Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Epson Home Cinema 1450 review

This blisteringly bright projector can turn any room into a home theater

Epson Home Cinema 1450
MSRP $1,341.99
“Big, bright, and beautiful, Epson’s Home Cinema 1450 projector delivers excellent images anytime, anywhere.”
Pros
  • Great brightness and color
  • Simultaneous dual display support
  • Increased lamp life
  • Lower-cost replacement lamps
  • Low fan noise
Cons
  • Finicky auto-Iris and geometric correction
  • No 4K support

When buying a home theater projector, people typically only think about the one room in which they plan to use it, and ignore all the other places it could also go. But in our Epson Home Cinema 1450 review, we discover a lightweight, no-fuss projector with the ability to throw a crisp picture — even in ambient light — that will look good no matter where you use it.

Wherever you take it — from a dark home theater, to an airy, open-concept living room, to the backyard for a movie night — your video will pop. Though not exactly a portable projector, the 1450 packs array of features that make large-scale projection possible, with clarity and convenience.

Out of the box

An update to the well-received Epson 1440, the Home Cinema 1450 sports the same build and body as the older model, with minor adjustments that make big impacts. The white casing is designed to melt into the ceiling for overhead mounting (if that’s how you decide to install it), and side grates kick out heat and audio well enough that the former doesn’t drown out the latter.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Despite having to support just a 10.1-pound unit, the 1450’s feet didn’t instill much confidence on making level adjustments, but never caused any problems. The projector’s remote control is standard, though not particularly intuitive and, more critically, not backlit. Still, ample inputs make this projector a prize for presentation pros; the 1450 has ethernet, USB-A, USB-B, MHL, HDMI (a pair of them), a couple VGA-ins, and both audio in and out jacks.

If there is a knock on the build, it’s that the 1450’s light body (and easy setup) makes the projector feel like it’s more portable than it really is. Lacking a handle or a case, it isn’t easy to move it around, though you certainly can, and may find yourself wanting to.

Features and design

As a good all-arounder, the Epson Home Cinema 1450 offers an array of features that home theater aficionados will appreciate, but none are more attractive than the price. Ringing up at $1,499, the 1080p projector is debuting at $200 less than its predecessor, the 1440.

The 1450 sports an array of features that home theater aficionados will appreciate.

But that’s only half the story — the 1450’s new, lower-cost replacement bulb will set you back just $99, and lasts 5,000 hours (or even up to 10,000 hours on eco mode). That low cost of ownership could tip the scales for television owners to consider buying a projector over a big screen.

While those numbers may make your wallet whistle, the image quality will make your eyes pop. Packing a three-chip LCD light engine, the Home Cinema 1450 was designed to stand up to the ambient light thrown its way in brighter rooms. Kicking out 4,200 lumens of both white and color brightness, it’s a pinch dimmer than the 1440, but that is likely due to the 1450’s ability to achieve impressive lamp life numbers.

Performance

Put to the test in several settings, the 1450 literally shined. First, while using it in a darkened home theater, inch-for-inch, it blew the brightness of our 65-inch 4K television away. But projectors like the Epson Home Cinema 1450 are designed to throw much bigger images than that.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

With a 1.57 throw ratio, it can get up to about 260-inches at a distance of about 29 feet. But making a 45-inch image at nearly 5 feet, this isn’t a projector for cramped quarters. On the contrary, with its superior light and color handling, it’d be well placed in a restaurant or sports bar. In addition, the 1450’s split-screen video output capabilities could turn this projector into a peacemaker come game day.

Next up, we tested it outdoors around dusk, simulating an open-air living room environment before the sun went down, and seeing how it performed outdoors at night. In both use cases, the 1450 delighted. Starting a movie almost an hour before the sun went down, the picture was understandably low contrast, but still easy to enjoy.

Put to the test in several settings, the 1450 literally shined.

But the most surprising part of the experience wasn’t the picture, but the sound. The projector’s 16-watt speakers were so loud that we were concerned that the neighbors would complain. On-screen, meanwhile, vivid colors and good contrast left little to be desired — 4K would be nice, but you hardly notice its missing when you’re sitting back at the proper distance.

