Epson PowerLite S1+ Multimedia LCD Video Projector
By: Epson Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 15
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 On: 2008-04-18
PURCHASE YOUR EPSON PRODUCT THROUGH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER OR FROM EPSON DIRECTLY.
This is not a review of this product, but rather a word to the wise... Two and half months after my purchase of an Epson 10000XL scanner through Amazon, it stopped working. Through the followup and tech support process I learned that, because I purchased through Amazon, the manufacturer nor the seller would honor the 1 year warranty. Epsons position is that Amazon is not an authorized seller and that they merely act as broker for what can often be re-furbished or second hand merchandise.
So, should your purchase break or malfunction, as mine did, you are out of luck with regard to warranty.
This lesson cost me $2400.00
 On: 2007-03-13
Use this in my classroom, it has been on all day, every schoolday for the past FOUR years on the original bulb! (knock wood)
Wonderful machine.
 On: 2007-01-19
Its a very usefull video projector, my wife use it for her conferences of 20 to 50 persons and it looks great. I personally use it wiht my XBox in a big white wall and it makes complete different game experince. It is a basic video Projector, with basic features but just enough for my wife and myself and the best is the low price!
On: 2006-02-27
Ive had my Powerlite S1+ for a little over a year now, and I have virtually no complaints. Through some creative shopping, (ie. pricematching and mail in rebates) I only paid about $350 for this projector. I have it permanently mounted in the ceiling of my basement and have a screen that is about 113" diagonal. It has over 1000 hours of use now, and everybody that has been over to watch a movie on it has been totally blown away and they all want one. As far as the $100 component video cable from epson, I was worried about this too until I found a local company that makes custom data cables. I paid $13 for a 15 foot cable that works beautifully. Initially I thought maybe when my bulb wore out I would upgrade to a higher end projector, but now that Ive had so much enjoyment out of this over the last year, Im planning on sticking with it and just buying a new bulb or two.
On: 2006-02-19
This is a magnificent projector, "A lot of bang for the buck" I have been using it since I bought it almost a year ago and have nothing but good comments for the machine. Every one of my neighbors have enquired about it once they see it in action.
On: 2005-09-05
I bought this little projector mostly to attend on-line classes with, and to have a way to play games when my brain was full (which is very often;)). I also wanted a way to watch TV without having a big & ugly TV in my home office. A projector seemed the best solution, so I gave it a go.
The Epson has generous connectivity options, which allowed me to hook it up to numerous video sources simultaneously, and then switch between them all (yeah!). I have it as S-Video from my cable systems DVD R/W recorder, computer / component video from my main computer, and the 3-RCA video/audio (composite) connectors from my x-box.
In fact, the Epson sits right on top of my x-box, making for a highly cool, highly compact gaming unit with awesome capability. It takes a few minutes to transition from gaming in a fishbowl to playing in a life-size environment & getting accustomed to so much motion. Screen is plenty bright, though some of the darker interior scenes from the likes of Halo-1 are best played with the lights down (my screen is about 6 X 8 feet, 1.83 X 2.44m).
The device has fittings for ceiling mounts, but Im more inclined to the portability of the included carrying case, if anything.
Switching between the video channels is either by hand-held remote or via the little control panel situated on top of the Epson. There is a second remote that is for operating your computers mouse for presentations, including page up/down & L/R clicking, and it works great on xp pro with the included IR (InfraRed) USB receiver. Sounds complicated but installation was all of plugging the little IR cable/module into a USB port & then playing with the neat-o mouse remote. This is great for remotely fast-forwarding through commercials when playing DVDs through a computer. The projector has IR receivers fore and aft, BTW.
The main remote controls the video input selection, speaker volume (including mute), on-screen menu (very easy to use, with lots of selections for picky people), freeze video, a handy one-button color mode (Theater, Presentation, etc), Aspect ratio (2 settings), and ZOOM.
Video quality largely depends on the type of video input you apply to the Epson, with composite at the low end, s-video in the middle, and computer / component as highest picture clarity. The differences between these input types are about an order of magnitude, everything else being equal. By all means opt for computer / component input! Its like night and day as far as video quality goes.
