Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 8100 Users Guide

							Setting Up the Projector21
Making Other Connections
Connect the power cable and other cables described below, depending on how you plan to 
use the projector.
■Plug the power cable into the projector and a grounded electrical outlet. 
■The Trigger out port outputs a 12-volt DC signal 
when the projector is turned on. This lets a central 
control system monitor whether the projector is on 
or off, and can be used to raise or lower your 
projection screen automatically when the projector 
is in use.
Connect a 3.5-mm mini jack to the port, as shown. 
Use the 
Trigger Out setting to enable the port (see 
page 47).
■To use an AV controller with the projector, connect a 9-pin null modem serial cable to 
the 
RS-232C port. Refer to the table of ESC/VP21 command codes on page 70. 
						

							22Setting Up the Projector
Installing Batteries in the Remote Control
The remote control uses two AA batteries.
Warning: Keep batteries away from children. If a battery is swallowed, contact your doctor 
immediately.
1. Release the tab and lift open the cover.
2. Insert two new AA batteries as shown. 
3. Insert the tab on the cover and press it down until it 
clicks into place.
Aim the remote control at the screen, or at the front or 
back of the projector. Make sure you are within 30 feet 
of the projector.
If you suspect the batteries are weak, press the  illumination button. If the buttons do not 
glow, replace the batteries.
Turning the Projector On and Off
Turning On the Projector
1. Remove the lens cap.
2. Turn on any connected equipment you plan to use.
3. Turn on the main power switch on the back of the projector.
ON 
						

							Setting Up the Projector23
4. Press the Ppower button on the remote control or projector.
Note: To prevent children from turning on the projector, you can use the Child Lock feature. See 
page 32 for details.
If you’ll be using the projector at an altitude above 4900 feet (1500 meters), turn on High Altitude 
Mode so the fan can properly cool the projector at the high altitude air pressure. See page 48 for 
details.
The projector takes about 30 seconds to warm up and display an image. If you don’t see a 
picture, you may need to change the image source as described on page 24.
Turning Off the Projector
1. Turn off any equipment connected to the projector.
2. Press the Ppower button on the remote control or projector. When you see a 
confirmation message, press the Ppower button again to turn the projector off.
3. When the Ppower light stops flashing orange and stays on, turn off the projector’s main 
power switch on the back. 
It is now safe to unplug the projector, if necessary.
Caution: Turn off this product when not in use to prolong the life of the projector. Continuous 
24-hour-a-day use may reduce the overall life of the product. Never turn off the main power switch 
without first turning off the projector and letting it cool as described above, or you could damage it 
and reduce lamp life.
Remote control Projector 
						

							24Setting Up the Projector
Selecting the Image Source
The source buttons on the projector and remote control let you switch between images from 
different pieces of equipment connected to the projector (such as a DVD player, cable or 
satellite box, or video game console). 
Press the 
Source button on the remote control that corresponds to the port to which your 
video source is connected.
If you press the  source button on the projector, you see a list of available sources. Press 
the  source button to move through the list and select the desired source.
Note: If an image does not appear, see “Problem Solving” on page 57.
To temporarily turn off the image and darken the screen, press the Blank button on the remote 
control. Press the Blank button again to return to normal viewing. 
						

							Setting Up the Projector25
Positioning the Image
If the image is not centered on the screen, use the horizontal and vertical lens shift dials to 
adjust its position.
Caution: Do not try to move the lens by hand, or you may damage the projector. Always use the 
lens shift dials to change the lens position.
Note: You can display a test pattern to help adjust the image position by pressing the Pattern 
button on the remote control. Press the Esc button to turn off the test pattern.
When you hear a click, the lens position is almost centered. If the lens shift dial becomes 
difficult to turn, you cannot adjust the position any further.
If one side of the image is taller than the other, make sure the projector is parallel to the 
screen. If necessary, adjust the front feet so that the projector is horizontal.
Vertical lens shift dial Horizontal lens shift dial
Adjustable feet 
						

