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The Epson LS9000 marks a new entry in Epson’s Pro Cinema line of projectors, aimed at custom installers and home theater enthusiasts. It strikes a balance between price and performance, ultimately delivering the bright, vibrant, and detailed images users have come to expect from Epson. The LS9000 serves as an excellent entry point into the world of high-performance projection, offering an appealing price, a solid feature set, and strong overall performance.
- Long-lasting solid-state laser light source
- Good gamut coverage
- Quiet operation
- HDR10+ support
- Motorized Lens Cover
- 4K/120Hz support
- IP Control
- No 3D support
- Black floor has slight blue bias
- No Dynamic Tone Mapping
- No ALLM support
Epson announced its new on July 31, 2025, and it made its public debut at Audio Advice Live 2025 in Raleigh, NC. Designed with custom integrators and home theater enthusiasts in mind, the LS9000 aims to deliver a premium projection experience while offering high-end performance and flexibility—without breaking the bank.
Continuing Epson's tradition of providing high brightness at exceptional value, the LS9000 is no exception. It includes the features and performance that users have come to expect from Epson projectors, such as 3LCD display technology, impressive gaming capabilities, HDR10+ support, and a fully motorized lens with a motorized lens cover—all while maintaining a highly competitive price point.
Features
The Epson LS9000, part of Epson's premium Pro Cinema line, is their latest 2025 release aimed at custom integrators and home theater enthusiasts. It follows in the footsteps of Epson's successful Q Series projectors—such as the QB1000, reviewed by ProjectorCentral in December 2024, and the QL7000, reviewed in April 2025. With the LS9000, Epson adds another strong entry to its lineup, reinforcing its presence in the high-performance projector market.
The Pro Cinema LS9000 offers an excellent price-to-performance ratio in the 4K projector category, with a competitive MSRP of $3,999. Compared to other projectors in the same class and price range, the LS9000 stands out. One of Epson's greatest strengths lies in its ability to deliver excellent picture quality and high brightness. While the LS9000 is not as bright as some of its predecessors, it still generally outperforms many higher-end 4K projectors in brightness—often at a lower cost.
The LS9000 is rated at 2,200 ISO Lumens, and our measurements confirmed this, recording a 3.04% increase for a total of 2,269 ISO Lumens in Dynamic picture mode.
The LS9000 features Epson's 3-Chip 3LCD projection engine, which uses individual LCD chips for red, green, and blue to deliver high color brightness and vibrant imagery. Powered by Epson's True Laser Diode Array light source, the LS9000 offers up to 20,000 hours of near-maintenance-free operation, thanks in part to its vapor-cooled thermal design in addition to the solid-state laser light source.
This is a 4K UHD projector that utilizes pixel shifting via a Dual-Axis Precision Shift Glass Plate to achieve the full 4K UHD resolution of 3840 × 2160 (8.29 million pixels) on screen, producing a bright, sharp, and detailed image. While not using native 4K LCD panels, the image quality is excellent—most users would be hard-pressed to distinguish it from a true 4K signal.
The LS9000 also incorporates Epson's ZX Picture Processor, which manages color, contrast, HDR, frame interpolation, and resolution enhancement. This results in a sharp, vibrant image with strong overall performance. However, one notable omission is dynamic tone mapping—a feature that could have elevated the projector from good to great (dynamic tone mapping is a step-up feature available in Epson's QB1000 projector.)
The LS9000 shares its chassis design with previous models like the LS11000, LS12000, and the newer QB1000. It includes fully motorized lens shift, powered zoom and focus, and a motorized lens cover—a favorite feature found in select Epson projectors. With a throw ratio of 1.35 to 2.84, the LS9000 supports projection sizes ranging from 50 inches up to 300 inches diagonally. Generous vertical lens shift of ±96.3% and horizontal shift of ±24% allow for flexible installation options.
The familiar chassis retains the same dimensions as other models that utilize the same design, measuring 20.5 x 7.6 x 17.6 inches (WHD) and weighing approximately 28 lbs.
Supporting both front and rear projection in either ceiling-mounted or tabletop configurations, the LS9000 is versatile enough to fit into a variety of home theater or professional setups. Keystone correction of ±30 degrees is available, although it's generally recommended to avoid keystone adjustment whenever possible to preserve optimal image quality.
To determine the appropriate throw distance for your desired screen size, you can use the ProjectorCentral Epson LS9000 projection calculator.
The LS9000 offers excellent gaming performance, supporting up to 4K/120Hz gameplay. It features two 40Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports—one of which supports eARC on the HDMI 2 input. One notable upgrade over its predecessors is that the LS9000 now supports improved compatibility at 4K/120Hz, accepting 12-bit HDR at 4:2:0 and 10-bit HDR at 4:4:4. Unfortunately, it does not support ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Again, this another feature reserved for Epson's higher-end Q Series model, the QB1000 projector.
