Using a projector to build a home entertainment system makes a lot of sense, but Full HD offerings are pretty scarce at this moment, so Epson's addition of two new 1080p solutions sounds really good to me, the 3LCD PowerLite Home Cinema 8350 and 8700 UB looking like some really nice options for home theater enthusiasts.

Both projectors feature Epson's own C2Fine chipset together with Fujinon OptiCinema lenses, while also packing high dynamic contrast ratios, the Home Cinema 8350 coming in with 2,000 lumens brightness while the 8700 UB actually comes lower then this, offering 1,600 lumens although it offers other advancements like a Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX video processor and PW390 scaler that should ensure a smoother picture.

The 8700 UB also comes with an anamorphic lens mode to enable anamorphic viewing without an external processor for true 2.35:1 and 2.40:1 widescreen images and a voucher for a replacement E-TORL lamp ($299.99 worth).

Speaking of the 200WE-TORL lamp, Epson says this will actually be good for as much as 5,000 hours of use.

"Epson has packed its latest Home Cinema line of projectors with a number of value-add features and technologies in order to deliver high-performing 1080p solutions to the home theater and AV enthusiast market," said Marge Ang, senior product manager, Epson America.

"We are committed to leading the market in terms of performance and value, and these models clearly demonstrate that consumers can get outstanding image quality at affordable price points."

Pricing is actually pretty decent the Home Cinema 8350 and 8700 UB coming in the sub-$1,300 and sub-$2,200 categories, respectively, so these may prove to be some nice options for a home cinema setup.