TVs in Media Room and Living Rooms have been exploited ever since Lockdown. It has been one of the constant sources of content consumption and a sharp rise is observed in the TV Sales ever since we returned to the new normal. The Smart TV revolution is getting aggressive with the entry of Mobile Players in this segment with cheaper options. Nokia, Mi and Motorola’s range of 4K Televisions have made life easy for all but probably not the best!
The best can only be achieved by Projector and Screens as you cannot achieve a cinema hall experience with a 4K 65” Smart Display. And to fill the void of cabling problems in pre-constructed and built homes, the Ultra Short Throw Projector market is making big news since last year. There are few projectors boasting such features and one of them is Epson LS 500B.
EpsonLS500B is a 4K Pro UHD Ultra Short Throw Projector priced at ₹290,999/-. LS stands for Laser source and unlike traditional lamp based projector, Epson claims a life of 20000 hours in Eco Mode for this projector.
The screen size can be between 80" to 130” diagonal and like its other 4K Pro UHD Models, EH-TW7100 and TW-9400 this model too, uses 3 Full HD chips to deliver a 4K Resolution on screen.
With its 4000 Lumens on Normal mode, this projector is beast when it comes to on-screen brightness. The Eco Mode delivers only 1200 lumens projection due to which the best time to use this mode is at night with low or minimum ambient light. The startup period of projector is only 6 seconds which makes it ideal for instant projection in living room scenarios. The contrast ratio is 25 lakhs is to 1 and this contrast remains constant not just for white light but also for all the colors. You have got 3 HDMI inputs with HDCP 2.2 version making it very versatile for connections. The USB also supports media playback using an additional accessory and the analog audio output can be connected further to your sound system for better audio experience. The in-built stereo speaker pair of 10 Watt each is too less and that’s why without a decent audio system this projector will not deliver an Immersive Home Theater experience.
The first impression of the projection is really amazing and I can surely visualize how well it will look in an actual living room or media room. The projector seems a little bulky, but due to the black colour and the front black fabric based magnetic grill it surely adds up to the décor of the room.
The fan is a little noisy though. Epson claims the fan noise at 36dB on Normal Mode and 23dB on Eco Mode. Now, it has a quick installation setup guide and may not require an expert to calibrate it with the screen, though you have to check the distance between the screen bottom to the projector as it does not support lens shift. The quick corners come to your rescue in fine tuning and adjusting the image with the screen.
Epson LS 500B also supports HDR10 and HLG formats like Epson EH-TW9400 for maximum color gamut and has got a stunning refresh rate of 240Hz making it best in line for pairing with Gaming Consoles including the latest Play Station 5. The warm up period for the projector is 30 seconds post you shut down. And due to its heavy weight of 9.3 kgs it is not meant for portable applications.
Many people have asked us in the past about projecting it on the wall, but honestly do not commit this mistake. Why will you not enjoy the projection on good uniform screen and instead project on the wall which will deliver a dull image and hurt your eyes?
Do not compromise on the screen for few thousands, when you are buying projectors worth a lakh of rupees. Never ever do that mistake. For Ultra Short Throw projectors, ALR screens i.e. Ambient Light Reduction screens are the best partner for reflecting best image and video quality projection.
One may feel the need to go bigger than the recommended screen size 130" by pushing the projector away from the screen wall, but guess what? I tried doing that and the result was - The image starts getting blurred on the top. *Do not try this stunt at home :p
Our verdict is
Remarkably well designed in every respect, the LS500B Ultra Short Throw projectors are serious contenders for reliving a Cinema Hall experience in Living and Drawing Rooms.
For -
Dynamic Contrast Ratio which is amazing for white as well as color output.
High Lumens of 4000 makes it comfortable for any living room size.
High Bandwidth support for Vertical Refresh Rate makes it a great companion for latest Game Consoles.
Against -
4K Enhancement and not Native 4K makes it cheap but not easily affordable.
Portability feature is missing due to its weight.
Wider gap between the screen bottom and projector disturbs the viewing angle.
The nearest competition to Epson LS-500B is Optoma P1 or P2 models which are Native 4K projectors starting from ₹5,00,000/-
If you are looking for guidance, verification or personalized shopping experience -
Then use our T20 service in the description wherein, me and my team shall assist you to build a custom home cinema system as we believe in designing and recommending solutions more than brands and products.
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