Epson - Lifestudio Grand Plus 4K UST Laser Projector, 4,000 Lumens of Color and White Brightness, Sound by Bose, 3LCD, HDR - Black

First I’ll start by saying I’m bias towards epson and their projector line. I have had my older epson 3800 4K w/old bulb technology for almost 7 years and I’ve been happy but always disliked the heat it would put out, so much so that I would put it up during the summer so I didn’t have to pay more in electricity trying to cool my room down. I needed to upgrade to laser so I could enjoy the home theater at home year round. So I decided to upgrade to this new epson lifestudio grand plus and let me tell you how happy me and my family are! 4000 lumens which is very bright. Laser is not only bright it last for years with a rated lifespan of 20k hours. Colors out the box are great and vivid with slight tuning in the settings you can get a near perfect picture just the way you like it. Contrast on a non ALR screen is good but not the best but that’s par for the course with any projector vs a tv. Details are crisp and while bright projectors put out a picture that is more natural and easy on the eyes which is why I love them so much. TVs have great brightness and amazing black levels but they put too much strain on the eyes. You have to see this is person to understand. It’s beautiful and on my 120 inch screen you really feel like you are in a theater. Google tv works very well with quick navigation and a very fast start up time. Keystone,zoom. And shift work very well either through the app or with remote(remote option is better). But finding the perfect position for the projector is kinda frustrating if it is your first time using an ultra short throw. But once you get it the keystone part is easy. Just know that you will have to position the projector well below your screen as it needs a certain amount of distance to project upward. Speakers are ok not bad not great, I love Bose and use Bose. But the sound doesn’t match the level of quality that the screen offers. I use a Sony QUAD surround sound and I’m sure most of you will use the included EARC port. Great feature to have. Side panel is removable to access the hdmi ports and focus adjustment wheel. Out of the box the focus will be slightly off and finding the perfect spot might take a few minutes and multiple sets of eyes to dial it in perfectly but it’s easy to use. Remote is simple with the app shortcuts you will most likely use. Gaming on a 120 inch screen is amazing with our ps5 pro and Nintendo switch 2. Me and Kids love playing Mario kart and smash bros. Response time is great and frame interpolation is great as well makes you feel as if you are getting double the frames while gaming. It works so well that it feels like a native 120hz projector(strange I know lol). It’s not perfect by any means but it’s bringing true happiness to our family. Once you get a quality projector like this one, you should never go back imo. If your budget allows go and pick this up but pair with a decent ALR screen. I plan to get one very soon as I know it will make the picture quality even better.

Verdict: This short-throw 4K projector has it all: big picture at high resolution, built-in streaming, great built-in sound, easy buttons on the remote (including Netflix, thank you!!), easy setup with a Google account, and powerful tools to fix the image. We no longer need a large TV and TV stand, giving us more space and an exquisite movie experience. We LOVE it! First impressions. This projector is quite larger… certainly bigger than any other type we have seen before, and almost virtually the same size as the previous iteration of this model. It’s also pretty heavy. The front face of the projector are all speakers, essentially providing a soundbar experience. In the box was the projector, the remote control, the power cable, and quick start guide. The projector has 3 x HDMI port, 1x optical audio, 1x 3.5mm connector, and 2x USB ports. It also has WiFi connectivity for streaming. Setup. We set this up where we previously had a large TV. This allowed us to use a small table to place the projector close to the wall, and allowing us to gain back a lot of space in that room. Setting up the projector with a google account was straightforward once signed in. It takes a bit of time to sign into all the apps, but that is expected. Because we have a large wall on that side of the room, I used the EpsonSettingAssistant to calibrate the projector and get the screen as large and clear as possible. The instructions were simple and the app uses the camera on your smart phone to automatically calibrate everything. We are currently projecting directly on the wall and it looks amazing. You can also use the EpsonStudio app to control the projector with a digital remote. That app also allows you to load your own content (photos, videos, etc.), but I only use this app for the digital remote control. Image. With 4K resolution and 4000 lumens, the image quality and brightness is really fantastic. At a size of 120”, the image is perfect… Amazing resolution, vivid colors (HDR10), brightness, etc… could not ask for more. In our case, we are pushing the size to about 150” (probably a bit more), which shows a bit of distortion on the edges of the screen. The mild blurriness is only noticeable when using menus and letters/font is involved. When watching a movie, distortion or blurriness at the edges is not really noticeable, maybe because of the immersive experience, or maybe because it’s not noticeable without having to read anything at the edges. When using the projector during the day, the image is slightly washed out from daylight, but the experience is still worthwhile, and it helps that the room we are using is a bit dark in general. You will definitely want to close blinds or curtains if using during the