Epson EH-TW9400 Home Cinema Projector Test

We are always very happy to meet our customers’ requests to test home theatre projectors. As we are home theatre owners and fans ourselves, and testing a new or unprecedented projector is always exciting. This time, the Epson EH-TW9400 HDR Home Cinema Projector has a myriad of features such as motorized lens controls, memory and lens cover, which is a pleasant surprise in this price range.

Let’s have it!

Like other Epson projectors, it has three 1920 × 1080 pixel Full HD LCD panels, but is also capable of 4K Ultra HD resolution. Compared to the EH-TW9300, the predecessor of this model, the EH-TW9400 has more intense brightness, 2,600 lumens to be more precise, the contrast ratio has increased also to 1,200,000: 1, and the 2 HDMI inputs in this type are HDCP 2.2. The Epson EH-TW9400 is not only an ideal accessory for home theatres, but connected to smartphones the white edition can also transmit wireless HD signals. (Therefore, the price is slightly higher than the price of the black one.)

The matte black Epson projector is absolutely optimal in size, 520x450x193 mm and weighs 11 kg. The projector has a premium lens in the centre and 2 vents on each side to allow air to enter and exit. The motorised lens hood automatically moves out of the way when the projector is turned on, but protects the lens from dust and other impacts when turned off. Dust can cause serious problems with LCD projectors.

epson-EH-TW9400 projector

Although Epson has built-in lens protection to protect it from dust, be careful when placing the projector. The best solution is to mount it on a tripod or fix it to the ceiling. Lens controls also allow you to easily adjust focus and zoom, and save these settings to the lens memory. Depending on your individual needs, screen size and shape, you can create 1.78: 1 and 2.40: 1 aspect ratios.

The 3D radiator and remote sensor are located on the front of the projector, with the adjustable feet you can adjust them to the desired level on the table or stand. Hidden behind a smaller panel on the left side of the projector are several manual buttons, for example, to enter the menu.

epson-EH-TW9400 review

There are connectors in the recess on the back of the projector to help arrange the cables for ceiling mounting. The previously mentioned HDCP 2.2 input, a PC / VGA and a USB 2.0 type A and B port, as well as LAN and RS232C ports are also located here.

Like previous models, the remote fits very comfortably in the hand and illumination is available when used in the dark.

The projector offers 5 different image adjustment modes: Dynamic, Bright Cinema, Natural, Cinema and Digital Cinema. When viewing normal dynamic range (SDR) content, Natural Mode is best recommended, although it could be a little more accurate. The colours are bright and vibrant, the brightness is adequate, and the overall colour gamut can be adjusted to your liking.

Glasses need to be purchased separately for the 3D function, but that doesn’t seem like a great price to pay for the 3D experience.

The projector is not very loud during operation, approx. 20 dB is the measured noise level, which is not disturbing at all.

Let it roll!

The test site was a well-equipped, professional home cinema room with ideal acoustics. Acoustic sound-absorbing panels and column diffusers decorated with cinema posters were placed on the walls, and thick, velvet sound-absorbing curtains in front of the windows to reduce external noise and insure darkness of the cinema room.

We selected several movies to test the projector. Of course, all movies in Blue-Ray quality.

Ford v Ferrari movie poster

The first test subject was an exciting movie called Ford v Ferrari, starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon. The main theme of the film is car racing, squeaking wheels, buzzing engines, the fight of the racers did not let our attention wane. The Epson projected a very beautiful, detailed image with amazing, vibrant colours, every little details were clear. We noticed that the projector made some mistakes when it couldn’t handle perfectly fast movements of the racing cars. But that wasn’t a major concern, it didn’t spoil the movie watching.

The second movie we screened was Knives out. In addition to Daniel Craig and Chris Evans, many more world stars appear in this mysterious story. We witnessed fantastic images and colours, the projector performed very well.

The next video, the animated, family movie How to Train Your Dragon 3 offered Here we could have a really impressive succession of vibrating colours that almost came to life in the lovely tale.

Joker movie poster

The last to follow was the dark-minded psycho-thriller Joker, marked by the name of Joaquin Phoenix. Not only is the content and message transmitted by the film is dark and depressing, the visuals are also characterised by scenes that often take place in the dark.

The images were detailed here as well, but the black colours could have been a little more definite and deeper.

Summary

Epson

As a negative, we would mention the movement management. It handles 24 frames per second easily, but at higher speeds, such as sports scenes or gaming, you will note that the device is struggling with the rendering of fast motions. For sports broadcasts, we recommend using frame interpolation, which results in smoother motion, but if you are watching a movie of another genre or just want to play on it, turn this feature off.

At this price, we can get a projector with a surprising number of functions and amazing image quality. It is easy to install and set up, the menu and remote control are clear and easy to use. Magnification and general image processing, 3D radiation are excellent. Thanks to the SDR content, it produces clear, natural and detailed images.

Advantages                                                                 Disadvantages:

-Stunning image quality                                       – the light path is not blocked

-bright, vibrant colours                                         – black could be deeper, more beautiful

-motor lens cover                                                  – difficulty with fast motion pictures rendering

-motor lens memory

-HDR10 compatible

-ISF ccc certified

-reasonable price

G.H.

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