The Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector is a media projector intended for media consumption, with a set of features aimed squarely at media playback. It features a mixture of good hardware and good post-processing software that adds features such as frame interpolation, and it features a decent amount of inputs. As far as home entertainment projectors go, it’s one of the best 3D projectors at the sub-$1,000 price point.
Why We Like It – Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector
The Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector is an entry-level mid-range home theater projector that provides a great viewing experience thanks to its full HD resolution, high contrast, and high-quality color reproduction. Unlike many Epson projectors, it’s aimed at the home entertainment market, and it does a very good job at nailing what’s important for that audience.
- Good image quality
- High black levels
- Low fan noise
- No lens shift
- Middling lamp life
Performance/Resolution Etc.
For just over $800, there’s very little to complain about. 1080p is standard at the sub-$1,000 price point; 4K options such as the BenQ TK800 4K projector cost several hundred more. Thanks to its 3LCD technology, it doesn’t suffer from the rainbow effect that plagues standard DLP projectors, and the overall image quality is great for the price. It’s got reasonably low input lag at about 29ms, making it a decent pick for gamers as well as movie watchers.
For more 1080p projectors, you’ll need to look at our Epson home cinema 2150 wireless 1080p 3LCD projector review and our BenQ MH760 1080p business projector review.
While there is no 3D option for this projector, you’ll find some great options in our reviews of the BenQ HT3050 3D DLP home theater projector, the Epson Home Cinema 2040, and the Optoma HD25-LV HD 3D projector.
Brightness/Lumens
At 2,200 lumens, the brightness is decent but not great. It gets bright enough for rooms with some level of ambient brightness, but it won’t provide a great experience in bright rooms; in fairness, it’s not meant for that kind of use anyways. It’s best suited for dim rooms even regardless of its lower brightness; most projectors will appear dim and washed out in brighter lighting, and the Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector is no exception. If you need something a bit brighter, consider the Optoma HD142X; it’s got a similar set of features, and comes in at 3,000 lumens, though it’s pricier at $1,070.10 or the Optoma UHD51A at 2400 lumens, they are considered some of the top Optoma projectors.
Adjustability/Viewing Angle
Adjustability is acceptable for the price, though not perfect. Epson left out lens shift for some reason, but it at least has keystone correction, and its selection of ports is good for a projector of this price. You’re looking at a fairly standard 2x HDMI, composite, and audio jack array, with no DisplayPort or VGA; the former is unfortunate but unnecessary, while the latter is nearly entirely unnecessary.
Durability
Even as far as DLP projectors go, the Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector disappoints a bit. You’re looking at just 4,500 hours of lamp life without eco mode turned on, which isn’t especially great; if it’s your primary display, you might find yourself needing to replace its bulb sooner than you’d like to.
Value
Value is the main draw here, undercutting many higher-end home theater projectors while still providing great image quality. You’re getting a lot of projector for not a lot of money (compared to high-end projectors); it nails every major checkbox, undercutting Epson’s own Epson Home Cinema 3700 Full HD 1080p 3LCD Home Theater by $500 while still offering very good picture quality.
Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector Wrap-up
The Epson Home Cinema 2040 3D 1080p 3LCD Projector is a mid-range projector done right. It offers good image quality, great contrast, and a decent selection of inputs at a surprisingly low price point, and it holds its own very well against its competition. 3D Blu-ray player support and its overall great out-of-the-box media capabilities make it a very good pick, even if there are a few aspects of it that could have been done better.
