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Fresh from its 2013 Product of the Year triumph, the excellent Epson EH-TW5910 projector is once again put to the test against its rivals.
And, as before, it blows the competition away with its stunningly crisp and subtle picture.
Specifications
The Epson EH-TW5910 is a well-specc'd projector that features 3D, Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080, built-in speakers, twin HDMI inputs and a backlit remote control handset.
The curvy white chassis is built and finished to a substantially higher standard to most projectors around but the 'TW5910 is also a larger and heftier projector than most at this price. The TV-style remote control is large and solidly built to match. It’s backlit, too.
A throw ratio of 1.32-2.15 gives you a maximum image size of 300in – but on the off chance you won’t be needing such a large image, manual adjustment of the zoom and focus is easy, as is getting it centred on to your screen.
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With a THX Optimiser disc at hand, it’s worth getting the Epson image tweaked to its very best – switch the colour mode to ‘Natural’ to adjust the brightness, contrast and colour settings.
We’d also recommend turning off noise reduction, overscan and auto iris, and setting image processing to ‘Fine’ and power consumption to ‘Normal’ for a much smoother performance.
Performance
We don’t think we’ll tire of praising the Epson’s performance any time soon. Play Iron Man 3 on Blu-ray, and the projected image is crystal clear and sharply etched.
Layers of detail add to the depth and realism of the picture, immersing you completely in the action. Stunningly bright and full of exciting colours, it’s a captivating image.
Blacks are velvety deep without compromising subtlety, while whites are stark and bright. The glints and sparks of metal punctuating the film are sharp and exciting, and the blazing fire in the final scenes feels burning hot.
The Epson’s colour palette is expertly judged. The Iron Man suits aren’t just blocks of red and gold – the metallic shades have varying shades of subtlety that rival projectors struggle to convey. Skin tones are natural, too.
Compared with the BenQ W1080ST’s overstated, dynamic colour balance, the EH-TW5910 delivers a far more natural and balanced colour performance.
Motion is better, too. While even some more expensive projectors struggle with the smoothest motion, the EH-TW5910 is largely stable and judder-free.
This makes watching 3D films comfortable; they have a good sense of depth and retain their vibrant picture despite the dip in brightness.
The built-in 20W speakers, too, deliver a robust and balanced sound – it’s the most comfortable sounding projector that we've heard to listen to on its own. If you must...
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3D picture quality doesn't tend to be great on projectors at this price, but the Epson EH-TW5910 arguably has one of the most watchable 3D pictures we've seen.
There’s little flicker involved, and while there are some motion issues during fast-moving scenes, on the whole it’s tolerable with a good sense of depth. It's worth pointing out that the Epson EH-TW5910 doesn’t include any active-shutter 3D glasses, but a lightweight pair costs £70.
Verdict
There’s no doubt that the Epson EH-TW5910 is the best projector we’ve seen at this price. We’re once again impressed by its remarkably crisp and bright picture, and its natural colour balance and strong contrast is unrivalled in this price bracket.
Fully justifying its Awards win, this Epson deserves a place in your home cinema room.
Review updated on 27.11.2013
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