Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS650 Projector Review

The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS650 is the second generation of EpiqVision Ultra projectors built on the company's new low-profile chassis. The projector is available in both black and white versions. This design uses an internal ultra-wide angle lens, which changes the entire projector's design aesthetic and allows the projector to sit incredibly close to the screen. The LS650 provides a flowing, curved design that is attractive and blends well with various living spaces.

The LS650 has an attractive combination of plastic housing with the addition of the projector's new metal speaker grill that runs across the front of the chassis. According to Epson, the new grill is not just a pretty face but is designed to provide better sound transmission from the speakers behind it than the LS300 and previous models.

Epson has reduced the LS650's width by almost ten inches compared to the LS800. This new projector measures 18.4" wide x 15.7" deep x 6.2" tall. The LS650 weighs 16.3 lbs, about ten pounds less than the larger LS800.

The LS650 design is simple, almost utilitarian. On the front of the unit, there is just a status LED light. The speakers are behind a new metallic perforated grill covering the front of the projector.

A Power button is on the right side when looking from the front. On the side, a removable cover hides the projector's manual focus control lever. Lastly, a recessed sliding tray along the bottom edge houses the projector's removable air filter. An air exhaust vent and the built-in Kensington lock mount are on the projector's left side.

There is no built-in 12-volt trigger for controlling an external screen. Fortunately, the LS650 supports discrete IR commands for both Power and Input selection, so the projector can still be easily integrated into a home control system like Control4 or others that can issue discrete IR commands. Many third-party solutions also trigger electronic screen controls without needing the 12-volt trigger to be built into the projector.

The LS650 remote control offers the standard RF frequencies found on most Android-based devices and Infrared (IR) functionality for many remote buttons. The remote is larger than the stock Android device remote. Epson increased the spacing of the buttons and, in many cases, increased button size.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the fully integrated Android TV OS is fantastic for users. The remote provides users with a one-button voice search with the Google Assistant built-in. The button that looks like a gear is the Shortcut Settings button, which takes you directly to the Basic Settings menu.

The remote has dedicated buttons for Android TV OS settings and a dedicated button for Projector settings where users can adjust the IMAGE mode and SOUND settings, screen setup, and more. The remote has a typical Android TV navigation wheel, but Epson has chosen to increase its size by about 50%. There are buttons for the Flexible Picture menu, Mute, YouTube Music, and many more. Check out the image I've included.

There is no control panel on the chassis, just the Power button on the right side.

So many projectors labeled "smart" are often packed with an external media dongle like a Roku, FireStick, or Apple TV. These projectors are often hybrid-style menus with two separate and distinct menu systems for the operation and control of different features on the projector.

Epson continues fully integrating Android TV OS into the EpiqVision Ultra line of projectors with the LS650. This integration of Android TV is significant for Epson and an excellent feature for consumers.

For anyone who has previously used an Android-powered phone, tablet, or smart media device, the LS650's operation and menu navigation will look very familiar. The LS650 menu system is easy to navigate and well-organized. The Home button, which looks like a house, gives users access to Google's extensive library of Android TV apps, providing access to many popular streaming platforms, games, and dedicated features such as the Google Assistant and Chromecast built-in.

I paired the LS650 with the Epson SilverFlex Ultra ALR (Ambient Light Rejecting) screen. This screen is designed to be used with Epson EpiqVision UST (Ultra-Short Throw) projectors. The SilverFlex ALR Screen is engineered to absorb up to 90% of the ambient light that strikes the screen. This screen offers ultra-wide viewing angles up to 180 degrees.

The SilverFlex screen material has a gain of 0.6. When paired with the LS650, it looked great in complete darkness, and while it does lose some color and contrast with the lights on, it performed well enough that this potent combination of products could easily be used as a replacement for the living room television.

The Epson SilverFlex screen material improved black levels in both dark and lights-on viewing situations with good image uniformity and no visible hot spots on the screen.

The Epson EpiqVision LS650 supports HDR10 and HLG HDR (High Dynamic Range) formats. These two formats include metadata about the content's color grading and brightness levels. The LS650 does offer DYNAMIC TONE MAPPING, allowing the projector to automatically adjust to the optimum HDR level according to the scene, so even the most challenging HDR content looked excellent, providing an optimizing HDR viewing experience.

Video games, UHD Blu-ray discs, and several popular streaming services, including Netflix, Apple TV, HBOMax, and Disney+, support HDR10 and HLG, including services like Amazon Prime Video.

The Epson EpiqVision LS650 produced an excellent HDR picture regardless of the HDR format. The unit delivered accurate colors and good onscreen brightness while maintaining bright highlight detail.

The Epson EpiqVision LS650 is one of several 2023 EpiqVision Ultra projectors to carry on the new design that Epson introduced in 2022 with the LS300 and the LS800. Physically, the LS650 is very similar to the LS300, but this projector is not identical in design or performance.

The LS650 provides users with increased displayed resolution, contrast, and audio performance because of the projector's new metal speaker grill design compared to the LS300.

