Epson's HC4010 and PC4050 Take Off - Combining 4K Capabilities, Features and Value

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Art Feierman

Late 2018 Epson launched two versions of what is now a truly top selling home theater projector: The Epson Pro Cinema 4050, and the Home Cinema 4010. Both projectors support 4K content with all the trimmings – including HDR (High Dynamic Range) – for a more stunning image. It also achieves 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, matching that of your local Cineplex theater!

Both models have achieved success - right out of the shoot. There seem have been shortages in December and January. Epson normally loads warehouses before first shipping, brisk sales, however, have depleted supplies.

Epson sells this new Pro Cinema projector through an authorized and trained local (installing) dealer network. If you are more inclined, the white Home Cinema 4010 is available online - yes - and also through some local dealers with a $1,999 list price. Now, that really is $400 less than the $2399 Pro Cinema 4050, but when you choose the Epson Pro Cinema 4050, you will receive in the box:

Spare lamp
Cable cover
Ceiling mount
An additional year of warranty

The bottom line is both offer excellent value, especially when you consider the whole package.

Epson’s Pro Cinema 4050, and the Home Cinema 4010, like many great Epson projectors before them, blend technology expertise with performance, a great feature set, and legendary support. Providing value, it seems, is one of Epson’s key strengths. With that in mind, there should be little surprise that Epson is the largest seller of projectors in North America.

This is an advertorial provided by Epson, with editing by Art Feierman.

Introducing Epson 4K PRO-UHD Technology

The real breakthrough here is dedicated hardware processing. Epson engineers have developed three proprietary hardware processors. One for Resolution Enhancement, one for HDR, and one for Image Processing. The result? Three dedicated processors working in parallel to deliver one of the best 4K HDR visual performances ever from a projector.

And, not only can the Epson Pro Cinema 4050 handle 4K with HDR, but thanks to Epson’s new dedicated 4K pixel-shifting processor tech, they deliver more critical brightness in terms of both color and white lumens than the competition, while still delivering improved detail.

“This new-generation of resolution enhancement projectors from Epson have impressive advanced image processing and enhance detail. As a result, when viewing 4K content, don’t be surprised if Epson’s new 4K PRO-UHD capable projectors are perceived to be as sharp, or even a touch sharper, than native 4K projectors that start selling at over twice the price!” – Art Feierman, Editor, ProjectorReviews.com

Epson vs the Competition

	Epson	Sony
Model Name	Pro Cinema 4050	VPL-VW295ES
Street Price	$2,399	$4,999.99
Resolution	4K PRO-UHD	Native 4K
Color Lumens Bright	2,400	1,500
White Lumens Bright	2,400	1,500
Achieves DCI-P3 Color Space	Yes	Not Published
Lens Memory	Yes	No
Works with Wide Screens	Yes	Yes
Motorized Zoom, Focus, Shift	Yes	Yes
Warranty	3 Years P&L	3 Years P&L
Warranty Replacement Program	3 Years	No
Included Major Accessories	Yes	No
(Free Spare Lamp, Ceiling Mount, and Cable Cover)

Epson’s price performance just can’t be beat when comparing either of these two new Epsons to the competition. True, there’s always someone with a product at a lower price, but not with a better value.

Enthusiasts have long appreciated that Epson projectors have some pretty great color right out of the box. If you have been reading projector reviews, you know a lot of projectors just don’t look that great unless you spend a lot of money calibrating them.

The Epson Pro Cinema 4050 offers capabilities rivaling many much higher-priced competitors. And, they offer far more capabilities than any 4K capable projectors currently listing less than $3,000.

Key Product Features

4K PRO-UHD Projection Technology – A new approach to 4K home theater projection utilizing dedicated hardware processing for resolution enhancement, HDR, and image processing – resulting in an exceptional 4K home theater experience.
True 3-Chip Projector Design – Advanced 3LCD technology ensures 100% of the RGB color signal is displayed for every frame. This ensures outstanding color gamut while maintaining excellent brightness, without any bothersome “rainbow effect” nor “color brightness” issues typical of single chip projectors.
Dedicated 4K Pixel-Shift Processor – Advanced 4K pixel-shifting hardware precisely controls three-individual high-definition LCD chips to parallel process up to 12 million pixels of information. This breakthrough in resolution enhancement technology results in an exceptional 4K visual experience – surpassing virtually all other forms of 4K home theater projection.
Dedicated HDR Processor – Full 10-bit HDR color processing accepting 100% of the HDR source information to faithfully reproduce HDR content for an exceptional visual performance.

Dedicated Digital Imaging Processor – Real-time 12-bit analog-to-digital video processing ensuring smooth tonal transitions, while eliminating banding, blocking, and other compression artifacts from the final visual performance. This powerful processor faithfully reproduces the source material the way it was intended to be shown.
Extreme Color Gamut – One of the first commercially available home theater projectors capable of displaying the full three-dimensional DCI-P3 color space. This extreme color performance is 50% wider than typical 1-Chip Rec. 709 projectors and allows for a truly professional-level of color accuracy.
Epson Precision Lens – Designed for zero-light-leakage, all Epson Precision Lenses utilize a proprietary 15-element precision glass structure for outstanding image clarity and edge-to-edge focus uniformity.
3-Axis Motorized Lens – For maximum placement flexibility. You can shift the lens up to 96% on the horizontal axis and up to 47% on the vertical axis. You can also set the zoom and focus, then store all the settings in one of ten presets. The lens’es 2.1:1 zoom range provides maximum placement flexibility.

Summary

Epson-Pro-Cinema-4050-Advertorial_Lifestyle-3

The Epson Pro Cinema 4050, and Home Cinema 4010: 4K PRO-UHD projectors with a new type of 4K home theater projection technology from Epson.

These Epson projectors are great examples of getting the biggest bang for your buck. Razor sharp 4K content, stunning P3 color, the wow factor from HDR, and a-nothing-comes-close feature set, that truly sets these two new Epsons apart from all competitors!

With proprietary dedicated processors for resolution enhancement, HDR, and image processing – the result is incredible brightness, color accuracy, and image detail – faithfully displaying all your favorite content from the classics to the latest blockbusters.

If you’ve been looking for the best possible 4K home theater experience for an affordable price, you have found it. Found two of them.

For more information on the new Epson Home Cinema 4010:

https://epson.com/For-Home/Projectors/Home-Cinema/Home-Cinema-4010-4K-PRO-UHD-Projector-with-Advanced-3-Chip-Design-and-HDR/p/V11H932020

For more information on the new Epson Pro Cinema 4050:

https://epson.com/For-Home/Projectors/Pro-Cinema/Pro-Cinema-4050-4K-PRO-UHD-Projector-with-Advanced-3-Chip-Design-and-HDR/p/V11H932120MB