Back in 2022, Epson launched what the company called its most advanced home theater projector to date. Now at $6,000, that’s going to take a very friendly bank manager to help you setup your cinema space. Now there’s a more affordable option.
Like the LS12000 before it, the latest member of the Pro Cinema family is built around Epson’s 3LCD projector engine for the promise of “a vibrant, detailed picture” at 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution. But instead of a 36-bit ZX Picture Processor taking care of real-time color, HDR, frame interpolation and resolution enhancement, the LS9000 will just have to get by with 32-bit processing.
The new model still uses three LCD chips to “continuously display 100% of the RGB color signal” but the “virtually maintenance-free” laser light source gets bumped from 2,700 lumens to 2,200 for both color and white. Epson reckons that should still be enough for impressive visuals with the lights on, though a darkened home cinema space will be best.
Epson
The projector is capable of reproducing more than a billion colors onscreen. Dynamic contrast is reported to get “up to and over” 2.5-million:1, and it plays nice with HDR10+ and HLG content. Screen sizes up to 300 diagonal inches are supported, and manual keystone correction is included.
There’s also support for 4K at 120 frames per second, which not only makes for a snappy response when movie viewing but also caters for “epic gaming” over HDMI. There’s ARC and eARC support too, for integration into immersive audio setups. Powered zoom, focus and lens shift courtesy of the unit’s 15-element motorized optics should help “ensure precise, effortless installation” – and 10 preset slots are available for storing frequently used settings for quick recall.
Epson
This is a pro-level home theater model, not a smart projector so it lacks an operating platform such as Google TV, but there are two HDMI 2.1 ports for cabling up to media sources plus USB Type-A for power delivery should you wish to use a streaming dongle. Epson has also cooked in smart home compatibility for easy connection to “IP control systems, including Control4, Crestron and via PJLink.”
The Pro Cinema LS9000 4K HDR 3LCD Laser Projector is a sizable beast at 20.5 x 17.6 x 7.6 in (52 x 44 x 19 cm) and weighs in at a hefty 28 lb (almost 13 kg). It’s available now through authorized dealers for a suggested retail price of US$3,999 – which is still a fair chunk of change. If you want to see what’s on offer before you part with your cash, the projector will be on show at Audio Advice Live in Raleigh, North Carolina, August 1-3.
Product page: Pro Cinema LS9000