Epson MovieMate 50 and MovieMate 72 Portable Entertainment 3LCD Projector DVD Player Combo Review

Epson’s MoveMate 50 and MovieMate 72 are affordable, combination 3LCD projector plus DVD units. Epson have kept the weight down for portability between rooms or for vacation travel. With the excellent onscreen motion handling of 3LCD, the MoveMate 50 and 72 are suitable for television sports events, DVDs and even games. With a versatility that would be appreciated on a vacation, they can also project slideshows or play music tracks from a USB drive or a DVD/CD. A PC or Mac can also be connected using the VGA input.

Epson MovieMate 50 Projector

Another convenient feature is the more powerful than usual (television size) twin Dolby 5.1 Digital DT stereo speakers at 8W for the MoveMate 50 and 5W for the MoveMate 72.

Apart from the excellent on-screen motion rendering, the 3LCD projection technology produces excellent image quality with bright, natural colors.

Epson MovieMate 50

The Epson MovieMate 50 is not high definition having a 480p native resolution. But, it does deliver that large image experience with the capability of displaying an 80-inch, widescreen image from just 7.8 feet away, or a 120-inch image from just 11.8 feet away. Brightness for the the MovieMate 50 is 1000 lumen which is in line for a home theater situation with reduced ambient light. The contrast ratio is 300:1 which is adequate for the intended usage.

At 8.3 pounds it’s not what one could class as portable but, you do have the DVD player included and there is a handle to make transporting it more comfortable. The size of the MovieMate has improved with the footprint having been reduced some 63% from earlier models. To help simplify setup both Epson MovieMate models have +/- 15 keystone correction for squaring up the image on the screen.

Epson MovieMate 72

The MoveMate 72 is the high definition (720p) model of the siblings. It will also upconvert standard resolution (480p) to 720p. The 72 is slightly brighter at 1200 lumen and has much larger contrast ratio of 1000:1 for more detail in dark scenes. Replacement projection lamps are a considerable cost of ownership and it should be noted that the rated lamp life is up to 3000 hours which is 150% of the 2000 hours for the Epson MovieMate 50.

This model also has a swivel base for more versatile DVD loading. For the extra features you are paying with less portability with the unit coming in at 15.2 pounds.

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

Amazon have competitive prices and user reviews and ratings to check

Epson V11H259220 MovieMate50 Portable Home Entertainment Projector with Built In DVD Player
Epson MovieMate 72 Projector DVD/Music Combo

Buy.com have both customer reviews and comparative prices to check out.

Epson MovieMate 50 Home Theatre Projector
Epson MovieMate 72 Projector

TheNerds.net is another source to check prices and reviews.

PROJECTOR, MOVIEMATE 50,
PROJECTOR, MOVIEMATE 72

Resources

Epson MoveMate 50 Brochure and Specifications (PDF)
Quick Guide for common uses for the MovieMate 50 (PDF)
User’s Guide for the MovieMate 50 (PDF)

Epson MoveMate 72 Brochure and Specifications (PDF)
Quick Guide for common uses for the MovieMate 72 (PDF)
User’s Guide for the MovieMate 72 (PDF)

Specification Epson MovieMate 50 and MovieMate 72 3LCD Projector with Built-in DVD Player

Native Resolution	480p (854 x 480 pixels) (50) 720p (1280 x 720) (72)
Projection System	3LCD technology 3-chip optical engine Poly-silicon TFT active matrix
Lamp	120 W UHE (Ultra High Efficiency) 2000 hours (50) 3000 hours (72) lamp life
Keystone Correction	Vertical ±15 degrees
Brightness: (typical)	Up to 1000 (50) 1200 (72) lumens
Contrast Ratio	Up to 300:1 (50) 1000:1 (72)
Sound Output	Integrated 2 x 8W stereo speakers (50) Integrated 2 x 5W stereo speakers (72)
Video I/O	Terminal Inputs 1 RCA (composite) 1 Mini Din (S-video) (MovieMate 72) 1 RCA (component) (MovieMate 50) 2 RCA (audio L/R) stereo (MovieMate 50) 1 VGA (analog RGB/component video) D-sub 15 pin Analog RGB to component video adapter included (MovieMate 72) HDMI 1.2a (MovieMate 72) USB
Sound Output	DTS and Dolby 5.1 (optical port) Terminal Inputs: 2 RCA (Audio L/R) Terminal Outputs: 1 RCA (for external subwoofer) 1 optical audio out 1 headphone stereo jack