The LS650 is a 3,600 ANSI lumens projector designed for the broader market of consumers who don't care about being able to adjust every element of the projector's video performance to a high degree. The LS650 is meant to be easy to set up and look good out of the box in various environments, including those where total control of ambient light sources is impossible. 3,600 lumens of equal white and color brightness, and the Epson 3-chip 3LCD system make the LS650 a great lights-on viewing projector. The LS650's brightness and color capabilities make it more than capable of replacing the living room television.

The LS650 exceeds the LS300's Full HD resolution using Epson's 4K PRO-UHD pixel-shifting technology and 4K enhancement to deliver amazing lifelike images. Epson’s 4K PRO-UHD technology exceeds Full HD resolution by shifting each pixel diagonally by 0.5 pixels. This shift doubles the projector's resolution by pixel shifting so fast it is difficult for the human eye to see.

According to the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association), a 4K image comprises 8.3 million displayed pixels; however, Epson's 4K PRO-UHD technology results in 4.1 million pixels being displayed. From a pixel density point of view, Epson's 4K PRO-UHD is not an actual 4K (8.3 million pixels) image.

I'm not saying pixel detail is identical to a 4K XPR image. I am saying that overall image quality made of color, brightness, and contrast is why the LS650 can meet and sometimes even exceed the picture quality of some 4K DLP pixel-shifting projectors with a higher pixel density.

Depending on the content, there are times that the LS650's image details can be astounding since contrast plays such a huge part in how humans perceive detail. Epson’s 3LCD's ability to display equal color and white lumens and higher native contrast can contribute more to overall picture quality than more pixels displayed on the screen.

Real-time 10-bit analog-to-digital video processing delivers smooth tonal transitions while helping to eliminate banding, blocking, and other compression artifacts.

When paired with a good ambient light-rejecting screen in a typical living room, the Epson EpiqVision LS650 is one of its best, out-of-the-box ultra-short throw projectors.

OPTOMA CINEMA-X D2+ (SMART) - $2,699 MSRP

The Optoma CinemaX D2+ offers 4K displayed resolution via a single chip Texas Instruments DLP imager. This new Optoma projector is designed to deliver sharp, lifelike images and rich colors, allowing viewers to sit close to the screen and enjoy a more immersive experience.

The new CinemaX D2+ series supports HDR10 and HLG and can display a 100-inch image while sitting less than 12 inches away from a screen.

The CinemaX D2 series has a rated brightness of 3,000 lumens, with an impressive 1,800,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for high-quality lights-on or lights-off viewing. While these numbers are excellent for the typical ultra-short throw projector, the Epson EpiqVision LS650 provides users with 3,600 ANSI lumens of brightness and dynamic contrast of 2,500,000:1.

The new CinemaX D2 series projectors can reproduce 97% DCI-P3 color gamut and include Optoma's Color Management System and ISF picture modes, allowing viewers to save calibrated DAY and NIGHT mode settings for the optimum viewing experience. While the Epson out-of-the-box color presets are excellently tuned, they still do not replace the value of an onboard CMS, which Epson does not provide.

If you are looking for a projector that supports 3D, then the Optoma CinemaX D2+ supports it. The Epson LS650 does not support 3D.

The Optoma CinemaX D2+ is available in the United States for an estimated street price of $2,699.

These projectors offer users excellent performance and useful features for under $2,800.

WEMAX Nova - $2,699 MSRP

The WEMAX Nova is a 2,100 ISO Lumen (2,089 ANSI Lumen *Projector Reviews measured) UST projector that uses a blue laser + phosphor ALPD light source. While both the Epson and the WEMAX use blue lasers, that is where the similarities end, as the light source in the WEMAX is made by Appotronics, while Epson makes its own.

The Epson is significantly brighter than the WEMAX. Unlike the DLP source WEMAX uses, Epson’s 3-Chip 3LCD system provides considerably more lumens and an equal amount of color and white lumens, which DLP systems like the WEMAX can't do.

The WEMAX Nova utilizes a 0.47-inch Texas Instruments Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) with an ALPD laser light source to provide a 4K UHD number of onscreen pixels. Epson uses its 4K PRO-UHD, which displays about half the pixels on the screen. Still, the projector's excellent color, white brightness, and high native contrast should make the difference hard to see to the average consumer.

WEMAX states that the Nova covers up to 100% of the Rec.709 color gamut range. Covering a broad spectrum of colors is distinct from color accuracy, which refers to the projector's capability to faithfully replicate the exact color envisioned by the director during the mastering process of the video content. Epson also does a fantastic job with out-of-the-box color and should have an advantage due to its 3LCD system.

Both companies have decided not to offer an advanced CMS (Color Management System), choosing to provide customers with factory-calibrated preset picture modes that are well-balanced for use in various environments. To fine-tune the image, the WEMAX and the Epson allow users to modify settings such as Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness, Hue, Color Temperature, and Digital Noise Reduction.

If you have a light-controlled space, the difference in brightness, although still significant, should be less of an issue than using the NOVA in spaces with uncontrolled ambient light or lights-on viewing. The Epson’s almost 3,600 color and white lumens are an easy choice for lights-on viewing.

Both systems offer high-quality built-in sound systems developed in partnership with two premium audio companies. WEMAX partnered with Definitive Technology, and Epson partnered with Yamaha.