Epson PowerLite S1+ Multimedia LCD Video Projector

When searching for a projector I had the following criteria which the Epson S1+ met.

Low Cost Best price I found Amazon 749.00

Low Noise Epson S1+ is 33dB

Minimum 800x600 Resolution

Native 4:3 Aspect Ratio

High ANSI Lumens Epson S1+ is 1400

Decent Contrast Ratio Epson S1+ is 400:1

Low Cost Bulb replacement ($150-$200)

For the cost, there was no other projector on the market that could compete. I did not want the lower end DLP projectors, due to rainbow effects that can happen. I also wanted a projector that would be cost effective after the initial purchase. The S1+ bulbs can be found for $150.00 to $200.00, compared to $350-$400 for competitors. BTW: This unit will be used in a small church for Sunday services and cost was a big factor when investing and researching bulb replacement costs.

How does it work?

We get a great image for our church service with full house lights on, this projector is brilliant. Very, low noise. Most of the time it is used with PowerPoint presentations, but it also does a great job with DVD projection.

Image Size?

This unit projects a BIG image from a short distance, if you need a large picture, but do not have the space...this may be the projector for you.

Quality?

I am really impressed with the fit, finish and quality of the Epson projector and will be purchasing the Powerlite Home 10+ for my home theater.

How does it compare?

I have an Infocus X2 and and NEC VT470 projector and I would take the Epson S1+ over either one of these any day.

-Yes, since this is an LCD projector it has several limitations, including the screen door affect and is also has limited resolution at 800X600. Although many people kick up a fuss about both of these traits, neither really matters. If you sit close enough to see the screen door affect or the individual pixels for that matter, then you probably won't be able to see the whole screen because you are sitting less than one foot away from it.

I bought my S1+ about 2 months ago and use it everyday. It has taken a beating when I take it friend's houses, parties, ECT. But has shown no signs of the abuse. When it is set up anywhere from 30" to 60" it looks the same as plasma or a large projector, except it is better because it does not have the glare of a normal TV. Since it's purchase I have also set up a 14-foot screen made of poster board in my garage (it will project nicely almost anywhere on almost any surface), which looks awesome and beats almost any other theater that I've ever been in.

When I first started looking through projectors I wanted something that should accept any interface that I threw at it. When I came across the S1+ I was intimidated because I didn't know how well it would project video games such as Halo2 for XBOX. After it's purchase I was relieved to find that I could have my computer, XBOX and PS2 all hooked up to the projector at the same time and switch between them using the remote control that came with it. All of them are awesome, especially with surround sound and games like DOOM3. Even when split into 4 screens for Halo, it's still quality. Also this is a pretty bright projector, I can have my windows open with several lights on and still easily the screen as if it was a TV.

This costs less then a plasma or a projection TV and can be made much smaller or larger then either. When they say 30"-300" they mean it. It will consume any wall you put in front of it.

Last, it is the easiest thing to transport I have ever seen. For a LAN party I throw my projector, surround sound system and my XBOX into my backpack, jump on my motorcycle and am off in just a few minutes.

If you are new to projectors or are just looking for a large HD TV at a good price, then this is the one that I recommend.

I am not sure how long the bulb last (some people say they die quickly), mine is just passing 500 hours, but they only cost $175, which is significantly less then most other projectors (around $350).

Buy Epson PowerLite S1+ Multimedia LCD Video Projector Now

Before getting into how this projector works, I need to preface by saying that I am on my second projector and third bulb in 2.5 months. I teach school, and need the projector about 4 times/day at 15-20 minutes per use. Perhaps I should have considered a machine capable running consistently during a demanding duty cycle, but solid state electronics are usually not phased by this (and the bulbs, priced as they are, should not be either.)

When this projector works, it works well. It has a nice, bright image and good clarity/detail. It is quiet, runs cool, is light, and fairly portable. Compared to others on the market, the value per dollar is excellent. I seem to have had machines with teething problems though.

