September 7, 2005 : Epson has released an interesting all-in-one home cinema with integrated Epson 3LCD projector and JVC DVD player and simulated surround sound system all in one portable case. The new system (the usual Epson alphabet soup designation being EMP-TWD1) simplifies the home cinema entertainment system because it is truly plug-and-play: it needs only one lead to supply power, making it easy to turn any room into a cinema or to create your own cinema under the stars on those balmy summer nights. Most importantly, the TWD1 is intuitive to use, and offers a vast array of the latest technologies to ensure a quality picture and sound. We’ve seen and heard the TWD1 and think it will further the cause of home entertainment in that it offers superb quality at an affordable price.
As always, Epson brings only the best in digital imaging technology to the table with the EMP-TWD1. Epson’s 3LCD technology provides smoother, sharper playback and produces brighter, more natural images with no colour break up, making all viewing easier on the eyes.
The built in DVD player in the EMP-TWD1 has a unique ‘digital direct’ progressive scan which processes the data from the film source without converting the frames into interlace. This provides smoother play and prevents blurring and pixelation. Also unique to the DVD player in the TWD1 is its ‘rolling pickup’ feature which prevents misreading, mistracking and freezing during play.
The EMP-TWD1 uses the small yet highly efficient and powerful E-TORL lamp, designed by Epson, which can be adjusted between 1200 and 350 ANSI Lumens using the six preset colour modes, to deliver the optimum level of brightness needed to maximise image quality in a variety of operating environments.
Inside the white casing of the EMP-TWD1 are JVC’s new Direct Drive (DD) speakers. Using a combination of high strength CCS Diaphragm, large aperture voice coil, and an ultra strong magnetic circuit these speakers can produce rich, natural sound throughout the room from a very compact package.
The DD speakers in the EMP-TWD1 use less than a quarter of the space that the equivalent standard speaker would, and provide better response across all frequencies creating an effect similar to surround sound from only two in-built speakers.
The incorporated DVD in the EMP-TWD1 includes an AHB circuit to further enhance sound quality. This detects where the sound level at a certain frequency will exceed the limitations of the speakers and adjusts the signal to spread the load over lower frequencies, avoiding distortion.
A wide range of smart functions on the EMP-TWD1 make set up easy and quick. Vertical and horizontal lens shift ensures a square image even when the projector is not centred in the room. Vertical keystone correction allows trapezoidal picture adjustment, and in auto aspect mode ensures the projector detects the aspect ratio and adjusts itself accordingly.
Viewing options are even further increased with the wide zoom ratio (1.5x) and short focus lens which can project a 200cm screen from as little as 2 meters away.
The EMP-TWD1 only takes eight seconds to warm up and nine seconds to cool down and includes new functions such as ‘break’ mode, where play is paused and the screen becomes bright white to aid movement about the room. Simply press ‘break’ again to immediately resume the movie at the same point. The remote control is made for easy use when the lights are off with backlit buttons.
The incorporated DVD player supports video CD, super video CD and various other video formats and can be used to play music in audio CD, MP3 or WMA format, or to host your own slide show of Jpeg images.
The Epson EMP-TWD1 has a RRP of 1299 Euro, US$1299 or AUD$2499 in the respective countries and will be available this month through major Epson retailers.