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The Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB Has Arrived - Turns Out It Is Even Better!

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Art Feierman
PC-6050UB_Right-Angle

The Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB Projector - Epson's most advanced home theater projector to date, is fully 4K capable. It is the higher end of the two new Epson UB series projectors launched this quarter.  The Pro Cinema 6050UB replaces the now 2.5-year-old PC6040UB. Epson has refined and improved many capabilities, and upped performance, resulting in the ability to put a picture on the screen that is sometimes significantly better than the projector it is replacing, especially when viewing HDR.

Most interesting, perhaps, is how the Pro Cinema 6050UB differs from the Home Cinema 5050UB, which received all the attention with a month earlier launch. Did you notice the "It Is Even Better" in the title?  You must have asked - "better than what".  The short answer is better than the HC5050UB, as well as better than the HC4010 and PC4050.  But wait! One thing at a time.

Once again, I am partnering with Epson to create an "advertorial" type information piece. My goal, as the primary writer, is to give you the big picture, and some juicy details, without overhyping as much as a manufacturer's marketing might go.

Let us begin with a bit of an overview.  The PC6050UB is incredibly capable.  2600 lumens, 2.1:1 motorized zoom lens, 4K HDR capabilities, and serious gaming abilities... Of note, unlike most projectors, the Pro Cinema 6050UB relies on a "Cinema filter" to enhance picture quality, and enhance the picture it certainly does!

Having the cinema filter results in giving you a great choice:  Choose the best experience, depending on the circumstances.

Choose the best possible picture - for 4K that will be Digital Cinema mode which engages the filter, to watch when you have a good darkened room -- a dedicated home theater, or cave...  The Epson UB projectors are the only lamp-based projectors claiming 4K HDR with full P3 color!

Alternately, choose brighter modes with still some pretty great color (Natural and Bright Cinema modes), capable of very nicely handling a theater-like room with lights on, or sports in that theater-like setting with friends and lights on. Using these modes you can also watch 4K content with full HDR, but the HDTV standard REC709 color instead of P3, while enjoying almost double the brightness. That's a modest trade-off for a great and brighter picture when you need it.

Immerse yourself in the big screen experience in living rooms, media rooms, dens, and family rooms.  A friendly reminder - just be sure to pair this Epson with the right screen for the room.

Jennifer Lawrence close-up

Jennifer Lawrence in Passengers - HC5050UB; 4K UHD HDR P3 content - excellent skin tones!

 

Epson's Pro Cinema 6050UB is about many things:

Really good picture quality "right out of the box"
Great black level performance - long a major strength - of Epson's UBs - "Ultra-Black" projectors.
A massive feature set - there are few projectors anywhere near the price that can take on this Epson, feature for feature, or even at double the price.
Great placement flexibility
Excellent warranty and support program

One could say pretty much the same about the PC6050UB's twin - the HC5050UB.  Not quite.  The 6050UB comes with a longer warranty and replacement program.  And a black case instead of white, and a spare lamp...

Something new for Epson this year regarding the Pro Cinema 6050UB.  Now Epson is further quality controlling key components including the 15-element all glass lens.  Epson is putting the best optics and other components in the Pro Cinema 6050UB.  

Note, if wondering if there are enough of these lenses to do this, currently, four Epson's share using the lens - not just the PC6050UB and HC5050UB, but also the HC4010 and HC4050.  The point being, they are using enough of these lenses, that they should be able to identify sufficient quantities of superior lenses, to meet Pro Cinema 6050UB demand.  (Or, so I assume!).

As a result, expect the Pro Cinema 6050UB to produce a perceivable, slightly clearer, and possibly slightly sharper image than the HC5050UB. Note:  differences will be subtle, but they should be visible.

The Pro Cinema 6050UB is sold by Epson's network of authorized local CEDIA dealers and integrators.  That HC5050UB is sold online - from highly knowledgeable online projector dealers, as well as Amazon and other large players.  It is also sold at "Big box" houses including Best Buy and Walmart.

