Get a cinema in your home: Epson TW5820 offers a comfy theatre experience

There was a time when predictions were rife that television screens wouldn’t be the primary source for entertainment in homes for much longer, with multiple other devices being introduced to the market.

One such device was projector,s which advertised a heightened and improved viewing experience, and they attracted young consumers who felt they needed alternative options that were cheaper and more accessible, or offered some extra size and clarity which TVs struggle to match.

Projectors have increasingly become a popular option among this group, who use them to watch their favourite series and movies, play games, and watch sports.

When it comes to projectors, the Epson TW5820 can be considered the top tier and is nothing like the squeaky projector that used to come out during our school days to watch those dreaded educational videos. 

Quick to set up

Projectors of today are slicker, smaller, visually appealing and easier to run. So when I unpacked the Epson TW5820 to get it up and running, it took me about 30 minutes to do.

It probably could have gone even quicker, but honestly, the instructions weren’t written all that well.

Admittedly I also got a bit confused about the HDMI cable, finding one, and after ashamedly watching a few YouTube videos, it finally took about five minutes to connect. 

Using a laptop to access the entertainment content, the process is seamless. There is a quick connection and the adjustments of ratios and image sizes is self-explanatory, before you can start watching content in either full HD 1080p or 3D. 

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Changing the lens, the width, and the length is pretty simple, there is 1.6x zoom, and horizontal and vertical keystone correction, which you can do in the settings using the projector remote or the buttons on the projector. 

Depending on your specs and how you want the picture quality to appear, you can adjust to your liking. The screen quality is impressive. It’s extremely bright and clear, and it’s highly recommended you have a projector screen or purchase one to have the best quality, since your home wall can only do so much.  

Other specs include 2D Vertical Refresh Rate 192 Hz – 240 Hz, 3D Vertical Refresh Rate of 400 Hz – 480 Hz and colour reproduction of up to 1.07 billion colours. 

Making the idea of having a cinema in your home very real, the Epson TW5820 screen size can reach up to about 7 metres, with a projection distance wide around 2,35 metres to 3,82 metres

The projector can be connected to Bluetooth and Andriod TV, and it has a built-in speaker.

Pros:

• It’s light and weighs nearly 4kgs, easy to connect, accessible for many streaming platforms, games and sports.
• The sound system is good, boasting 10 Watts of audio.

Cons:

• The adjustable back cover doesn’t cover the cables once connected, so there really isn’t a need for it unless you pack the projector away.
• The price depends on your budget. The Epson TW5820 starts from  R17,000 and above but because it covers all screening content it’s definitely not a steep buy in the long run.