day in a bright room, or purchase the Epson screens, which absorb 90% of ambient light. Sound. The integrated sound system from Bose exceeded our expectations. While we have a nice sound system setup in that room, we no longer bother to turn it on because the integrated sound system rises to the challenge. I would say that it performs as well, or better, than most soundbars on the market, with lows, mids, and highs balanced and immersive. Features. The built-in Google TV works very well. Thank you so so so much for including easy buttons on the remote to access content, including Netflix (finally!!). The remote also includes voice recognition for easy search. Mobility. While we love where the projector is currently setup, we plan to move it to the family room (where there is no TV currently) during Thanksgiving and Christmas so that we can enjoy a large screen while we do puzzles by the fireplace. While heavy, it’s easy to relocate and fast to setup for display on any large wall. Things I love. - Up to 150” screen! - Very bright at 4000 lumens - 4K resolution and great colors - Ultra short-throw so you can set it up anywhere - Integrated Bose sound system - Google TV and Google ecosystem for fast sign-in and setup - Tons of apps to download - Whisper quiet… no fan sound or anything - 2-year warranty, lifetime technical phone support, and two-business-day replacement with free shipping! Things I don’t love. - It’s pricey… but worth it if you are willing to pay for it Overall, this is the perfect projector for us, and the best projector we have ever used. We literally have no complaints and no issues. I had several issues with the previous iteration of this projector several years ago, but they have all been fixed, and this truly is a better-than-TV replacement. 5 stars all the way. We most highly recommend it.

The LifeStudio Grand Pro is a bright Ultra Short Throw projector with Google TV, accurate, vivid colors, fluid motion, great connectivity, and impressive sound! Design The Epson LifeStudio Grand Pro is a large, sleek looking, projector with rounded corners and a black mesh covering the front and wrapping around the corners on either side covering the speakers. The "Sound by Bose" logo in the bottom right corner of the front is not prominent, being black on black. There's one foot in the rear center that's height adjustable, though I haven't needed to use it to adjust the height. There's a reflective metallic looking Epson logo on top as well as a "3LCD" logo but when sitting down and watching a movie I never see them. I mentioned that it's large. It's roughly 27.25" x 13.25" x 6", which to me is large for a projector. There's a panel that comes off the rear of the right side. There's a release mechanism for it at the bottom which I had a hard time finding at first, but it's easy to get once you know it's there. Behind that panel there are three HDMI inputs, one supports HDMI ARC/eARC, an optical audio out, and two USB A ports. I tested the USB port by charging devices and connecting a video game controllers to them. They work for both purposes and I'm sure many more. An app is including for accessing media on a flash drive. There's also a 1/8" stereo output (headphone jack). The power cord connects in there too. There's a manual focus in the same compartment. I like the remote, but for some reason I feel like the volume should be on the left. Instead, there's a control for the brightness there. I'm not sure why the brightness control has to very so accessible. To me, that's a set it and forget it kind of thing. I'm getting used to the volume being on the right side with other remotes I use so I keep hitting the brightness by accident, though I'm getting used to it. It's running Android 14 (after updates, may not have come with that). Features Having three HDMI inputs on a projector is great! So is having one of them support HDMI ARC/eARC...though I've never used a projector with better built-in audio than this! I'll talk about sound later. It has a "Wi-Fi Display Sink" app that's pre-installed. It let's you connect Miracast devices to it - which also means it supports Windows display casting. I tested that and it worked well. As I've found with Miracast display casting on different devices, it's not always reliable for video playback, but it's great for showing pictures, or maybe demoing an application, or showing a short video clip. It only supports 1080p, but that also seems pretty common with Miracast devices. It also has a Bluetooth Speaker Mode. What a great way to use that excellent Bose audio! It does support Netflix. I only mentioned this because I know of at least one Epson Smart TV projector that did not support the NetFlix app. There are two apps you'll want to install. "Epson Projection Studio" gives you a remote on your phone as well as watch party hosting features and quick access to content. "Epson Settings Assistant" lets you use the camera on you phone to auto adjust the display. It worked pretty well for my wall that was much less flat than I thought it was. After I auto adjust, sometimes I still need to do a quick manual keystone, but it did an amazing job of accounting for my wall not being flat. This project does allow ceiling mount and reversing the image too. Image Quality This projector is bright enough that it's bright and clear with great color on my very off-white, coffee colored, wall. I took some pictures of what the images looked like on my wall and on a screen. There's also a picture with a white sheet of paper on my wall, so you can get an idea of what I'm really projecting on. I have also been impressed at how well it handles motion. I don't notice any blurring or ghosting. I've watched different movies and video on it as well as played video games and I never think about the motion because it's just so smooth. It's rated for a 120 Hz refresh rate and it shows. 