With superior white and color brightness, a low price and cost of ownership, and ample portability and good connectivity, the Epson Home Cinema 1450 is a solid purchase for anyone looking to integrate video projection into their home, office, restaurant or backyard.

Warranty information

The Epson Home Cinema 1450 projector comes with two-year limited warranty. You can learn more about the warranty here (opens PDF in browser.)

Our Take

For those wanting a vivid image in even challengingly bright conditions, the Epson 1450 is an outstanding, and affordable, choice.

Is there a better alternative?

The Optoma HD39Darbee is a highly competitive projector for about $400 less at Amazon, but it can’t pack the white or color brightness the Epson Home Cinema 1450 can, nor does its lamps last quite as long. On the long terms, the Epson 1450 is the better deal.

How long will it last?

Given its excellent lamp life and relatively low lamp replacement cost, the Epson Home Cinema 1450 should last a decade or beyond before it may need replacing.

Should you buy it?

Yes. Whether placed in a dark room, or one which sees a fair amount of ambient light, the Epson Home Cinema 1450’s outstanding brightness makes it a stellar choice for any budding home theater enthusiast.

Editors' Recommendations

Best Bose headphone deals: Bose 700, Bose QuietComfort 45
A man wearing Bose 700 headphones with a moody background.

Bose is one of the most trusted brands in the audio industry, so it's not surprising that there's always high demand for Bose headphone deals. The brand's products provide amazing sound quality and top-of-the-line features, resulting in prices that may be beyond the budget of some shoppers. Fortunately, there's no shortage of headphone deals happening right now, and we've rounded up some of the top offers involving Bose headphones and earbuds, including an incredible deal on the Bose QuietComfort 45.
Today's best Bose headphone deals
Bose Sport Earbuds -- $129, was $149

Why Buy:

Read more
Best 65-inch TV deals: Save on QLED and OLED for Super Bowl
A Vizio 65 inch TV hangs on a living room wall.

There’s never a bad time to upgrade your home theater, and the Super Bowl brings with it all the reason in the world to go ahead and search for a deal. The big game warrants a big experience, and a 65-inch TV is about the perfect size to both fully experience the game — and all of your favorite content — while not blowing the doors off your living room or the ceiling off your basement. As such, you’re going to need access to some of the best TV deals, and we’ve done the heavy lifting of tracking down the best 65-inch TV deals out there. Read onward for more details on these deals, and for more information on which 65-inch TV may be best for you.
Today’s best 65-inch TV deals

Insignia F30 Series 4K TV —
TCL 5-Series 4K QLED TV —
Sony Class X75K 4K HDR TV —
Samsung The Frame 4K TV —
Sony Bravia XR A80K 4K HDR OLED TV —
LG C2 Series OLED evo 4K TV —
Samsung Class S95B OLED 4K TV —

Read more
The best ultra short throw projectors for 2023
The Hisense PX1-PRO  projector.

Home theater projectors are getting better and better, delivering bright, high-resolution images that can bring the theatre experience to your home with sizes that can hit upwards of 120 to 130 inches. But while more and more movie and sports lovers are turning to projectors, setting one up can require a lot of space to allow for the distance that traditional long-throw projectors require, which can be anywhere from 10 to 20 feet depending on the size of image you want.

Short throw and ultra short throw (UST) projectors are becoming more popular because they drastically reduce this distance down to mere inches. And in the case of many UST projectors, like our pick for the best ultra short throw projector, the Samsung LSP9T Premiere, this can be as little as 4.5 inches for a 100-inch image. While UST projectors can be pricey, ranging anywhere from $2,000 to more than $6,000, and often require a screen and a soundbar for a better audio experience, if a big-picture theater-at-home is what you're after, a UST projector is the way to go. With that in mind, we've rounded up what we think are the best ultra short throw projectors on the market right now, hitting a variety of price points.

Read more