Epson's new UST 4K projector is mind-blowingly bright at up to 160 inches, but lacks a key HDR feature to make the most of it
Up to 160 inches of 4K grandeur, but where's Dolby Vision?
- Epson QS100 is a 4K ultra short-throw projector
- 160-inch images from just inches away
- 4,500 lumens, but no Dolby Vision HDR support
The best ultra short throw projectors are pretty bright, but they're not usually quite this bright: the new Epson QS100 4K PRO-UHD HDR short throw laser projector puts out a whopping 4,500 lumens.
For context, our number one 4K laser UST projector is the Hisense PX3-Pro, and that's 3,000 lumens, so we're talking a 50% boost from the Epson.
That brightness gives it great power, enabling it to project images of up to 160 inches in size from just inches away. But there's one key HDR feature missing: it doesn't have Dolby Vision HDR to help make the most of that brightness.
Epson QS100 short throw laser projector: what you need to know
This isn't the brightest projector you'll see in 2025 – the Hisense LG9 laser TV is brighter at 5,000 nits, but you can actually buy the Epson; the Hisense doesn't have a release date yet.
And it's much brighter than our recommended projector for daytime and sports viewing, the 4,000 lumen Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800.
The HDR here supports HDR10 and HLG standards, and there's dynamic tone mapping for frame by frame optimization – but as I mentioned above, it would be better if it came with Dolby Vision to provide more accurate tone mapping and to ensure that all that brightness is really well-optimized on a scene-by-scene basis.
The light source is rated for 20,000 ours of "virtually maintenance-free" operation, and if you're a gamer there's support for auto low latency mode for low-lag gaming. There's no 120Hz support of any kind here, though – it's 60Hz all the way, even at 1080p.
The Epson has individually adjustable feet, multi-point picture settings and an optional wall mount bracket, and it's designed to play nice with Crestron, Control4 and PJLink-compatible control systems.
As you'd expect, there's a hefty price tag for that super-bright display: the MRSP is $4,999 (about £3,870 / AU$7,920), which is quite a step up from the $3,499 / £3,199 / AU$4,999 of the Ultra LS800. Still, if you want something that's going to dazzle among even the best projectors, you'll have to pay for it.
The Epson QS100 4K PRO-UHD laser projector is available now from authorized Epson dealers.
