This article is about a new short throw projector from Epson, the QS100. Back in 2022, Epson dropped what quickly became one of our favorite ultra short throw projectors: the LS800. With its powerful 4,000-lumen brightness, you can set it just 20 inches from the wall and pair it with a 120-inch ambient light-rejecting screen for a bright, crisp image, even with some lights on. It comes with a front-facing Yamaha 2.1 speaker system, a Google-powered interface for easy access to streaming apps, Epson’s Pro-UHD enhancement, a true 3LCD chipset, 10-bit color, and an impressively low input lag of under 17 milliseconds for gaming. Simply put, the LS800 delivers one of the best all-in-one UST projector experiences you can get.

Since then, plenty of other brands have tried their hand at ultra short throw projectors, but time and time again, the LS800 has held its own. It just does so many things right, from picture quality to ease of use. But Epson isn’t one to sit back and coast. They’re known for listening to customer feedback and using it to push their next products forward. That’s exactly what they’ve done with their latest release, the QS100 ultra short throw projector. Instead of replacing the LS800, the QS100 is designed to live alongside it in their lineup, offering an upgraded experience in several ways while giving customers a choice depending on their setup and needs.

If you haven’t already checked out our deep dive on the LS800, we highly recommend giving it a read. But for this article, we’re going to focus on what’s new with the QS100, how it compares to the LS800, and whether it’s the right fit for your space.

Before we dive in, let’s address the elephant in the room—TVs just keep getting bigger and cheaper. These days, you can pick up a massive 98-inch TV for way less than what it would’ve cost five years ago. But if you want to go even bigger, say, 120 inches or more, a short throw projector setup is still going to be the more affordable option. Sure, TVs will always have the edge when it comes to contrast, black levels, and peak brightness, especially in well-lit rooms. But if you’re after that truly cinematic experience that a projector provides with a massive 120-inch or larger screen and a traditional front projector isn’t an option for your space, Epson’s ultra short throw projectors are easily one of the best solutions out there.

We actually have a whole article dedicated to the debate between projectors and TVs, breaking down the pros and cons of each. And if you’re still unsure which option is best for your setup, our team of experts is always here to help you figure out the right choice for your space.

Design & Build Quality

The QS100 is about 27 inches wide and 14 inches deep, which is conveniently the same exact size and shape as the LS800. In fact, the only way you’d really be able to tell the difference from the outside is by looking at the top, where the QS100 has a brushed aluminum plate with the logo on it and a gold strip. Other than that, they are identical in their overall appearance.

Like the LS800, the QS100 comes in black or white with a dark grey grille across the front. However, instead of the grille hiding the built-in speakers, the QS100 has removed the speaker options altogether. Normally, when a newer and more expensive model loses a feature, we’d be the first to call it out. But in this case, we actually think Epson made the right move. Almost none of our LS800 customers relied on the built-in speakers. When you're investing in a high-performance short throw projector, chances are you’re also pairing it with a dedicated sound system. It makes sense—having a massive screen to create an immersive experience only works if the audio is just as impressive. Rather than spending money on speakers most people weren’t using, Epson decided to put that budget into other improvements.

Both of these projectors are compact enough to fit on a credenza or even inside a custom cabinet, like the ones from Salamander Designs that have cutouts specifically made for ultra short throw projectors. You can also mount them above the screen with their ELPMB75 Wall Mount. And just like the LS800, the QS100 only needs about 20 inches of depth from the wall to project a massive 120-inch image. But if you want to go even bigger, the QS100 has an edge—it can stretch the image up to 160 inches, which is ten inches larger than what the LS800 can produce.

Now, while you technically could project your image directly onto a wall or any basic projection screen, we highly recommend pairing either of these projectors with Epson’s SilverFlex ALR projection screen. These come in 100-inch or 120-inch sizes and are specifically designed to maximize the performance of an ultra short throw projector. The screen has a sleek, thin-bezel design and a dark gray surface that looks a lot like a modern flat-panel TV when turned off. The SilverFlex screen uses a special sawtooth light-rejecting optical pattern to minimize ambient light, directing the projected image toward the viewing area. If you do decide to go even bigger than 120”, we would strongly recommend you go with a high quality screen from Steward Filmscreen. Our experts can help you pick out the best one for your room to make sure it is the most compatible.