My first projector, purchased new mid-January of 2005, exhibited all the symptoms of a bad bulb within 2 weeks, and 20 hours on the clock. I called Epson tech. service, was walked through some diagnostics, and was told that a new projector would be out quickly. I received my "new" projector (actually a refurb. unit with more hours on the bulb than mine had) the next morning. Great turnaround, but to get a refurbished unit for my two-week new one, especially with the bulb hours as they were was no bargain. I called customer service to voice my opinion on this and they agreed that I was due compensation I was promised a new bulb but never received it. I am still fighting for one.

The second projector worked for another 2 weeks, then operation became intermittant for a few hours, then the unit stopped working completely.

After another over the phone diagnosis, the rep. told me the bulb was bad, but that bulbs were out of stock -same story I had received earlier. As of this writing, I am still waiting.

I don't know if this problem is endemic to this machine, but mine is certainly no gem. Maybe I need a heavy-duty model. I've always followed directions for cool down, haven't abused it, but continue to suffer the same problem on what is becoming a consistent basis. If I was rich, this wouldn't be problem, I'd just trade up. I give this machine a "C", and I give Epson's Customer Service Dept. a "C-". Next time, initial cost will not be such a huge issue in my purchase decision.

Read Best Reviews of Epson PowerLite S1+ Multimedia LCD Video Projector Here

Just purchased this (check online for rebates) for a budget home theater setup. We are using this projector on an 80" screen in a very dark basement. While you can certainly get better contrast and brightness from other projectors, I challenge anyone to find a better value for this price point. I was not really expecting much from the projector when we purchased it and thought that this may be a good device for the kids to watch movies / play games on. But are finding that we are watching many more movies on this great projector. Low upfront costs and low bulb replacement costs make this a good choice if you are just getting into a front projection system.

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I bought this little projector mostly to attend on-line classes with, and to have a way to play games when my brain was full (which is very often;)). I also wanted a way to watch TV without having a big & ugly TV in my home office. A projector seemed the best solution, so I gave it a go.

The Epson has generous connectivity options, which allowed me to hook it up to numerous video sources simultaneously, and then switch between them all (yeah!). I have it as S-Video from my cable system's DVD R/W recorder, computer / component video from my main computer, and the 3-RCA video/audio (composite) connectors from my x-box.

In fact, the Epson sits right on top of my x-box, making for a highly cool, highly compact gaming unit with awesome capability. It takes a few minutes to transition from gaming in a fishbowl to playing in a life-size environment & getting accustomed to so much motion. Screen is plenty bright, though some of the darker interior scenes from the likes of Halo-1 are best played with the lights down (my screen is about 6 X 8 feet, 1.83 X 2.44m).

The device has fittings for ceiling mounts, but I'm more inclined to the portability of the included carrying case, if anything.

Switching between the video channels is either by hand-held remote or via the little control panel situated on top of the Epson. There is a second remote that is for operating your computer's mouse for presentations, including page up/down & L/R clicking, and it works great on xp pro with the included IR (InfraRed) USB receiver. Sounds complicated but installation was all of plugging the little IR cable/module into a USB port & then playing with the neat-o mouse remote. This is great for remotely fast-forwarding through commercials when playing DVDs through a computer. The projector has IR receivers fore and aft, BTW.

The main remote controls the video input selection, speaker volume (including mute), on-screen menu (very easy to use, with lots of selections for picky people), freeze video, a handy one-button color mode (Theater, Presentation, etc), Aspect ratio (2 settings), and ZOOM.

Video quality largely depends on the type of video input you apply to the Epson, with composite at the low end, s-video in the middle, and computer / component as highest picture clarity. The differences between these input types are about an order of magnitude, everything else being equal. By all means opt for computer / component input! Its like night and day as far as video quality goes.

Presentation fonts come through crystal clear, as do digital images, and watching a cable program or DVD on the unit is great fun (especially through the computer / component video port, where the picture is crystal clear). Although not what you would build a breathtaking home theater system around the Epson is nevertheless a practical, fun, truly plug & play projector that will connect to just about anything and go.

5-stars, among the entry-level projectors.