There’s a lot to like...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·SamG
There’s a lot to like about the Epson LS800. It’s an ultra short throw projector that gives you a huge, bright, and crisp screen without the hassle of mounting and running long cords. It doesn’t eliminate all of the hassles associated with going with a projector and it’s missing some features I really wish Epson would have included for the price, but overall I’m happy with it as a home cinema solution for my basement.
Getting the LS800 unboxed, it was a lot bigger than I was expecting, or at least a lot bigger than Epson’s marketing material makes it look. At 27.4” wide x 6.2” tall x 13.4” deep it fits on my IKEA BESTA stand, but takes up a good amount of the top space. I set it up in my basement, whose ceilings are around 90” high, and ended up having to take the legs off my stand so I could put my screen at a reasonable height. Something to keep in mind when you’re planning for this. Getting my soundbar setup with this was also a challenge as there was not enough room on my TV stand for both the soundbar and the projector to sit. I ended up mounting the soundbar on the wall underneath the screen and while it can interfere slightly with the projector beam, it can be corrected using the software.
Epson offers ALR screens to pair with the LS800, but they start at $2K for a 100” screen, making the cost of a complete setup from Epson around $5500. Since I was setting this up in my basement where I could control the lighting I chose to go with a more basic screen from Silver Ticket Products using a gray material instead of white for better contrast, though I found while getting the projector setup that the large bezels prevented the projector from hitting the bottom half inch of the screen material. Not a huge deal, but if you’re looking at screens for this I’d recommend looking for something with a low profile frame.
Once I had the projector and my screen placed I turned it on and started adjusting the image. The projector has a knob at the front that allows you to adjust the angle of the image to raise it up if needed and the front feet are adjustable to correct any tilt in the image. It’s best if you can keep the projector as flat as possible on your surface and position your screen accordingly as using the knob to increase the angle introduces a keystone effect that needs to be corrected in software. The lens zoom adjustments are all digital rather than mechanical on other traditional projectors, so correcting a bad image does mean you’re throwing away some of your resolution. I used Epson’s onscreen menu to correct my screen corners and ended up pulling the projector far enough away from the wall that the screen went slightly beyond all 4 corners per Epson’s instructions. There was also another way to correct the screen with an app, but I didn’t use that. The onscreen method works really well and is very intuitive to use. I was able to get a nice square image with very little effort.
The LS800 advertises “4K PRO-UHD Resolution”, but the native resolution is 1080p and Epson uses a pixel shifting technology to achieve a 4K output from there. I know this has its detractors and you’ll often hear it referred to as “faux-K”, but on my 100” screen everything looked plenty sharp to me and 4K content looks suitably high-res. Watching higher resolution streaming shows and lower resolution TV broadcasts was a great experience on the LS800.The image on my gray screen material is very bright and looks great even with some lights on. Both SDR and HDR content look fantastic You get 3 HDMI ports, one of which supports ARC and another is a dedicated gaming input. The HDMI inputs are only 2.0, so no 4K/120, VRR, or ALLM, though 1080p/120 is on the table. The ARC port is also NOT eARC, which is another disappointing omission. I wish Epson had found a way to include this and the more gaming-centric features in the LS800 especially because its gaming capabilities are one of the selling points. Despite the omission of those items, gaming on my Xbox Series X was a good experience and I didn’t notice any input lag while playing on it.
The LS800 comes with Android TV built in, which was exciting to me since I regularly use a Chromecast with Google TV on my other TV, but it’s an older version of the software. Frustratingly, Netflix is not available to download on Epson’s implementation of Android TV. I don’t know why this is, maybe some kind of licensing issue, but it’s annoying for sure. On top of that, Android TV will only output 2 channel stereo sound even if you have a 5.1 system hooked up to the ARC port, so I would recommend bringing your own streaming device. I have primarily been using my Xbox.
I was excited to test the built-in speaker on the LS800 as it looks very substantial and the Yamaha branding was promising, but I came away disappointed. It certainly sounds better than most TV speakers do, but given the size of the front speaker grill I was expecting something approaching a compact soundbar in quality and it
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Pricey but impressive in many ways
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·JDThird
I grabbed this because I have a great 125" motorized projection screen and an Optoma UHD60 projector that I love using for some movies and gaming once in a while. I have a gorgeous OLED TV so I'm used to a really high-quality picture. The Optoma has been flawless and looks gorgeous, so I knew this would have some stiff competition.
It's very well boxed, but unlike so many things that are boxed well, this was very easy to get OUT of the box.
It's surprisingly hefty but easy enough to place where you want it.
