Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector reviews – how to setup?

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector is designed for zero light leakage. Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector Precision Lenses utilize a proprietary 15 element precision glass structure for outstanding image clarity and edge to edge focus uniformity. After installation, you can shift the lens 47 Percent left or right on the horizontal axis and 96 Percent up or down on the vertical axis. You can also set the zoom and focus, then store all the settings in one of ten lens memory presets. Get details Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector reviews.

Pros & Cons – Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector

Pros

• Sharp detailed picture
• Brilliant colors
• Excellent 3D dimensionality
• Bright enough to watch during the day
• Easy setup & HDR adjustments
• Above-average optics

Cons

• Pricing seems a few hundred dollars too high
• Black levels aren’t as good as 4K TVs
• Not true Ultra HD resolution
• HDR viewing requires more tweaking than a 4K TV
• Loud fan
• Bulb life will be limited when cranking up for max performance

Specs – Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector

• Display Performance: 4K/UHD @ 60 Hz compatible, HDR10 , 3-dimensional DCI-P3 color Gamut , 4Ke , 1080p; HD, 2D, 3D
• Color Modes: 2D: Dynamic, Bright Cinema, Natural, Cinema, Digital Cinema, Black & White Cinema
• 3D: Dynamic, Cinema
• Input Signal: 480i , 576i, 480p, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 4K x 2K
• Projection System: Epson 3LCD, 3-chip optical engine
• Projection Method: Front / Rear / Ceiling mount
• Driving Method: Poly-silicon TFT Active Matrix, 0.74″-wide panel
• Color / White Light Output: 2600 lumens
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 widescreen (Compatible with 4:3 with Normal, Full or Zoom Modes)
• Resolution: 4K Enhancement (1920 x 1080 x 2)
• Maximum Resolution: 4096 x 2160
• Supported Resolution: 3840 x 2160, Full HD 1080p/i, HD 720p, 576p/i, 480p/i
• Lamp Type: 250 W UHE
• Lamp Life: Up to 5,000 hours (ECO Mode); up to 4,000 hours (Medium Mode); up to 3,500 hours (High Mode)
• Size – projected distance: 50″ – 300″ (Zoom: Wide and Zoom: Tele)
• Keystone Correction: Vertical: ±30 degrees (Manual)
• Contrast Ratio: Up to 1,000,000:1, Auto Iris on
• White Balance: 8-point adjustment
• Color Processing: Full 10-bit (partial 12-bit)
• Color Reproduction: Full-color (up to 1.07 billion colors) DCI P3
• Operating Temperature: 41 ° to 95 °F (5 ° to 35 °C)
• Weight: 24.7 lb
• Projection Lens: Powered focus/optical zoom/lens position
• F-number: 2.0 – 3.0
• Focal Length: 22.5 mm – 46.7 mm
• Zoom Ratio: 1.0 – 2.1
• Throw Ratio Range: 1.35 – 2.84
• Lens Shift: Vertical: ±96.3(H center, powered)
• Horizontal: ±47.1(V center, powered)
• Lens Cover: Powered, Slide Lens Shutter
• Inputs: 2x HDMI (HDCP 2.2), 1x USB Type A (for optical HDMI cable 300 mA max. power supply only), 1x USB (for wireless and firmware), 1x Mini USB (service only), 1x LAN (RJ45), 1x Computer/D-sub 15 pin, 1x RS-232c, Trigger out 12 V DC, 200 mA maximum
• Computer Compatibility: PC, Mac®
• Parental Controls:
• Power Button Lock:
• Hinders projector from being turned on without parental supervision
• Projector Details:
• Fan Noise: 20 dB – 31 dB
• Projector Dimensions: 20.5″ x 17.7″ x 7.6″ (W x D x H)
• Backlit Remote Control

Price

The Epson Home Cinema 5050UBe, priced at $3,299, adds an outboard wireless HDMI transmitter and internal wireless HDMI receiver based on the WirelessHD (WiHD) industry standard. It is otherwise exactly the same as the Home Cinema 5050UB and shares its specifications and performance attributes. It is available in a white cabinet for direct consumer purchase.