Presentation fonts come through crystal clear, as do digital images, and watching a cable program or DVD on the unit is great fun (especially through the computer / component video port, where the picture is crystal clear). Although not what you would build a breathtaking home theater system around the Epson is nevertheless a practical, fun, truly plug & play projector that will connect to just about anything and go.
5-stars, among the entry-level projectors.
On: 2005-07-14
The person who complained about the $100 component video adapter apparently didnt shop around. A little research on the web found a compatible cable (its a cable, not an adapter) for under $30, and the video is indeed as crisp as Epson claims.
On: 2005-04-21
-Yes, since this is an LCD projector it has several limitations, including the screen door affect and is also has limited resolution at 800X600. Although many people kick up a fuss about both of these traits, neither really matters. If you sit close enough to see the screen door affect or the individual pixels for that matter, then you probably wont be able to see the whole screen because you are sitting less than one foot away from it.
I bought my S1+ about 2 months ago and use it everyday. It has taken a beating when I take it friends houses, parties, ECT. But has shown no signs of the abuse. When it is set up anywhere from 30" to 60" it looks the same as plasma or a large projector, except it is better because it does not have the glare of a normal TV. Since its purchase I have also set up a 14-foot screen made of poster board in my garage (it will project nicely almost anywhere on almost any surface), which looks awesome and beats almost any other theater that Ive ever been in.
When I first started looking through projectors I wanted something that should accept any interface that I threw at it. When I came across the S1+ I was intimidated because I didnt know how well it would project video games such as Halo2 for XBOX. After its purchase I was relieved to find that I could have my computer, XBOX and PS2 all hooked up to the projector at the same time and switch between them using the remote control that came with it. All of them are awesome, especially with surround sound and games like DOOM3. Even when split into 4 screens for Halo, its still quality. Also this is a pretty bright projector, I can have my windows open with several lights on and still easily the screen as if it was a TV.
This costs less then a plasma or a projection TV and can be made much smaller or larger then either. When they say 30"-300" they mean it. It will consume any wall you put in front of it.
Last, it is the easiest thing to transport I have ever seen. For a LAN party I throw my projector, surround sound system and my XBOX into my backpack, jump on my motorcycle and am off in just a few minutes.
If you are new to projectors or are just looking for a large HD TV at a good price, then this is the one that I recommend.
I am not sure how long the bulb last (some people say they die quickly), mine is just passing 500 hours, but they only cost $175, which is significantly less then most other projectors (around $350).
On: 2005-04-02
After borrowing a friends Sony VPLCX6 projector with 2000 lumens and watching American Idol and "I Robot" on my great room wall I was hooked. An exhaustive 2 month online ,in-store and Pawn Shop search ensued. I had 3 criteria to meet, under $1000, atleast 1200 lumens and minimum 800x600 native resolution.After searching every electronic outlet in the greater Peoria area my Father in law pointed me to Sams Club. The only projector they carried was the Epson Powerlite S1+ and @ $699 with 1400 lumens this was the culmination of my search.
I am projecting an image 8 x 6 onto a 1.3 gain theatre screen. With the s-video connection the picture is fantastic. Most broadcast cable is quite clear, satellite channels are better and DVD is awesome. Screendoor effect is present as the image is quite large but easy to ignore and lose it as the images are very crisp. Only if I were rich beyond rich would I go with a higher end projector!
On: 2005-03-27
Just purchased this (check online for rebates) for a budget home theater setup. We are using this projector on an 80" screen in a very dark basement. While you can certainly get better contrast and brightness from other projectors, I challenge anyone to find a better value for this price point. I was not really expecting much from the projector when we purchased it and thought that this may be a good device for the kids to watch movies / play games on. But are finding that we are watching many more movies on this great projector. Low upfront costs and low bulb replacement costs make this a good choice if you are just getting into a front projection system.
 On: 2005-03-20
I suffer from DLP rainbow effect so had to go with an LCD unit. Colors are not as vivid and with the lower contrast ratio video images are not as good as DLP models.
"Screendoor effect" is extremely noticable especially in white/bright areas of video.
dont be fooled by the advertisment that this accepts component video signal (which gives you the best possible image).
