Traditional TVs are great. They entertain us for hours on end, but sometimes they may not be the best solution for our needs. That’s where projectors like the Home Cinema 3200 from Epson come into play.
Design
The look and industrial feel of the Home Cinema are pretty lackluster. It gets the job done with the plastic and metal frame, but it’s not going to win awards for its futuristic shell. It’s also alarmingly big.
The projector is a handful and I honestly had a hard time figuring the perfect spot to set the thing up in my house.
Atop the frame, you have two dials that adjust the vertical and horizontal orientation of the projection, letting you get the perfect fit for your screen destination. Just to the rear of those dials is a D-pad selection array with menu buttons to navigate the embedded system if you don’t have the remote handy.
Moving to the backside of the Cinema 3200 reveals all the available inputs and outputs the device has to offer. This includes two HDMI inputs, USB-A power, USB-A input, audio out, a mini USB input for firmware updates, and the DC power port.
ITo the front of the projector, we have the main attraction of the projection lens. This glass lens is capable of a max brightness of 29000 lumens and full UHD 4K 4,096 x 2160 pixel resolution. It will even do 3D projections if you wear compatible eyewear. There’s also Bluetooth audio and aptX onboard to make up for the lack of integrated speakers.
Watching experience
The picture is impressive. Watching movies up to 16′ x 13′ surface is bonkers. And even at the largest sizing, I never felt like there was a degradation in quality. Images are crisp and clear. Even fast-moving scenes don’t bog down this projector.
Using the aforementioned control knobs, you manage the look and positioning of the screen. These controls allow you to manipulate the overall size as well as the angles of the screen.
This was especially handy for me when I realized that the only place I had the real estate to set up was on the angled ceiling of my bonus room. Tweaking the projector, I was able to compensate that I was not on a completely flat surface.
Speaking of the controls, another nice touch is the HDMI Link option on the included Epson remote. What this does is search for the input system you have connected via the HDMI ports and tries to mimic the inputs of that system’s default remote menu options.
HDMI Link worked flawlessly with the Android-powered Amazon Fire Stick. It immediately allowed me to set down the Fire remote and only use the Epson remote for all navigation.
The Roku stick was a miss, unfortunately as the Epson remote was unable to communicate with its system at all. Either way, this is a nice attempt at Epson consolidating the user experience.
When it comes to audio, the sound experience of the 3200 projector leaves a bit to be desired on a couple of fronts. One, there are no included speakers on the projector itself. While it would most likely be just OK, I think at $1,300 there’d at least be something integrated.
Also, Bluetooth audio was hit or miss. Only two of five speakers/headphones I tried to pair were successful. I’m not sure what’s driving the issue but could have been a conflict in Bluetooth versions, but we all know how fickle wireless audio devices can be at times.
I think the perfect audio scenario is a nice surround sound amplifier hooked to the 3200 in a true home theater room. The random small speaker I used in my testing is not the rightful output for audio here.
Final Thoughts
The Epson 3200 Projector deserves to be in the correct environment. The price at $1,300, the size of the unit, and the need for audio output all make it the sort of device that is designed to live in a true home theater room. You kind of have to know what you’re looking for
If chosen as part of a larger, dedicated surround system and large projection screen, the Epson 3200 makes for a very compelling option. You’d have a solid viewing experience to enjoy a theater on a smaller scale inside your own home. There are better (read: cheaper) options for casual users like the Anker Nebula line.