The Epson Pro Cinema 6050UB, priced at $3,999, is a slightly modified version of the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB that is available in a black cabinet through AV integrators/installers.

 Compare Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector reviews

Build

They blend space-age plastics with a tactile back-lit remote, solid metal inputs, a motorized lens and focus system, and big, bright, crispy glass optics. 

Design

It measures in at 7.6 inches by 20.5 inches by 17.7 inches and weighs 24.7 pounds. The large, centrally mounted, 15-element, all-glass lens offers up 2.1x zoom with a generous throw ratio of 1.35:1 to 2.84:1. The lens is also fully motorized, which is something of a rarity in this price segment. 

Ports

Epson physically looks identical but has built-in Wireless HDMI and comes with an HDMI transmitter, that handles three HDMI inputs on the back, plus one on the side.  It also outputs wired HDMI and Digital Optical audio!  BTW $300 for that ability is typically a good bit less than third-party wireless HDMI choices.

• HDMI inputs: two HDMI 2.0
• PC input: Analog RGB
• USB ports: two
• Audio input and output: No
• Digital audio output: No
• Internet: LAN
• 12v trigger: Yes
• RS-232 remote port: Yes
• Remote: Backlit

Lens

The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB features the same 15 all glass element, 2.1:1 motorized zoom lens found on the Home Cinema 5040UB (with some minor improvements to lens and lightpath) and Pro Cinema 6040UB models.

Brightness

This is listed as 2600 lumens. It’s important to consider that every company measures their lumen output differently. Furthermore, different viewing menu options (Natural, Cinema, Dynamic, etc…) have different levels of brightness/output. Thus, the brightest mode for most projectors will look very green in presentation, and other lamp/video settings will be as much as half the amount of brightness.

Using this projector in Digital Cinema is a little darker than Bright Cinema, and Natural is the brightest to my eyes. I will say that “Natural” mode still blows me away in color and black levels. It’s very bright. I stick mostly to Digital Cinema mode for 4k HDR content. Colors are slightly better, but I think for most – and for those who love brightness – Natural is still a more than viable option!

Resolution

The Home Cinema 5050UB is 4K content capable, but at its heart is a pixel shifting 1080p 3LCD panel (aka chip).  It supports HDR (both the HDR10 and HLG standards) and claims it can achieve the new higher standard P3 color – rare for lamp based projectors. Epson fires each pixel a second time (aka pixel shifting) to put 4.15 million pixels on the screen.  That’s still half of the 4K UHD standard of 8.3M, but the differences are relatively slight.

Recommended Settings For SDR & HDR

SDR

• Mode Natural
• Brightness 50
• Contrast 50
• Color Sat 50
• Tint 50
• Sharpness 5, 5, 5
• Color Temp Custom
• Offset R 50
• Offset G 48
• Offset B 52
• Gain R 50
• Gain G 51
• Gain B 50
• Gamma -2
• Set the bulb and manual iris to taste
• Auto-iris high speed delivers the best possible contrast

HDR

• Mode Digital Cinema
• Brightness 50
• Contrast 50
• Color Sat 50
• Tint 50
• Sharpness 5, 5, 5
• Color Temp 8
• Skin Tone 3
• Custom
• Offsets unchanged
• Gain R 60
• Gain G 58
• Gain B 40
• HDR4 worked for me but your mileage may vary

Aspect Ratio

Aspect Ratio 16:9 widescreen (4:3 resize,16:10 resize). Compatible with 4:3 with Normal, Full or Zoom Modes. White Brightness White Light Output 2600 lumens. Color Brightness Color Light Output 2600 lumens.  My projector is positioned 12′ 4″ from my screen, and it is using roughly 15% of the zoom. I could choose to place it a little closer, or much farther behind me should I decide to do so. This, combined with the lenient lens shift options means that there is a LOT of space for positioning.

Lens shift

The lens offers a huge ± 96 percent vertical and up to ± 47 percent horizontal lens shift. The 5050UB also gives owners the option to set lens settings to memory (up to ten different memories), making it easy to switch between 1.78:1, 1.85:1, and anamorphic aspect ratios on a scope screen without the need for a dedicated anamorphic lens.

