Epson EMP-S4 review

Sometimes, even a big-screen TV just isn't big enough and whether it's movies, an impromptu family evening of holiday photos or just playing games on a huge screen, there's no cheaper option than a projector.

Epson's brand-new EMP-S4 proudly touts itself as a budget all-round projector that can handle anything from classroom projection duties to business presentations, and can bring big screen movies to your lounge too.

The Epson's 'do it all' approach requires it to give a bright enough image to work even in well-lit rooms and the S4 is indeed one bright projector. Even with the multitude of fluorescent lights in our office, the Epson still managed to project a large, clear image. Move the S4 to the relative darkness of a home lounge and it's a different matter entirely. At home, in a much dimmer environment, the S4 was almost too bright at its default High brightness setting. For home duties, the Low brightness setting is far more suitable and far easier on the bulb too, which will last about 3,000 hours at its Low setting.

A bright image is all well and good, but if you're intending to use a projector for home cinema use, it needs a good contrast ratio too. A good contrast range is essential for a projector to display as wide a range of light and dark tones as possible. The Epson is only rated at 500:1, and while that may sound like a lot, anything less than 1000:1 is too narrow a range to do movies justice. With our range of test DVDs and high-definition clips, the Epson's lack of contrast was painfully obvious. Even in a pitch-black room, the Epson reproduced black as grey, which left dark areas of the picture lacking in detail. The lack of contrast is a real shame, as the 3-LCD technology gives wonderfully rich and vibrant colours.

The Epson EMP-S4's crisp 800 x 600 resolution and bright colours are great for presentations, but it's not a suitable choice for gaming or home cinema. Its array of inputs is woefully limited and its contrast is poor. We'd choose the BenQ W100 instead.

Author: Sasha Muller