The Epson Lifestudio Grand EH-LS970 is an ambitious Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector designed to be placed directly in front of the wall in your living room – delivering an image of up to 150 inches without ceiling mounting.
According to the user manual, the LS970 only needs 28.5 centimeters from the back of the projector to the wall for a full 150-inch image. If you want 80 inches, just over two centimeters is enough. With a brightness of 4,000 lumens, it is designed to work in ordinary living rooms during the day. Epson is one of the few companies that does not use digital DLP technology, but instead 3LCD technology. This has the advantage that it gives the same brightness in colors as in white light, resulting in better color saturation.
“Real 4K” – but not quite genuine
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Epson calls the LS970 a “Real 4K” projector with 8.3 million pixels. But inside the case there are three LCD panels with Full HD resolution (1920 × 1080). To achieve 4K, Epson uses pixel shifting. The panels alternate vertically and horizontally in rapid succession, so that each pixel covers four positions. The result is 8.3 million pixels on the screen, but they are never all displayed at the same time. It’s kind of like when cell phone manufacturers market 200 megapixels when the camera actually takes pictures with 12.5.
In practice, the difference from a true 4K panel resolution is difficult to see on film at normal viewing distances. However, sharp, high-contrast details – such as fine black text against a white background – can have a slight gray cast around the edges, as each physical pixel must switch between light and dark at a rapid rate. “Real 4K” in Epson’s world therefore means something different than with Sony and JVC, which can boast “Native 4K” from dedicated 4K panels.
Epson isn’t alone in forcing 4K from a 1080p chip. In fact, Sony and JVC are the only ones that don’t.
TEST: Epson EH-LS800
With an “ultra short throw” projector like the Epson EH-LS800, you can get a huge image on the wall that disappears when you’re not using it. And the picture quality is delicious!
120 Hz for gaming
On the Epson LS970, two of the three HDMI ports support 4K at 120 Hz. The projector also automatically switches to game mode when it detects a console (ALLM), and the delay between the console and the screen (input lag) is less than 20 milliseconds – fast enough for most people.
TEST: Epson EH-LS650B
This Epson projector delivers a bright image at a good price: Here you can get a large image on the entire wall without costing half a fortune!
All-in-one with Bose and Google TV
The LS970 has Google TV built in with Netflix, Disney+ and other major streaming services. The sound is supplied by Bose: A 20-watt 2.1 system with Dolby Audio (not Dolby Atmos), and eARC on HDMI2 makes it easy to connect to a proper soundbar or a home theater system.
The projector can also be used as a pure Bluetooth speaker, and Epson has even slipped in a karaoke mode with an optional wireless microphone. The noise level from the fan is listed at only 18 dB in silent mode, which is very low. At full brightness, it’s still whisper quiet at 29dB. Smart Eye Protection automatically dims the laser when someone walks in front of it to protect the eyes from the bright light.
AI functions AISR and AIPQ are designed to provide sharper details and better image adjustment per scene. The laser source has a lifetime of 20,000 hours, which corresponds to approximately twenty years with almost three hours of use per day. How long the rest of the product will last after the five-year warranty is unknown.
Epson LS970: Price and Availability
The LS970 is available in black and white and will be available in April 2026. The European price has not been confirmed, but since it replaces the LS800 which costs SEK 40,000, it should be well under SEK 50,000.
More info: epson.se
(b. 1978): Journalist. Gråbein has never had any other full-time job than at Ljud & Bild. On the other hand, he’s been here almost half his life, ever since 2001 when he sent a job application to the wrong address (he actually wanted to a recording studio with the same name). Gråbein’s expertise is mainly in hi-fi, headphones and home theater, but it happens that he glimpses other qualities as well.
