Michał Stekla
It looks like a bedside lamp from Ikea, but it has a laser inside. The Epson EF-51 is one of those gadgets that pretends to be something entirely different. When you're not watching series on it, it transforms into colourful ambient lighting that brightens up the room like a scene in a lounge club. And when it's time for a movie? It brings in 4K UHD, HDR, Dolby Atmos, and 150 inches of image at night.
It may look like a lamp, but it's a projector!
The EF-51 combines 3LCD with a triple LED (separate for red, green, and blue), which in practice means vibrant colours and a clear image. But let's be honest – this is equipment designed for evening screenings. It only has 700 lumens, so it won't impress during the day, but at night? A contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, 10-bit colour depth, and HDR do the trick.
Watching from the ceiling? Here you go
The projector is mounted on a gimbal that rotates 180° sideways and 105° upwards. You can project an image onto a wall, the ceiling, or wherever you want – without having to fiddle with books underneath. Autofocus, trapezoidal correction, and corner adjustment – everything works automatically.
Sound? Dolby Atmos from built-in speakers
Two 6-watt speakers sound surprisingly good and support Dolby Atmos. And if you don’t feel like watching, the EF-51 turns into a Bluetooth speaker. Inside is Android TV 13, there are also Tencent Video, Aurora TV, a remote control, voice control, and screen mirroring. For dessert: HDMI with ALLM mode – so yes, a console will also fit in.
Price and availability
For now, only China – for 5299 yuan, which is around £545. But if Epson sticks to its strategy with previous EF models, we will soon see it in Europe as well. And then… it may turn out that the classic bedside lamp is a relic of the past.