							26Setting Up the Projector
The image cannot be moved to the maximum distance in both the vertical and horizontal 
directions. For example, the image cannot be shifted vertically when it has been shifted 
horizontally by the full amount. When the image has been shifted vertically by the full 
amount, it can be shifted up to 9 percent of the width of the image. The amount by which 
you can shift the image is expressed in terms of the image width (W) and height (H), as 
shown below:
H H
H
Move
upwards
Move to 
the leftMove to 
the rightMove
downwards
1/2H
1/2W
Maximum lens 
shift boundary 
						

							Making Basic Adjustments27
Making Basic Adjustments
Follow the instructions in this chapter to make basic adjustments to the image shape, size, 
color, and quality. For further refinements, see “Making Detailed Adjustments” on page 33.
Focusing and Zooming
Use the focus ring to sharpen the image.
Use the zoom ring to reduce or enlarge the image.
Focus ring
Zoom ring 
						

							28Making Basic Adjustments
Choosing the Aspect Ratio
In many cases, video signals are automatically resized to fit 
on your screen when 
Auto is selected as the Aspect setting. 
You may need to change the size of the image (or aspect 
ratio) for certain image types by pressing the 
Aspect button 
on the remote control.
Select one of these settings:
■Normal for standard TV broadcasts, computer images, 
or images with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
■Full for images recorded in squeeze mode.
■Zoom for images recorded in 16:9 (wide-screen) format.
■Wide for expanding a 4:3 image to 16:9 so it fills the whole screen. This stretches only 
the right and left sides of the image; the central part is unchanged.
Note: When displaying 720p, 1080i, or 1080p signals through the HDMI or Component video port, 
the aspect ratio is automatically selected and you cannot change it.
If you display a 4:3 image using the Zoom setting, the top and bottom will be cut off. You can use 
the Zoom Caption Pos. option and other settings to resize and reposition the image. For details, 
see page 45.
For details on how the projector resizes the picture when you choose an Aspect setting, see 
page 68.
Aspect 
button
4:3 image using Normal setting16:9 image using Zoom setting 
						

							Making Basic Adjustments29
Choosing the Color Mode
You can change the Color Mode to automatically adjust brightness, contrast, and color, 
letting you quickly optimize the projected image for various lighting environments. You can 
also select a different color mode for each input source—which is useful if you view different 
types of images from different sources. (For example, you might set the HDMI 1 source to 
Living Room if it’s usually used for watching movies in the daytime with the blinds closed, 
and the PC source to 
Dynamic for playing video games with the blinds open.) 
Select the image source you want to adjust, then press the 
Color Mode button on the remote 
control. Choose from these settings:
■Dynamic for projecting the brightest picture available.
■Living Room for watching television programs during 
the day.
■THX (Home Cinema 8500 UB) or Natural (Home 
Cinema 8100) for projecting natural, accurate colors in 
a dimly lit room.
■Theatre for viewing movies in a dimly lit room.
■Theatre Black 1 for images that are close to those in 
professional-use broadcast monitors. Use in a fully darkened room.
■Theatre Black 2 to emphasize rich colors, like those seen in movies at the theater. Use in 
a fully darkened room.
■x.v.Color for the most natural color reproduction when viewing movies through HDMI.
The built-in Epson Cinema Filter automatically improves color reproduction in a darkened 
room; it is not used when you select 
Dynamic or Living Room. 
Color 
Mode 
button 
						

							30Making Basic Adjustments
Advanced Color Adjustments
To further customize the color and image quality, you can adjust the gamma and individual 
RGBCMY color tones. (Not available when 
x.v.Color is selected as the Color Mode.)
Note: You can fine-tune these and other color and image quality settings using the projector’s 
menu system (see page 33). You can also save combinations of picture settings with the Memory 
feature for easy recall (see page 42). If you don’t like the settings you have selected on a particular 
menu screen, you can press the Default button to restore the factory settings.
Adjusting the Gamma Setting
You can select from five gamma settings (2.0 to 2.4) or customize your own setting from your 
image or a displayed graph. Lower values will increase the contrast of dark areas, but tend to 
blur the bright areas. Higher values will darken the light areas. Gamma presets make minor 
adjustments to mid-tone values. The larger the gamma preset, the lower the midtone values. 
Changing these settings affects contrast which can be seen as a blur in bright areas.
1. Press the 
Gamma button. You see the following displayed on the screen:
Gamma RGBCMY