If you are into video gaming, you know how important is picture quality. Gaming sessions are particularly epic if the display size is enormous. While many use displays such as LED TVs for their gaming requirements, there is an increasing number of gamers preferring projectors for their video gaming sessions.

Taking cue from the changing landscape of gaming, Epson has come out with the EH-TW5200 that accompanies high-brightness (colour light output – more on that that later) and is a 3D-capable LCD projector. Though the projector s specifically targeted at gamers, it can also potentially be used for watching films, screening sports events and so on. Epson claims that the projector can project from 30-inches to 300-inches of display size. We put the projector to real world tests to find out whether it delivered where mattered.

The EH-TW5200 is a full HD (1080p) 3D projector that delivers a 15,000:1 contrast ratio and is powered by Epson’s 3LCD technology. In terms of connectivity options, the EH-TW5200 offers two HDMI ports, a component video ports, a PC port and a stereo audio input. One of the HDMI ports on the projector also doubles up as an MHL port, thus allowing you to hook up your mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to play videos, music and photos from those devices.

The EH-TW5200 also accompanies an optional Wi-Fi functionality that allows you to stream video from Andriod or iOS devices directly to it. Also, you will have to use Active 3D glasses for viewing 3D content on this projector – so make sure you have charged the glasses before you use them.

Setting up the EH-TW5200 is quite easy. All you need to do is find a place to put it (or mount it), turn it on, and then start adjusting the image. The projector has a Horizontal Keystone Adjuster that allows you to easily adjust the image, especially when you have to place the projector slanted or at an angle. The keystone helps negate most of the effects of projecting an image that isn’t directly straight, but do note that the adjusted image will have some light-spill outside it. However, that’s not a biggie.

As we mentioned earlier, this projector accompanies high Colour Light Output. Note that this is very different from brightness. While most projector manufacturers will only factor in the brightness of the white light to peg the brightness of a projector, what Epson does is it measures the brightness of all its colours to come up with Colour Light Output (CLO). This gives a fair idea of the brightness potential of the EH-TW5200.

In terms of picture quality, we found the images to be bright and lively on the EH-TW5200, though they lack a bit of black depth. Colours look extremely intense doing their best to counter the problems caused by the lack of black depth. Colours during dark scenes through still look a little off key, but without Epson’s impressive colour handling the situation would have been a whole lot worse.

HD sources look engagingly sharp and detailed and although there’s a little motion blur and judder, it’s pretty minor by the standards of budget projectors, and certainly beats the sort of fizzing problems commonly witnessed with rival DLP technology. This combination of sharpness and decent motion handling is, of course, perfect for gaming.

3D content is also great thanks to Epson’s luminance enhancement technology. The EH-TW5200 delivers a surprisingly detailed, spacious 3D image, and the projector’s natural flare for brightness and rich colours is perfect for combating the natural dimming you get once you’ve donned active shutter 3D glasses. What’s more, these glasses help hide the projector’s innate lack of black level response.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your home entertainment system, or want to experience your video games on a much larger, brighter display, the EH-TW5200 is ideal for you. This Full HD 3D projector offers bright, vivid colours, high definition 2D and 3D projections without picture lag and a long-lasting lamp – all in a slim, lightweight design.

Price: AED 5,499

Specifications:
Projector Type: LCD
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Contrast Ratio: 15000:1
Brightness: 2000 CLO
Native Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Ports: 2 HDMI, Composite, Ethernet
3D Ready: Yes
Max Diagonal Image Size: 328-inches