Epson was also in town last week (who wasn’t? LOL!) showing off its wares and the biggest, both in size and in potential scope, was its Ensemble home theater system. It combines a set of Atlantic speakers and a 1080p Epson projector. The left-, right- and center-channel speakers are built into the piece that also holds the powered, retractable screen. The rear surrounds are built into the projector’s ceiling mount. It’s sorta like a home theater in a box, only not total crap.
Ensemble’s gimmick isn’t just “everything’s included!” but its ability to be installed in rooms where you wouldn’t normally expect a home theater system. (The Epson folks were keen on mentioning that it’s damn near impossible for New Yorkers to install a home theater system without upsetting the landlord. This system is for them as much as anyone else.)
A $4,999 720p version will also be released alongside the $6,999 1080p one this fall (the only difference between the two kits are the projector resolutions). The idea sounds good enough and it did work as advertised in person, so it gets the preliminary thumbs up from me. Ken looks to be reviewing it when it comes out, so keep your eyes peeled for his take.