I like the removable side panel to get at the controls and ports, so they're out of sight even if you're looking at it from the back.
I have an Xbox Series X, a PlayStation 5, an Apple TV 4k newest model in 2022, a media center PC, Nintendo Switch, multi camera security NVR, Sony UBP-X700/M blu-ray player, and a Tablo all hooked into a Yamaha RX-A4A AVR. That's got two HDMI outs, one that goes to my OLED, and one to my Optoma.
To begin testing, I started with my new HP Spectre X360 using a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable to output 4k content to the projector.
My screen is NOT fixed, it isn't rigid, it's not ALR. But the open concept great room that shares my dining and kitchen area all have blackout shades so I can darken as needed. But I know this screen will not do the picture justice. Since it is not tensioned, I have some variations in the surface that are obvious when things have straight lines displaying, or when the camera is panning on whatever the content I'm showing. It makes it look as if my screen is waving like a flag in the wind. The UST projecting up on the uneven screen makes these uneven surfaces glaringly obvious when you're looking for it. But for testing, it will do.
I was surprised with the brightness of the picture. I probably shouldn't have been, my Optoma is 3000 lumens and this is 4000. It should be brighter.
I played a few sample movies at 4k and was pleased with the results. Good brightness levels at all the default settings. Brightness defaults to half bright, so the brightness was impressing me even though it was only mid-way through the settings, not in torch mode. I played some with the cinema settings, but even "vivid" didn't throw it into torch mode.
I did not have a cable long enough (other than the 50 foot one I have running under the great room and up a floating half wall in the back where the Optoma is mounted) so I had to use two new cables I got for temp use for this - one 10 foot HDMI 2.1 cable, and one 5 foot HDMI 2.1 HDMI extension cable. I wired it into my receiver then.
Since my Yamaha AVR can support both outputs at once, I did some Comparisions with things showing side by side, the OLED and the projector. Then later I disconnected the OLED TV and plugged both projectors in, so I could watch a movie, then turn one projector off and the other on, and direct compare everything. I'll post a few photos.
Initially I was VERY disappointed. Picture didn't look nearly as good as it had previously with the laptop. I tried some Horizon Zero Dawn on the PS5 and it was totally unplayable and looked horrible.
Since I had a better picture with the laptop, I figured I had to be dealing with an issue with the way it was cabled, using an extension even if it was supposedly fully HDMI 2.1 compliant. So, I ordered a new 15-foot HDMI for same day delivery from an online retailer and replaced the cables.
Fortunately, that made a difference, and suddenly the picture from the Epson looked better again.
I had issues with the PS5 with HDMI on until I adjusted the HDMI settings in the Epson settings menu, and then things started to pop again.
Yes, the blacks are disappointing, but this is a projector, not an OLED. I'm hoping that, if I decide to keep this projector, that I'll get a better screen designed for an UST that will not be a simple white screen and do better on the blacks without sacrificing TOO much of the brightness.
My media center though looks absolutely horrible when I enable HDR on it with the projector, although it looks great with HDR enabled on the OLED or even the Optoma projector. The Epson projector here simply turns all the whites to a dingy grey. Even after the HDR adjustment I did for the PlayStation 5, it just doesn’t look good.
But if I leave it with HDR off on the PC, things look good. Yes, the text at 4k is obviously not great to look at, but subtitles look clear on TV and movie content.
Video gaming was tested using Horizon Forbidden West via the Yamaha, and it looks good. I've included a few photos of that as well. Again, this is on my Elite motorized projector that doesn't have any special screen features... This should be vastly improved in a better screen.
I love the silence as well. I'm used to my older Epson I used to have, or the Optoma now, having fan noise, especially when turning things off. I've had no noise at all from this. It's simply amazing compared to what I'm used to from projectors.
I ran
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Verdict: This projector has strong...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·AllAboutTech
Verdict: This projector has strong qualities: 4K resolution, very good integrated speaker, built-in streaming capability, and short-throw 120” projection. Minus a few software glitches, we love this projector, and it has actually displaced our 82” TV. Instead of having a large TV as the focus of our family room, we now only have an “on-demand” screen for when we want to watch something, and we rearranged furniture to get more space in the family room.
First impressions. Wow, it’s large. I could see that it was big from pictures on the web, but it was even bigger than I expected. It’s also a bit heavy, relative to all projectors I previously handled. The whole front face of the unit is a speaker. The box includes the projector, a remote control, a power cord, and manuals. The projector has 3 HDMI ports (including 1 Arc, and 1 Game). It also has two USB A port, an optical port, and earphone jack.