This design reduces washout from ambient light while boosting contrast, ensuring a great picture even in bright rooms. Since Epson’s projectors are known for their high brightness, you don’t need a fully dark, theater-style setup to get a solid image when paired with an ALR screen. The QS100 and LS800 can deliver a vibrant picture in almost any space, even a well-lit living room, without needing to draw the curtains or turn off the lights. While a TV will still have the edge in overall brightness and color, dimming the lights or darkening the room will make the image even more striking. But for everyday viewing, sports, or casual TV watching, these projectors hold their own with the lights on.

Upgrades from the LS800

Upgraded Processor

Perhaps the biggest improvement from the LS800 is the upgraded processor inside the QS100, which provides better performance across the board. The new 32-bit QZX processor brings noticeable enhancements in noise reduction, motion smoothness, and better HDR content with Dynamic Tone Mapping instead of Static Tone Mapping.

We’ve talked about Dynamic Tone Mapping before, but if you’re unfamiliar, it’s one of the most important features for making HDR content look great on a projector. HDR (High Dynamic Range) was originally designed for extremely bright TVs, requiring anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 nits of light output to properly display the intended brightness and contrast levels. The challenge is that HDR content provides a single brightness spec for the entire film rather than adjusting scene by scene. This caused early projectors with HDR to look overly dark in certain scenes, especially in movies with a lot of shadow detail.

With Dynamic Tone Mapping, the QS100 is able to analyze each scene in real time and adjust brightness and contrast dynamically, delivering a far superior HDR experience compared to projectors without it. This ensures that darker scenes don’t get crushed into black, while brighter scenes maintain detail without looking washed out. It’s a massive improvement for overall image quality and one of the biggest reasons the QS100 is a step up from the LS800.

Gaming also gets a boost with the QS100’s new processor. It now supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and 2K at 120fps, which is a big upgrade from the LS800, which only supported 120fps at 1080p and lacked ALLM. If you’re a casual gamer, you can still enjoy 4K at 60fps for a sharp and detailed image, but for fast-paced games like first-person shooters or action-heavy titles, ALLM and 2K at 120fps make gameplay feel significantly smoother and more responsive.

4,500 Lumens!

Another big improvement from the LS800 to the QS100 is the increase in brightness, jumping from 4,000 lumens to an impressive 4,500 lumens. This boost comes from an upgraded laser light source, moving from the LS800’s 4-in-1 laser module to a 5-in-1 laser module, while still utilizing Epson’s trusted 3LCD technology.

Epson’s unique 3LCD system uses three separate LCD chips to display 100% of the RGB color signal in every frame, ensuring a wide color gamut while maintaining excellent brightness. Unlike some other projection technologies, this eliminates common issues like rainbowing and color brightness inconsistency, so you get a consistently vibrant and accurate image without distractions. In addition, the dynamic contrast ratio has doubled from 2,500,000:1 to 5,000,000:1!

While some brands advertise sky-high lumen ratings, brightness alone doesn’t guarantee a great image. You’ve probably seen budget projectors boasting high lumen counts at a much lower price, but these are often designed for commercial use. They might be bright enough for static images, but they lack the high-quality lenses and advanced processing needed to deliver a true cinematic experience like the QS100 is capable of.

Real IP Control

The next upgrade from the LS800 is the integration of IP controls. The QS100 is now compatible with various smart home platforms like Control4, Crestron, and more to allow you to connect it to your smart home network. At Audio Advice, we install a ton of smart home systems and always integrate our theaters with them. This was a request that we often heard from customers who wanted this projector to be integrated with the rest of their system and we are happy to see Epson include it with the QS100.

ISF Custom Calibration Control

The QS100 also brings a big improvement in setup and calibration options, borrowing advanced settings from Epson’s new Q-Series projectors. It now includes ISF Custom Calibration Control, allowing for more in-depth fine-tuning if you want to get the absolute best picture quality. One of the biggest changes is the redesigned menu system, which is a huge upgrade over the LS800. While the LS800’s menu was functional, it lacked some important controls and wasn’t always the most intuitive to navigate.

