Epson MovieMate 72 All-In-One Home Theater Projector Review: Overview

MovieMate 72 Projector Highlights

• All-in-one projector with built-in (upscaling) DVD player, and 4 speakers
• The first hi-def all-in-one projector, with 720p native resolution
• Very portable, and good ergonomics, including lens shift
• Most expensive of the all-in-one projectors at $1199, and worth it
• Reasonably bright projector
• Supports external devices, with HDMI and computer inputs
• Works very well with Hi-def DVD players and HDTV sources
• Outputs digital audio, in case you set it up in a room where you have a surround sound audio system, or high quality stereo.
• Impressive, overall, picture quality
• Black level performance not up to that of stand alone home theater projectors, but should be acceptable to most, and is comparable to the other all-in-one projector competition (some slightly better, some worse)

This is going to be a glowing review. I was most impressed when I first saw the MovieMate 72 at CEDIA. Finally, an all-in-one projector that had the potential to perform comparably to the lower cost (HD 720p resolution) stand alone home theater projectors.

Sure enough, the Epson MovieMate 72 is a definite cut above any of the other all-in-one projectors I’ve reviewed. This Epson offers picture quality that is, at least comparable with many of the stand alone home theater projectors that compete with it in terms of price. The one exception is in contrast and black levels. Still, the MovieMate 72 is impressive for movie watching, and black levels, are less critical for watching TV, and notably, sports.

One of the things I like best about the MovieMate 72, is its versatility. Lens shift, zoom lens, of course, but also the ability to input HD sources, and a host of great features (and benefits) in terms of functionality as an all-in-one projector. For example it can be used as a CD (or iPod, etc.) music player without cutting into lamp life. More in the general performance section on many of the cool features of the MovieMate 72.