Setup. We chose to set up this projector in the family room, in the place of an 82” TV. The TV stand was actually too tall for the projector, causing the image to be too high. So, we replaced the TV stand with a low coffee table and the height is now very good. Once switched on, the projector offers an easy setup through a google account. Once logged in, we downloaded our favorite streaming apps (minus Netflix, more on that later), and attempted to adjust the screen shape, size, and position. I initially tried to do this manually, but then the projector recommended the Epson Setting App, so I tried it. That made things much easier. The app easily connected to the projector, then I followed the instructions, including taking a picture of the screen with my smartphone, and then the projector self-corrected the shape and resolution to perfection!! At the moment, we are projecting directly onto a wall, without a white screen of any sort, and we are perfectly satisfied.
Image. This projector has 4000 lumens! That’s massive, and it is noticeable. We setup this projector in a room that has a large window and French doors, with blinds installed on both. While the room still gets a good bit of light, we have used the projector to watch shows and movies during the day without a problem. Dark scenes are harder to see of course, but it is still completely useable. The 4k resolution is very impressive, especially on a screen size of 120”. We have actually tried to go bigger… we currently have the projector setup for about 145”. At this size, the resolution is still very impressive… I mean, that’s quite remarkable. The imagine is clear and the colors are vibrant. This projector has surpassed all my expectations for image quality.
Sound. The integrated speaker is actually very good! It is sufficient to enjoy most content. The integrated speaker produces a balanced and full sound. Somehow, we don’t even find the bass lacking. We do have an external sound bar with subwoofer connected to the projector via the optical port, but we only use it to watch serious movies. When comparing the projector speaker to the soundbar/subwoofer, it is clear that the soundbar delivers much more richness, but it takes direct comparison to notice. The integrated speakers have well exceeded my expectations.
Features. The built-in Android TV enables access to the Google Play Store and streaming directly from the projector. The remote control is well designed, with lots of shortcut buttons for Android TV settings, projector settings, and more. The projector also enables the voice assistant from Google. There is a handy manual focus lever on the right side of the unit. The cover for the connector area is a nice touch.
Issues. (1) major apps are available except for Netflix, which is particularly frustrating because rather that making this projector an all in-one-solution, access to all desired apps requires the use of a Fire Stick (in our case), and so it’s yet another remote control we need to have around. I tried to sideload the app, but I can’t enable sufficient permissions on Android TV to run Netflix, even after successfully installing it on the projector. (2) The first day we were using the projector, it kept turning on, every fifteen minutes or so, and we couldn’t figure out why. After some perusing of the setting, we noticed that the projector has a motion sensor that I think turns on the projector anytime there is motion in the room. Once I turned off the motion sensor option and selected the power button to “shut down” rather than “stand-by” the device, the projector no longer turned on randomly. (3) I have some issues streaming Hulu, Disney Plus, and HBO Max. Meanwhile, YouTube always works fine (so it’s not a wifi issue), even playing 4K content without any buffering. To make these apps work, I have to restart the projector, otherwise when I try to open the app, or stream content, I just get a spinning circle that never ends.
Things I love.
- 4000 lumens of brightness
- 4K resolution
- Huge image size: 120” at perfect resolution, and 1
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The Epson Ultra LS800 Ultra...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·couponkingofjax
The Epson Ultra LS800 Ultra Short Throw Projector is the coolest device I’ve ever owned, period. I’ve always wanted a projector but never felt it was practical to hang one from the ceiling and do the whole movie theater setup in our home. The LS800 solves that and turns any wall in your home into a 150” movie theater while only having to sit less than a foot away from the wall and doesn’t require a screen to work properly. I’m absolutely blown away by this product.
Initial setup took about an hour. The projector is a bit beefy, weighing about 27 pounds and taking up a decent footprint on my family room hutch. While this is an amazing projector there are some nuances to it that should be discussed. Our family room hutch sits about 3-4 feet off the ground and we have 10 foot ceilings in our home and because of that I can’t display the projector at full size without the screen leaking into the ceiling. Luckily the screen is moveable and adjustable and in the future I might consider getting a lower sitting hutch so the projector can display at full size. The initial picture looked slightly warped and uneven but that’s adjustable with the front legs and a dial on the back that changes the perspective of the screen. There are settings in the projector itself that you can manually adjust portions of the screen to make it fit your wall. There also is an Epson Settings Assistant app that automatically adjusts the screen by taking a picture, but the only problem with this feature is that when I go to take the picture it resets the adjustments I previously made and since the hutch sits too high and the screen is now displaying on the ceiling the app adjustment doesn’t work, forcing me to it manually. Nonetheless I am very happy with the size of the screen as it’s current size is way bigger than our previous 75 inch tv.
