GEAR HEADS
EPSON EB-L20000U
Epson’s Project Manager, Daniel Rose, discusses the company’s latest compact installation projector.
When did development of the EB-L20000U begin? The introduction of the EB-L20000U forms part of a long-term strategy from Epson to provide a full range of professional AV products that not only maintains Epson’s leadership in the overall projection market, but also develops the company’s position as the market leader in the more specialised Pro AV market. This strategy was initiated in 2013 with the first models, the EB-L1505U and EB-L25000U, coming to market in 2016.
for those in live events and touring. The EB-L20000U also features a sealed optical system and a highly rugged design to cope with the most challenging environments the live events market can throw at it. For improved flexibility and future-proofing, the EB-L20000U includes interchangeable input boards allowing for multiple inputs and redundancy. What benefits does the built-in camera provide for end users? The built-in camera, which features in all our recent >8,000K lumen projectors, combined with our Epson Professional Projection Tools, allows users to calibrate multiple projectors easily. They can also monitor the projected image and utilise a new feature called ‘tiling assist’, which simplifies and partially automates the edge-blending process.
What markets are you directing the EB-L20000U into? The EB-L20000U is targeted primarily at the rental and staging market – events, festivals, trade shows and so on – but we’re also seeing great interest from the fixed installation market such as visitor attractions, large auditoriums, shopping centres, schools and enterprises.
Did you bring any end users into the development stages of the project? As with the development of our entire Pro AV portfolio, we have involved and consulted with customers throughout the process. We’ve introduced customers to the engineers at our projector factory to discuss product development and requirements and have also brought engineers to our customers to see how our products are being used. Customer involvement
What features does the EB-L20000U have that will suit the demands of this market? Epson has a single range of lenses for all its models, from 5,500 lumens to 20,000 lumens, all of which are 4K compatible and are good for easily around 10 years of use, making inventory management very simple 98
