I was a home theater shopping spree this weekend. I started the EPSON 705HD. Everything from the specs sounded very attractive, high lumens, high lamp life, 2 year warranty. So I got this for $699 from HH GEGGG, rented Fast and Furious. Setup was easy, when I turned on the projector I was impressed with the Image size it produced almost 200″. Here are the goods and then lots of bads. I played the DVD on sony upscaling DVD player

Good: Screen size, lamp life, warranty.

Bad: Grainy picture, very dull black levels, the image seems to always have a white hue all over it. I have read that these problems are common in LCD prjector.

The next day I curious to compare it with a DLP projector. So I went to best buy to get an Optoma Hd65, it was not in stock, they had few office DLP projectors. I got hold of EP728 (XGA), remember guys the purpose was check to check black levels.

I connected it using DVI to HDMI adaptor. The image size was obviously small, almost 70% of EPSON 705. When I played the Fast and Furious, BOY I WAS IMPRESSSED. The black levels were superb. In the moview mode (where bightness is low and contrast is high), I witnessed movie theater colors. The picture was never grainy.

So guys in conclusion, I am returning both the projectors and ordering Optoma HD65 from Amazon for $650.

Check this video

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clearly shows DLP rules over LCD.

Rating: 2 / 5

Have been working with many projectors lately and this one beats all other I have worked with. This is a wonderful piece of machinery, it lacks a little bit of contrast though, but brightnes, resolution, image quality, color, and price are perfect.

Rating: 5 / 5

We have used our new Epson 705HD for ten days and enjoy it, in fact we prefer it to our living room Samsung DLP, although both are excellent performers. Epson is at least half way there in providing input ports and performance. Most viewers appreciate the brightness and contrast and this Epson has plenty of both.

The 705 is very dependent on input source. We use it with an HP Computer running XP Pro, with a Wii, with a Samsung upscaling DVD (HTIB), with a Toshiba DVR, and most often with a side feed off our DISH service, SD processed to a second receiver on Channel 73 over the lowest quality wire.

DISH movies are acceptable, but not spectacular. The 705HD upscales poorly, if at all with out set up, so credits are SD, not sharp. The actual movies are very watchable, ten times better than our previous lower quality projector. My wife is very happy. To get the DISH signal to our Old Victorian attic theater space I spliced off the second feed of our SD DISH receiver. I tune to Channel 73 with the Toshiba DVR, pass the signal on via S-Video to RGB to the standard computer in port on the 705.

Suggestions of how to improve this (short of purchasing a second DISH HD DVR Receiver) please sound off. The 705 recognizes the various inputs and makes it easy to switch. The only danger to equipment in this setup is damage caused by switching off and on in the improper order. BE CAREFUL with this with Epson projectors!!! Have your video sources on before you turn on the projector and reverse out, turn the projector off first.

I have had an Epson business X70 projector destroy several component including my favorite old Sharp VCR and a nifty Radio Shack automatic video source switcher and my now half dead RCA monitor. No help back from Epson (Amazon covered the x70 return, so no cost, but the loss of my equipment seems to be my problem.)

The Wii works fine using the standard video inputs which it comes equipped with.

My HP computer has an upgraded video card which outputs HDMI s-video and DVI. I pass the HDMI to the Samsung HTIB and from there to the 705. Unfortunately that does not pass sound, so I have a separate sound system for the computer which is not as good as the HTIB but clear.

The good news is the near perfection of the computer projected image. On an 8 foot horizontal screen every letter is crisp and clear, rivaling any of my fancy computer monitors. Of course, news videos are lower quality via the computer, but my own material is outstanding.

I plan to hook one of my Macs since the Mac handles DVDs and video so much better than the PC. I make my own DVDs and cannot stand to watch them on the PC side, colors are altered, functionality is reduced.

Tweaking the 705 is easy and worth the time. Our viewing space has some hobby lighting on most of the time, but no sunlight through any windows. Stepping down to the lower output makes very little difference in image quality. The movie option is a bit soft out of the box and the colors a bit drab. Family room works better for my eyes as a departure setting.

The game and dynamic modes are more acceptable than on other projectors I have used. They are brighter without being harsh.

What is needed from Epson:

Better upscaling options. BENQ does this well, Samsung in other formats.

Tuner.

USB direct from computer rather than standard PC port. This is double dumb of Epson, they must not use Macs. This interface is still in the beginning, so users have to have some tech savvy friends and even then be patient.

There are no provisions for my older legacy equipment, not even my weather station.

There is no way to use my video equipment which is FireWire based rather than USB.

There is no high quality sound input, output except as handled by HDMI.

All this said, the 705 is still as good as it gets currently for input source handling. I expect this to change. Conversations with BenQ techs suggest they are improving their HQV … one improvement for me would be to sell that capability to Epson.

Rating: 4 / 5

I have been saving my money for a long time to buy a widescreen HD projector. I started with a SHARP office projector and upgraded to my previous setup which was an XGA Epson Powerlite 130c because my other one just didnt have enough lumens. My old Epson powerlite is almost as bright as this one, but it was great because it was 2200 lumens and i could watch it in the daytime. Well I bought this one for the same reason

Pros: It does exactly what its supposed to, which is to deliver my high def gaming and stream Hulu and Blu ray from my Girlfriends laptop. I paired mine up with an 11′ 16:9 matte Da-Lite projector screen and it looks gorgeous all day all night. I really like how much you can zoom your picture size so i can watch all aspect ratios without moving it from its ceiling mount that i bought from amazon for 30 bucks. I don’t know what the guy on the bottom of the screen is talking about because I love how detailed and lush everything looks even with all my lights on and windows open in the middle of the day. I would recommend this projector to anyone especially for people who are tired of watching their projector in a cave. These days I need the best of both worlds for High contrast Cinema and high brightness gaming and this unit delivers.

Cons: i noticed a slight “screen door” affect but every pixel is filled with color and light so I cant complain compared to the other projectors i sent back.
Rating: 5 / 5

Brilliant color, very sharp picture, great contrast, VERY bright, versatile inputs, long bulb life, cheap bulb (relatively..approx $175.00)….make this 720p projector a winner in its price range, let me repeat, in its price range….and keep in mind the low total cost of ownership. This or the Optoma HD65…buy whichever is cheaper (though Optoma’s bulb won’t last as long, is about 40% more expensive, and you won’t have as many lumens to play with)…you’ll do well with either.
Rating: 5 / 5