After initial setup I downloaded all my streaming apps and connected my Xbox One X to test out the colors and picture quality. Unfortunately Netflix is not able to be downloaded through the Android store. You will have to purchase a fire stick or Roku in order to watch Netflix on the projector. I’d be curious to know why Netflix isn’t available as I have an android Hisense tv in our bedroom and it includes Netflix. It’s a minor issue but means that one of the 3 HDMI ports will now be taken up by a Roku or fire stick. Disney + looks amazing and 4K content streaming from YouTube is absolutely stunning. The only imperfections actually come from the fact that the projector is displaying on my wall so if you have any imperfections in the wall they will become visible but not enough to bother me. Honestly for displaying right on the wall with no screen the picture is still gorgeous. We will probably look at getting a screen in the future because this tv is not going anywhere anytime soon and I’d be curious to see the difference with a proper white projection screen. One setting that is useful for displaying on the bare wall is you can alter the colors based on your paint color. Once I switched to gray it made the colors pop that much more! There is also a manual adjustment lever on the side of the projector to increase clarity and a handy size panel to hide all your inputs cleanly. There are 3 HDMI 2.0 ports with 2 supporting 4K and there is a dedicated 3rd gaming HDMI that supports 120hz/1080p signals. It took me a few minutes to realize that the 3rd HDMI gaming port was a separate button on the remote rather than under the normal inputs section. Once I found that input and turned on my Xbox I went into the settings on my Xbox and realized that it will display 4k but only at 60hz. The projector will display 120hz but only in 1080p. Not a huge deal but something to be noted. Games look beautiful and I’m in heaven playing them on such a big screen. I’ve always wanted a huge projector to play games on and I couldn’t be happier with the results. With any projector it’s better if you have a slightly darker room but I am pleasantly surprised by how well the projector holds up during the day time especially not having a white screen to project on. The sound on the projector is great as well. The front 2.1 Yamaha speakers are actually quite impressive and will do the job if you don’t have surround sound but luckily the projector has an optical output so I immediately hooked it up to my surround sound!
Despite a few small quirks with the screen size I couldn’t be happier with the Epson LS800. It turns any wall in your home into a movie theater!! I’ve always wanted a projector and now we have one in the home and I’m a kid in a candy store. This projector will stay in our family room for years to come and I can’t wait to have countless football parties and movie nights in our home with this beauty. If you’re considering getting one I can’t recommend it enough because every time I turn it on the biggest smile comes on my face. What more could you ask for? Go buy it now!
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Exceptional Home Theater Experience
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·Kelby
----- SUMMARY -----
Verdict:
The Epson LS800 delivers everything you need in a projector and more. The image quality is phenomenal, and with its high brightness, it’ll still look great in a brightly lit room. It also offers short input lag for an excellent gaming experience, and the Yamaha sound system is way better than anything I’ve heard out of a projector. It’s hard to find any faults in the Epson LS800. This projector is at the top of its class and can be a true TV replacement in a variety of spaces.
Pros:
- Sleek design
- Easy setup and placement
- Android TV interface
- Clear and vibrant image
- Short input lag for gaming
- Good sound quality
Cons:
- None
----- DETAILS -----
Design & Setup:
The Epson LS800 has a minimalist design with a sleek, low-profile body. It’s available in black or white. I like that the design gives it a subtle, modern look. For a device at the focal point of your space, it’s nice to see elegance rather than an eyesore. It’ll fit right into most decor and rooms. The design features adjustable feet, manual focus adjustment, a power button (although a remote control is included as well), a power indicator light, and a built-in sound system (more on that later).
As for the available ports, there are three HDMI 2.0 ports (one that’s HDMI ARC and one that’s designated for low input lag gaming), three USB-A ports, a service port, and two audio outputs (optical and 3.5mm) for external speakers.
The setup is quite simple. You just put the projector where you want it, connect the cables, and turn it on. You’ll likely need to fine-tune it. Thankfully, Epson makes that easy with an easy-to-use settings interface as well as an Epson Setting Assistant phone app that automatically adjusts the image based on a picture you take of a projected dot grid. I had to make some adjustments because I’m just projecting to a white wall (for now) and the wall is uneven. I was very impressed that the app helped me correct the uneven image in about a minute. With the integrated Android TV operating system and included remote, you’ll go through some simple first steps like connecting to Wi-Fi and downloading some streaming apps. Placement of the LS800 is significantly easier than many short-throw projectors on the market because of its small throw distance. Just 6.8” from the wall or screen to the rear of the projector will get you a 120-inch image. For a 100-inch image, that distance only needs to be 3.8 inches.