During testing, the LS9000 achieved a latency of 22ms in both 4K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz modes, making it a solid choice for casual gaming.
In addition, the LS9000 now offers more robust support for home automation systems such as Crestron, Control4, and others. It also includes IP control compatibility with PJLink and a web GUI interface.
The included backlit remote retains the same design as its predecessors and remains highly functional and responsive, allowing users to quickly and efficiently access all the projector's key features.
Performance
Color Modes. The LS9000 offers five picture modes: Dynamic, Vivid, Bright Cinema, Cinema, and Natural. The naming conventions and settings are consistent across both SDR and HDR, meaning any adjustments made to a picture mode will carry over between the two dynamic ranges.
All available picture modes on the LS9000 are highly usable and provide full calibration controls—including Dynamic mode—which is particularly beneficial as it supports full fade-to-black transitions. The core controls include Contrast, Brightness, Color Saturation, Tint, and Sharpness. In addition, the projector offers offset and gain adjustments, 11-point white balance controls, and a full Color Management System (CMS) for fine-tuning the hue, saturation, and luminance of primary and secondary colors.
Gamma controls are also available and are consistent with those found on previous models, including the QB1000. Preset values include 2, 1, 0, -1, and -2, along with a custom option for more tailored adjustments.
Out of the box, the LS9000 performs well, with the Natural picture mode delivering a very accurate image in both SDR and HDR. The Cinema mode also performs admirably. However, for HDR content, adjustments to the HDR10/HDR10+ setting may be necessary depending on the scene, to mitigate clipping.
As noted earlier, all picture modes produce a watchable image without an overly strong green or blue bias. This makes it possible to use Vivid or Dynamic modes for a brighter image without significantly compromising color accuracy.
For users who prefer not to perform a full calibration, I recommend starting with the Natural picture mode and adjusting it to suit personal preferences. These settings can be saved to an Image Memory. The same approach can be applied to HDR content, with settings saved to a second Image Memory—allowing for quick and easy switching between preferred SDR and HDR configurations.
I calibrated the LS9000 with Calman Ultimate calibration software from Portrait Displays, a Colorimetry Research CR-300 Spectroradiometer, Colorimetry Research CR-100 Colorimeter, and a Murideo 8K Seven Generator. The LS9000 was calibrated to a 100-inch diagonal screen size on a Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130 G4 projection screen. I ran my normal measurements to confirm what I saw in OOTB viewing prior to calibration.
The pre-calibration measurements for the LS9000 showed average DeltaE (dE) errors of approximately 2.2, with maximum errors reaching up to 3.9. These results were consistent across grayscale, 10% saturation sweeps, and large-scale color checker patterns. In HDR, the errors were slightly different, with more noticeable deviations in hue and saturation—though, fortunately, most were correctable.
The LS9000's gamut coverage measured 87.57% (xy) and 90.51% (uv) for DCI-P3, while BT.2020 coverage reached 64.04% (xy) and 67.45% (uv). Although full DCI-P3 coverage would have been preferable, the LS9000 performed as expected and in line with other Epson projectors.
The contrast ratio of the LS9000 measured approximately 1,950:1 (full on/full off), depending on the picture mode and setup. For example, the "Natural" mode came in closer to 1,700:1, while "Dynamic" mode reached just over 2,000:1 without correction.
Calibration was performed targeting the industry-standard D65 neutral gray white point using gain controls, 11-point white balance adjustments, and a full color management system (CMS).
The post-calibration DeltaE errors showed great improvement. In SDR, the grayscale average was 0.9 dE, with a maximum of 2.2 dE. The color gamut had an average DeltaE of 0.5, with a maximum of 0.8 dE. A large 150+ patch color checker measured an average of 0.7 dE with a maximum of 2.2 dE. Saturation sweeps at 10% showed an average of 0.5 dE and a maximum of 0.9 dE. Post-calibration HDR results showed an average of 3.9 dE with a max of 10.1 dE, due to lack of luminance, while color space errors were higher due to lack of gamut coverage.
The devices I used for reviewing content post calibration was the Panasonic UB820 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player.
1080p/SDR. The first movie I chose to watch in SDR via Blu-ray was Oblivion. The LS9000B handled the film very well, delivering natural-looking skin tones for both Jack and Victoria. It presented the image with clean whites and sharp environmental details.
While the LS9000B generally performed admirably with this film, one scene that stood out was when Jack was tied to a chair and Beech was smoking a cigar while speaking to him. In this scene, the projector's lower native contrast became noticeable. When the camera cut from Beech back to Jack, Jack's face exhibited heavy clipping before the image stabilized and appeared correct. Aside from this issue, the LS9000B's performance was strong overall.
