Epson Z8450WUNL Projector - Image Quality

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Art Feierman

Epson Z8450WUNL Color & Picture Quality

Dynamic Mode

Presentation Mode

Theatre Mode

Adjusting the Color Temp

Color Temp: 6500K

Color Temp: 7000K

Color Temp: 7500K

Epson Z8450WUNL Projector: Readability - Sharpness

The Z8450WUNL is a high resolution (1920 x 1200) projector, small (8 pt.) text was sharp and easily readable even on a 112” diagonal projected image, despite being very small type (you'll need to be close). This was true of white text-on-black and yellow text-on-dark blue backgrounds as well. Convergence was very good for a 3LCD projector, which can sometimes be subject to slight misalignment of the three color LCD panels, resulting in an image that is more smooth than sharp. However, the Z8450WUNL provided a sharp image with all types of source material. As it’s unlikely that a source component will be at a higher resolution than the Z8450WUNL’s native (2K - WUXGA) resolution, there should be no problem with readability on any presentation.

Click Image to Enlarge

Video processing was checked by viewing images from the DVE-HD test disc, and also with Blu-ray movie content. Overall, this projector produces a sharp image, that lower resolution projectors just can't touch.

The Epson Z projectors all offer digital zoom, allowing you to zoom in close and show only a small portion of the source image. This does reduce clarity, but the much larger size of, say, the text being zoomed in, it is still going to be more readable than the same smaller text.

Epson Z8450WUNL Projector: Video Quality

Due to the high resolution of the Z8450WUNL, viewing video from a Blu-ray source was quite satisfying. As was the case when we reviewed the Epson G5350NL, Theater (or Customized) modes provided the best overall picture quality for video presentations. Unfortunately, the relatively low contrast ratio (1000:1) of the Z8450WUNL was a detriment to any video with dark scenes, which inevitably ended up looking a bit washed out. On the plus side, it’s very good color depth and brightness made watching daytime viewing of sports a pleasure. In this regard, most home theater projectors would not be able to compete with the Z8450WUNL. Its high brightness provides for a very enjoyable picture that is not washed out, as most home theater projectors would be.

Video presentations over an analog connection from a laptop were also quite good, as the Z8450WUNL’s upscaling is equal or better than most.