Features & Performance:
The Epson LS800 has a bright 4,000-lumen laser projection system with 4K PRO-UHD pixel shift technology. Together these produce a phenomenal image that’s clear and vibrant, even in spaces with a lot of ambient light. After watching some sports and movies, it indeed looks like a 4K display. Since the projection is so bright, I was glad to find out that there’s a safety feature that uses sensors to shut down the laser if any part of your body is in front of it. This effectively avoids any possibility of it shining in your eyes.
With the mentioned Android TV operating system as well as Chromecast integrated into the LS800, the streaming experience is excellent. You have access to the Google Play store, so the app options are endless. That not only includes video streaming apps like Hulu but also music streaming apps like Spotify or fitness apps like Peloton. Voice search with Google Assistant is also possible using the remote.
Engineered by Yamaha, the sound system has a 10-watt subwoofer and two full-range 5-watt speakers. You could certainly get by with just the projector as your sound source. It’s an immersive audio experience and an impressive feature of the LS800 on its own, but if you’d like to connect an external sound system, you can with its HDMI ARC support, S/PDIF optical output, or Bluetooth. If you want to use the projector as a Bluetooth speaker, you can do that too.
As a gamer, I was excited to test out the sub-20ms input lag times that Epson advertises for the LS800. Though I’ll be using this projector mostly for TV and movies, I admittedly would’ve been disappointed if the gaming performance wasn’t good. After putting a few games to the test, there’s no way you could be disappointed. I was blown away the second I started playing Forza Horizon 5 with its beautiful scenery and detail. Playing a fast-paced game like Halo Infinite multiplayer was a blast as well. Having a huge, high-quality display with an extremely fast reaction time is a sight to see. The LS800 will take your gaming experience to the next level.
----- WHAT’S IN THE BOX -----
1 x Epson LS800 Projector
1 x Power Cable
1 x Remote
2 x AAA Batteries
1 x Quick Setup Guide
1 x Warranty Information
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Unboxing – Package contents are...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·GamerDad
Unboxing – Package contents are the bare minimum: Projector, power cord, remote control with batteries, and a Quick Setup guide. It ships with ample Styrofoam padding at the corners, and the box is heavy-gauge cardboard, oversized to project the delicate machine contained within.
Setup – This projector is replacing our 65” TV which we had on a 30” tall stand. Unless you have 12-foot-plus ceilings (we don’t), the short-throw projector needs a shorter table. We settled on an 18” tall coffee table until we can get something more permanent.
Our home still relies on cable TV, so connection was as simple as plugging the HDMI cable from the cable box to one of the three available HDMI 2.0 ports.
The projector has an HDMI (ARC) port which simplifies juggling remote controls. There is also an optical out for connection to an amplifier. Documentation says it’s Bluetooth 5.0 compatible. There is even a headphone jack. One way or another, you should be able to find audio output that will suit your setup.
To my surprise, the onboard speakers sound good. The top of the projector says, “sound by Yamaha,” and Yamaha really delivered. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t replace a full surround system or even a good soundbar, but the sound is much better than merely acceptable.
Connection to the home network is straightforward. I was shocked to discover there is no Ethernet port; this appliance is wireless-only. Logging onto our wireless network was a painless affair, and installation of our preferred apps went smoothly via the Google Play store. It’s always a slog to enter usernames, e-mails, and passwords with on-screen keyboards and remote controls. It occurred to me afterward that perhaps I could have plugged in a keyboard to the available USB port? Maybe I’ll try that next time.
On an 18” table, placed approximately 7” (inches!) from the wall, the projector comfortably throws a 120” image on our off-white wall (still shopping projector screens). There are color correction settings that compensate for the color of the surface being projected upon. It was simple to set the color profile correctly, and everything looks accurate and lifelike. Color correction works great!
Speaking of walls: Think your walls are flat? You might be surprised. Having the Ultra LS800 shining directly on the wall in all its 4,000-lumen glory illuminated every imperfection and undulation in dazzling detail. Undeterred, I dug into the settings and discovered direction to download an app (Epson Setting Assistant) that did a remarkable job correcting the picture geometry. Honestly, this app was the highlight of setup. Download it to your smart phone or tablet and start the app. It automatically finds your projector on your network and projects a dot matrix on your projection surface. Then you take a photograph with your smart phone and the app does the rest. It went from feeling like I’m looking through beer goggles to wonderful straight lines and right angles in just a couple seconds. Amazing!
