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A/V Equipment Review Looking for an all-in-one LCD projector and DVD player with stereo speakers? This new unit from Epson has all that and more. by BARRIE SMITH Epson EMP-TWD1 Home Entertainment Projector A . . . A CLEVER BOX OF TRICKS 8  Silicon Chip HOME ENTERTAINMENT projector? Yes, it’s a mouthful but the alternative is to call this new piece of gear a “DVD player-cum-LCD projector” (an even bigger mouthful). The idea is simple but very appealing: build a good-quality DVD player into an elegant LCD projector, slip a pair of stereo speakers into the housing, and add some interfaces to deal with incoming audio and video plus some outputs for downstream audio – and you have it. I must say I was at first taken aback at the Epson’s appearance – it could have twinned with my Breville breadmaker! All white, box-shaped and with minimal styling, it would not go amiss in any hospital surgery. I feel sorry for those with extensive AV systems built into dark wooden cabinets. Then the penny drops. Aside from siliconchip.com.au sitting perfectly in those 21st century decors with bleached timber and gloss white finishes, the Epson is a piece of home entertainment equipment that could be sited virtually anywhere, in any room, both inside the home or out. You could even take it on vacation and use it in the hotel or holiday home. Business people will appreciate it as it has arguably the best arrangements of any projector to present the projected image from a wide choice of positions, with wide lateral and vertical centring as well as vertical keystone adjustment. You also gain in the connectivity stakes, with no need to run cabling from the DVD player to the output device – and the backlit remote control drives both. The DVD unit operates right out of the box, with no cables to connect and no settings to make. Merging Now that the industry is trying hard to put the mockers on VHS we can look forward to DVD as the main delivery medium in the home. The concept of combining a DVD player with a projector is a good one, removing the need for a separate player and the TV itself in one swoop. In this reviewing business, I’ve always had a soft spot for video projectors, mainly because I have a large, light-coloured wall in a living space that serves as an excellent screen for the week or two turnaround that a review of these devices demands. For more permanent installations, I would of course install a screen. You can’t really argue with a picture that extends 3.4 x 1.95 metres, with a diagonal of 3.92 metres. There’s nothing else to compare with it, neither plasma, LCD or one-box rear projection units. But the truth is, you still need an ordinary CRT set or similar for casual viewing as well; six and a half square metres of the ABC news before your eyes each night is a bit stressing! But get into a good movie, doco or live event (Dylan at the Domain, Sting in St Kilda or a rugby grand final) and big-screen viewing is incomparable. Possibly the only unfortunate aspect to the Epson is that it uses a late model DVD player (supplied by JVC) that delivers a 4:3 screen ratio picture while growling away in the shadows is the promise of 16:9 HD DVD units – that is, if Sony and Toshiba can become pals siliconchip.com.au The remote control handles a host of functions both for the projector itself and for the inbuilt DVD player. and merge their opposing formats; and that seems highly unlikely! That said, the projector does have three TFT active matrix LCD panels with 854 x 480 pixel resolution (16:9 ratio but not HD definition). You can set up a screen image in the 4:3 ratio or 16:9, with the latter achieved by a lateral expansion. Its maximum light output is 1200 ANSI lumens, adjustable down to 350 lumens to afford longer lamp life and a more appropriate output for very short projection throws. You could project a 2-metre screen image from as little as two metres away. In my own case, the throw was six metres with the 1.5x zoom lens set at the telephoto end and light output at maximum. Even in daylight, with the curtains closed, I could enjoy a bright and acceptable picture and at night-time, the image quality was very impressive indeed. Configuration This box of Epson tricks is just that but with some seemingly odd configu- How Big Is The Picture? It Depends On Distance Fig.1: this diagram shows the relationship between screen distance and picture size. You can’t beat a picture that’s several metres across the diagonal. February 2006  9 Some controls are located at the rear and on the top of the case but most are placed on the remote control. A fold-down panel at the front provides good access to the various inputs and outputs on the projector. Both S-video and composite video inputs are provided. ration aspects thrown into its design. At the front is the lens, offset to the right. Beneath it is a hinged panel which gives access to the signal interfaces, with jacks for composite video and stereo L+R inputs, S-video, optical audio output and an RCA output for a subwoofer. There are no audio outputs that you could link to an external stereo or surround sound system. You can, as I did, also run the output from a nearby VCR (linked to the antenna) to get broadcast programming, as well as run tapes when needed. The rear of the box has the disc loading tray, an open/close button, a 10  Silicon Chip headphone jack and, filling each corner, the speaker enclosures. Move topside and you find manual controls for zoom and focus, plus vertical and horizontal lens shift. A strip of buttons affords entrée to power on/ off, source switching, audio level and some DVD navigation functions. The vertical and horizontal image shift controls operate optically and are a big plus, enabling you to position the device off-centre, yet still be able to centre the projected image