The new menu is packed with options, including panel alignment adjustments and the ability to save different profiles with custom settings. We found this especially useful for switching between different lighting conditions. For example, we set up one profile in Dynamic mode with max brightness for daytime viewing with the windows open. Then, for movie nights with more light control, we used Cinema mode with brightness dialed down to 75% for better contrast and color accuracy.

Another benefit of this system is that the projector’s fan noise drops noticeably when brightness is set below 80%. This makes a real difference when you’re locked into a great movie with a powerful soundtrack, letting you focus on the experience without any unnecessary distractions.

QZX System and Picture Processor

As we mentioned earlier, the LS800 runs on an Android-based system that lets you download apps directly, much like a smart TV. But as we pointed out in our original review, most people will likely pair it with an Apple TV, Roku, or another external streaming device instead of relying on the built-in interface. In our testing, using an Apple TV provided a much smoother and snappier browsing experience compared to the LS800’s built-in system.

Epson seems to have taken this feedback to heart with the QS100. Instead of sticking with Android TV, they removed the native smart system entirely and replaced it with their own software. This means you won’t be able to download apps directly onto the projector, so an external streaming device is required. However, this change brings two big benefits—a significantly faster startup time and much more control over your entire setup.

So while this might look like another feature being stripped away, we actually see it as a positive move. Most people were using their own streaming devices anyway, and now you get a projector that boots up quicker and gives you a more customizable experience without being locked into a built-in smart TV system.

HDMI Improvements

Another update to the QS100 is in its HDMI inputs. While the LS800 offered three HDMI ports, most people only ever used one for their AVR and maybe another for a gaming console. It was rare to see all three in use at once. So, Epson streamlined the QS100 by cutting it down to two HDMI 2.0 ports, with one of them being eARC compatible for seamless audio passthrough.

More importantly, they’ve finally fixed the CEC compatibility issues that frustrated LS800 users. With the LS800, you could use an Apple TV remote to turn on your entire system—including the projector—but turning the projector off with the same remote just wasn’t possible. We tested this extensively on the QS100 with an Apple TV, and it worked flawlessly. Now, everything powers on and off as it should, making for a much smoother experience. These HDMI ports also support HDR, HDR10, and HLG, ensuring great picture quality across different content formats.

New Remote Control

One upgrade that might fly under the radar is the new remote control, but trust us—it’s a big deal. The QS100’s remote offers way more functionality and makes navigating settings much easier. You now get more quick action buttons, including dedicated profile buttons, brightness controls, and other key settings that let you make adjustments on the fly without digging deep into the menus.

This makes the whole experience much smoother, especially if you like fine-tuning your picture settings for different types of content. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys tweaking and optimizing your setup, you’ll definitely appreciate the added convenience of this new remote.

Shared Features & Technology with the LS800

Many features in the LS800 are still present in the QS100. We will go over them here.

4K PRO-UHD Enhancement

To give you a sharp, natural 4K picture, EPSON precisely controls the three high-definition LCD chips to double the number of on-screen pixels per frame using an advanced pixel-shifting and imaging process called 4K PRO-UHD Enhancement. The tech trickles down from EPSON’s most expensive projectors and shifts each pixel to double the full HD resolution on the screen. While the resolution enhancement isn’t based on native 4K imaging chips as found in much more expensive projectors — costing upwards of $10,000 and higher — the difference is almost impossible to detect at normal viewing distances for considerably less money. The result is an Ultra-Short-Throw projector capable of a sharp 4K image with brighter colors that pop off the screen compared to its competitors.

10-Bit HDR Color Processing & Enhanced Digital Picture Processing

Full 10-bit HDR color processing is on board and accepts 100% of an HDR source. When you combine this with the extreme brightness of 4,500 lumens, HDR content is faithfully reproduced for an incredible viewing experience. The QS100 also has real-time 10-bit analog-to-digital video processing, which creates smooth tonal transitions and helps eliminate banding, blocking, and other compression artifacts from the image. We noticed this most when watching sports where there was a lot of action happening on screen.

Performance

To put the new QS100 to the test, we lined it up side by side with the LS800. Some improvements were obvious right away, like the better remote, faster startup time, and the removal of the Android OS, but there were other differences that really stood out—ones that felt like true game changers.

