs the I'd either want to replace the pj, or the led would crap out electronically, and out of warranty. What am I missing?

though, one other determinant is availability - I can get the 1500 today, no one seems to know when they'll get the 2040
 
#37 ·
Was about to pull the trigger on the LG 1500 led pj for our mbr renovation. Have an ae8000 in the main room. Throwing 120" in the mbr, trying to decide which makes more sense now. The epson with two extra bulbs is cheaper than the lg, and it's twice as bright. Thinking that by the time I go through the three bulbs the I'd either want to replace the pj, or the led would crap out electronically, and out of warranty. What am I missing?

though, one other determinant is availability - I can get the 1500 today, no one seems to know when they'll get the 2040

I wouldn't count on going through three lamps if the 2040 lamp is anything like the 2000 lamp. One of ours is on all the time and at 3535 hours I can't really tell the difference between it and the new one in the bedroom with about 20 hours (or less) on it.


To bad about availability.
 
#44 ·
The Epson lamp costs half as much and its warranty is two years instead of one.
The Epson has CFI and creative 2D-3D for those interested.

They (ProjectorReviews) already warned that its contrast/blacks aren't as good/deep, and it lacks the zoom and lens-shift flexibility as well as the natural motion-handling and pixel-density of the DLP.

They both have good colors right from the box as well as great gaming input-lag.
They are both suitably sharp though the DLP has the natural advantage of no alignment trouble.
Neither is particularly quiet in full-lamp, but both are more than manageable in eco.
Both are bright..even when calibrated.
They are (or soon will be) the same price unless Epson stays a little higher for a while.

Tadaaa. :)
 
#47 · (Edited)
Just for the fun of it some positives of the current generation of the Epson HC2000/2030 and then the new 2040/2045.


2000/2030: small-easy to move, cheap replacement $99 lamp (which should be standard for all), a two year warranty (which should be standard for all), no rainbows, no light leakage through the vent, 300ish native contrast corrected by the auto iris to 1170ish (yes, I see the auto iris as a positive), no real reports of dust issues or lamp issues.


2040/2045: hopefully a cheap lamp (I don't trust Epson after what the did on the 3000/3500 lamp listed at $99 and then up-up and away in price), CFI, 2D to 3D, "super resolution", improved lag for gaming (old model did 32ms with auto iris off and image quality decreased), improved contrast (maybe not enough for some but Epson has a lot of models to choose from), no reported "plastic gear" failures (like the 5030 family has) along with all the other current generation pros.


For me, I often go back an forth between grabbing a 3500 (now $1299 with lamp replacement $280ish) or the 5025 (now $1699 with a free lamp but standard lamp cost is $280ish), but the $99 lamp is the difference. While I have two of the HC2000 with one for a 169 inch image (basement) and the other a 120 (spare room in the basement), I had to fight the urge to grab another for $500 yesterday for the lake house I "inherited" recently (he's not dead but likes the nursing home service better than living alone at 91). It really comes down to cost of ownership and the way I use it (TV) for me.


Real quick DLP negatives: warranty (on the current DLP forum favorite), reported dust blobs, light leakage around the vent (seen first hand) and some premature lamp failures with a $200 plus lamp. I notice these get overlooked when members recommend projectors to new members.

For the record, I have never noticed the 2000 having any problems lighting up my 169 inch wall/screen when using 3D, but I do slide the chair up (family is not into 3D so I am solo unless friends come over) to about 10 feet.
 
#48 ·
I've never had a LCD projector before, so I'm worried with 2 things. One of them is if I can perceive the pixel grid in a 140 inch screen 11 feet from the screen, because if I can see it, it ruins the movie. The other one is the ghost in 3D, because I know that LCD projectors usually have some ghost and it gives me headaches.
 
#49 ·
It could be a problem. I find if you look for something you see it be it rainbows, black levels, pixels, sharpness, light leakage, iris noise, projector noise and so on. I would just go with the DLP if I was concerned about the pixels and ghosting, or LCD if I was concerned about rainbows, lamp cost, dust and light leakage (which is why I didn't add a BenQ to my growing collection of cheap projectors - two LCDs and one DLP). All I saw during a 3 hour sampling of the BenQ was light leakage, poor black level (I really was expecting to be blown away based on forum comments) and the occasional rainbow, but I was looking for those things.


