Epson Megaplex MG-850HD Projector

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I’ve been out looking for a new flat screen TV for the past couple months; something with a large screen that would act as the centerpiece to my living room to bring my family together to play Xbox or watch movies. My quest had be looking into the 50+ inch range; which to my surprise had a very serious jump in cost from a 32-40-inch television. I was looking upwards of $1500 to get a nice set. Normally this would not bother me except that I knew this TV would only be used a couple hours a day at the most. That is why I came across a site on the net talking about projection televisions. I did not know much about them other than what I thought was fact; that they had poor resolution and only worked well in absolute darkness.

I finally had my eye on the Epson Megaplex MG-850HD with its retail price of only $799, 720p image quality and its ability to project an 80 inch viewing size on our living room wall. I figured what the heck and gave it a try. My family room has a large white wall that would act as the perfect “screen” to watch from. As I began to set it up, I discovered what looked like my first challenge: I had no way to put the unit directly in front of the wall. I would have to make some kind of a holder to hang if from the ceiling which I was not excited about doing. Fear not! Against my better judgment as a guy, I decided to look at the instruction manual and low and behold, there is an adjustment that allows you to place the projector off at an angle from the intended screen. This is called a “keystone adjustment” and it allows you to set the unit up to 30 degrees from center and still maintain a perfect 16:9 screen on the wall. Pretty slick if you ask me!

As I powered it up and connected my cable box via HDMI, I was a little disappointed that the physical screen size was not larger. It was about 60 inches. Again, looking at the manual, I found that the zoom knob would allow me to make the screen much larger. After a few seconds of tweaking, I had an 80+ inch crystal clear picture on my wall which was pretty awesome. The 10 watt stereo speaker system filled the room with excellent sound quality – time to call the kids.

The look on their faces was priceless as they entered the room. WOW! “Look at the size of that TV screen”, they said. “Daddy bought us a movie theatre!” Within minutes the popcorn was popping and the kids had a movie all picked out. It truly was like we had our own movie theatre in our living room. Mr. Poppers Penguins never looked so good on our 32” LCD TV.

FEATURES
Yes, the picture quality is excellent with sound quality to match. Yes, the Megaplex MH-850HD was able to convert my living room to a gathering place where I could spend some quality time enjoying movies and video games with my family. But what else can it do?

The 850HD is packed with other features which really expand its value.

The 850HD will not just work with a cable box. In fact, you can connect a variety of other devices to it including your computer, a video input with standard component RCA audio and video feeds and you can even dock your Apple device directly to it. There is a video input selector so you can switch between devices, but the unit also has the ability to auto-detect the devices that are connected.

The Apple dock will allow you to stream video and audio directly from your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or iPod Nano device without any additional cables. When plugged in, a menu comes up on-screen to access music and other media downloaded from iTunes. Photos taken with your Apple device can be accessed directly from the device, not though the menu. The dock also charges the attached device and allows for music playback either with or without any display.

My only complaint on the 850HD was that I wished it had two HDMI inputs. Since the Xbox has HD output, to enjoy that picture quality, I have to swap HDMI cables when switching from viewing TV or playing the game system. I could setup the Xbox using component cables but I would lose the HD quality.

As I mentioned before, the audio quality is excellent; much better than I expected from a portable projector. There are four different audio modes to further enhance your audio experience. They are:

• Standard – Outputs sound at standard quality.
• Movie – Emphasizes low-pitch and high-pitch sounds.
• Music – Clarifies low-pitch and high-pitch sounds.
• Vocal – Makes voices and dialog easier to hear.

The 850HD does not have to be used just as a television projector. This thing is highly portable and even has a built-in carrying handle. For business use, you can easily connect it to your laptop or office computer and share presentations in the board room. The display features 2800 lumens of color brightness which means it will deliver a very bright and clear image in rooms that are not completely dark, such as my living room.

The 850HD has a light sensor on the top of the projector that, when the color mode is set on Auto, will select one of the other color modes that’s appropriate for the lighting conditions (i.e. ‘Dynamic’ if there’s a lot of ambient light or ‘Cinema’ if the projector’s in a dark room).

The MG-850HD’s remote is a slim, black unit with nicely laid out controls. There are buttons for Power, Source, Aspect ratio and Color mode. There’s a User button that can be set to control one of five different functions that might be missing from the remote, but often used. There is a button to transfer control from the remote to the iPod (for accessing photos etc. directly from the iPod). Then you have the usual menu access and navigation buttons right in the center of the remote. Finally, you have buttons to control playback (Play, Pause Fast Forward and Rewind) from the iPod and Volume Up/Down buttons for the built-in speaker system. Both the playback and volume buttons can be illuminated by pressing a backlight button on the bottom front of the remote, allowing the user to quickly access them in a dark room.

FINAL THOUGHTS
If you are looking for the ultimate entertainment device that will bring your family together and turn any room in your house to a movie “theatre”, then the Epson Megaplex MG-850HD Projector should be on the top of your list. With an over 80 inch viewable screen size, there is no better way to blast away bad guys on your game system or kicking back and relaxing with a good movie in a theatre environment. What about sports? Come one, what football fan would not love watching the game on this thing where the players are portrayed just about in life size? The MG-850HD is a versatile device that will bring hours of enjoyment to your family, make your presentations demand attention in the board room or if you couple it with an outdoor screen, you can bring the enjoyment of movies and more to your back yard or campsite. After what seemed like an endless search for the best possible TV that would fill our family’s needs, I am glad I found the MG-850HD.

Epson MG-850HD Projector Highlights

• High Brightness – rated at 2800 lumens
• Plug ‘n Play — USB connection projects video and plays audio from a PC
• Built-in iPod, iPhone and iPad dock
• Built-in 10 watt stereo speakers
• Rapid power on and off
• Epson’s Extra Care Home Service program allows for a rapid replacement projector delivery

Specs for the Epson Megaplex MG-850HD

Click here for full specifications: Epson MG-850HD

MSRP: $799, Street Price: $700
Technology: 3LCD
Native Resolution: WXGA (1280×800)
Brightness: 2800 lumens
Contrast: Up to 3000:1
Zoom Lens ratio: 1.2:1
Lens shift: None
Lamp life: Up to 4000 hours in Normal mode, 5000 hours in Eco mode
Dimensions (Including feet): 13.4″W x 11.5″D x 4.9″H
Weight: 8.4 lbs.
Warranty: 2 years Parts and Labor on projector, 90 days on lamp