55” isn’t cool, you know what is really cool? 320” and that is exactly the screen size you can get using the new Epson TW570 projector…if you have a free wall big enough that is.

Over the silly season I managed to get my hands on one of these projectors and had the time to put it through its paces in gaming, TV, movies and sports. But first up take a look at the official specs of the TW570

The Numbers

Light Output – 3,000 Lumen-2,100 Lumen (economy)
Resolution – WXGA, 1280 x 800, 16:10 (That’s 720p for us non technical types)
High Definition – HD ready
Aspect Ratio – 16:10
Contrast Ratio – 15,000 : 1
Lamp – 200 W, 5,000 h durability, 6,000 h durability (economy mode)
Keystone Correction – Auto vertical: ± 30 °, Manual horizontal ± 30 °
2D/3D Frequency Image – 120 Hz / 240 Hz
2D Vertical Refresh Rate – 100 Hz – 120 Hz
3D Vertical Refresh Rate – 200 Hz – 240 Hz

For me the most important number has always been the luminous flux, or how bright the picture should be. The Epson TW570 is being touted as the high-light home projector and at 3000 Lumens I was a bit worried that it wouldn’t really have enough light output to work in a standard room without black-out curtains.

However I have to say I was impressed. I could play FIFA quite easily with the curtains open and while it was obviously a bit washed out, once I closed the curtains – normal curtains – the colours really did pop and everything was clear to see.

On the other hand, spreading the size out to well over 150”, the unit’s 720p max resolution quickly becomes a problem. I’ve never been that worried about resolution and am quite happy to say that I can rarely tell the difference between 900p and 1080p on my 42” TV. However once you stretch it out it really is quite obvious to see and makes the visuals a little less resplendent than they should be.

When it comes to movies and sports though the projector works fantastically and I still can’t find anything that beats a personal projector when having a family movie night. It’s exactly like going to the cinema without being over-charged for stale popcorn and watered-down sugary drinks, all without the annoyance of having some rude teenager spend the entire movie trying to talk to his friends.

The projector comes with a plethora of ports on the back including USB, HDMI and VGA with the official spec sheet stating:

Cinch audio in, Stereo mini jack audio out, MHL, S-Video in, HDMI 1.4, VGA in, USB 2.0 Type B, USB 2.0 Type A

Features

Besides projecting a massive picture onto your wall this projector has some other, quite awesome, features.

If you’re into 3D (I’m not) then you are ready to go instantly with the projector being fully 3D compatible. However it doesn’t come with 3D glasses, you have to buy those extra and apparently synch them via BlueTooth. That’s about as dumb as someone selling a mobile gaming console and not providing you with an AC adaptor.

But what is a really cool feature is that the projector can handle split screen mode so that you can watch your sports while playing Call of Duty. Or even more reasonably you can plug in your PC and stick the latest game in the corner while completing that amazingly boring Excel spreadsheet as you lounge on the couch.

But

All things considered, the projector has a great colour display, works very well and is a must-have for truly immersive movie nights but it does have some flaws.

The 720p resolution limit does take some of the enjoyment out of gaming and the projector is many things but it really isn’t very quiet, with a persistent, perceptible hum. Granted if you had it mounted on your ceiling you probably wouldn’t notice it much but when it is head level and only half a metre behind you the 37 Decibels it puts out is very distracting and after a while can drive you to drink. Mind you everything drives me to drink.

And then there’s the price. The recommended retail price for this projector is R12 850.88 and that is just too much money to spend on something that isn’t perfect, or damned well close to it.

Last Updated: February 3, 2015

Epson TW570 Projector
If you are going to mount it and use it mainly for TV and movies then this is perfect and that price isn’t that bad. But for games you would be better off buying a TV. 
Not Bad

14 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief

    February 3, 2015 at 12:36

    R12k?

    Nee genugtig no thanks

    Reply

  2. HairyEwok

    February 3, 2015 at 12:42

    13k for 320 inch 720p…… Something doesn’t seem right with that. Must be made for consoles in mind.

    Reply

  3. ReaperOfSquirrels

    February 3, 2015 at 12:50

    If you want a better one for gaming… you’ll need to spend R10-20k more than that.

    We had a blast at the Epson call center playing in 3D on a PS3 through a R35k projector.

    Reply

  4. Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7

    February 3, 2015 at 12:56

    Just pointing this out but isn’t 1280 x 720 @ 16:9 , 720p?

    Reply

    • Exalted Overlord Geoffrey Tim

      February 3, 2015 at 12:59

      yes. It’s actually a 16:10 ratio projector, but it takes and displays 720p sources for everything but PC.

      Reply

      • Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7

        February 3, 2015 at 13:05

        ah, ok cool. I understand then

        PS: Not sure about AMD but I see nVidia drivers lately allow scaling options to match odd resolutions to screens

        Reply

        • HairyEwok

          February 3, 2015 at 17:04

          Best thing since sliced bread. Made my Desktop screen fit snugly onto my 55″ smart tv screen

          Reply

  5. Kensei Seraph

    February 3, 2015 at 12:57

    They’re doing the leave audit today and I have to book sick leave for the 2 days I was sick last year, except my sick leave balance is currently 0 and the system doesn’t let you go below 0 days leave.
    I get something like 30 days sick leave over 36 months or something (I’m not 100% sure) and I haven’t taken any other days for sick leave.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      February 3, 2015 at 12:59

      … what?

      Reply

    • Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7

      February 3, 2015 at 13:00

      Ok? Do you need extra sick leave to enjoy the projector at home?

      *PS: Still sucks that you are being shafted like that though

      Reply

      • Kensei Seraph

        February 3, 2015 at 13:05

        I would love to but I doubt now is a good time to do it.
        Also I don’t own the projector.

        Reply

    • HairyEwok

      February 3, 2015 at 17:07

      uhhhhhh

      Reply

  6. z1n

    February 13, 2015 at 14:07

    A quick user review (who knows someone might find this helpful)…

    I bought the Epson TW480 (Epsons are the best value for money guys) last year and it’s fucking beautiful. I get great colour day or night. I even run eco mode during the day because it’s bright enough. I get rather low latency when playing games (yeah if you’re FPSing with a PC it might not be your first choice) and I get to watch all the big DotA comps with so many inches. Seriously this is a well made robust projector and the 720p works perfectly fine at the distance your supposed to view it at (also I haven’t seen one good and reasonably prices 1080p) and will be good enough until LED projectors come into play. Only then will 1080+ be worth it I feel.

    Guys… Porn. Is. Amazing. On. This. Thing. Umm, girls too actually (my SO gets hot for this so I don’t have to do as much work :P)

    And the coolest thing about my lil’ TW480… I can cart it around to friends/families houses cause it’s so portable (let’s see you do that with your 42″ megalith) as long as they have a flatish/whitish wall. I got my self a small set of logitech speakers so I have a small carry package of entertainment that can be set up in minutes.

    No I’m not employed by Epson. Yes, I have a hard-on for my ten grand portable entertainment system.

    Reply

  7. spitDish88

    August 31, 2015 at 06:46

    Was impressed with the 3,000 lumens…then saw the 720P for a 320” image size. So basically it’ll look like this but just brighter…and perhaps more blurry?

    Reply

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