The Epson PowerLite 810E does a lot for businesses and educational institutions by combining excellent HD imaging with a rated 5,000 ISO21118 lumens of brightness and the ability to boost the sharpness to near 4K levels. Its included software separates it from the crowd with Epson's Setting Assistant, a phone app that optimizes the image setup, and a Face Brightening mode that makes facial features stand out from the background on video conferences.

Priced at $3,299 for businesses or $2,999 for schools, the 810E's unusual console form factor and UST lens with its exceptionally short throw ratio make it ideal for a conference room, lecture hall or classroom where the presenter doesn't want annoying shadows on the screen. But while the inclusion of Wi-Fi and wired networking, an HDBaseT video input, and a built-in sound system make the 810E stand out from the crowd, the lack of any audio output connections may limit or complicate some installations.

The PowerLite 810E may not be the least expensive UST around, but it's one of the brightest and sharpest with its 4K Enhancement. So if image fidelity counts, it's a potential winner for class lessons and business meetings.

Features

Starting with the basic cosmetic design borrowed from Epson's EpiqVision Ultra LS800 laser TV projector, the PowerLite 810E has been re-engineered as a business/educational ultra-short throw (UST) projector. Long and narrow with rounded corners, it occupies 27.4 x 13.5 x 5.7 inches and weighs 27 pounds. The PowerLite 810E is available in white, while the PowerLite 815E model is black.

It should do well permanently installed in a classroom or a conference room with a pair of adjustable feet in the front and one up back. The front of the projector can be set up as close as an inch from the screen, though its sides need at least 7.9 inches of clearance to keep it from overheating. The threaded attachment points underneath worked well with my generic ceiling mount, but Epson's $179 ELMPB75 wall mount does a better job by sliding the projector side-to-side, in-and-out, as well as up-and-down and getting its angle right.

Epson also recently announced an accessory, the ELPCS01 Mobile Projector Cart, designed expressly for the 810E and 815E projectors. The recent winner of a ProjectorCentral 2024 InfoComm Best of Show Award, it provides an easy and attractive solution for wheeling the projector up to any wall and fill it with video. It is priced at $1,999, or $1,799 through Epson's Brighter Futures education program.

Inside, the 810E has Epson's latest high-power laser components that shoot white light across the projector to an inorganic phosphor panel that converts a portion to yellow light. That beam is passed through two dichroic mirrors, the first of which pulls out its red and cyan components. The second one converts the beams into green and blue streams. The red, blue and green light converge on the projector's three 0.62-inch, LCD chips, creating the final image. Unlike some laser designs, the 810E does not have sealed optics and requires a dust filter and it's associated maintenance. The light source is spec'd for 20,000 hours of life.

Rated at 5,000 ISO 21118 lumens, the 810E had a real-world measured output about 11 percent over its spec in our test, coming in at 5,548 ANSI lumens using its brightest color mode. That should be plenty for a well-lit room, particularly if the projector is mated with a UST ALR screen, such as Epson's own SilverFlex Ultra or an equivalent third-party model.

Like most UST projectors, the 810E doesn't include an optical zoom lens, so precise distance from the wall is the primary mechanism for adjusting image size. However, the very short 0.16:1 throw ratio allows for exceptionally close placement and 16:9 image sizes from 60 inches to a very large 160 inches diagonal. It delivers a 60-inch image at only an inch from the screen, a 100-inch image from just 9 inches, and its maximum at 20.9 inches. With that potential, it should fit into a lecture hall, large classroom or conference room, but it can also hide in plain sight for a school play's digital scenery or a data wall in a reception area. ProjectorCentral's PowerLite 810E Throw Calculator shows its potential. For additional flexibility, the projector offers horizontal and vertical image shifting with keystone correction of 3.6 degrees vertically and 0.9 degrees horizontally, and a 1.38x digital zoom.

Critically, along with its ability to deliver legacy aspect ratios from 4:3 (for older computers) to 16:9 (for HD material) to 16:10 (for WUXGA resolution), the 810E provides a 21:9 setting for Microsoft Teams Front Row videoconferencing, an increasingly popular feature in new projectors. While this may make it ideal for conference and meeting rooms, keep in mind that the 810E is not an interactive projector intended to stand in for one of the company's BrightLink models, so there's no option to electronically annotate the projected image on screen with an e-pen or finger.

