Epson EH-LS670B projector Full HD, 3600 ANSI lumens, Wi-Fi, black

ANSI lumens are the standard brightness measure that lets you compare projectors with each other. 3600 ANSI lumens is a high output for a home projector: it gives headroom at dusk with a lamp on, or during the day with the curtains drawn when the room is not completely dark. The extra light also helps with a large image, because the light is spread over a bigger surface.

A resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels is the same as on Full HD TVs. The 16:9 aspect ratio means films, series and sports broadcasts in that format fill the whole image with no black bars at the top and bottom. On a large projected picture the pixel count becomes very visible: Full HD keeps subtitles, menus and fine detail clearer than lower-resolution projectors do.

The contrast ratio tells you how many times brighter the brightest white is than the deepest black. Epson quotes a contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 for the EH-LS670B. In practice the depth of black depends heavily on the room: light walls and ceilings reflect light back onto the image and make black look greyer. In a darkened room with dark surfaces the contrast shows best.

Epson rates the EH-LS670B for up to 20,000 hours of operation. Used four hours every day, it would take more than 13 years to reach that figure, and far longer if you watch films a couple of evenings a week. Real life depends on how the projector is used and on room conditions, such as dust and whether the ventilation openings are kept clear.

In a 3LCD projector the light is split three ways, and red, green and blue each pass through their own LCD panel before the image is recombined. There is no colour wheel, so all colours are shown simultaneously rather than in sequence. As a result there is no rainbow effect, which some viewers notice in fast motion on single-chip DLP projectors.

The EH-LS670B suits a living-room home cinema where the room cannot always be fully darkened and the picture needs to be big. 3600 ANSI lumens, Full HD resolution and an operating time of up to 20,000 hours are its main arguments. At 7.4 kg the projector is meant more for a fixed spot than for carrying between rooms, and the black housing is less noticeable in a dark room.