The image produced is extraordinary. It even looks great with the sun coming in the double patio door. Presently, our 4K options are limited to 4K Blu-ray and 4K YouTube streams. Watching a 4K stream of some birds feeding was so lifelike it was kind of unsettling. The discernible details and vibrant colors were impressive, but the thing that really caught me off guard was the sense of image depth. It almost felt 3-D. The wife and son agreed. It’s uncanny.
Image quality from our HD cable feed (1080p) was also very impressive. I have absolutely no complaints regarding brightness or color. Fast-moving sporting events are presented in crystal clarity with no motion blur or artifacts, and the evening news looked great with larger-than-life anchors delivering the day’s events.
Connecting the Xbox Series X To the HDMI 3 (Game) port yielded stunning 4K, 60fps results. I thought the Lands Between were big and beautiful before, but ... just wow. You’ve gotta see it to believe it. And on the game port, lag is a non-issue.
Disappointments:
No Ethernet port.
Google TV lacks Netflix integration. It’s not even an option. Research online reveals Netflix is possible on the projector if you want to dedicate an HDMI port and a standalone streaming device (ROKU?). Here’s hoping Google and Netflix can make up and play nice. This is a big negative for us but not a deal breaker.
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I am impressed with the...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·EngineerMom
I am impressed with the Espon LS800 Ultra Short-Throw projector. I've had standard projectors in the past, and due to mounting they typically stayed with the house when it was time to move. The short throw LS800 solves one of my biggest pain points, which is the space required and the semi fixed installation of a projector.
For this review, I want to highlight what this projector can do, straight out of the box, projecting from the floor onto the wall. No fancy screen, no ambient light control, and no perfectly positioned furniture, much to my disappointment in not having these things ahead of the projector arriving.
In the box is the projector, power cable, remote, and quick start guide. Setup was painless, the quickstart guide gives two reference distances, one for a 100" image and another for 120" image. I am all about going big, so for a 120" image, I placed the projector 6.8" from the wall. The next step is going through Google assisted setup, I was able to use my Android phone to quickly pair with wifi, and in less than 10 minutes from unboxing, the projector is up and running.
The final step to setup was screen calibration, this can be done manually using the Espon remote, or though a very easy to use Epson app. The app allows you to take a photo of the screen in current state and will automatically correct, see photos for before and after corrections.
The projector comes with the standard Android TV interface, and the ability to connect all the expected streaming apps through Google Playstore. In addition there are 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB-A ports, optical out, headphones, and DC Out. While I primarily use this for streaming tv and movies, I have also tested out with a desktop gaming PC and PS4. I am able to stream high quality graphics with both devices connecting through a 2.1 HDMI cable.
As for performance, the built-in audio speaker spans the front of the projector and the quality is ok. One benefit is that the projector itself is relatively quiet, so no need to overcome the fan noise associated with prior generations of projectors. That being said, it's hard to expect built in audio to match the performance of the expansive 4k visuals, or fill up a room that supports this size screen. So, to be fair, the 2.1ch Yamaha with virtual surround can hold its own and sounds great for streaming, but to get the full on immersive home theater experience, you'll want to add in a surround sound system. An upside is that you can pair the speaker via bluetooth to your phone to stream music.
On the visual performance, this 4000 lumens, 4k projector with 16:9 aspect ratio and digital zoom can throw a 120" size visual from less than 7" from the wall / screen. That in itself is game changing for me. No more calculating distances and figuring how to configure furniture around the projector, or wiring for a ceiling mount. The projector weighs in at 28 lbs and approximately 27" long, 13" deep, and 6" tall. I have placed it on a 12" riser to optimize the projection placement on the wall space I have available as well as to reduce the safety shut off being triggered(more on this below). With that setup, I can stream to my light colored wall during the daylight, with easy viewing (see photos). Of course, the immersive colors, solid blacks, and 4k definition don't truly pop until I eliminate 75% of all ambient light in the room.
As mentioned above, the projector also has a safety feature that when it recognizes something in the immediate output area it switches off visuals and pops up a small warning box. The sensitivity is high, as my 8 lb cat will set off this warning, but once I moved it off the floor, this eliminated the issue with the cat walking by and triggering the warning. The warning will still trigger when a person walks by, but these events are much more controllable.
In summary, this projector is great out of the box, on the floor, pointed at a wall with a ton of ambient light. However, the 4k visuals are vibrant and immersive when viewed in a low ambient light environment. Gaming is fantastic, with no noticeable lag, and the virtual surround providers distinctive directional gaming sound. Due to the versatility and small distance to screen requirement I highly recommend this for any home theater or gaming connoisseur, with controlled ambient light or not, either way this projector provides for an enjoyable viewing experience.