Man of Steel 3D was bad on the LCD and I saw enough ghosting or "something" to impact the enjoyment, but that may have been a movie 3D issue because other 3D content looks good to excellent. (I need to try it on my DLP.) Also, it could have been the fact that MOS didn't "suck me in to the story" with the never ending fights.


For me I don't see the pixels unless I am much closer than 10 feet to the 169 inch image. On the 120 inch image, I have to go even closer.
 
#53 ·
Hey guys, I've been lurking on the projector side of the forum for a few weeks. You all seem to really know what you are talking about so I thought I'd ask a question here on this thread instead of starting another.

I'm totally new to projectors and have never owned one. Basically I'm clueless!

I am planning on doing some remodeling in my master bedroom. Originally I was going to re-purpose my living room 60" LCD to the master bedroom and upgrade the living room TV... well, I'm really limited on funds at the moment and replacing a 60" LCD with a larger LCD would cost a lot for my tastes... so I came up with the idea of getting a projector for the master bedroom instead, especially considering it is over 20' from the wall the TV/projector screen would be and where my head would be on my pillow :)

Ok so now that everyone knows my crazy idea what are my options? I really like the review on this Epson 2040 found at projectorcentral. I'm a calibrator (HCFR/i1Displaypro) and the thought of an easy calibration is appealing (this projector seems pretty accurate out of the box). There is quite a bit of ambient light in the master bedroom, however, there are blinds that close and likely most TV/movie watching will be done at night. I can see us watching a lot of TV shows (Netflix, live TV, etc.) and some movies too. It'll be an HTPC running through a receiver and then to the projector for content.

I'm partially not in the mood for a DIY screen... what are my options? Does this Silver Ticket screen and/or this Elite Screen seem like a good purchase or should I just get some of the Carl's material?

Also, I have a fan in the middle of the room. It is kind of bulky. Do I need to remove it completely? If so can I get a low profile fan to replace it? What other considerations are there (again, totally new to projectors).
 
#54 ·
Hey guys, I've been lurking on the projector side of the forum for a few weeks. You all seem to really know what you are talking about so I thought I'd ask a question here on this thread instead of starting another.

I'm totally new to projectors and have never owned one. Basically I'm clueless!

I am planning on doing some remodeling in my master bedroom. Originally I was going to re-purpose my living room 60" LCD to the master bedroom and upgrade the living room TV... well, I'm really limited on funds at the moment and replacing a 60" LCD with a larger LCD would cost a lot for my tastes... so I came up with the idea of getting a projector for the master bedroom instead, especially considering it is over 20' from the wall the TV/projector screen would be and where my head would be on my pillow :)

Ok so now that everyone knows my crazy idea what are my options? I really like the review on this Epson 2040 found at projectorcentral. I'm a calibrator (HCFR/i1Displaypro) and the thought of an easy calibration is appealing (this projector seems pretty accurate out of the box). There is quite a bit of ambient light in the master bedroom, however, there are blinds that close and likely most TV/movie watching will be done at night. I can see us watching a lot of TV shows (Netflix, live TV, etc.) and some movies too. It'll be an HTPC running through a receiver and then to the projector for content.

I'm partially not in the mood for a DIY screen... what are my options? Does this Silver Ticket screen and/or this Elite Screen seem like a good purchase or should I just get some of the Carl's material?

Also, I have a fan in the middle of the room. It is kind of bulky. Do I need to remove it completely? If so can I get a low profile fan to replace it? What other considerations are there (again, totally new to projectors).

The projector will need to be mounted 8 inches below the top of the image/screen if it is like the 2030.


If you don't want to invest in a screen or DIY, this is what I did. I recently put up this for $59 http://www.amazon.com/VonHaus-DIY-P...1940243&sr=8-19&keywords=carls+blackout+cloth plus grommets ($10) and gaffers tape ($12). Put in three grommets along the top and three small nails on the wall is the damage. I was very impressed with the quality for $59. I use it in a spare room with a spare projector and it took minutes to put up.
 
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