Posted on August 23, 2016 By Lisa Feierman
Find paragraph descriptions of all our reviews of current home theater projectors (and some older ones). Projectors are listed in chronological order.
Epson Home Cinema 5040UB, Pro Cinema 6040UB 8/11/2016 The successors to Epson’s previous “Ultra Black” projectors are 4K capable and advanced in virtually every way.
ViewSonic PJD7835HD 5/12/2016 A relatively small, portable business and education projector with particularly good color in its “best” modes, 1080p resolution, and 3500 white lumens! That’s impressive considering the reasonable $899 list price in the US.
JVC DLA-RS400U 4/30/2016 This may be the best under $4000 home theater projector ever! $3999 lets you view 4K content, offers great black levels, and lens memory!
Epson Pro Cinema 1985W 4/11/2016 A True Light Canon of a projector for enjoyable large screen viewing in “bright rooms” like living rooms, family rooms, etc., that don’t have good lighting control, or typically have too many windows!
Sony VPL-HW65ES 3/6/2016 This Sony offers a number of improvements over the HW55ES – its rather excellent predecessor – and earns a Hot Product Award. Definite contender for a Best in Class Award in this summer’s report.
Epson Home Cinema 1040 2/4/2016 The HC1040 projector is geared for “bright rooms” – doesn’t need a cave to enjoy sports, HDTV and movies.
BenQ HT3050 2/3/2016 The HT3050 replaces the wging W1070 and HT1075 projectors, and is the middle projector of three new home entertainment/home theater series projectors from BenQ.
JVC DLA-RS600U, X950R 1/25/2016 These are JVC’s flagship models, and they’re replacing the DLA-RS67I. RS6710U and X900R models, which won “Best in Class” awards in last year’s report. Plus, they cost less this time around!
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1440 12/28/2015 This is an impressive brute force solution for living room projection. Earns a Special Interest Award for high brightness, placement flexibility, and HDMI with MHL.
Sony VPL-VW665ES 12/18/2015 This Sony is 4K and is a next generation improvement on the older VW600ES. Better blacks, support fr advanced performance capabilities, and much more.
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 730HD 11/8/2015 This is part of our series “Millennials and Projectors,” and we explore how young people can get the most out of this entry-level home theater projector.
BenQ HT4050 11/6/2015 This is the most feature laden of the 3 new DLP-based home theater and home entertainment projectors from BenQ. $1399, 2000 lumens, horizontal and vertical lens shift, and more.
Optoma ML750 11/6/2015 Part of our “Millennials and Projectors” series, we explore how this tiny but mighty pico projector can be useful in a young, mobile person’s life.
Vivitek H9090 10/15/2015 A DLP home theater projector that will appeal to purists and enthusiasts, it is powered by a long life RGB LED light engine.
Epson Home Cinema 2040 and 2045 9/16/2015 Hard to beat for value, 2200 lumens, lots of features including “smooth motion” (CFI), and great color right out of the box.
Comparision: JVC DLA-RS6710 vs. Epson Pro Cinema LS10000 9/9/2015 Two higher end projectors, that use pixel shifting. One is 4K Blu-ray UHD compatible, but the other…
Optoma HD37 7/2/2015 A DLP projector just under $1000. Nicely equipped, including MHL on HDMI for working with mobile devices, streaming sticks, 1.5:1 zoom with modest lens shift.
Epson Powerlite Pro Cinema G6550WU 6/12/2015 A serious, advanced featured, commercial projector that can double as a very high brightness home entertainment projector in that impossible living room (that’s where I have mine! -art)
BenQ HC1200 4/27/2015 Spectacular color fidelity and plenty of flexibility make the HC1200 a winner. It also has a full array of connection options, including network control capability. It’s relatively small size and light weight also make it quite portable.
JVC DLA-RS6710U, RS67U, X900R 04/22/2015 The JVC is a projector with an elegant picture, black level performance unmatched, and it has all the amenities such as a 2:1 zoom, lens memory, good brightness, 3D capabilities (with RF glasses), 4K compatibility and more.
ViewSonic PJD7822HDL 3/19/2015 Suitable as both a home entertainment and business/education projector. Outstanding brightness, 3 year warranty, 1.3:1 zoom lens for placement flexibility, 3D capable, and more! Hot Product award.
Epson Pro Cinema LS9600e 3/13/21015 The Epson Pro-Cinema LS9600e has received our Hot Product award for its combination of a state-of-the art laser light engine, really great colors, excellent 2D and 3D performance, and a great package of features, including lens memory.
Canon REALiS WUX6000 3/1/2015 This is a high brightness (6000 lumen rating), high resolution (WUXGA) projector that is aimed at projection venues where there is usually (if not always) a fair amount of ambient light, or a large screen size is needed. The WUX6000 earned our Special Interest Award by offering a good balance of performance, features and price for its intended role as a business/installation projector. Not intended for home but..awesome color.
LF PF85U 8/28/2014 The PF85U Projector has a long life LED light source, but what stands out most are the smarts of this large “pocket” projector which claims 1000 lumens. We consider the PF85U for home entertainment use, but it doubles nicely as a portable business projector.
Four Home Theater Projector Comparison 7/15/2014 We get to compare home theater projectors that sell between $2000 and $3999, from four of the top projector manufacturers: BenQ’s W7500, Epson’s Home Cinema 5030UB, Optoma’s HD91, and Sony’s VPL-HW40ES.
Sony VPL-HW40ES 7/10/2014 The VPL-HW40ES projector an LCoS home projector for under $2500 (US). Impressive, right out of the box.
Optoma HD91 6/12/2014 The HD91 is a DLP home theater projector who’s claim to fame is its 20,000 hour LED light engine. A very interesting projector, the HD91 has an MSRP of $3999. Special Interest Award!
Sony VPL-HW55ES vs. Epson Home Cinema 5030UB 3/29/2014 This is a battle of what Art considers the two best projectors in terms of performance and value, in the $2000 – $3500 street price range. Both projectors offer extensive feature sets, and a first rate picture.
BenQ W7500 3/19/2014 This home theater projector is new for 2014. An extremely bright DLP projector, it replaces one of our favorite projectors in last year’s Best Home Theater Projectors report. Great value proposition for the $2000-$3500 range.
Sony VPL-VW600ES 3/5/2014 This home theater projector offers true 4K for about $15,000. If you have the budget, this is the projector to own. Astounding picture quality. Hot Product Award!
Elmo BOXi T-200 1/6/14 This value priced pico-pocket projector offers very good color, HDMI, WXGA resolution. A lower powered, and lighter than most Pocket LED projectors, it delivers on its 150 lumen claim suitable for some presenting. Low input lag makes it a fine, highly portable gaming projector. Business or home! Special Interest Award.
Optoma GT760 12/27/2013 A 720p (1280×720) resolution DLP projector optimized for gamers. Low input lag, 3D, good feature set, and a street price in the mid-$600’s This is about the higher end of 720p gaming projectors. