Isn’t it a bit strange to combine something like a LCD projector with a DVD player? I for one have find the combination a bit peculiar and it has therefore contributed to my increasing curiosity to explore and understand the TWD10 from close quarters. The model in question is an LCD projector with a built-in DVD player from Epson. This peculiar combination means the unit has two bits of AV kit built into one box! The company looks bent on saving space and the tangles created by unkempt cables.

There is a subtle colour difference that delineates the projector part from the DVD, and you will be interested to know that the whole projector part can rotate anti-clockwise on the DVD sub-section. This feature comes in handy when you are looking to position the Epson EMP-TWD10 to the side of your screen. Then, there are imaginative vertical and horizontal image shift ‘wheels’ integrated with the projector, as well as keystone correction features that helps you to restore the image in case the projector is not properly inclined with the center of your screen.

The unique status enjoyed by the unit as an AV source as well as an AV display has other connotations as well as it remarkably influences the connectivity. Now you get to have HDMI, though of v1.2 format, component video and D-Sub PC ports, apart from the innovative phono output designed to be used with a subwoofer. A headphone jack and an optical digital audio output are there as well that facilitates you to power in digital audio from the DVDs in the TWD10 plays to your AV receiver, if you have one.

The major attractions on the DVD side includes Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, and is capable of playing all the popular markets available in the market including DVD VR, SCVD, VCD, CD, DivX, MP3, WMA and JPEG formats, in addition to vanilla DVDs.

The EMP-TW2000 LCD Projector from Epson is in no way an eagerly awaited gadget, all thanks to its predecessor the EMP-TW1000, which failed miserably to live up to its fancy claims. What especially proved to be a point of discord is that the unit produced black levels that are downright pathetic and unacceptable by today’s high standards. It is therefore only practical that the latest edition from the company will be viewed with suspicion and uncertainty.

The EMP-TW2000 however impresses you right way with its superior build quality. Design in an aesthetic manner, the deck is also reasonably solid, and its glossy and sophisticated finish lends it an upscale feel. Easy to install, the Epson EMP-TW2000 also endows you with a great deal of flexibility via two astutely positioned wheels on its top edge so that you can effortlessly shift the image left and right or up and down optically over a wide range.

A spectacular feature of the unit is that it gives you the option of indulging in various image sizes, facilitated by the innovative superb 2.1x optical zoom function from Fujinon lens. What more? You can customize the geometry of the image according to your whims guided by a unique test pattern.

Connectivity of the unit is another value addition, as you basically get all that you may require including two HDMI inputs, which importantly are developed using the latest v1.3 technology, component video input, D-Sub PC port, composite video and S-Video fallback options. The specification connotes that you can now enjoy extra color compatibility via the xvYCC picture format.

Then, the unit is also completely HD, and in addition has a host of complementary features to augment the image quality. Prominent among them are- Epson’s own, well-regarded C2Fine efforts, Cinema Filter and DeepBlack technologies.