Image adjustments for the 810E are extensive and include eight Color Modes. The settings include Dynamic, Presentation, and Cinema as well as Natural, Blackboard, and DiCom Sim. There's also an unusual Face Brightness mode for video conferencing that brightens faces. A Multi-Projection setting helps with blending when multiple 810Es are combined to create a panorama display. Beyond the Color Modes, the usual controls are available for Brightness, Contrast, Tint and Color Saturation, Sharpness and Gamma. There are settings for White Balance/Color Temp gain and offset and a Color Management System (CMS) for adjusting RGBCMY color points.

Capable of working with up to 4096x2160 input signals, the projector's native 1920x1080 image is sharp and well defined. Epson's 4K pixel shifting enhancement can double the onscreen resolution to more than 4 million pixels but falls short of full 3840x2160 UHD resolution by half.

The 810E doesn't have any built-in streaming platform, but has ports for connecting to a variety of sources, and it will recognize and take advantage of HDR10 encoding in 4K source material. Connections and a control panel are well hidden behind a removable cover on the projector's right side. In addition to two HDMI inputs and an HDMI output, it has an HDBaseT port for networked video and control via Cat cable. The three USB ports (two Type A and a Type B) are for power, updating the system's firmware and playing video. Its RS-232 serial port is augmented by the one-two networking punch of 100Gbps wired networking and 802.11AC Wi-Fi; sadly, it's not the more secure and faster 802.11AX or BE spec. The Wi-Fi networking supports Miracast so that participants can mirror their screens on the projector.

As complete as this might seem, audio is the 810E's missing link. The 810E's pair of speakers sound OK but hollow and there's neither a headphone jack nor S/PDIF (aka Toslink) optical audio connection. The easiest fix is to connect the source device to an external audio system or link the projector's HDMI output port with a speaker bar or HDMI audio extractor to create an audio stream. Either way, it's a lot more complicated than just plugging in speakers. On a similar note, the projector also lacks a microphone jack as found on some projectors with built-in speakers.

Meanwhile, the projector's control panel includes keys for power, opening the menu and a four-way control pad for picking what you want with a central actuation button. It adds a source selector, and buttons for Home and Eco for reducing the system's power use and brightness. There are LEDs upfront that show the current condition with indicators for power, laser light source, Wi-Fi, overheating and overall status.

The PL801E's remote control can adjust the split screen parameters, zoom in and out as well as pick the video source and Color Mode. It uses a pair of AA batteries and had a 29-foot range.

Compatible with Crestron Connected, Extron IP Link, PJ-Link Class 2, Art-Net and Microsoft Teams Front Row, there's also a network connection via Wi-Fi or its wired Ethernet. Once the projector is online, there's a browser interface for viewing the 810E's parameters to do things like turn it on and off, select the source and tweak the color components.

Epson's iProjection app for Android, iPhone and iPad makes life even easier. In addition to mirroring what's on the screen, the app can show an Acrobat file as well as a Web site. It can even live stream from the phone's camera.

There're a couple more software tricks up Epson's projection sleeve, including automatic image optimization. You need to shoot a picture of the projector's test screen and Epson's Setting Assistant app will correct geometric distortion on the screen or wall. It works with Androids or iPhones.

Meanwhile, the Projector Management Windows program can keep any eye on a fleet of projectors across the hall or city. It includes alerts and the ability to broadcast a facility-wide message as well as updating firmware and installing common projector settings across a variety of Epson gear.

The PowerLite 810E's comes with a three-year warranty but Brighter Futures educational customers get an extension to five years. It comes with next-day exchange for a broken unit and adding a year or two of coverage costs $199 and $279, respectively.

Performance

Color Modes. The PowerLite 810E has eight Color Modes on tap for different rooms and material. In addition to Dynamic (for top brightness) and Presentation modes (for use in a brightly lit room), the 810E has settings for Cinema (for movies in a darkened room) and Natural (for photorealistic color balance). The Blackboard mode is for use with a green chalkboard and the projector doesn't have settings for different colored walls. It's not something we'll miss.