Choose the Pro Cinema 6050UB for the longer warranty, improved optics, etc.(not to mention free spare lamp, mount and cable cover), and, of course local dealer support, or choose the HC5050UB for the white case, dollar savings the year less warranty, and skip the "extra trimmings (spare lamp, etc.).

Projector Reviews review of the PC6050UB is waiting for our review unit to arrive.  

cityscape

The PC6050's twin, the HC5050UB tackles a night cityscape from The Black Panther: 4K HDR P3 content.

Epson tells me that while the step down HC4010 and PC4050, have many improvements, there were a few new features and capabilities that were just not ready in time for a near year-end launch of a new UB projector.  We'll be discussing those in a minute.  Those new features essentially pushed both this Pro Cinema 6050UB and the Home Cinema 5050UB launches to 2nd quarter 2019.

The Pro Cinema 6050UB should be arriving at dealers and distributor warehouses, as we publish this.

Here are the Basics - Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB:

  • MSRP:  $3999
    • Includes ceiling mount, spare lamp, cable cover, longer warranty
  • Brightness: 2600 lumens
  • Motorized Lens features
    • Zoom
    • Focus
    • Lens shift
    • Lens Memory - to support owning wide screens
  • Faster (18Ghz) HDMI than all previous Epsons allows for
    • Low input lag for hardcore gamers
    • Full support of 4K up to HDR/60fps/P3 color
  • Two ways to do HDR and color
    • "Best" - Digital Cinema mode for 4K HDR with P3 color
    • "Brightest" - Cinema or Natural mode for 4K HDR with REC709 color
  • Choose "Best" for the best color
  • Or about twice as bright: Choose "Digital Cinema " for a big jump in brightness, but the color is still really good just not P3, merely the REC709 we are long used to (ie. Blu-ray discs, HDTV).
    • Use that "best" for movies in a properly darkened room
    • Use that "brightest" combination for sports or some lights on
  • Three-year warranty with three years of a rapid replacement program
    • Usually overnight (1 business day).  (That's one year more than the HC5050UB'w warranty.)

Now, let's talk about where the  Pro Cinema 6050UB fits in terms of the big picture - of home theater projectors." I'll start with a little background.

Here's a story I keep updating over the years:  It has been over a decade since the first "UB" series projector.  When that one launched in 2007,  (the HC1080UB), it was a game changer.  The selling prices were similar back then, but those older model UBs were no match in features. The original Pro Cinema 1080UB was straight 1080p and sold for about what this Pro Cinema 6050UB will over its life.

This new 6050UB offers owners lots of big-time new capabilities and improved picture quality:  Now you get motorized lens features including lens memory for wide screens, 3D, 4K capabilities including HDR and P3 color, etc. Black levels and brightness have also improved.  What set that first UB apart from everything else near or below its price, was truly superior black level performance.  To do better, back then, you would have had to spend way more on a JVC.

Note that both companies launched their first projectors with great black levels in 2007.  Not exactly the same price.  The old Epson PC1080UB was under $4000, while the JVC RS1 was $6295!

To this day, Epson remains the leader in more affordable projectors with excellent black level performance.

great color boat scene

Colors are rich, almost riotous, but not over the top when viewing this scene from Journey...

Again, the Pro Cinema 6050UB is available from trained dealers in your area, most of them are full-fledged integrators that can provide the projector, all the accessories, and, if you choose, do a professional installation in your home.

Epson’s Pro Cinema 6050UB, like many great Epson UB projectors before it, 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 by far (no one close), the largest seller of projectors in North America.

We will review the Pro Cinema 6050UB in the upcoming weeks.  In the meantime, our full review of the HC5050UB will provide you most of the details you are looking for.

