Welcome to the latest clash of visual titans – Projector vs Projector! In this showdown, we'll explore the key differences, advantages, and considerations between these two of the most popular home theater projectors that bring your visuals to life. Whether you're a cinephile, presenter, or tech enthusiast, buckle up as we delve into the world of projection technology and answer the question, "Which 4K projector is best?"
That very question is one we're going to help answer today by comparing two of the top Epson 4K home theater projectors, the Epson 5050UB and the Epson LS11000.
Our projection experts have spent hours with both Epson projectors to produce our latest head to head competition. We hope this in depth look will help you decide which projector is better for your personal home cinema setup.
Epson 5050UB
If you've been a home theater enthusiast for any of the past five years, you have no doubt come across the Epson 5050UB (not to be confused with its discontinued sibling models, the Epson 5050 and Epson 5050UBe.) The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD projector was released in April 2019. Despite what is eons in the fast moving world of home entertainment technology this projector still delivers an amazing 4K home theater experience. This bulb based projector was ahead of its time and only now are similar models catching up.
Epson LS1100
Epson, like many manufacturers, have switched their focus from bulb to laser based home theater projectors with the Epson LS11000 (along with the Epson LS12000). This is a 4K laser projector that offers outstanding visuals at a very reasonable price. This new Epson unit represents the beginning of a new wave of bright laser home theater projectors. If you want to know more you can read our Epson LS11000 review here.
Epson 5050UB Vs Epson LS11000
So now that you've met the combatants, which home theater will come out ahead in this battle of cousins? Will it be the bulb based Epson 5050UB or the laser based Epson LS11000?
Read our expert's comparison of these two fantastic Epson home cinema projectors to find out who will win.
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Epson LS11000 |
Epson 5050UB |
Our Thoughts: |
Brightness |
2500 |
2600 |
Normally you'd expect a laser model to be brighter but the 5050UB gets the small edge by 100 lumens. |
Throw Ratio |
1.35:1 - 2.84:1 |
1.35:1 - 2.84:1 |
Both projectors have the same throw ratio that gives you a good amount of setup flexibility. |
Screen Size |
49.98" - 300.35" |
49.93" - 300.04" |
These top Epson home theater projectors can produce about the same screen size. |
Projector Lens Shift |
Horizontal +/-96.30% & Vertical +/-47.10% |
Horizontal +/-96.30% & Vertical +/-47.10% |
Not surprisingly they both also have the same amount of lens shift. |
Chipset |
4 way pixel-shifting 0.74” 3LCD |
4 way pixel-shifting 0.74” 3LCD |
Epson uses the same pixel shift technology on all their 4K projectors. |
Light Source |
Single Laser w/ fixed yellow phosphor |
250W UHE bulb |
With a more advanced technology the laser light engines are able to last significantly longer than bulb based lamps. |
Color |
90% DCI-P3 |
97% DCI-P3 |
Both projectors cover an extremely wide color gamut but the Epson 5050UB has more coverage thanks to an extra color filter. |
Contrast Ratio |
2019:1 |
8000:1 |
While the contrast on the Epson LS11000 is really great for a home theater projector, the contrast on the Epson 5050UB is even more phenomenal thanks to its UltraBlack technology. |
Input Lag |
20 ms |
22.5 ms |
Both have incredibly low lag times and are among the best 4K gaming projectors. However, the LS1100 has the edge. |
Price |
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|
At a less expensive price, the Epson 5050UB is a fantastic value. But there's a hidden cost with replacing the bulbs over time, such that over the lifespan of the projector will cost more. |
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Add to Cart
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Add to Cart
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Epson LS11000
The Pros
- Bright laser light source
- Very vibrant colors
- Great black levels
- Best value from a home cinema laser projector
- Can produce an image up to 300 inches
- Lots of installation options for easier setup
- Picture looks great out of the box so you don't need much calibration
- Great Gaming input lag at ~20 ms or less.
The Cons
- No 3D support
- Not native 4K
- Only comes in white
- Doesn't come with any built in streaming apps
- No built-in speakers (not super important on a dedicated home theater projector)
Epson 5050UB
The Pros
- Incredible black levels and contrast ratio
- Excellent, low input lag below 25ms
- Solid performance out of the box
- Bright enough for lights on viewing
- Wide color gamut
- Lots of installation options for easier setup
- Supports 3D
- Can produce an image up to 300 inches
- Backlit remote
The Cons
- Bulb based light source means you loose brightness over time until you replace the bulb
- Expensive bulbs need to be replaced
- Achieving the full color gamut comes at the cost of reduced light output because of the color filter
- Slight defocusing as the projector warms up
- Relatively loud for a home theater projector (though not really noticeable while watching most content)
- Not native 4K
- Large bulky body
- Only has 2 HDMI ports
So Which 4K Projector Do We Recommend, The Epson LS11000 Or The Epson 5050UB?
Epson is known for making some of the best projectors for home cinemas in the world. It's no wonder both the Epson LS11000 and Epson 5050UB are some of our most popular projectors. Both of these 4K home theater projectors provide an absolutely incredible picture for your movie room screen. And like with every other shootout we do, it's not easy for our projection experts to pick a clear winner. Each one has significant advantages compared to the other.