There's also a DiCom Sim mode for viewing medical scans by enhancing shadows, making this a versatile projector in a clinic, hospital or nursing program. The Multi-Projection setting reduces the color tone differences between edge-blended images of multiple 810E projectors.

Epson's new Face Brightness mode can be a game changer for those who video conference frequently. It uses digital image analysis to isolate facial features to brighten up faces without washing out the remainder of the frame. It helps faces pop out from the background, but I would have liked to be able to adjust its boost level.

Presentation Viewing. In testing, Dynamic mode produced the brightest image at 5,548 ANSI lumens, about 11 percent over Epson's ISO lumens brightness rating. It adds a light green tinge to everything but is much less onerous than other high-brightness modes that make the material look like it's from a Halloween party. It had a 5,874-lumen hot spot at the top center, though.

The Presentation mode warmed up the image considerably and made text very readable on a white background. It's at the cost of dimming the image to a still bright 4,356 ANSI lumens. The Face Brightening mode helped out for video conferencing but without sacrificing much in the way of brightness at 5,412 ANSI lumens. In addition to the Blackboard setting's 2772 ANSI lumens, the 810E delivered 3,795 ANSI lumens in its DiCom Sim mode for medical scans.

Video Viewing. The 810E lacks a labeled Rec.709 or sRGB mode that often yields the best balance between brightness and color balance, though its Cinema and Natural modes are intended for more color sensitive applications like watching films. They add a lot of pink to the projected color palette, giving a warm look. While Cinema put 4,554 ANSI lumens on the screen and was quite effective for showing movies and video clips, Natural yielded 3,660 ANSI lumens and worked well for color photos and art.

Using the 810E's native HD imaging, all the videos I watched came through without any skips, freeze-ups or artifacts. With UHD material and Epson's 4K Enhancement active, there was some extra pixel-level motion artifacts visible on very close inspection, though it is hardly noticeable at more than six feet away.

In a darkened room using the Cinema mode with HDR turned on, I viewed the flamingo portion of BBC's Planet Earth II Blu-Ray and was impressed with the projector's ability to put up vivid, rich colors with extra highlights. The projector recognizes both HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range protocols. It offers a 16-level HDR adjustment; for this content the sweet spot was slightly beyond halfway in its range. The 810E was just as good showing non-HDR school material, like the University of Colorado's pHET math and science simulation animations. There was almost no lag and smooth interactivity using an HP notebook.

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While I did most of my work using the 810E's Normal Light Source Mode, there're two low-power Eco settings. The Quiet Mode noticeably reduced the noise level from 46.1dBA to 40.9dBA in my casual measurements and lowered the power use by 33 percent, but also dropped brightness by about 21%. That said, the Extended mode is meant to lengthen the laser's life to 30,000 hours of use by lowering the brightness by about 23% while keeping the fan at a moderate setting; the noise level was 41.9dBA. The user designated setting lets you determine how bright the projector gets.

If the projector is used in its Dynamic mode for eight hours a day and 200 days out of the year and your organization pays the national average of 15 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity, the PowerLite 810E should cost about $44 a year to operate.

The 810E's $54 dust filter will need to be periodically vacuumed but is meant to last the projector's expected lifetime. It's recommended to clean it every three months or sooner for dustier environments. The slide-out filter is readily accessible behind the projector's front cover/grille, but cleaning the air vents requires turning the projector over, which could require extra work realigning the projector after cleaning in permanent installations. A sealed laser light source, as is found in many newer laser projectors, is a more ideal solution.

Conclusion

Epson's PowerLite 810E is a bright business and educational UST projector capable of over 5,000 lumens and equipped with a tight 0.16:1 lens that provides for very large images from close proximity to the screen wall. It is loaded with excellent connectivity for enterprise applications, including an onboard HDBaseT port, HDMI inputs and output, and both WiFi and wired network and software support. Its special video conferencing features, including 21:9 aspect ratio for Microsoft Teams Front Row as well as its unique Face Brightness picture mode, help it stand out further from the crowd. About the only things to complain about are the lack of a simple audio output port to support an external audio system, which not everyone will require, and the need to keep up with filter and vent cleaning that is still common to many laser projectors but slowly disappearing.

