Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector review – how to do ceiling mount?

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Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector delivers an astounding 1080p picture up to 320″ on virtually any blank wall or screen. Whether you’re binge-watching your favorite TV show or watching the big game, this dynamic, versatile projector provides a stunning, larger-than-life viewing experience with true 3-chip, 3LCD technology. Find details in Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector review.

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In the box

  • Home Cinema 880 Projector
  • Power Cable
  • Remote Control with Batteries
  • Quick Setup Guide

Pros & Cons – Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector

PROS

  • 3D-Compatible
  • 3,300 lumens
  • Wireless display & mirroring capabilities options (Mac/iOS/Android, or PC)
  • Horizontal/Vertical keystone adjustment
  • Laser Light Engine rating of 6,000 hours (Normal Mode)
  • High readability of text and presentation graphics

CONS

  • Limited zoom range
  • Doesn’t accept 4K signal
  • Details look soft
  • Weak overall image quality
  • No horizontal/vertical lens shift
  • Terrible contrast

Specs – Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector

  • 3D Projection Capable No
  • Image Size 1920 x 1080
  • Aspect Ratio 16:9
  • Certification & Standards RoHS
  • Color Brightness (lumen) 3300
  • Depth in Inches 9.3
  • Lamp Life – ECO Mode (Hours) 12000
  • Lamp Type 210W UHE
  • Digital Zoom 1.35x
  • Height in Inches 3.2
  • Noise Level (dB) 28, 37
  • Power Consumption (Watts) 345
  • Projector Compatibility PC, Mac
  • Keystone Correction Direction Vertical: +/- 30 deg., Horizontal: +/- 30 deg.
  • Kit Includes Projector, power cable, remote control, batteries, quick start guide
  • Projector Display Technology LCD
  • Projector Mounting Method Ceiling Mount, Front, Rear
  • Projector Power Supply AC 100 to 240 V
  • Lens Focus Type Manual
  • Manufacturer Epson
  • Series or Collection Home Cinema 880
  • Throw Ratio 1.21-1.63
  • True Color White
  • Projector Connectivity HDMI/USB
  • Projector Contrast Ratio 16000:1
  • Projector Display Color 1.07 Billion
  • Projector Resolution Full HD
  • Projector Type Home Theater
  • Room Size Medium Rooms: Up To 12′ X 14′
  • Warranty 2-year on projector, 90-day on lamp
  • Weight (lbs.) 5.95

Compare Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector vs 1080

Epson Home Cinema 880Epson Home Cinema 1080
Resolution1920×10801920×1080
Brightness (Lumens)3,3003400
Contrast Ratio16,000:116,000:1
Zoomfixed-zoom1.2x zoom
Screen size320″320″
Speakers:2.0 Watts Mono2.0 Watts Mono

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector review

Design

It is compact little projector. The dimensions of the HC880 are: Width: 11.9 inches (302mm) Height: 3.4 inches (87mm) Depth: 9.8 inches (249mm). The unit weighs 5.95 lbs (2.7kg).

Connectors

Inputs are sparse, which is again fine at this price. One HDMI gets the job done along with 2 USBs. There’s a 3.5mm audio output, or you can use the meager built-in speaker.

You can easily connect a cable box, Blu-ray player, gaming console, or streaming device to the HC880 via its HDMI input. The Epson Home Cinema 880 projector can also support Mira casting with mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, or tablets. The Miracast feature allows the viewer to project or mirror a device wirelessly without any additional software.

The small remote has tiny buttons, but thankfully you only really need to use it for setup and to turn the projector on and off.

Screen size

The picture is clear. Currently have it at 100′ horizontal screen. Enough adjustment settings to make a straight picture. If you need to reduce the size of the picture the only way to do it is the remote as its lens is fixed.

Screen Size (Diagonal)Min Screen Distance (in)Max Screen Distance (in)
80”84 (2134 mm)99.05 (2516 mm)
100”95 (2413 mm)123 (3124 mm)
110”105.4 (2677 mm)136.2 (3459 mm)
120”115 (2921 mm)148.6 (3774 mm)
130”124 (3150 mm)161 (4089 mm)

Brightness

The Epson the Epson 880 has 3300 lumens, it appears 5 times brighter, has more colors than Jifar and WiMiUS.

Resolution

The picture quality is bright and crisp. 1080P comes through with good saturation and contrast. There are four factory color presets. The following observations were made using the projector’s factory default color mode settings.

  • Game Mode: This mode, as expected, is suited best for gaming. In my opinion, this mode focuses on the color as well as the brightness of the game. It definitely wins for gaming purposes.
  • Dynamic Mode: The default mode for HC880. This mode is best for prioritizing brightness, and is, in fact, the brightest mode.
  • Cinema Mode: Intended for viewing movies in dark home theater rooms, This is the most accurate mode.
  • Bright Cinema Mode: Designed for projecting in a room with ambient light.

Contrast ratio


When the HC880 encounters a “black frame” of information, it can shut down the laser engine completely projecting a true black frame. This feature is listed as Dynamic Dimming in the projector’s menu. The Epson Home Cinema 880 Projector specifications claim a dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1. The higher dynamic contrast is done by modulating light output of the projector’s laser light engine.

Keystone

The keystone correction is done automatically, or can you adjust manually via the Display sub-menu. Also, you can use Corner Fit to adjust each corner independently to achieve your desired image geometry. The HC880 is equipped with two-dimensional keystone correction with a range of ±30° in each dimension. The 2D Keystone feature dramatically reduces the trapezoid effect, which occurs when a projector is installed off-center.

Audio

The speaker is located on the left rear side of the projector, as you face the front of the unit. Like most projectors, the speaker is not great and lacks bass. Since the speaker is only 2 watts, it wouldn’t suffice in a home entertainment environment. If you desire home theater sound that resembles that of an actual movie theater, I suggest a sound bar or surround sound system.