But you read this entire post for a reason. You want our projection experts to help you decide what projector to get for your home theater. So between the Epson 5050UB and Epson LS11000, the winner of this projector showdown is the………
Epson 5050UB!
Why Buy The Epson 5050UB?
This one was kind of shocker. How could a five year old projector beat out a newer laser projector? For the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB to get the win over the newer LS1000, the answer is picture quality.
It's not hard to argue that the 5050UB that the image you get is one of the best found on an Epson home theater projector. You get some of the best in class black levels and contrast for those dark scenes and a plethora of bright vivid colors for the lighter scenes. When you combine that with the details of a 4K projector like this one, you get an absolute winner.
The far superior contrast found on the 5050UB was probably the biggest advantage it had over the Epson LS11000. This is of course thanks to the Epson UltraBlack technology that was left off of the new models.
While not that significant, the extra 100 lumens you get with the 5050UB gives it an extra edge if you're planning to enjoy content with the lights on when every extra lumen helps.
One of the advantages of laser projectors over bulb projectors is their lifespan. But if you're the type of owner who doesn't use their device quite as often this advantage is negated. So a bulb based projector like the Epson 5050UB is a great choice.
For a listed price of $2999, the lower price tag was a big plus that also helped us pick the Epson 5050UB as the winner.
Why Buy The Epson LS1100?
Before you go buying the Epson 5050UB, you may still want to consider getting the Epson LS11000 for your movie and television watching needs for a number of reasons.
The Epson LS11000 home cinema projector also offers an incredible picture with vibrant colors, razor sharp image and outstanding contrast.
Even though the Epson 5050UB has a wider color gamut than the LS11000, it comes with an asterisk. To achieve this wider color gamut the Epson 5050UB employs a roll-in color filter in certain picture modes but comes at the expense of having reduced brightness up to 50%. This is especially problematic when it comes to HDR content that needs that extra light to properly display the content. So if you plan to watch a lot of HDR movies in your home theater room the LS11000 may be the better option.
The biggest reason to get the Epson LS11000 vs the Epson 5050UB is the same as it is when you're comparing bulb projectors vs laser projectors: the lifespan of your light source. Laser projectors, like the LS11000, can provide over 20,000 hours of movie watching entertainment while bulb projectors need to have their bulb replaced every 3,000 to 5,000 hours. Every time you need an Epson 5050UB replacement bulb you're looking at spending $330.
To reach the 25,000 hours of life you'd get on the LS11000, you'd need to spend an extra $1600 which would negate the initial cost savings of the bulb based Epson 5050UB.
Another big advantage of laser projectors is that they maintain brightness throughout their lifespan. The lamps on bulb projectors have diminished light output as they're used. If you're planning on watching content like TV and sports with the lights on the laser based Epson LS11000 is the way to go since you'll get full lumen output every time you sit down to watch your projector.
On top of all that, replacement bulbs may become harder to find and more expensive as more manufacturers move to laser and LED projector models. So stock up on replacement bulbs because there's no telling if they'll still available when you need them.
Though a minor point, if you're the less patient type, the LS11000 turns on and powers down much faster than the UB5050.
The Epson LS11000 is probably one of the easiest projectors to align and looks fantastic out of the box. With 2500 lumens this projector is still bright enough to enjoy content with the lights on. And when you pair it with an ambient light rejecting projector screen the Epson cinema projector is even capable of producing a high quality image in a well lit room.
For hardcore gamers, where every millisecond counts, the LS11000 has a slight edge as the gaming projector of choice.
Another reason to consider buying the Epson LS11000 over the Epson 5050UB is the age factor. Because it's been out for 5 years, there's a good chance that Epson will be discontinuing it in the near future, which means they might not be able to offer the same level of support as they can on a newer model if there are any issues.
Which Projector Do You Think Is Better?
Which model do you think is better, the Epson 5050UB or the Epson LS1100? Do you own one or the other? Leave us your thoughts in the comments below.
We'll be breaking down the comparison between the Epson LS11000 and Epson 5050UB even further in our projector shootout series on YouTube. So make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can get notified when our shootout goes live plus other great content in our pipeline.
If you have any questions on these projectors or anything else projection related don’t hesitate to hit us up at ProjectorScreen.com. Thanks for reading and keep on projecting!
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | EPSON |
Product Status: | In Stock |
Lumens: | 2500 |
Projector Type: | Standard Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 1,200,000:1 |
Chipset: | LCD |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 1.35:1 - 2.84:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | Horizontal & Vertical |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz:19.4ms | 1080p/120Hz: 28.7ms |
3D Support: | No |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Motorized |
Wi-Fi: | No |
ARC/eARC: | eARC |
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | EPSON |
Product Status: | In Stock |
Lumens: | 2600 |
Projector Type: | Standard Throw |
Light Source: | Bulb |
Contrast Ratio: | 1,000,000:1 |
Chipset: | LCD |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 1.35:1 - 2.84:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 1920x1080 |
Lens Shift: | Horizontal & Vertical |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 22.5ms | 1080p/60Hz: 28ms |
3D Support: | Yes |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Motorized |
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