Review on 📽️ Epson EX5280 3-Chip 3LCD XGA Projector: High Brightness, HDMI, Built-in Speaker, 16,000:1 Contrast by Mandy Tyrrell

This projector isn't for everyone. In particular I would say if you are looking for a projector whose main purpose is to watch movies/TV shows at home then this projector is not for you. On the other hand, if you need a portable projector and use it for things like business presentations but also support things like video and do what it does at a very reasonable price then this might be what you're looking for. Firstly, I don't recommend this if your sole purpose is to watch videos because this is an XGA (1024 x 768; 4:3 aspect ratio) projector. It was a hot banana a few decades ago, when many laptops and even home PCs didn't go beyond that resolution, and when most home video programs had an aspect ratio of 4:3 and offered no more than that. But times have changed, and now a high-end projector will play 4K (or at least 2K), while the standard budget format for a home video projector will be 1080p (1920 x 1080; 16:9 aspect ratio). XGA is old news. That said, XGA is still good enough for most business presentations, and XGA video doesn't look bad, it just doesn't look as good as it could. The projector can "skip" samples from higher resolutions (up to 4K input) so this is not a problem. So XGA means that this projector is more suitable for business people who watch movies occasionally than for home users. Well what it lacks in resolution it makes up for in brightness. The projector is rated at 3800 lumens. It's fantastic brightness. In comparison, the high-end Epson 5500UB 4K projector I also own is rated at just 2800 lumens. This projector is BRIGHT. This means you can use it even in dark rooms and you will get a viewable image. Oh, and Epson is honest about its lumen ratings. Don't compare their reviews to the unnamed budget projectors that claim high light output. Basically it's just nonsense. In my tests, given the limitations of XGA, the image was more than satisfactory. I verified this by connecting the Roku to the HDMI input. The built-in 2W speaker is good and delivers enough volume for a medium sized room. However, and this is a HUGE downside, this projector doesn't have an audio out jack and Bluetooth. So if you're using a source that can't be split to an external speaker, you'll be stuck with this 2W speaker as the only audio source. This is another reason why this projector might not be the best choice for home theater. The projector is amazingly compact and comes with a carrying case that can hold the projector, power cord and remote control. The projector offers keystone correction to correct off-axis projector angles. Vertical keystone correction is automatically adjusted (you can change this). Horizontal keystone correction is adjusted using a dial near the front of the projector. The projector also offers a modest optical zoom (1.2x) and manual focus using the thumbwheels. The remote looks like it's from the year 2000 and doesn't offer particularly appealing ergonomics, but it serves its purpose. There are many more settings that can be adjusted via the on-screen menus (see my photos for an example). There's a decent amount of input options: HDMI, USB, S-Video. This should satisfy both business users and home users. Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this projector to anyone who needs a portable projector with excellent brightness at a reasonable price and is willing to compromise on resolution. I'm less than thrilled with this as a home theater projector, both due to the XGA resolution and the lack of an audio output on this projector, meaning you're stuck at 2W mono if you can't mute your input source from the built-in speakers. Compared to what you could get for the same money a few years ago (same resolution, much worse brightness, much less portable), this projector represents an outstanding advancement.