4K video looks sharp and beautiful. Skin tones, flowers, mountains, trees...all the colors look vibrant, accurate, and natural - you would never guess I have a coffee colored wall! Even with the lights on it's bright enough to work very well. I connected a laptop and did native 4k display (no Desktop scaling) to it and that works great too. You can read application menus and text without a problem. And of course it's amazing for movies, shows, NetFlix, YouTube, and video games! Even one of my old driving games where you go through dark tunnels, the brightness and the contrast ratio are excellent, I can see very clearly the whole way through. I do use it with the "Light Output" (dedicated up/down control on remote) at 100% and the "Brightness" (separate setting) set to 75%. By default the brightness is at 50. I like giving it that boost which gives a very good picture on my wall that most projectors could not handle well. I was impressed that increasing the brightness to 75% didn't wash anything out at all that I can notice! Colors stay rich and true. I think that suggests that the contrast ratio is very good. There's an Epson Settings app that you may want to install. The wall I project on is not flat. I was very impressed at how it corrected the image for my non-flat wall, making curvy sides straight. Just press the quick settings button, between the "Light Output" and "Volume" buttons on the remote, select "Keystone", then choose "App". Open the app on your phone and choose the "EH Series" for auto connection, choose "Correct shape and unevenness", follow the prompts using your phone camera to take pictures automatically, then "Proceed to correct unevenness", and after one more pictures the sides are straight! I thought it was impressive. Audio The LifeStudio Grand Pro is not just about, a great picture, it has excellent built-in Bose audio too. The speakers produce natural sounding voices, music, nature sounds, and whatever else you're listening too. Bass is strong and highs are crisp, well balanced, for a strong, room filling, sound. The sound modes make a difference so be sure you use the best one. "Music" for listening to music and "Movie" for watching shows, obviously. There's also a "Dialog" setting that really makes the vocals stand out as well as one called "Standard". The speakers let you hear everything going on, subtle background noises from a stream or rustling leaves as well as the vocals that are key to what's going on. Bass is deep and strong. But, like I mentioned above, that's not your only option. There's a headphone jack, optical audio out, as well as HDMI ARC/eARC support. So they have you covered to get a great audio experience using whatever equipment you have - and if all you have is the built-in speaker, most of the time, you might not care. I used the built-in audio a lot and I'm very impressed by it, but I love that it also has HDMI ARC/eARC. I tested it with that and had not issues, great sound. It automatically used my external speakers when connected via HDMI eARC. Also, don't forget the Bluetooth speaker mode. Just press the quick settings button, between the "Light Output" and "Volume" buttons on the remote, then select the "Bluetooth Speaker Mode", and connect your device to it. The sound is excellent, as you would expect from a fairly large Bose Bluetooth Speaker. The music plays, the screen goes off, and it reproduces the sound faithfully. I should also mention, there's very little fan noise, making this a very quiet projector. You might hear it, but if you're watching anything, you probably will not hear, or notice it at all. That makes the built-in Sound by Bose audio even better! Connectivity In addition to what I already said about connectivity, I wanted to add a few notes. There is no RJ45 Ethernet port. I thought it would have that, but the WiFi works very well, and I've had no issues with the networking. Besides the built-in audio, I also used it with an HDMI eARC attached SoundBar that has a Sub connected. The projector detected it automatically and it works without issue. I also tested it with game controllers. Both USB ports work with USB attached game controllers. I use it with Bluetooth game controllers too. I was glad to see all of that worked! One nice bonus is that the area where you plug in cords and USB devices is very large, so you can plug in USB dongles for game controllers or USB flash drives and there's plenty of room to put the cover back on, hiding them completely. It's great that you don't need to reach around the back, but you can access everything from the side, and even close the panel with all types of things plugged in. General Use The projector starts up pretty quickly to full brightness in around 5 seconds, which I think is fast for a projector. The remote has a good feel and works very well. It doesn't need to be pointed at the projector to use it. The user interface is very responsive as you press buttons. It loads apps quickly. It's definitely one of the fastest, if not the fastest Google TVs that I've used. I use Google TV in Apps Only mode, so that probably helps performance too, but I was still impressed. It also has 64 GB of storage, which is a ton of room for apps on a Google TV. Summary The LifeStudio Grand Pro is a feature rich, bright projector, with smooth motion and great color and image quality. It's tough to come up with negatives. If you need an ethernet port, it doesn't have that, but again, the WiFi is excellent. I was surprised it doesn't have auto focus or auto keystone correction, but the app does correction of non-flat surfaces which I never even heard of, so that's impressive and may make up for the lacking auto focus and auto keystone - it had to do a lot more than keystone correction for my wall.