Lamp life

 the 880 runs on a regular lamp and not some mixture of phosphorus and napalm. It’s rated for 6,000 hours in Normal brightness mode, which I’ll be surprised if you use often. The dimmer-but-still-bright ECO mode gets around twice that.

Remote

The remote control for the Epson HC880 is lightweight and white in color, making it easy to see even in a darkened room. It has all the buttons needed to quickly access inputs and adjustments that would be used daily in a home theater. One unique button on the remote is Quick Install, which takes you directly to a specialized menu containing settings typically used for setup. 

Epson Home Cinema 880 Ceiling mount

You can place the projector on almost any flat surface to project an image.

You can also install the projector in a ceiling mount if you want to use it in a fixed location.

Keep these considerations in mind as you select a projector location:

  • Place the projector on a sturdy, level surface or install it using a compatible mount.
  • Place the projector parallel to the screen.
  • Leave plenty of space around and under the projector for ventilation, and do not place it on top of or next to anything that could block the vents.
  • Position the projector within reach of a grounded electrical outlet or extension cord.

Projector Setup and Installation Options

You can set up or install your projector in the following ways:

Front

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector review

Rear

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector review

Front Ceiling

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector review

Rear Ceiling

Wherever you set up the projector, make sure to position it squarely in front of the center of the screen, not at an angle, if possible.

If you project from the ceiling or from the rear, be sure to select the correct Projection option in the projector’s menu system.

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector Geek Box review

Geek Box

TestResultScore
Black luminance (0%)0.946Poor
Peak white luminance (100%)231.5Good
Derived lumens2085Good
Avg. grayscale error (10-100%)2.401Good
Dark gray error (20%)2.688Good
Bright gray error (70%)2.225Good
Avg. color error3.737Average
Red error2.019Good
Green error6.949Average
Blue error5.381Average
Cyan error3.365Average
Magenta error3.239Average
Yellow error1.469Good
Avg. saturations error2.58Good
Avg. color checker error2.2Good
Input lag (Game mode)51.5Average

Epson Home Cinema 880 3-Chip 3LCD 1080p projector customer review

An Excellent Projector Without the High Price Tag!

I love going to the movie theater, but that is no longer a viable option lately with the pandemic. When I heard Epson was releasing its latest entry level 1080p projector, I jumped at the opportunity to bring the cinema experience to the comfort and safety of my living room.

The Epson Home Cinema (HC) 880 is simply awesome! It has just enough of the big features you’d want in a projector without the hefty price tag, and that makes this a value winning projector. I love the fact that it is rated at 3,300 lumens of color and white brightness. What that means for me is that I can watch my favorite movies without turning out the lights. I tried the projector during the day with the blinds and curtains open, letting in plenty of ambient natural light, and the projector image was still bright and sharp without any washout. And during the night I had my living room lights on, the Epson 880 continued to display a bright and clear image. The projector’s lamp brightness is a little dimmer in ECO mode when compared to Normal mode, but both modes still work well in ambient lighting.

I use a large white wall in my living as the projector screen. The projector’s image colors are true to life, sharp, bright, and have plenty of contrast. I was only able to project up to 8’ before I ran out of wall space, but Epson claims that the projector can display up to 386”.

Another feature I like is that the Epson HC 880 comes with an audio jack. I know in the past Epson did not include an audio jack for its older model entry level projectors, but I’m glad Epson finally included this feature. I can now connect my external speakers for a better home cinema audio experience. However, the built in 2 watt mono speaker works well, too. It gets plenty loud to overcome the projector’s fan noise. Speaking of fan noise, the Epson HC 880 isn’t too loud. In ECO mode, the fan barely makes a noise. Once you turn it to Normal mode, the fan does become more audible, but nothing to the point that it becomes a distraction.

One of the best things about this projector is that it is so easy to set up and use. You could mount it on the ceiling, but I simply set it on a table, plugged it in, leveled it by adjusting the height of the rear feet and front foot, adjusted the image for squareness, plugged my laptop into the hdmi connection, focused the image, and I was ready to enjoy a good movie with some popcorn in less than five minutes. The projector allows you to easily adjust for image squareness with the automatic vertical keystone correction, manual horizontal keystone correction, and Quick Corner setting. And there are plenty of image settings just like you would find on a television such as adjustments to color saturation, brightness, contrast, sharpness, tint, and so on. The remote control is easy to use and the onscreen menus are intuitive.

Although it is marketed as a home cinema projector, the HC 800 can also perform well as a business projector. After all, it can reach 3,300 lumens of brightness which is plenty to overcome the ambient lighting of a conference room. And it weighs only 6 lbs which is considered lightweight for a full size projector, making it easy to tote around.

I couldn’t find anything bad to nit pick with the projector. Some folks might be turned off by the limited number of connections. It only has 1 hdmi, 1 usb-type a, 1 usb-type b, and an audio jack as its interfaces. I don’t mind though, because I only use the hdmi connection. I can connect my google chromecast to the hdmi and power it with the usb-type a connection on the projector. This turns the HC 880 into a streaming machine.

Things that I wished were featured on the HC 880 would be a backlit remote control for the times when I’m using the projector in the dark, and also if Epson could include a soft carrying case for the projector. Other than that, for the value price and extraordinary image quality and features, the Epson HC 880 is a perfect entry level projector meeting the needs for a fun family movie night. I totally recommend this projector!

By lambda100 at Best Buy

Editor’s recommendations

Abu Saleh Rizvee
Abu Saleh Rizvee

I love to write content and contribute for my society. I invest my days in creating content for products those I love and brands who need online presence

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