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The Epson PowerLite 965H XGA 3LCD Projector ($899) is similar enough to the PowerLite 965 XGA 3LCD Projector it replaces that at first glance you might wonder why the company bothered with a new version. It offers the same 3,500-lumen rating, 1.6X zoom lens, and similarly high quality for both data images and video. However, it also has enough significant, if somewhat subtle, improvements to make it an even more attractive pick, and our new Editors’ Choice XGA projector for a small to midsize conference room or classroom.
Compared with the Epson 965 that the 965H ($899.00 at Adorama)(Opens in a new window) has replaced in Epson’s line, the 965H offers two key extras. First, it adds Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) support, so it can accept MHL-based media sticks and it can connect easily to phones and tablets that support MHL. Second, it offers a longer-claimed lamp life—up to 10,000 hours in Eco mode—paired with an unusually low replacement cost for the lamp, at just $79. The combination promises a low running cost, and with it a low total cost of ownership.
Basics
Like the Epson 965, the 965H is a three-chip LCD model, which guarantees that it won’t show rainbow artifacts (flashes of red, green, and blue), which are always a potential issue for DLP-based projectors. In addition, the three-chip design ensures that color brightness and white brightness match, so you don’t have to worry about differences the between the two potentially affecting color quality and the brightness of color images. (For more on color brightness, see Color Brightness: What it Is, Why it Matters.)
The key potential disadvantage of the LCD engine is that the 965H doesn’t offer any 3D support, which is a standard feature in DLP models, including, for example, the BenQ MX723 ($835.43 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . This shouldn’t be a problem in most cases however, since few offices or classrooms need 3D.
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Setup and Brightness
At 3.5 by 11.6 by 10.6 inches (HWD) and just 6 pounds 6 ounces, the 965H is light enough to carry with you if you need a portable projector, but is most likely to wind up permanently installed or on a cart. Setup is standard fare, with the manual controls for focus and the 1.6X zoom offering just the right level of resistance for sure control.
The image inputs are all on the back panel, including two VGA ports for computers or component video and two HDMI ports for computers or video sources, with one supporting MHL. In addition, there’s a USB Type B port for direct USB display, both composite video and S-video ports, a LAN port for sending images and audio, as well as for controlling the projector over a network, and a USB Type A port for reading files directly from a USB memory key or for connecting an optional Wi-Fi dongle ($99).
Based on recommendations of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and assuming a 1.0-gain screen, the 3,500-lumen rating for the 965H translates to being bright enough in theater-dark lighting for a 218- to 295-inch screen (measured diagonally) at its native 4:3 aspect ratio. In moderate ambient light, it would still be bright enough for even a 144-inch (diagonal) image.
That makes the projector easily bright enough to throw an appropriately large image for a midsize room and a little too bright, under most lighting conditions, for a small room. However, you can damp down the brightness via Eco mode, one of the projector’s lower-brightness preset modes, or both.
Image Quality and Audio
The 965H delivers near-excellent quality for data images, and good video quality for a data projector. Data images fall a touch short of excellent only because of a minor color-balance issue that turned up in our standard suite of DisplayMate(Opens in a new window) tests. Grays are suitably neutral in all shades from black to white only with Presentation mode. In every other mode, the brightest shade shows a slight tint relative to darker levels.
See How We Test Projectors
The mitigating factor is that the tint is noticeable only with gray-scale images and is less obvious with some predefined modes than others. It won’t be a problem in most real-world use, and if it is, you can simply use Presentation mode.
Beyond that, the 965H offers vibrant, well-saturated colors in all modes and crisp detail across the entire screen. White text on black, for example, was highly readable in my tests at sizes as small as 7.5 points, and black text on white was equally readable even at 6 points.
Video quality is obviously limited by the 1,024-by-768 native resolution. In addition, the contrast ratio is on the low side, leaving colors a little flat. However, the quality is good enough to be watchable for long sessions, which makes it better than many data projectors can manage. It’s actually in the same league as some inexpensive, low-resolution home-entertainment—not home-theater—projectors.
Two other features that are worth mentioning are the audio system and split-screen feature. The 16-watt mono speaker is unusually capable for such a small projector, with good sound quality and enough volume to fill a midsize room. If you need still better quality, higher volume, or stereo, you can also connect an external sound system to the audio output on the back panel.
The split-screen feature lets you show images from two sources at once, as well as choose between setting the two to equal size or making either one larger than the other. You can also toggle to and from split-screen mode with a single button press on the remote. Using a split screen is less useful than it would be on a higher-resolution projector, but it’s still a notable convenience.
Conclusion
If you need 3D, you should take a look at the BenQ MX723. If you don’t need 3D, and can do without the Epson PowerLite 965H XGA 3LCD Projector’s MHL support, you might want to take a look at the Epson 965, which you may be able to find at a lower price, since it’s been replaced in Epson’s line. However, the 965H starts with all the same strengths as the Epson 965—including a 1.6X zoom lens and a bright, high-quality image—and then adds MHL support, a long lamp life, and a low replacement cost for lamps. The combination is more than enough to make it our Editors’ Choice XGA projector for a small-to-midsize room.
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The Epson PowerLite 965H XGA 3LCD Projector delivers high-quality images, enough brightness for a small to midsize conference room or classroom, and a low running cost.
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Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/epson-powerlite-965h-xga-3lcd-projector