Epson Home Cinema 5050UB Review – Premium 4K Capable Projector Perfect for Cinema Lovers
If you’re a cinema fan, you’re probably looking for a high-quality home cinema projector that performs really well. But in order to get that perfect viewing experience, a projector needs to have great image quality, high contrast and brightness, among many other things.
One of such projectors is the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB. With its sleek and luxurious design and impressive performance, it caught the attention of home cinema lovers.
Epson has been working hard to develop new technology and bring innovations from the TV world to their projectors. TV’s with a 4K resolution are not a big deal anymore, but projectors that are 4K capable are quite rare. However, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB has the advanced Pro-UHD technology that brings you an almost perfect 4K experience.
So if you’re looking for outstanding image quality in a projector, great performance, modern and sleek design, check out our Epson Home Cinema 5050UB review because this projector might be the one for you.
Epson Home Cinema 5050UB Features
To start our Epson Home Cinema 5050UB review, let’s look at some of the most impressive features this Epson model can offer you.
2,600 lumens brightness
With 2,6000 lumens, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB has impressive brightness which results in a very enjoyable viewing experience.
Dynamic contrast
With 1,000,000:1dynamic contrast ratio, even if you’re watching in a very dark room, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB will produce a quality image.
1920×1080 resolution
With HD 1920X1080 resolution and 4K pixel shifting, Epson Home Cinema 5050UB has an outstanding image quality that will definitely enhance your viewing experience.
Pro-UHD technology
What makes the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB unique among projectors is the Pro-UHD Technology which enables you to have 4K quality image. This technology uses advanced processing to enhance the resolution, color, and image which results in image quality that’s very close to true 4K.
3,500 – 5,000-hour lamp life
An important aspect of any projector is lamp life. The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB has an impressive 3,500 hours of lamp life in normal mode and up to 5,000 hours of lamp life in eco mode. It basically splits 4K images and projects them alternatively which results in quality that’s very similar to 4K.
HDR and 3D compatible
Since the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is both HDR and 3D compatible, you can watch HDR and 3D movies which is something that will definitely enhance your home cinema experience.
2.1 Optical Zoom Lens
There is a 2.1 optical zoom lens that’s really well done and it also has really cool new technology called Lens Shift. It is a three axis motorized lens which means it’s adjustable and you can shift it up and down up to 96% and 46% left and right.
But how does this benefit you, the user?
Well, this type of lens is particularly great for those who don’t have much room space. So if the distance between where you want to put the projector and the screen is not big, you can still project a big image that’s clear and sharp. For example, if the distance between the projector and the screen is just 7 feet, which is quite small, you can get up to 120-inch screen size, which is pretty impressive and unheard of for most projectors, and it’s all thanks to this advanced lens technology.
So if you have a smaller room, but still want a big screen, we recommend that you try the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB.
3 LCD technology
When it comes to color on projectors, you got RGB (red, green, blue) and most projectors have 1 LCD that handles all three of those. What the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB has is dedicated LCD for each of those colors, which is their 3 LCD Technology.
What that means is that you get very crisp bright color, deep blacks, and outstanding contrast which is particularly important when you’re watching movies.
Pros and Cons of the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB
Now that you’re familiar with some of the main Epson Home Cinema 5050UB features, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this premium Epson model.
Pros
4K-capable
What makes the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB particularly tempting is its 4K capability. To make it clear, this projector doesn’t have a native 4K resolution, but it’s damn close and the image quality is pretty much indistinguishable from true 4K.
So all of those who are looking for a 4K capable projector, you should definitely consider the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB.
Ability to choose different color ranges
You’ll be impressed by how rich and crisp the color with the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB. On top of that, you have the ability to choose between different color ranges like Dynamic, Digital Cinema, Natural, Cinema, Bright Cinema, Black and White Cinema, as well as two 3D modes.
Easy to use and set-up
Another pro of this Epson model is that it’s incredibly easy to set up and use. There are many input and output options you can choose from, which you will find at the back of the projector.
On the side, you’ll find some basic buttons like the power button, source, menu, lens, enter, and arrow keys which allow you to easily navigate. There’s also a stylish remote that allows you to control and set up the projector.
Great compatibility and connectivity
What’s great about the 5050UB is that you can connect so many different devices to it including your phone, tablet, laptop, computer, game console, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, Blu-Ray/DVD player, Cable Box, Roku, Apple TV, as well as your digital camera.
How cool is that?
Sleek design
Another thing that really stands out in this Epson model is its modern and sleek design. This is a premium luxuries projector and that’s definitely obvious when you look at it.
The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB has a white curved design that’s fresh and minimalistic, emphasized by gold accents on the front and around the impressively big lens.
So this is a projector that you don’t have to be ashamed of or hide it. Quite the contrary, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB will serve both as a projector as well as a decorative piece in the room you’ll proudly showcase.
Low fan noise
When it comes to fan noise, this Epson model keeps it to a minimum. Although fan noise is still slightly audible, mostly when the volume is low, it’s more of a gentle and relaxing hum rather than an irritating buzz that comes with lower quality projectors.
Good for gaming
With <30ms input lag, this Epson projector is also good for gaming. So if you’re looking for a high-quality gaming projector, 5050UB might be the one.
Cons
A bit pricey
Although it is cheaper than 5050UBe and 6050UB, it is still definitely not a cheap projector. So if you really like the 5050UB, be prepared to cough out some money for it.
But even though it might seem like much, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB truly is a premium projector with exceptional performance so you definitely get a bang for your buck.
Slightly bigger than most projectors
Even though it might not look like it in the photos, this Epson model is actually quite large, with dimensions of 19 cm x 52 cm x 45 cm. So take that into consideration.
But although it is on the larger side, Epson 5050UB design is gorgeous and it looks spectacular, which is definitely a plus.
Good alternatives to the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB
If the Epson 5050UB is too pricey for you and you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, we recommend you check out the Epson Home Cinema 5040. It is much cheaper than 5050UB, but has a lot of the same features, including the 4K technology.
However, if you’re looking for full 4K HDR projector and you’re willing to pay more for it, we recommend the Sony Home Theater Projector VPL-VW295ES. Priced at around $5k, it is a high-end projector and you get native 4K resolution (4096×2160) and many other amazing features like triluminos display, motionflow technology, and super resolution 4K upscaler for enhanced imaging.
Conclusion
All things considered, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is quite an impressive projector.
Its most notable feature is definitely the 4K enhancement tech, as well as the outstanding brightness, vivid and true-to-life colors, and impressive Japanese made lens. This projector is for those who notice those slight differences and can appreciate the nuances this projector has.