Epson

EH-TW6250 4K UHD-PRO Projector

£1,149 RRP

I approach budget projectors, particularly those with inbuilt media players, with a generous dose of scepticism because often, they're flaky, if not downright unusable. Image quality is usually on equally shaky footing, particularly regarding HDR. So I was somewhat apprehensive when I discovered I would be receiving Epson's EH-TW6250, which includes one, for review…

Epson has been playing in the budget projector space for some time. What's more, the company has managed to deliver some cracking projectors, including the EH-TW9400, which – some four years since its launch – is still the projector to beat for its asking price. So, I took delivery of this with a deep breath and crossed fingers.

UP CLOSE

A lamp-based projector, the EH-TW6250 has a quoted peak luminance of 2,800 lumens and a contrast ratio of 35,000:1. Lamp life is quoted as 4,500 hours or 7,500 hours in ECO mode. Though, I suggest you take these numbers with a grain of salt, as the usable hours will likely be much less. The saving grace is that lamps are readily available and cheap (around $128 in Australia).

Like its more expensive stablemate, the EH-TW9400, this is a three-chip LCD projector that's both 4K and HDR10 and HLG compatible. Like all of Epson's projectors, it has a true native resolution of 1,920x1080, achieving its stated 3840x2160 or 4K resolution via diagonal pixel shifting. In my experience, while pixel shifters offer a substantial upgrade in resolution over their 1080p cousins, they come up a little short of true 4K in terms of detail. With that said, a true 4K projector will set you back a lot more, and Epson is one of those companies which understands that there's a lot more to the 4K Ultra HD ball game than just resolution.

The EH-TW6250 uses the same 4K Pro-UHD Engine as its higher-end projectors. In addition to 10-bit colour processing, it offers Scene-Adaptive Gamma and Epson's adjustable Tone Mapping. Unlike its more expensive stablemates, the EH-TW6250 sports an inbuilt media player. This boasts access to no less than 4,000 apps. It also allows users to cast movies, TV shows, games and photos from Android or iOS devices, including Windows PCs and Apple Macs, via inbuilt Chromecast. Voice control is available via the remote control.

The EH-TW6250 has a quoted input lag of less than 20 milliseconds. Although Epson points out that there is no official standard for measuring input lag, I'd encourage you to draw your own conclusions. This also has a built-in speaker rated at 10 watts and comes with a two-year warranty.

UNBOXING AND SETUP

This projector's slight dimensions and light weight means it will not only be easy to place but portable. Unboxing it, I couldn't help to think of the possibilities. It just begs to be put on a coffee table or shelf for an impromptu gaming session or to watch a game. Its modern white finish doesn't hurt it one bit, either. Of course, those looking to place it in a bat cave will take offence at the colour choice, but most will be placing it in a living room. The little Epson has a stout box-like appearance with rounded corners, which is easy on the eye.

Naturally, at this price point, be prepared to forgo a few of the features of more expensive home theatre projectors. For instance, lens control is a manual affair, with Focus, Zoom, Vertical Lens Shift (±60%) and Keystone Controls on the top of the unit. As is often the case for budget projectors, the EH-TW6250 lacks Horizontal Lens Shift Controls, which makes aligning it a little trickier. Surprisingly Epson has moved away from the manual dials for all but lens shift. They've been replaced by small levers, which makes focusing and zooming the EH-TW6250 a snap. It's a move I applaud and one which I hope other manufacturers will follow.

Connections are located at the back of the EH-TW6250 and comprise a single HDMI input (HDCP 2.3) with support for ARC and a mini stereo audio output; the Mini USB input is reserved for service.

Flip it on its back, and you'll find two adjustable screw feet and a front retractable leg, somewhat reminiscent of the landing gear of an X-Wing. I can only assume it's to create extra height for images when perched on a coffee table or similar. Be that as it may, it's also likely to create a fair amount of geometry distortion. Truth be told, and safety permitting, you're probably better off with a stack of books.

Light and portable as it is, I couldn't help but oblige, so the EH-TW6250 was placed on a tall side table, projecting directly onto my Severtson screen. Epson, I suspect, assumes many will be doing the same, as the unit came with one of the longest power cords I've ever seen with any piece of AV equipment. Nice touch!

When the Epson was powered on for the first time, a GUI guided me through the setup process, which included pairing the Bluetooth Remote. Curiously, the review sample included two remotes, both of which are of the 'smart variety.' They provide everything you'll likely need, including shortcuts to apps like Netflix, YouTube and Google. Considering the overall price of the unit, it's a belter of a remote. Once the remote was paired, the GUI guided me through the setup process, which included signing into my Wi-Fi Network and Google Account and then choosing the apps I wanted to install. One firmware update later, I was greeted by the familiar Android homepage, populated with all the usual suspects.

Small differences aside, the projector operation menu is virtually identical to that found on the Epson EH-TW9400. The EH-TW6250 offers four picture modes: Dynamic, Vivid, Natural and Cinema, with Natural being the most accurate of the four modes and the mode I used during the review. There are also three light output modes consisting Low, Standard and High. Although I chose not to calibrate it, a range of calibration controls is offered, including two-point greyscale, multi-point gamma and CMS. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this projector has an auto iris, which is not usually found in budget models.

PERFORMANCE

Epson's EH-TW6250 produced sharp and detailed SDR image images. HDR images were equally impressive for the asking price, while strong black levels produced punchy images. Meanwhile, the media player performed flawlessly. With the excellent SDR stream of 1883 playing on Paramount+, it threw a sharp, detailed image. Naturally, the little Epson couldn't quite achieve the same level of detail or sharpness as a true 4K projector, yet it still produced pleasingly sharp and detailed images that belie its modest asking price.

Unsurprisingly, Dynamic Gamma functioned much like an auto-contrast enhancer. While it did produce a slight boost to detail in dark scenes, it was at the cost of overall black levels. This resulted in slightly washed-out images with elevated noise. With Dynamic Gamma disengaged and Auto Iris set to High, the EH-TW6250 produced some of the best black levels you'll find for the money. This allowed the Epson to produce images with a nice sense of depth and dimensionality.

As pleasing as the SDR images were, I was keen to test the little Epson's chops with HDR material. I turned to Baz Luhrmann's superb Elvis on 4K Blu-ray, with Panasonic's entry-level DP-UB150 4K Blu-ray used for disc-spinning duties. With the often-over-the-top colours and bright Vegas lights, the Epson EH-TW6250 once again impressed. Naturally, you'll need to spend a whole lot more for Dynamic Tone Mapping. Nonetheless, the 16-point HDR control offered by the EH-TW6250 allows me to adjust HDR Mapping on the fly.

Equally over the top in terms of colour and story, Netflix's 6 Underground turned in an equally impressive performance with bright poppy HDR images. While the inbuilt speaker is not going to win any audio awards, it proved itself more than up to the task. But if you find it lacking, adding an external speaker or speakers through the mini audio jack should be relatively simple. Likewise, the media player performed flawlessly, and although it wasn't quite as smooth in operation as our Smart TVs, its overall performance was solid and, above all else, reliable.

THE VERDICT

As it turns out, I can breathe easy. Epson's EH-TW6250 is not only a very capable smart projector but an excellent all-rounder. Its small size means it's highly portable, with the inbuilt media player and speakers meaning it can cater to most needs with minimal fuss. Of course, if you're looking for a budget home theatre projector, its excellent image quality means it will easily fit the bill. Not only is this the best projector I've seen for the money, but it will also give some higher-priced rivals a run for theirs.

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