4K/HDR10. The next movie I selected for viewing was Moana on 4K UHD Blu-ray. The scene I focused on was when Moana is taken to the cave by her grandmother. The image looked impressive overall, with vivid highlights from the torches as they lit up after Moana struck the drums.
This transitioned into the "We Know the Way" sequence, which looked great. The blue tones of the water were particularly accurate, and both the water and clouds displayed exceptional sharpness and detail. The entire scene was vibrant, with excellent color reproduction and clarity throughout.
Additionally, during the moment when Moana's grandmother tells her the story of Maui—and he closes his hand around the gem—the Dynamic picture mode executed a full fade to black, which is always a welcome touch.
4K/HDR. Next, I watched The Secret Life of Pets via 4K UHD Blu-ray. During this viewing, I found it necessary to adjust the Scene Adaptive Gamma and HDR10 settings to address significant clipping that appeared throughout various scenes. This was noticeable from the main menu and in moments such as when Gidget released Tiberius.
Settings that had worked well when watching Moana resulted in more clipping here—particularly in elements like Gidget's fur, the clouds, and other bright highlights. After increasing the HDR10 setting to between 10 and 12, the image regained much of its lost detail and depth. This is where dynamic tone mapping would have been a welcome feature.
Once the HDR10 settings were properly dialed in, the image looked good overall—still bright, with solid color reproduction and detail. That said, I did feel it was missing some depth, likely due to the lower contrast.
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4K/HDR10. The last movie I watched was Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 4K UHD via Blu-ray. The LS9000B performed well overall, delivering good color, detail, and highlight rendering. For example, during the opening scene when the Stormtroopers attack the village and blaster fire streaks across the screen, the image looked dynamic and engaging.
After the attack, when Poe's X-wing is destroyed and the scene transitions to BB-8 rolling over a sand dune, some faint posterization was visible in the sky. Fortunately, this issue didn't persist. In later scenes—such as when Rey rescues BB-8 and they escape together—no posterization was present.
No other issues were observed during the viewing. The LS9000B handled the film well overall and delivered a very pleasing image.
Conclusion
The LS9000 is a solid projector that performed as expected across all key areas, including image quality, processing, and gaming. With an MSRP of $3,999.00, it becomes a compelling option when compared with other high-end projectors in the same price range, particularly in terms of features and brightness.
While it delivers a performance that feels familiar to its predecessors, it is not as bright as the LS11000 or LS12000.
However, the LS9000 brings a few notable advantages to the table. For example, it supports higher bit depth with a 3840x2160 @120Hz signal and offers compatibility with home automation systems and web control. These features contribute to greater flexibility and enhanced integration potential, making the LS9000 an appealing choice for many users.
However, the absence of a dynamic tone mapping solution is a notable omission—it would have made the LS9000 a true home run. While this isn't a deal breaker, it's important to mention given the amount of HDR content that may not support HDR10+. Dynamic tone mapping really should be considered a standard feature at this point.
Users who utilize HDR10+ when available or who employ an external video processor likely won't miss the lack of dynamic tone mapping. However, those who don't may find themselves needing to manually adjust settings depending on the content being watched.
Another issue with the LS9000 is its black floor, which has a slight bluish cast—a problem seen in its predecessors and also to a lesser extent in the new Q Series QB1000. While not everyone will notice or be bothered by it, it's something prospective buyers should be aware of.
Ultimately, the LS9000 offers excellent price-to-performance value. Compared to other projectors with similar lumen output, it is brighter, features slightly lower input latency for gaming, supports HDR10+, and more. These advantages make it a strong addition to Epson's projector lineup and an excellent entry-level option for those new to projection who want a well-rounded performer from a trusted brand. The LS9000 is definitely worth considering for anyone looking to get into projection without making a significant financial investment.
Measurements
Brightness. The Epson LS9000 is rated for 2,200 ISO Lumens. The brightest picture mode is Dynamic which measured 2,269 ANSI Lumens, which is almost 3.04% higher than Epson's listed specification.
Epson LS9000 ANSI Lumens
| SDR/HDR | LD Power 100 |
|---|---|
| Dynamic | 2,269 |
| Vivid | 1,656 |
| Bright Cinema | 1,543 |
| Cinema | 1,520 |
| Natural | 1,475 |
Zoom Lens Light Loss. The LS9000's light loss when shifting from the widest zoom position to its longest telephoto position was 37.02%.
Brightness Uniformity. The Epson LS9000 projecting a 100-inch diagonal image resulted in measured brightness uniformity of 85% while in both wide-angle zoom, and telephoto zoom. The brightest portion of the screen was the middle bottom with the dimmest being the left top. The difference in brightness on a full white screen was not noticeable, however on lower luminance full gray screens it was slightly noticeable.
