Hot on the tails of the MovieMate projectors, Epson has announced several new 1080p home projectors. The 8350 is under $1,300 and the 8700 UB is under $2,200. They've also got specs that belie the pricing.

The 8350 is a 3LCD design, like most of Epson's projectors. Contrast ratio is a claimed 50,000:1 with a light output of 2,000 lumens. The contrast ratio is no doubt helped by an auto iris, which automatically dims or brightens the image depending on the video signal. While this method doesn't result in an image quite as good as some LCOS designs, it is better than nothing and new to this price point.

Epson claims fan noise is only 22 dB.

The step-up 8700 UB, as a 3LCD, has a "dual-layered" auto iris. I've never heard of this before, but it's likely self explanatory (as in, two auto irises). This gives the 8700 UB a claimed contrast ratio of 200,000:1. This likely means the 8700 UB also has a better black level than the 8350. Light output is a claimed 1,600 lumens.

Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX video processing ensures top notch processing and scaling.

Both new projectors share the same 200-watt lamp with a rated 5,000 hours of life. Pricing on the lamp according to Epson is $300. There's also two HDMI 1.3 inputs, Fujinon optics, and a two year warranty.

All the pricing info available now is that the 8350 is "under" $1,300 and the 8700 UB is "under" $2,200. Whether this means $1,299 or $1,295 or something less amusing (but even better on the wallet) remains to be seen.

Both will be available right around... now.

Epson.com