I purchased a vesa adapter to connect via component video to the monitor connection on the unit. it didnt work. after some research, I found that you can only use Epsons adapter to make it work which runs $100. Now, am I going to get $100 worth of image gain over s-video? i dont think so.
do not buy this if you want to connect via component video. i read that Epson is the only company that doesnt use the standard adapter.
I also received a brand new unit with a dead pixel, which i read is pretty common for LCD projectors over time but i didnt expect it fresh out of the box that way.
On: 2005-03-19
Before getting into how this projector works, I need to preface by saying that I am on my second projector and third bulb in 2.5 months. I teach school, and need the projector about 4 times/day at 15-20 minutes per use. Perhaps I should have considered a machine capable running consistently during a demanding duty cycle, but solid state electronics are usually not phased by this (and the bulbs, priced as they are, should not be either.)
When this projector works, it works well. It has a nice, bright image and good clarity/detail. It is quiet, runs cool, is light, and fairly portable. Compared to others on the market, the value per dollar is excellent. I seem to have had machines with teething problems though.
My first projector, purchased new mid-January of 2005, exhibited all the symptoms of a bad bulb within 2 weeks, and 20 hours on the clock. I called Epson tech. service, was walked through some diagnostics, and was told that a new projector would be out quickly. I received my "new" projector (actually a refurb. unit with more hours on the bulb than mine had) the next morning. Great turnaround, but to get a refurbished unit for my two-week new one, especially with the bulb hours as they were was no bargain. I called customer service to voice my opinion on this and they agreed that I was due compensation - I was promised a new bulb but never received it. I am still fighting for one.
The second projector worked for another 2 weeks, then operation became intermittant for a few hours, then the unit stopped working completely.
After another over the phone diagnosis, the rep. told me the bulb was bad, but that bulbs were out of stock -- same story I had received earlier. As of this writing, I am still waiting.
I dont know if this problem is endemic to this machine, but mine is certainly no gem. Maybe I need a heavy-duty model. Ive always followed directions for cool down, havent abused it, but continue to suffer the same problem on what is becoming a consistent basis. If I was rich, this wouldnt be problem, Id just trade up. I give this machine a "C", and I give Epsons Customer Service Dept. a "C-". Next time, initial cost will not be such a huge issue in my purchase decision.
On: 2005-03-15
I bought this projector because it offered great value for money, and Im very satisfied with its performance. The included presentation remote is a nice addition. It is also very easy to set up. I bought it at $750, its $712 as I write this.
On: 2005-03-09
When searching for a projector I had the following criteria which the Epson S1+ met.
Low Cost - Best price I found - Amazon - 749.00
Low Noise - Epson S1+ is 33dB
Minimum 800x600 Resolution
Native 4:3 Aspect Ratio
High ANSI Lumens - Epson S1+ is 1400
Decent Contrast Ratio - Epson S1+ is 400:1
Low Cost Bulb replacement ($150-$200)
For the cost, there was no other projector on the market that could compete. I did not want the lower end DLP projectors, due to rainbow effects that can happen. I also wanted a projector that would be cost effective after the initial purchase. The S1+ bulbs can be found for $150.00 to $200.00, compared to $350-$400 for competitors. BTW: This unit will be used in a small church for Sunday services and cost was a big factor when investing and researching bulb replacement costs.
How does it work?
We get a great image for our church service with full house lights on, this projector is brilliant. Very, low noise. Most of the time it is used with PowerPoint presentations, but it also does a great job with DVD projection.
Image Size?
This unit projects a BIG image from a short distance, if you need a large picture, but do not have the space...this may be the projector for you.
Quality?
I am really impressed with the fit, finish and quality of the Epson projector and will be purchasing the Powerlite Home 10+ for my home theater.
How does it compare?
I have an Infocus X2 and and NEC VT470 projector and I would take the Epson S1+ over either one of these any day.
On: 2005-01-19
Just purchesed the epson digital projector for our business. We love it. It was so easy to hook up,virtually nothing to it.Bought at comp usa. Probably could have saved a few pennies elsewhere but are quite pleased with our purchase.
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