Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD

Value

The Epson is the cheaper projector, priced at around $700. The LV-8310 is more expensive, at around $900.

	Comparison Specifications
	Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD	Canon LV-8310
Price
Resolution	WVGA 800 x 480 (5:3)	WXGA 1280 x 800 (16:10)
HD	Yes	Yes
3D Support	Yes	No

Blacks & Whites

The Canon LV-8310 is the brighter projector, which is important for use in well-lit environments. However, the difference between this and the Epson is not huge: both provide clean, bright images.

Color

The LV-8310 was the better performer in our color tests, with more consistent color temperature and smoother color curves. Both of these translate into smoother, more accurate color on the screen.

Motion

Neither projector wowed us with smooth motion on the screen. The 705HD can display 120 frames a second, but it does not seem to use this to produce any smoother motion than the Canon.

Viewing Effects

Both projectors include 1.2x zoom lenses that provide some flexibility in where the projector can be placed, but we found that the Canon offered a slightly wider range on which it could be placed to fill a particular screen size. We found that the additional lumens that the LV-8310 offers make it more able to cut through incidental lighting, but both projectors are suitable for office use with a small or medium sized screen.

Connectivity

Both projectors offer a number of inputs, allowing for both analog and digital video sources to be connected. The Canon projector does not have a HDMI port, though; it offers a single DVI port in its place. The Epson has no DVI port, but you can connect a DVI device with an additional DVI>HDMI adapter that costs less than $10.