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The Epson LS 800 is...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·EpsonFan
The Epson LS 800 is an excellent UST 4k projector and truly shines in high ambient light situations.\n\nPros:\n\n1) This is a truly "ultra" short throw projector. I am projecting a 120 inch screen from about 7 inches from the wall. Makes the setup very clean and compact. Could fit on some tv stands if deep enough. \n\n2) This projector is bright. I typically don't watch movies and sports with very dim lights, I like to have some reasonable amount of light. The projector shines in this use case. It is bright enough to project a colorful and contrasty picture even with light in the room. The attached picture is with my 4 ceiling lights on.\n\n3) Love the colors in Cinema picture mode. I have always liked the Cinema mode on Epson projectors, they seem very natural and cinematic. However, their is a caveat ( See cons below)\n\nThe truly "ultra" short throw and bright picture make this an ideal candidate to replace living/family room TVs. \n\nI also casually game and found the projector very responsive without any noticeable lag, I am not an expert but it was plenty good for me.\n\nThe Audio also was very good out of the box although I do use an external soundbar. \n\nI have owned Epson projectors before and I like their out of the box color settings in general, however here I had to tweak a few things which leads to the cons below.\n\nCons:\n\n1) The projector's color is most pleasing to me in the Cinema picture mode. However, the projector is significantly less bright than it's Max capability in this mode.\nThe projector is it's brightest in the Dynamic picture mode. However, I found the colors to be too saturated and unnatural in this mode. \nSo, what to do?\nUltimately I had to play with the wall color temperature settings along with the color temperature settings as well as saturation/color settings in the Dynamic picture mode to get it as close to the Cinema mode as possible....which leads to..\n\n2) Epson has removed a lot of the color correction capability it has on its projectors usually on this model. Don't get me wrong, it still has adjustment capabilities but not to the extent on its other projectors. This made it very difficult to adjust the picture color to my liking. Usually I don't tinker with the settings as Epson's Cinema mode is very good. However, here I had to since the Dynamic mode is the one you want to be using for brightness as well as better HDR. I got it to eventually where I was satisfied but it was not easy. Hope, Epson can add a color correction option with a future firmware release that is similar to their other projectors. \n\nConclusion:\n\nDespite the cons above I highly recommend the projector. It's truly ultra short throw nature and bright picture in Dynamic picture mode make this a viable tv replacement in situations with ambient light. I have always liked Epson's color in their Cinema mode settings ( feel they are similar to Sony in terms of accurate and natural colors). I just had to work the settings here to get the dynamic picture mode( best brightness and HDR) to look like the Cinema mode.
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Simply amazing
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Peter
I’ve been really loving the new projector. I’ve been following for the past few months since my old projector died. The room is somewhat light as there are windows, but there are shades. Just not blackout shades. It was extremely easy to set up. You adjust the legs in the front and back and get the picture that’s bigger than the screen. I have it currently playing on a plain old inexpensive 120 inch screen. Then I use my phone to do the configuration and it instantly made it perfect. I had an old Sonos sound bar that I was going to use however, the Yamaha sounds much better than I thought it would. I will probably eventually hook up the Sonos sound bar and get rear speakers and a subwoofer to give a true Home theater experience. Watching sports has been awesome. I did have to tinker with some of the settings for hockey to prevent streaking. But once I did this, it was a truly a beautiful picture. Would highly recommend this unit. It’s sitting on a cabinet in front of the screen I believe there’s about 6 inches from the back edge of the unit to the wall. No having to climb up and adjust the mounted rear projector. No wireless connection to the rear projector. Using a Apple TV which we have on all our other TVs. Powers on to the HDMI2 ARC. So Apple TV remote controls everything.
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I've seen this projector in...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Anonymous
I've seen this projector in use before purchasing and was really impressed with the sharpness and brightness of the image. The image was even displayed on a 165 screen which is outside the recommendation of the manufacturer but still was usable for the application they needed it for. Upon purchasing the projector, I have thrown it on a 155 screen with great results. We are using it in a worship space for students at our church and it has really enhanced the overall visuals of the worship service. It has also opened up other opportunities for ministry in ways that our previous projection setup would not allow. I am excited to put this projector to good use for many years to come.
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An amazing projector when pared with a SilverFlex Screen
Reviewed on www.walmart.com·defaultForRating
An absolutely amazing projector! We previously used a UB5050 projector and screen. The LS800 with the SilverFlex 120” screen. This totally blows away the UB5050. We can watch video during the day and the image is clear and bright. We also like the fact that the projector is directly below the screen for a clean professional installation. The only negative that I found is that the Android TV built into the projector will only output two channel audio if connected to an AV Receiver. I needed to use a different device plugged in to my receiver to really enjoy the home theater experience.
