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Epson EH-TW480 review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £459
inc VAT

An excellent 720p projector with great image quality and extensive menu options

Specifications

1,280×800 resolution, 2,800 ANSI lumens, 228x79x295mm, 2.3kg

A 720p (1,280×1,080) projector is a great way to get an occasional-use projector on a tight budget, while still providing enough resolution for most uses, as the Epson EH-TW480 proves. While a lot of budget projects use a single DLP chip, the EH-TW480 is a 3-LCD model.

DLP projectors often create deeper blacks but they also tend to suffer from a slight rainbow effect, while 3-LCD models are immune to it. For anyone that’s tried and hasn’t got on with DLP before, the EH-TW480 could be the ideal alternative.

For such a small projector, it produces an impressively large image, and it easily filled our screen from 7ft away. Its weight isn’t evenly distributed across the unit, though, and its off-centre height-adjustable kick-stand at the front isn’t particularly sturdy either, so we’d recommend installing it on a shelf where it’s unlikely to get knocked over and use its height-adjustable back feet to angle it downwards instead.

Epson EH-TW480

There’s no lens shift on this budget model, so you’ll need to get the projector square-on to the screen. If you don’t, the only option is to use digital keystone correction, which reduces the quality of the picture. Annoyingly, the automatic keystone adjustment is turned on by default, although you can turn this off using the projector’s menus or the dedicated buttons on the top.

Setting the EH-TW480 up was very easy, but its slightly limited range of inputs makes it a little less versatile than other budget projectors. There’s just one HDMI input, for instance, along with VGA, S-video and composite inputs. There’s also a USB Type B input, so you can run your computer’s video and audio over USB; this is more a business feature, though, and not good enough for high-quality video, so we recommend sticking with HDMI. A USB Type A input lets you connect mass storage devices, so that the projector can show any stored images.

Epson EH-TW480

Despite having just four colour modes at your disposal (Dynamic, Living room, Theatre and Game), each one can be fully customised using its brightness, contrast, colour saturation and temperature, tint and sharpness settings. You can also tweak individual colour values as well as noise reduction, but some options were a little less intuitive than others to use due to poor labelling on each setting.

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Details

Price£459
Detailswww.epson.co.uk
Rating****
AwardBudget Buy

Specifications

Projector technology3-LCD
Lamp brightness2,800 ANSI lumens
Lamp life4,000
Lamp life in economy mode5,000
Contrast ratio3000:1

Picture

Native resolution1,280×800
Max compressed resolution1,600×1,200
Aspect ratio16:9
Other aspect ratios16:10, 4:3
Max diagonal at 7ft76in
Throw ratio1.3:1 to 1.56:1
Optical zoom1.2x
Projection distance1.1m to 8.8m
Mirror imageyes
Invert imageyes
Lens shift horizontal0%
Lens shift vertical0%
HD Readyyes
Special view modesdynamic, living room, theatre, game

Inputs/Outputs

VGA inputyes
DVI inputNo
Sound inputsstereo phono
Composite inputyes
S-video inputyes
HDMI inputyes
Component inputno
PAL supportyes
SECAM supportyes
NTSC supportyes
Audio outputnone
Video outputVGA, HDMI
Others inputs/outputsUSB

Other

Noise (in normal use)29dB(A)
Size228x79x295mm
Weight2.3kg
Internal speakersyes (2W mono)
Extrasremote, power cable, VGA cable, carry case
Remote special featuresaspect ratio, colour mode, freeze, input select
Power consumption standby1W
Power consumption on227W

Lamp

Lamp cost (inc VAT)£115
Lamp supplierwww.projectorpoint.co.uk
Lamp cost per hour of use£0.03
Lamp cost per hour of use (economy)£0.02

Buying Information

Price£459
Supplier
Detailswww.epson.co.uk

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