Epson Home Cinema 5040UB 3LCD Home Theater Projector with 4K Enhancement, HDR and Wide Color Gamut is a feature packed projector in a very competitive price range.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Initial impressions
I have an Epson 1080p (2040) projector (currently priced at around $650 and reviewed here), so I was expecting something similar when I opened the box for the 5040UB (~$2799). However, I was surprised that this projector was HUGE in comparison. We get the projector out for game night or movie night, so I had a projector stand for the 2040. However, the stand is dwarfed by the 5040ub. That being said, I have managed to get it balanced on that stand for now, but I will be looking for something bigger in the near future. Most of this review will be comparing the two projectors, but I realize that they are currently at vastly different price points. However, in this case, both are well priced given their features.
The Setup
I have a 16:9, 100 inch projection screen that is on a tripod and I set it up about ten feet from the 5040ub which is about as close to this size screen as you can get. As I mentioned, we put the projector on a stand and then fine tune the setup.
My old projector had feet you would use to manually put the projector at the right height, you would use the vertical and horizontal shift features to get the picture on the center of the screen, if you weren't in the perfect spot. It was a hit and miss process that takes some time to get right because the picture can get distorted in the process. The old projector also has a manual lever for adjusting focus.
In comparison, the 5040ub has something called "lens shift". Instead of messing with adjustable feet and these picture bending features, you can simply use lens shift to put the picture, without distortion, in the middle of the screen (assuming you are somewhat close to center). Of course, this projector has keystone features, but they aren't as necessary if you are slightly off center. The focus is also fine tuned with the push of a remote control button. In comparison to the 2040, it is a pleasure to setup.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
My old projector had feet you would use to manually put the projector at the right height, you would use the vertical and horizontal shift features to get the picture on the center of the screen, if you weren't in the perfect spot. It was a hit and miss process that takes some time to get right because the picture can get distorted in the process. The old projector also has a manual lever for adjusting focus.
In comparison, the 5040ub has something called "lens shift". Instead of messing with adjustable feet and these picture bending features, you can simply use lens shift to put the picture, without distortion, in the middle of the screen (assuming you are somewhat close to center). Of course, this projector has keystone features, but they aren't as necessary if you are slightly off center. The focus is also fine tuned with the push of a remote control button. In comparison to the 2040, it is a pleasure to setup.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Inputs
The Epson has several different inputs. They include HDMI (HDCP 2.2), HDMI (HDCP 1.4), USB x 2 (service only), mini USB (service only), LAN (RJ45), Computer/D-sub 15 pin, and RS-232c. There is also a trigger out.
For my purposes, I will mainly use the HDMI (HDCP 2.2) port since it has the most capabilities and I am feeding it from a receiver that does all of the switching between my devices.
For my purposes, I will mainly use the HDMI (HDCP 2.2) port since it has the most capabilities and I am feeding it from a receiver that does all of the switching between my devices.
"Faux-k"
Now that I had it setup, I was ready to check out the picture. It should be mentioned that this projector can accept a 4k input, but it uses "pixel shifting" (described by Epson as " shifts each pixel diagonally by 0.5 pixels to double the resolution to 3840 x 2160 and surpass Full HD image quality"). In short, this is not a true 4k signal.
That being said, the picture quality is excellent. I used Sound and Vision's recommended settings as a default and then tweak it slightly depending on the show I am watching or the lighting in the room. Another very useful feature is that you can save all of your settings in memory and name them accordingly. This can give you game modes, movie modes, etc. that can be recalled at the touch of a button. While I am on the subject, the remote is backlit with big, intuitive buttons.
My 2040 has a bright picture and I can watch it with ambient light in the room without a problem. The 5040ub improves on the 2040's 2200 lumens with 2500 lumens of color and white brightness. The 5040ub also uses expansive color gamut that displays the entire sRGB and DCI color spaces. It has a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. In comparison, the 2040 has a 35,000:1 contrast ratio. What this means is that it is a better looking picture no matter what you are feeding it.
I want to mention one other thing about "faux k" related to how I am using the projector. I am not using it for demonstrating spreadsheets or showing complex graphics, so that may be an entirely different issue. I am using it for movies and video and it looks spectacular for that purpose.