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Ls-800. The picture is stunning, simply amazing!
Reviewed on www.walmart.com·KurtnVal
Amazing! It's like having a huge TV! The brightness and clarity really surprised me. I'm just using it on a living room wall and I am constantly amazed at the quality. I plan on getting an ALR screen but rarely watch TV in the daytime so now I'm wondering if I need one. we mostly watch TV at night and the picture is excellent just on my wall. My wall like most, is uneven, and there were distortions in the picture, but it has an automatic feature that adjust the picture in a few seconds, and the distortion is gone, again simply amazing.
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Love it! I bought it...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·MF__
Love it! I bought it but admit I had some frustration at first with sound quality for the Xbox. My son somehow figured out that I had to put it into "game mode" for it to work. Be aware of that and that you'll need to set specific sound output modes depending on what input you are using. After much trial and error figured it all out myself (with my son :)). Issue with the manual is that it is WAY TOO big. Aside from all that, it was worth the hour of trial and error. The image is fantastic and I am so happy with it!
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Great Purchase
Reviewed on www.walmart.com·DPerry
Setting up the projector was a breeze. The image quality is truly outstanding, and the built-in sound system is impressive, although I prefer using an external one. The projector displays brilliantly on the 120" Epson SilverFlex screen, and I've enhanced it further with an additional Epson dongle for more streaming options. I've already suggested this fantastic purchase to my friends, and it has proven to be an excellent choice so far.
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picture is ok but creates...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·SimantaD
picture is ok but creates a halo / white shadow from its light bleeding about 4 inches outside the screen even when only using physical movement and no zoom, on elitescreen clr 3 123" fixed. Operating system is glitchy as u can’t default it to open fire stick from the receiver
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We purchased the silverflex ultra...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Beach Couple
We purchased the silverflex ultra screen with this projector and have no regrets. The image is so crystal clear and bright. It is definitely a vast noticeable upgrade from our prior 1080p Epson projector. Friends have been shocked it is a projector at all. Everything was super easy to setup and install for us in a single evening.
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My living room transformed in a cinema
Reviewed on www.walmart.com·Dali Lazo
I must say it has exceeded my expectations in every way. The picture quality is absolutely stunning, with vibrant colors and crisp, sharp imagery. The laser technology ensures a long-lasting, reliable performance that I can count on for years to come. An overall, my living room now is a cinema!
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This piece of machine is...
Reviewed on www.bestbuy.com·VijayG
This piece of machine is just awesome. Picture quality is Bright and Colorful. Yamaha sound system is decent. Initially I projected on white wall picture looks good, still waiting for my silver ticket screen for complete experience.
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Love this projector! Affordable, and...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Home theatre Jerry
Love this projector! Affordable, and performs like those much more expensive. Distance from the screen is so amazingly close. Setup was a breeze. Wish it had 3D, but still highly recommend.
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Very good
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·It
Incredibly bright, my back yard projection screen is now visible at 4pm, we used to have to wait until almost 8pm. It's got a solid image quality and a good feature set.
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This is the top rated...
Reviewed on www.walmart.com·WalmartCustomer
This is the top rated ultra short throw projector available at this time. I replaced an Optoma UST projector that was only 4 years old that had failed.
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Awesome clarity and pretty nice...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·JimNCO
Awesome clarity and pretty nice sound out of the box. Quite a pain to set the image at first, but a distant worry after positioned and viewing.
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Epson EpiqVision™ Ultra LS800
Reviewed on www.crutchfield.com·William
The picture is absolutely beautiful on my 135 inch screen, the brightness and color were perfecta very very happy with this purchase
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excellent picture quality
Reviewed on www.walmart.com·Abhi
Picture quality is even better than my 4K tv when its dark. I might need a screen for day time.
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Love it and it works...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Lizzie88
Love it and it works great with our existing white screen and Sony soundbar
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fantastic quality, performance and ease...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·jcgomez09
fantastic quality, performance and ease of use
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Picture & Sound quality is...
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Amar Kapatkar
Picture & Sound quality is stunning
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Epson EpiqVision™ Ultra LS800
Reviewed on www.crutchfield.com·John
Very easy to set up, picture is great
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The picture is astonishing
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·MarkLT
The picture is astonishing
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Very good picture
Reviewed on www.bhphotovideo.com·Anonymous
Very good picture
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