Home Cinema 1080 Comparison and Basic Setup

I'm just going to say it - this is a tough review. The Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 is virtually identical to the Pro Cinema 1080. And when I mean it is virtually identical - I mean that unless you work in a projector lab quality control department or have an interest in a projector that comes with ISF certification - they are identical. Which brings up the $2000 price difference… I'm going to do something I've never done before - I'm going to start the review with my conclusion: If you are a consumer, buy this projector. Or, if you are a custom installer that needs something with more pricing "headroom" and ISF lockdown settings, then by all means drop another $2k and pick up the Pro version. Now, if you are a consumer and decide to pick up the Pro version we'll be forced to laugh at you behind your back and call you silly names.

What are the Differences Between the Home and Pro Versions?
In short, there are almost none. Besides a slight difference in HQV scores, warranty duration and ISF certification and settings were all we could come up with - and we looked very hard and long:

The Pro version is a custom installer-centric product. It offers a good retail price point and has the ISF settings which means that your clients won't be able to "mess up" your settings when you leave.

Basic Setup and Installation

Installation was simple - just as with the Epson Pro Cinema 1080. With the presence of vertical and horizontal lens shift, placement of the projector is simply less of an issue - though we encourage all users to get the projector as close to "neutral" as possible. The lens and image quality looks best when they aren't significantly utilizing lens shift. We chose a "desktop" mount configuration, but I imagine most users will opt for a ceiling mount. If you are ceiling mounting your projector, make sure you buy a mount that allows for easily running the power as well as the video cabling into the attic and to your equipment rack. You can also purchase a compact power conditioner system that can work either at the projector or at the equipment rack. Furman has some very interesting products that meet these needs and we definitely recommend some sort of power protection to extend the life of the bulb.

Throw Chart for Distancing the Projector from a 16:9 Projection Screen

The Epson's amazing zoom lens is on this model as well and allows for a very flexible placement. In our room we had the unit positioned at around 11 feet and projecting onto a Studiotek 130 screen.

Connections

The connections on the Home Cinema 1080 are identical to the Pro model. Users can utilize 1080 source components through the HDMI 1.3 input as well as component (according to the manual - this feature was untested). The PC DB15 input handles a signal up to 1920x1080 as well. How Epson managed to include RS-232 and the trigger out for under $3000 is a mystery. One would assume that most manufacturers would have crippled the lower-priced model.

Home Cinema 1080 rear connections