That being said, the picture quality is excellent. I used Sound and Vision's recommended settings as a default and then tweak it slightly depending on the show I am watching or the lighting in the room. Another very useful feature is that you can save all of your settings in memory and name them accordingly. This can give you game modes, movie modes, etc. that can be recalled at the touch of a button. While I am on the subject, the remote is backlit with big, intuitive buttons.
My 2040 has a bright picture and I can watch it with ambient light in the room without a problem. The 5040ub improves on the 2040's 2200 lumens with 2500 lumens of color and white brightness. The 5040ub also uses expansive color gamut that displays the entire sRGB and DCI color spaces. It has a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. In comparison, the 2040 has a 35,000:1 contrast ratio. What this means is that it is a better looking picture no matter what you are feeding it.
I want to mention one other thing about "faux k" related to how I am using the projector. I am not using it for demonstrating spreadsheets or showing complex graphics, so that may be an entirely different issue. I am using it for movies and video and it looks spectacular for that purpose.
HDR??
I have an Nvidia Shield. I tried to get a 4k, HDR signal from Vudu's UHD video with Dolby Vision and was not successful. There are some HDR modes that can change the picture dramatically, but when I would look at the signal input, it was not showing an HDR signal.
I did some research on this issue and it appears to be common. Apparently, some of the stand alone UHD players will send it an HDR signal, but I was unsuccessful with my source. I should mention that my receiver is a Denon X4200W. It is HDR compatible, but the technology itself is different from device to device, so my results are not unusual.
In any event, I watched "The Grand Tour" on Amazon Prime and the picture quality was simply awesome. I am not sure I could tell the difference between true 4k and "enhanced" 4k if it were fed the same signal. I have a 4k TV and the picture quality seems about the same when you get inside the recommend viewing distance. I also pulled up a 4k nature video on Youtube, and once again, the picture was amazing.
I did some research on this issue and it appears to be common. Apparently, some of the stand alone UHD players will send it an HDR signal, but I was unsuccessful with my source. I should mention that my receiver is a Denon X4200W. It is HDR compatible, but the technology itself is different from device to device, so my results are not unusual.
In any event, I watched "The Grand Tour" on Amazon Prime and the picture quality was simply awesome. I am not sure I could tell the difference between true 4k and "enhanced" 4k if it were fed the same signal. I have a 4k TV and the picture quality seems about the same when you get inside the recommend viewing distance. I also pulled up a 4k nature video on Youtube, and once again, the picture was amazing.
3D
I was pretty happy with the 3D picture on my 2040 and the same can be said of the 3D picture on the 5040ub. I tried out a few NASA 3D videos and Toy Story in 3D and the picture was bright and impressive. The extra brightness and wider color gamut of the 5040ub made Andy and crew sem like they were right in the room.
As with my 2040 projector, the 5040ub can get louder when you use settings like "Bright Cinema" or "Dynamic"/ "Dynamic 3D". I think it is still a bit quieter than the 2040, though. Personally, I get used to it after while, but if you are bothered by fan noise, you will be better off watching in one of the other modes with less ambient lighting.
I also tried the 2D-3D feature. It is more convincing in this mode than the 2040, but it still isn't my cup of tea.
As with my 2040 projector, the 5040ub can get louder when you use settings like "Bright Cinema" or "Dynamic"/ "Dynamic 3D". I think it is still a bit quieter than the 2040, though. Personally, I get used to it after while, but if you are bothered by fan noise, you will be better off watching in one of the other modes with less ambient lighting.
I also tried the 2D-3D feature. It is more convincing in this mode than the 2040, but it still isn't my cup of tea.
Gaming
I am not a big gamer, but the 2040 was very impressive in this area with 25 milliseconds of input lag. According to other articles, the fastest input lag with 4k enhancement on is 28ms. Not quite as fast as the 2040, but it is doing a lot of extra processing on the fly.
According to Rtings.com, most people will not notice input lag below 40ms. In other words, both of these projectors are very good in this area.
According to Rtings.com, most people will not notice input lag below 40ms. In other words, both of these projectors are very good in this area.
Internet connections
For this review, I decided to hook the Epson up to the internet via its LAN port. I connected it via their iOS app to my iPhone. It has some convenient features that allow you to put photos on you iPhone up on the screen, it also has an internet browser, and a few other features. I am not a fan of the scaling and I would use a Chromecast or AppleTV for this purpose.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
Note: I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.
The Wrap Up
The Epson has a great looking picture, is easy to setup, and is decent for gaming. All in all, it is a pretty impressive package.
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