Epson PowerLite Pro Z8000WUNL Review

Apr 7, 2010 12:00 PM, By Jeff Sauer

A flexible high-brightness projector for large-venue installations.

Cold and clean

The Z8000WUNL uses a new liquid-based cooling system that absorbs heat directly from the LCD chips and dissipates it through a fan. The entire image engine stays at a moderate operating temperature (Epson puts that at 113 degrees F). There is still a fair amount of fan noise, although admittedly less than you might expect from a 48lb. installation projector. But more importantly, keeping those LCD chips cool during usage should lead directly to longer operating lifespan.

Epson has also used an electrostatic air filter that it rates at 10,000 hours and claims to capture dust particles as small as 3 microns. I was not able to test this claim, but clearly keeping the imaging engine dust-free adds to the longevity of the projector. When it is time to change the filter, it couldn’t be easier to get to on the left side panel. The same facility exists for changing the two 330W UHE lamps, rated at 2500 hours in normal mode and 3500 hours in ECO mode and accessible from a flip-down back panel.

By my tests, Epson seemed to be taking an industry-standard approach to brightness claims, coming in a good 10 percent below the spec-sheet number. I measured only 5396 ANSI lumens across the entire image in Dynamic mode, although brightness uniformity was exceptional at more than 90 percent. Brightness dropped down to just under 4700 lumens (4697) in Presentation mode and way down to 2398 in both Theater and sRGB modes. Switching to Eco mode lowers brightness by roughly 18 percent.

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Epson color was very good, if oversaturated on green, and in Dynamic and Presentation modes the secondary colors slid toward green as well. Grayscale tracking was also very good. Given the high native resolution, I was a little disappointed in the scaling ability of the Z8000WUNL. I used a variety of standard test patterns at different resolutions and saw broader moiré patterns on fine-lined tests than I might have expected. On the other hand, the projector was able to handle text in the standard H-pattern with aplomb in a variety of resolutions.

Still, the numbers are solid, as you’d expect from a flagship installation projection. Add the strong color from the 3LCD image engine, and the PowerLite Pro Z8000WUNL is a good choice as an installation projector for large auditoriums, houses of worship, lecture halls, and large conference rooms.

Yet it’s the non-statistical features in the Z8000WUNL that impress me even more. The center lens design and the ability to hide the cabling are nice. The ease with which you can switch lenses, lamps, and cleaning filters is very appealing, although not having to do it as often as many other projectors is even better. And keeping the operating temperature down bodes well for the Z8000WUNL’s longevity.

Product Summary

Company: Epson
www.epsonprojectors.com
Product: PowerLite Pro Z8000WUNL
Pros: High brightness, flexible installation features, excellent color reproduction, cool operating temperature.
Cons: Scaling is average.
Applications: Large auditoriums, houses of worship, lecture halls, and large conference rooms.
Price: $20,499.99 (MSRP, without lens)