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Epson Home Cinema 3800 offers exceptional image quality, with 36655:1 HDR contrast, adequate brightness, and outstanding placement flexibility, making it a strong choice for creating a home cinema setup.
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Table of Contents
Product Snapshot
Overview
The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is the brand’s mid-range home theater projector released in 2020. Distinguishing features of this 3-LCD DLP projector include UHD 4K resolution and the ability to accept 10-bit log signals and HDR10 4K signals. The Home Cinema 3800 has 3000 lumens of white brightness and a 5000-hour lamp life. Auto-iris eases set up. Like the best projectors for home theaters, the 3800 has HDMI 2.0 inputs.
The throw ratio is 1.32:1 to 2.15:1, and a +/- 60% vertical, +/-24% horizontal manual lens shift range adds flexibility. The keystone adjustment range is +/- 30º in all directions. Internal 10-watt speakers enable stereo sound.
The Epson Home Cinema 3800 shines in image quality, with great contrast for a mid-range home projector. While not native 4K, it has 12-bit video and delivers exceptional results for 1080p SDR and 4K HDR content, with a class-leading 36655:1 max contrast ratio. HDMI inputs supporting 18 Gbps help ensure compatibility with various media sources, while Bluetooth connectivity enables wireless setup with mobile phones and other devices.
Well-placed controls and a 1.6x zoom help make setup easy. An adjustable throw ratio provides screen size and placement flexibility. The color gamut isn’t as wide as some, and gamers may wish for proven input lag and response time stats. The 3800’s internal speakers provide stereo but aren’t powerful enough for a home theater experience.
ReasonS to Buy
Great brightness
Above-average 275-nit SDR brightness for home movie viewing in mixed lighting
Great image quality
Good contrast with a best-in-class 36655:1 HDR contrast ratio beats over half of all tested projectors.
Accepts HDR10 and 10-bit log signals for high contrast, cinematic viewing with dark blacks, and almost no fringing or color artifacts
4K resolution
While not native 4K, Epson’s PRO-UHD pixel shift works well enough to earn it an “Ultra HD” label from the Consumer Electronics Association
Reason to Avoid
Lacks a wide color gamut
Covers only 78% of DCI-P3 color space, ranking lower than ⅔ of tested projectors
The lamp output may not match the specs
The tested 2176-lumen SDR light output falls short of the claimed 3000-lumen rating
Mediocre 28-ms input lag
While slightly above average for all projectors tested, it’s significantly behind the 8-10-ms lag times of gaming projectors. It is not designed for competitive gaming use
Epson Home Cinema 3800 Specs
3D Ready
No, Yes
Aspect Ratio
–
Brightness
3000 lumens
Contrast Ratio
100,000:1, 200,000:1
Depth
13"
Digital Keystone
± 30° (manual)
Display Technology
3LCD, LCD
HDR
No, Yes
Height
6.5"
Integrated Speakers
No, Yes
Light Source
UHP lamps
Light Source Life
3,500 hrs
Max Distance
300"
Max Screen Size
300"
Min Distance
0"
Min Screen Size
40"
No
–
Noise Level
35 dB
Portable
No, Yes
Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Resolution
1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Smart Functionality
Automatic Adjustments, Bluetooth, Eco-Friendly, Energy-Saving, Remote, USB
Sync Technology
VRR
TV Tuner
No, Yes
ThrowType
1.32 to 2.15:1.
Video Inputs
HDMI 2.0, USB, VGA
Weight
15.2 lbs
Width
16.1"
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Projectors based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
SDR Brightness (nits)
275.2047
HDR Brightness (nits)
235.3577
SDR Brightness (Lumens)
2,176
HDR Brightness (Lumens)
0
SDR Color Temperature (K)
0
HDR Color Temperature (K)
0
Contrast Ratio (x:y)
23,971.05
Color Gamut % (DCI P3 uv)
76.85
Color Gamut % (Rec. 709)
113.7
Color Gamut % (Rec. 2020)
0
Color Gamut % (BT.2020)
0
Color Gamut % (BT. 709)
0
Input Lag (ms)
28
All Tests
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The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is the brand’s mid-range home theater projector released in 2020. Distinguishing features of this 3-LCD DLP projector include UHD 4K…
The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is the brand’s mid-range home theater projector released in 2020. Distinguishing features of this 3-LCD DLP projector include UHD 4K resolution and the ability to accept 10-bit log signals and HDR10 4K signals. The Home Cinema 3800 has 3000 lumens of white brightness and a 5000-hour lamp life. Auto-iris eases set up. Like the best projectors for home theaters, the 3800 has HDMI 2.0 inputs.
The throw ratio is 1.32:1 to 2.15:1, and a +/- 60% vertical, +/-24% horizontal manual lens shift range adds flexibility. The keystone adjustment range is +/- 30º in all directions. Internal 10-watt speakers enable stereo sound.
Compared to the BenQ Tk700sti, the Epson Home Cinema 3800 has a slightly lower tested SDR brightness of 275 nits vs. 276 nits. The BenQ…
Compared to the BenQ Tk700sti, the Epson Home Cinema 3800 has a slightly lower tested SDR brightness of 275 nits vs. 276 nits. The BenQ is more gaming-focused, with a shorter throw ratio range of .9:1 to 1.08:1, contrasting the Epson’s longer 1.32:1 to 2.15:1 ratio so that the Epson will be more suited to larger rooms and bigger screens.
Compared to the Epson Home Cinema 2250, the 3800 model has a brighter lamp output of 3000 lumens vs. 2700. The 3800 offers 4K UHD,…
Compared to the Epson Home Cinema 2250, the 3800 model has a brighter lamp output of 3000 lumens vs. 2700. The 3800 offers 4K UHD, while the 2250 is limited to HD 1080p resolution. The 2250 has one HDMI 2.0 port, compared to the 3800 with 2 HDMI 2.0 ports. See our Epson Home Cinema 2250 review for more information.
Compared to the pricier Epson Home Cinema LS1200 laser projector, the DLP-based 3800 has less peak brightness and a shorter maximum throw ratio of 2.32:1…
Compared to the pricier Epson Home Cinema LS1200 laser projector, the DLP-based 3800 has less peak brightness and a shorter maximum throw ratio of 2.32:1 compared to 2.84:1, making the 3800 more suited to smaller spaces. The 3800 weighs less and has easier mounting options. For another option in Epson’s laser projector lineup, see our Epson Home Cinema LS11000 review. Or, for a short-throw laser projector, consider the Epson Epiqvision Ultra LS800.
