I’ve had some rather mediocre experiences with projectors in the past and generally my experiences haven’t been anything to write home about however, the Epson EMP-DM1 is an experience to behold.

What I learned quickly about the EMP-DM1 is that this is no traditional, corporate meeting projector with poor image quality and sound, but rather an all encompassing home entertainment center with advanced DVD capabilities and excellent sound performance.

As easy as 1-2-3

Setting up the EMP-DM1 was a breeze. I plugged it in, connected my DSTV decoder to the input at the back of the projector and within a few seconds I was watching TV at around 100 inches (254 centimeters) on my living room wall.

I even got a chance to hook up my PlayStation 2 and got a couple hours of gaming in which was just as glamourous as watching TV.

Massive screen projection

The EMP-DM1 has a minimum projection of 30 inches (87 centimeters) and if you have a big enough room (i.e. 4,5 meters long) you can get up to 300 inches (897 centimeters or 8.97 meters)!

My place is small and I have to admit that 100 inches was way too big to watch but still, something special seeing as my normal TV set is only 54 centimeters.

Performance

The picture quality is fantastic although I have to admit getting the colour balance right was not as easy as it looks but once setup I didn’t need to worry about it again. You can also switch between standard picture ratio to widescreen format and I didn’t notice any real picture distortion while watching in widescreen format.

Epson claim that the projector lamps can last up to 3,000 hours or 3 years which is not bad if this is accurate.

The speakers, only 8W each, are much better than my normal TV set but you can easily hook up a surround sound system. While I enjoyed the standard speakers you definitely want to setup a decent sound system to really enjoy the experience.

The on screen interface allows you to easily setup the projector and there are tons of features to keep you busy. I didn’t even get a chance to fiddle with half the options and I found the EMP-DM1 easy to work with and just as easy to customise to my needs.

This is an HD compatible projector that has a resolution of 480p (854×480) and just like the Panasonic HD DVD Player we reviewed the EMP-DM1 can play just about any video format via the built-in DivX DVD player or via the USB port located at the back of the device.

Key Features

• Epson 3LCD HD compatible projector (480p resolution), DVD reader with DivX compatibility and 2 stereo speakers (2*8W)
• Compact and stylish black and white design
• Integrated handle and carrying case
• Sound performance: DTS Digital Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital ProLogic II, Dolby Virtual Speaker, Virtual Surround
• Wide choice of connection: USB, RGB, composite, component
• Range of compatible formats including DVD-Video, DivX ultra, DVD-VR, Video CD, SVCD, Audio-CD, MP3, WMA, JPEG
• You can read more detailed specs here.

Downsides

While this is an unbelievable cinema experience there are a few things that bugged me. The first and most important is that you can’t watch anything in the late afternoon. The angle of the sun completely killed any picture I had and if you wanted to use this as a primary TV you’d have to get block-out curtains to prevent this issue.

The other bug that gets to me is that this projector makes a big noise. Understandably the EMP-DM1 gets very hot while it’s on and to combat this there is a built in fan to cool the device down but if your volume isn’t loud enough the background noise is very conspicuous.

Conclusion

If you have a spare room and are looking to setup a small home cinema then I’d recommend you buy this projector without hesitation. It’s incredibly affordable, packs some fantastic features and can be transported very easily if needed. It unfortunately can’t become your primary viewing device due to the late afternoon sun issue but it’s a great add-on for any movie enthusiast.

Availability

The Epson EMP-DM1 costs R8,168.00 and is available from Solution Technologies. It comes standard with a 3-year limited warranty on parts and labour (including lamp).