Fan Noise. Epson rates the fan noise at 22-30dB dB. Using Room EQ Wizard software and a Umik-1 microphone, my theater room ambient noise floor is 33.3 dBA. The LS9000 measured at the following dB in the following laser power settings at a distance of three feet. The Epson LS9000's highest audible noise starts after increasing laser from 90% to 95%. These values are much higher than Epson's spec; the testing environment and test equipment may account for the discrepancies in measurements.
100% Laser
Left: 37.1 dbA
Rear: 36.8 dbA
Right: 37.2 dbA
Front: 37.3 dbA
Top: 36.4 dbA
ECO 60% Laser
Left: 34.1 dbA
Rear: 34.1 dbA
Right: 34 dbA
Front: 34.4 dbA
Top: 34.2 dbA
Input Lag. Our input latency measurements were done using the Fast Image Processing (input lag as measured by Epson's method was sub-20ms).
1080p/60Hz = 41ms
1080p/120Hz = 29ms
4K/60Hz = 22ms
4K/120Hz = 22ms
Connections
- HDMI 2.1 (x2; HDCP 2.3; 40Gbps FRL: 10G@4L; eARC on HDMI 2)
- RJ45 LAN 100 base Tx (control only)
- USB 2.0 Type A (300mA max power delivery; for optical HDMI cables with addition power supply, no media playback)
- USB 2.0 Type A (5V, 2.0A power delivery; firmware updates - no media playback)
- Mini USB (service only)
- RS232 (x1)
- 12V DC Trigger
Final Settings
Calibrated image settings from any third-party do not account for the significant potential for sample-to-sample variation, nor the different screen sizes and materials, lighting, lamp usage, or other environmental factors that can affect image quality. Projectors should always be calibrated in the user's own space and tuned for the expected viewing conditions. However, the settings provided here may be a helpful starting point for some. Always record your current settings before making adjustments so you can return to them as desired. Refer to the Performance section for some context for each calibration.
SDR
Light Output: 80%
Color Mode: Natural
Brightness: 50
Contrast: 50
Color Saturation: 50
Tint: 50
Sharpness
Standard: 3
Thin Line Enhancement: 1
Think Line Enhancement: 1
White Balance
Color Temp: 6500K
G-M Correction: 4
Custom
Offset R: 50
Offset G: 50
Offset B: 50
Gain R: 50
Gain G: 48
Gain B: 50
Grayscale
| Adjustment Level | Red | Green | Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustment Level 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 10 | 1 | 10 | |
| Adjustment Level 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Adjustment Level 8 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Adjustment Level 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Adjustment Level 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 4 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Adjustment Level 3 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| Adjustment Level 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Frame Interpolation: Off
Dynamic Contrast: High Speed
Image Enhancement: Off (User Preference)
Scene Adaptative Gamma: Off (User Preference)
Gamma: -2
Color Tuner
| Color | Hue | Saturation | Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 50 | 48 | 50 |
| Green | 49 | 52 | 50 |
| Blue | 53 | 46 | 50 |
| Cyan | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Magenta | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Yellow | 50 | 50 | 50 |
HDR
Light Output: 100%
Color Mode: Dynamic
Brightness: 50
Contrast: 50
Color Saturation: 50
Tint: 50
Sharpness
Standard: 3
Thin Line Enhancement: 1
Think Line Enhancement: 1
White Balance
Color Temp: 9
G-M Correction: 7
Custom
Offset R: 50
Offset G: 50
Offset B: 50
Gain R: 50
Gain G: 26
Gain B: 25
Grayscale
| Adjustment Level | Red | Green | Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustment Level 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adjustment Level 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Frame Interpolation: Off
Dynamic Contrast: High Speed
Image Enhancement: Off (User Preference)
Scene Adaptative Gamma: 4-8 (User Preference)
Gamma: 0
Color Tuner
| Color | Hue | Saturation | Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 51 | 37 | 50 |
| Green | 37 | 46 | 50 |
| Blue | 47 | 46 | 50 |
| Cyan | 56 | 41 | 50 |
| Magenta | 43 | 47 | 50 |
| Yellow | 46 | 47 | 50 |
Dynamic Range: 3-12 (User Preference)
For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 projector page.
To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.
This is a slightly lesser version of the LS11000, with a price that is a few hundred short of said model?
Given it still has the blue bias, it probably will also still have the Cyan BT2020 bug/glitch as well then?
This is a bizarre release honestly. I think Epson has lost it.
If you get the 9000, you’ll be looking for an upgrade within a year because you won’t be happy with the performance.
12000 is a much better projector for $2k more. Buying a 9000 doesn’t make sense from a customer’s perspective. Get a refurbished $500 BenQ that you can use for 6-12 months, and save up the extra $2k. Sell the BenQ for $400 (it won’t depreciate that much because it was purchased refurbished).
For a $100 rental, you’ve given yourself enough time to save up the difference and get a projector that you will actually want to keep.