perfectly. There is digital keystone correction of the picture sides, accessed through the picture menu. However, just think about it: the lens is at the front, so the image is formed ahead of the unit. The disc tray is at the rear, so banish any thoughts of pushing the Epson hard up against a wall or cabinet back if you want to load a DVD. And don’t forget, the speakers are at the rear corners – same problem. I figure it this way: the ideal location for the EMP-TWD1 is mid-room, with sufficient throw to form a screen image, yet with the unit given sufficient back-space for the speaker output to be enjoyed by the audience, who should presumably be seated even further aft. The mid-room location would seem to be appropriate, as the lens’ focal length seems to be computed to work with relatively short throws; in my case, the 6-metre projector-distance was achieved only by setting the zoom at full telephoto. However, when midroom mounted, a 1.20m-wide image can be generated for a throw of just 1.50m. The output of the 2 x 10W sound system is quite respectable and uses a pair of 13.5 x 3cm speakers. What helps the sound quality is a simulated surround output that works quite well with movies and the like – but of course, it’s not a patch on a true multi-speaker surround system. There is an unusual degree of control of the audio output: three presets include Natural, Smooth and Off. I went for the latter, in spite of some invigorating guff in the manual about how JVC have come up with LFO modulation to correct “the alpha wave frequency fluctuation” that falls between the left and right channels of a stereo signal. And more: the remote allows you to not only vary the audio level but adjust the treble output. Picture control The unit will handle programming in NTSC 3.58/4.43/PAL/PAL-M /PALM/PAL60/SECAM standards. You also have the option of an interlaced or progressive-scan display. The EMPTWD1’s DVD player uses a “digital direct” reading system to produce smooth play and prevent blurred or pixellated images. This system processes the film source as progressive, without conversion to interlace. A useful feature in these days of digital cameras is the unit’s ability to project JPEG stills of any dimension up to 8192 x 7680 pixels. You can even run a slide show. siliconchip.com.au The DVD tray is located at the rear of the unit. Building the player into the main projector housing is a good idea. Picture quality can be adjusted in brightness, contrast, saturation, tint (for NTSC programming) and sharpness. Other picture presets include Dynamic, Living Room, Theatre and Theatre Black – the latter is useful in a completely darkened room and an internal filter creates more natural skin tones. Information can be called up on screen to inform you of the lamp hours accumulated, the text turning to yellow when the lamp needs changing. Lamp life is quoted as 2000 hours at high brightness and 3000 hours at the low setting. A replacement lamp costs $349. Remote This is a busy appliance. The remote’s 43 buttons are essential for more than the simplest of settings – and don’t forget that a complete tally of DVD controls is also found here. Then you find there’s a toggle switch: “Function” is the default setting for all operations. If your DVD displays chapter numbers, you switch over to toggle position “123” and punch in the numbers directly, instead of coursing around the screen to hit the thumbnail. Familiarising yourself with the remote’s buttons is the essence of the Epson; the range of control is exemplary and there are some unexpected and very human touches. An on-screen button displays the state of the DVD output: the bit rate, chapter number and running time. You can also set up a looped playback of a favourite scene or you can arrange playback of selected chapters in any siliconchip.com.au The knurled wheels on the top of the projector case give good control of the projected picture geometry. order. The Epson has also presets for auto-off and a sleep timer. If your luck matches mine, come Friday evening, it’s relax time, the DVD has been loaded, the movie has been running for a minute or two – then the phone rings. With the Epson, simply tap the “Break” button on the remote: the DVD stops, the screen washes to white with a small pulsing coffee-cup icon (so you don’t trip over the dog in the dark), and all systems await the master’s return. It’s a nice touch. Comments Having often sat patiently while a projector slowly warms up from a cold start, then seems to spend another eternity powering down, I was delighted to find that the Epson is a rapid operator – warm-up takes only 20 seconds until an image splashes onto the screen and cooling down takes just nine seconds. This can be partly attributed to the use of a cleanable, replaceable, external air-filter. Although we’re dealing with an SD (standard definition) picture, the on-screen quality is among the best I have seen, with bright, fully-saturated colour and excellent definition. There was no rainbow effect visible but there was some evidence of a screen-door effect, which “disappeared” after a few days of familiarity with the Epson. A smaller picture also helped diminish the latter. No fast-motion artefacts are SC apparent and the unit is quiet. Features & Specifications Disc formats: DVD video; Video and Super Video CD; Audio CD and CD-R/RW (MP3, WMA, JPEG); DVD-R/RW. Display: three 14mm TFT active matrix LCD panels. Resolution: 409,920 pixels (854 x 480). Light output: 1200 ANSI lumens. Focus, zoom, lens shift: manual. Lamp: UHE 135 watts. Power: 100-240V/50-60Hz AC; maximum draw 230 watts. Inputs: composite video and stereo audio, S-video. Outputs: subwoofer port; optical output; headphone jack. Audio: 10W + 10W RMS. Dimensions (WHD): 340 x 180 x 310 mm. Price: $2499.00. Contact: Epson Australia 1300 361 054 or www.epson.com.au February 2006  11