In our series of #CEDIAShares blogs, we’re talking with exhibitors about the hottest technologies and trends they’re looking to see at CEDIA Expo.
Q&A with Melvin Diaz, senior product manager, Epson America.
Why exhibit at CEDIA Expo 2026?
CEDIA Expo is the industry’s leading gathering for residential technology professionals, bringing together custom integrators, designers, manufacturers, and enthusiasts to collaborate, discuss, and discover the latest advancements in home entertainment. For Epson, it provides an opportunity to demonstrate how high-brightness projection technology continues to deliver immersive big-screen experiences within dedicated dark-room theater spaces while expanding the opportunities for integrators to specify designer-led living spaces and media rooms with ambient light.
Beyond showcasing our latest home projection technologies, CEDIA provides an opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of Epson’s Q-Series platform, illustrating how high-brightness projection solutions can deliver exceptional performance across dedicated theaters and ambient-light living spaces alike, while adapting to virtually any room size, throw distance, or screen size.
Just as valuable are the conversations the event provides. CEDIA gives us the chance to exchange ideas with customers, integrators, and partners, gain insight into emerging design and installation trends, and better understand the residential market needs of today, so we can continue developing solutions that deliver the experiences homeowners are looking for.
What is the most exciting trend you expect to see at the show?
One trend we’re especially excited to see is the continued evolution of projection within home entertainment. It’s expanding beyond dedicated dark theater rooms and becoming an integral part of more living spaces throughout the home. As homeowners seek to create cinematic experiences in a wider range of environments, projection technology continues to reach new levels — offering significantly higher brightness and improved overall image performance.
Alongside these advancements, we’re seeing a growing interest in acoustically transparent screens, motorized screen systems, and thoughtfully integrated entertainment designs that allow technology to blend seamlessly into living spaces while still delivering an immersive, theater-quality experience. And while direct-view LED will continue to gain attention, projection remains uniquely positioned for premium home entertainment. It offers the ability to create truly immersive, large-screen experiences while providing greater installation flexibility and screen size options.
We also expect HDR performance to remain a major focus as advancements in projection technology make it increasingly achievable in larger-screen environments. Combined with higher brightness, today’s projectors are helping to change consumer perceptions of what’s possible with projection by delivering exceptional image quality across a wider range of viewing environments.
It’s an exciting time for home entertainment as display technologies continue to advance, giving homeowners more options than ever to choose the solution that best fits their space, lifestyle, and viewing preferences. That continued evolution will help shape the conversation at CEDIA as the industry pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in modern home entertainment.
What will you focus on at the show?
This year at CEDIA Expo, Epson will showcase how the next generation of high-brightness projection technology is redefining premium home entertainment. Powered by the 10,000-lumen QL7000 projector, Epson will demonstrate how a single projection platform can deliver exceptional large-screen experiences across both dedicated dark-room theaters and modern living spaces with ambient light.
In partnership with Stewart Filmscreen, Epson will showcase the QL7000 paired with Stewart’s new slimmer-profile Director’s Choice Generation 2 four-way masking screen — an impressive 215-inch cinematic 2.0:1 aspect ratio display designed for today’s evolving entertainment landscape. As more prestige films and streaming series adopt wider cinematic formats, this immersive configuration allows homeowners to experience content as creators intended, while the four-way masking system adapts seamlessly to virtually any aspect ratio. At this scale, the QL7000 will demonstrate the ability of high-brightness projection to achieve the new DCI reference target of 300 nits for HDR peak brightness, delivering impactful highlights and stunning HDR performance. The StudioTek 130 G4 acoustically transparent screen material further enhances immersion by allowing speakers to be hidden behind the image, creating a more natural cinematic experience where sound emanates directly from the action on screen.
Epson will also demonstrate how projection extends beyond traditional theaters with a premium lifestyle room featuring the QL7000 paired with Stewart Filmscreen’s 160-inch Phantom HALR+ ambient-light-rejecting screen that is also acoustically transparent. This experience will showcase how high-brightness projection enables immersive entertainment in beautifully designed living spaces while offering hidden, integrated solutions that direct-view displays and LED video walls cannot easily replicate.
Attendees will also experience a live projector comparison showcasing the HDR performance, brightness, and color capabilities of Epson’s Q-Series platform, allowing integrators to see first-hand the advantages of Epson’s high-performance projection technology.
To learn more, check out Epson in booth #1319 at CEDIA Expo 2026 and visit epson.com.