Again, as a disclosure:  This is an advertorial contracted by Epson, primarily written by me, aka Art Feierman (they get to do minor edits - if I approve of them).  Works for me! -art

Why, and How, the Pro Cinema 6050UB outperforms its predecessor, including 4K PRO-UHD

One real breakthrough in improving on the older Epson is new dedicated hardware processing, most of it also on the HC4010, PC4050, and HC5050UB as well as this PC6050UB. 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 you could hope for from a projector, and in this case, with great handling of the darkest scenes.

And, not only can the Epson Home Cinema 6050UB handle 4K with HDR, but thanks to the newer dedicated 4K pixel-shifting processor tech, they deliver a bit more critical brightness - both color and white lumens - than the competition, while still delivering improved detail.  For the technically minded - the 6050UB boast faster response times when pixel shifting. Speed response charts look more like square waves than the same measurements on the 5040UB or 6040UB.

Spider-verse
From Spiderman - Into the Spider-verse: 4K HDR/P3 - animation

“This new-generation of resolution enhancement projectors from Epson have impressive advanced image processing and detail enhancement. The PC6050UB, delivers to you deep blacks for stunning dark scenes.  As a result, when viewing 4K content, don’t be surprised if Epson’s new 4K PRO-UHD projectors are perceived to be as sharp, or even a touch sharper, than native 4K projectors that start selling at over twice the price!” Perception isn't everything but it is important! – Art Feierman, Editor, ProjectorReviews.com

Epson vs the Competition

EpsonSony
Model NameHome Cinema 5050UBVPL-VW295ES
Street Price$2999$4,999.99
Resolution4K PRO-UHD (Pixel Shifting)Native 4K
Color Lumens Bright26001,500
White Lumens Bright26001,500
Achieves DCI-P3 Color SpaceYesNot Published
Dynamic Iris for superior dark scene handlingYesNo
Lens MemoryYesNo
Works with Wide ScreensYesYes
Motorized Zoom, Focus, ShiftYesYes
Warranty2 Years P&L3 Years P&L
Warranty Rapid Replacement Program2 YearsNo
Epson Pro Cinema 4050 Lifestyle Shot

Epson’s price performance on the PC6050UB is impressive. It may not be native 4K, but it certainly competes with Sony's VPL_VW295ES, their more expensive, entry-level native 4K projector.  Check out the comparison chart.  Both are excellent projectors.  The PC6050 however, has a dynamic iris for superior blacks. With the Sony 4K projectors, you have to spend $9999, for their step up projector with good black levels.

Enthusiasts have long appreciated that Epson projectors have some pretty great color right out of the box. The Pro Cinema 6050UB is no exception when it comes to delivering some really fine color.  If you have been reading projector reviews, you know a lot of projectors aren't all that great, without adjustment.  Digital Cinema mode, in particular - geared for 4K content with HDR and P3 color, is especially good.

The Epson  Pro Cinema 6050 UB offers capabilities rivaling many much higher-priced competitors. All for under $4000 and packaged with extra warranty and support and between $400 and $500 of extras.

Below find some info on the improvements found in the new Pro Cinema 6050UB, the technical content provided by Epson (with only minor edits).

Key Product Features - Details provided by Epson

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.

The Pro Cinema 6050UB is Most Impressive - Let's Summarize

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The Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB as well as the Home Cinema 4010, Pro Cinema 4050, and Home Cinema 5050UB are 4K PRO-UHD projectors with new hardware-based 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 (for a 4K capable 1080p pixel shifting projector), stunning P3 color, the wow factor from HDR, and a-nothing-comes-close feature set, that truly sets these new Epson projectors apart from the competition!

With proprietary dedicated processors for resolution enhancement, HDR, and image processing – the result is dramatic 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 the PC6050UB (or HC5050UB) may be your best choice.  That is likely true whether you have a nice darken-able home theater or cave, or, if not, instead, placing it in brighter rooms paired with an ALR (light rejecting) screen.

For more information on the new Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB just click!

For our First Look review of the Home Cinema 5050UB, click here

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