The New and Improved Menu System

One of the biggest upgrades is the new menu interface, which is a massive step up from the LS800. It’s well-organized, easier to navigate, and makes setup much simpler. The Geometry Correction Wizard offers the same setup flexibility as the LS800, allowing you to adjust for a screen or wall and choose how many points of correction you want to tweak. You can also use the Epson Setup Assistant app to handle this process, though personally, we prefer using the remote for greater control. A big new feature is the ability to adjust settings via a web browser, which makes fine-tuning even more convenient.

Setting up an ultra short throw projector can take some trial and error to get the screen positioned just right, but if you purchase from Audio Advice, you’ll get access to our exclusive setup guide with detailed instructions and tips to help you get started. If you’re not familiar with projector setup, it might be worth considering hiring a local dealer to assist with placement and calibration.

Picture Modes & Calibration Options

The QS100 offers four main color modes: Dynamic, Vivid, Cinema, and Natural. For movies, we found Cinema mode to be the most enjoyable, while Natural mode delivers the most accurate color reproduction. If you switch between modes, it might seem like the screen is getting dimmer, but that’s actually just the color temperature shifting. Our eyes tend to perceive a cooler, blue-tinted image as brighter, while warmer, more accurate tones feel dimmer even when they’re not.

A great way to get the best of both worlds is to create multiple profiles. We recommend setting up one with Vivid or Dynamic mode for daytime viewing or sports, when you need maximum brightness. Then, create another profile with Cinema or Natural mode for nighttime movie watching when color accuracy matters more.

Each mode gives you access to brightness, contrast, color saturation, tint, sharpness, and white balance. If you really want to dial in your settings, you can tweak these manually, but we typically suggest leaving them at their default unless you have experience calibrating projectors. One change we do recommend is turning off Frame Interpolation for a more natural look and turning on Dynamic Tone Mapping, which helps HDR content look more dynamic and well-balanced. We go over all our favorite picture settings in detail in our exclusive setup guide for Audio Advice purchasers.

Side-by-Side Testing: QS100 vs LS800

Once we had both projectors set up, we switched back and forth between them to see how they compared. The increase in brightness was immediately noticeable. Even in a blind test, where viewers didn’t know which projector was which, the QS100 won every time. That extra 500 lumens really makes a difference, especially in bright environments. Another huge noticeable difference was the deeper blacks and much better highlights that the upgraded processor provides.

To really push both projectors to their limits, we tested a few action-packed movies, including The Adam Project, to evaluate motion handling, HDR performance, and Dynamic Tone Mapping. In fast-moving scenes, the QS100 consistently delivered a better overall image. Colors looked slightly more true to life, and the dynamic range was noticeably better. Plus blacks had no color banding in darker scenes, even in darker movies like The Batman.

We made sure to match the settings as closely as possible on both projectors to keep things fair, and the QS100 still came out on top.

Final Thoughts: Is the QS100 Worth the Upgrade?

Overall, the QS100 improves on the LS800 in almost every way. It addresses nearly all of the complaints users had with the LS800 while only removing features most people didn’t use anyway. The brighter image, improved motion handling, better HDR with Dynamic Tone Mapping and enhanced menu system, and better calibration controls make it a clear step up for those looking for the best possible ultra short throw experience.

Overall Recommendation

If you already own an LS800, you might be wondering if the QS100 is worth upgrading to. The answer really depends on how much you value the brighter image, better HDR with Dynamic Tone Mapping, improved remote, and better CEC functionality. The LS800 is still a fantastic projector and will continue to be a great choice for a lot of people, especially those who like the built-in Android TV and Yamaha speakers. But if you want more setup flexibility, a smoother user experience, and a projector that simply performs better across the board, there’s no doubt that the QS100 is a step up.

If you don’t own either of these projectors yet, then yes—the QS100 is absolutely worth choosing over the LS800. It delivers an improved overall experience that justifies the price difference. That said, it’s also important to consider your specific setup and whether a TV or an ultra short throw projector makes more sense for your space. If you’re unsure, our team of experts can help you figure out the best option for your room so you get the perfect setup for your needs.

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