Epson EH-TW5000 75,000:1 contrast ratio projector available {Engadget HD}

Jun 9th 2009 7:23AM Epson does indeed have different model names and numbers for the USA and Europe. The Epson EH-TW5000 (aka. PowerLite Pro Cinema 7500UB) has been available in Europe since early January 2009. The lowest price from any reputable, reliable online store has, in Switzerland, dropped from CHF 4070.00 at release to the current CHF 3805.00 (currently about USD 3500 or EUR 2520 or GBP 2170). Its recommended list price is CHF 4925.00.

Bozster writes of the Panasonic PT-AE3000 in his comment, and some would argue that it is the superior projector. It has been on the market in Europe since October 2008 and the lowest online price has dropped in price from over CHF 4000.00 to its current CHF 3500.00

My own opinion is that the Panasonic and Epson machines are both worthy of the dedicated home cinema room. I've seen both these 3LCD projectors in action and have compared against significantly more expensive SXRD and DLP machines, but personally struggle to see the cost/benefit advantage of the pricier technologies.

For those who are currently saving up for a purchase instead of buying right now, there are rumours of the next iteration of the Panasonic (perhaps PT-AE4000?) being available for Christmas 2009. By the way, I currently own a DLP projector and have decided to buy the Panasonic AE-3000, not because there is any great difference between the Epson and Panasonic picture quality, or noise level, or even because of the trivial price difference, but because my Blu-ray player is a Panasonic.