We Tested a ‘Premium’ Home Cinema Projector — and It Blew Us Away

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If you love a clever money-saving upgrade as much as we do, the Epson EF-72 projector might just be one of those rare gadgets that feels like both a treat and a savvy investment. Very on-brand for the team at MoneyMagpie, right? Especially since we’re a bunch of confirmed cinephiles. And though we will always and support our local cinemas, in this time of frugality amid rising prices, watching movies at home is often the sanest choice.

First things first: this doesn’t look or feel like your average plasticky projector. The Epson EF-72 is wrapped in beautifully premium materials, with a soft fabric speaker grille and a clean, minimalist finish that wouldn’t look out of place next to high-end home audio kit. It’s the sort of tech you happily leave on display, not something you shove back in a cupboard after movie night.

And then there’s the picture quality. If you’re upgrading from a standard HD projector, brace yourself – the jump is huge. Not subtle. Not “squint and you’ll see it.” Huge. The move to UHD-level detail delivers sharper edges, richer colours and far deeper contrast. Blacks actually look black, not grey soup, and everything just feels more cinematic and immersive.

To put the EF-72 through its paces, we settled in for a weekend of The Dark Knight trilogy, a fantastic way to test any home cinema with its thrills, spills and action sequences. Those IMAX shots blew us away with the scale and the clarity on our unforgiving 150 inch screen: watching this Batman trilogy at home in Dolby Vision genuinely felt like we were at the cinema. The colours, the detail and the stunning cinematography felt like seeing these movies for the first time.

With this phenomenally impressive projector you can also stream Netflix, Apple and a host of other services from the projector without any fuss. It also has a terrific stereo system built into it, so it’s ready to go if you’re entertaining friends or family and want to act like their local sports bar while streaming the rugby, or catch the kids up on Stranger Things as if they’re at the cinema. This really is a complete box of delights.

Now, let’s talk money. At nearly £1,000, (although it is £100 off in Richer Sounds at present) it sounds like a chunky investment. But compared to many UHD projectors that cost significantly more, this actually sits at the affordable end of the premium spectrum. And with cinema tickets, snacks and parking creeping into “second mortgage” territory, a few home movie nights quickly start paying for themselves. Families or film buffs could easily save hundreds over a year by projecting at home.

So yes, it’s a splurge – but it’s a smart one. Gorgeous design, premium build, and a truly massive upgrade in picture quality over HD. If you want cinema vibes without cinema prices, the EF-72 makes a very convincing case for staying in to enjoy films old and new.