While the 810E isn't the least expensive UST out there, and lacks the interactive capabilities found in Epson's own Brightlink classroom projectors and those of some competitors, the projector's real competition is the current generation of large screen panel displays. Epson proudly points out in its marketing that the 810E's 160-inch image is 4.5 times larger than a 75-inch flatpanel. Just as important for budget-conscious organizations and school districts, its $2,999 preferred pricing is about half the price of even the cheapest 98-inch commercial LCD panel monitors, and adds the flexibility to supersize the image if needed. This makes the PowerLite 810E a genuine bargain for showing off at work or school.

Measurements

Brightness. Of the PowerLite 810E's eight Color Modes, Dynamic delivered the brightest image in our ANSI lumen measurements at 5,548 ANSI lumens, 11 percent over Epson's ISO21118 5,000 lumen rating. The Presentation mode drops that to 4,356 ANSI lumens while Cinema and Natural reduce output to 4,554 and 3,660 ANSI lumens. The Blackboard mode put out 2,772 ANSI lumens, while the medical scan friendly DiCom Sim mode delivered 3,795 ANSI lumens.

In addition to Multi-Projection, which is for creating a panorama with several PowerLite 810E projectors, there's the unique Face Brightness setting. Here, the projector uses some image analysis tricks to augment the face without affecting the background to make faces stand out more on video conferences. It delivered 5,412 ANSI lumens.

The 810E's Eco mode has Quiet and Extended settings that lowered output by about 21% and 23%. While the Quiet mode reduced noise by more than 5dBA to 40.9dBA, the Extended mode aims for a longer life with lower brightness and enhanced cooling. The noise level was 41.9dBA.

Epson PowerLite 810E ANSI Lumens

Color Mode	Normal	Quiet	Extended
Dynamic	5,548	4,346	4,295
Presentation	4,356	3,503	3,473
Face Brightness	5,412	4,492	4,422
Cinema	4,554	3,645	3,499
Natural	3,660	2,904	2,897
Blackboard	2,772	1,377	1,296
DiCom Sim	3,795	3,030	3,023

Brightness Uniformity. The PowerLite 801E measured brightness uniformity was 85.2%.

Fan Noise. Epson rates the PowerLite 810E at 35dB in Normal Light Source Mode and 26dB in Quiet Mode as measured in a sound-proof room using an industry-standard, multi-point averaged measurement. In real world casual measurements performed 36 inches from the exhaust vent, with a background noise level of 38.1dBA, the 810E registered a peak of 46.1dBA in Normal Mode. That can be reduced to 40.9dBA and 41.8dBA using the Quiet or Extended mode.

Power Use. Using the Normal Light Source and Dynamic mode, the 810E consumed 291 watts of power, while that dropped to between 192 and 195 watts in Quiet and Extended modes. If it's set to full power and is used for 8 hours a day for 200 days a year, the 810E should cost about $44 a year to operate if you pay the national average of 15 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity.

Temperature. The 810E had a peak exhaust temperature of 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Over two weeks of daily use, it never got close to overheating.

Input Lag. Using a Bodnar Video Lag Tester outputting a 1080p/60Hz signal, the PL810E had a video delay of 56.2ms in its high-output Dynamic mode. This is on a par with other commercial projectors but not suitable for more than casual videogame play.

Connections

• HDMI-in (x2 HDCP 2.3)
• HDMI-out
• HDBaseT (RJ-45)
• Ethernet (RJ-35)
• RS-232C Serial Port
• USB Type A (data)
• USB Type A (power, up to 5amps)
• USB Type B (Alternate Mode video display)
• 802.11AC Wi-Fi

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Epson PowerLite 810E projector page.

To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.

The Epson PowerLite 810E is also sold outside of the United States of America as the Epson EB-810E. Some specifications may be slightly different. Check with Epson for complete specifications.

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