Remote

The remote is a big boy (just like the projector it controls) and has a pleasant amber backlight. If you have a 2.35:1 screen, as I do, you might reach for this remote for more than just on and off, since you can zoom the projector and fill the screen with 2.35:1 content without getting off the couch.

The included back-lit remote is ergonomic and well laid out, with dedicated buttons for pretty much every feature you’d want quick access to, such as the motorized lens functions, lens memories, inputs, picture preset modes, and image enhancing menus. Should you misplace your remote, you’ll find a sliding door on the side of the projector that opens to reveal a set of physical buttons allowing you to control the projector.

Lamp life

The 5050UB’s 250-watt UHE lamp is spec’d to last 5,000 hours in Eco Power Consumption mode, 4,000 hours in Medium, and 3,500 hours in High.

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector Performance reviews

I choose three Blu-ray films to watch on a 100-inch screen to evaluate it on its ability to bring that bold color and definition: the fairly new Black Panther for its special effects and cutting-edge cinematography; The Road to Perdition for its noir moodscape; and finally the Hindi classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge for its vibrancy. Each of these films were made decades apart, and this projector did ALL the work on its own with just a few minor adjustments to create the best display and contrast, which was easy to do with the remote with its concise function cues and also accessible on the unit itself.

The 4K/HD technology really shined its brightest with stunning detail in Black Panther, and The Road to Perdition gave me goosebumps as I took in the story like it had just been released. Dilwale was simply gorgeous and a technicolor dream in the way that only Hindi films can be. Here is where the magnificence of the 3LCD truly began to crystallize for me. 

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How to setup

Assuming your projector is in place, connected, and on, press the Lens button on the Epson remote to zoom, shift, and focus your image until the test screen is crisp. If you have a 2.39:1 aspect ratio screen, you can also use the Memory button functions to set your zoom distances for 2.39:1 & 16:9 content.

From there, I typically dive into the Epson Menu system to turn off motion interpolation, set AutoIris to High (for best contrast ratio), do any sort of calibration. That said, if you’re planning to calibrate, let the projector break in first before making any permanent changes. You can also set the projector’s lamp brightness (High, Normal, ECO), with High offering the most performance at a cost of room noise, heat, and lamp life.

If you’re getting lots of ringing (aliasing) or lower quality footage looks chunky, check out the Image Enh(ancment) button, which is a digital sharpening tool. I prefer 3 or below as 4 and 5 are too artificially sharp and introduce errors. 

The Epson 5050UB automatically jumps between HDR10 and SDR settings — HDR10 also includes activating the BT.2020 color space, of which you hit full DCI P3 — but this jump doesn’t adjust the Color Mode, so if you have preferred settings for HDR or SDR content, you’ll have to make the change yourself. 

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Pro-UHD projector customer reviews

Fantastic value!

I purchased this projector for my Covid basement theater build last summer. I had done tons of research previously and had my heart set on a Sony, but I really couldn’t afford $5000 for their base 4K projector. After reading a ton of reviews and deciding a non-Native 4K projector was still worth it, I took the plunge with this 5050UB. Honestly, I can’t be happier with my decision.

I have it paired up with new Roku Ultra and Sony 4K Blu-ray player, projecting on a Silver Ticket acoustically transparent 110″ 16:9 screen. I use a Harmony remote with RF with my equipment in the adjacent room. The 4K picture is excellent, and regular HD is still great. Since my purchase, I’ve realized the Sony would have frustrated me. Many movies are in 16:9 format, but many are not, especially older and non-4K ones. The motorized lens adjustments with presets have made that extremely easy. I would have had to do that manually unless I wanted to spend over $10,000 for that feature in a Sony.

I have this mounted on the ceiling. One bit of advice when installing and adjusting the picture for the screen (which wasn’t clear to me in the instructions): If the projector isn’t centered on the middle of your screen, that’s ok.. but mount it pointing straight at the wall, not angled toward the center. You can use the lens shift to adjust for the location. You do NOT want to use the keystone correction because it will screw up your resolution. The lens shift works great.
I hope this helps. Enjoy!

By IthacaMD at epson

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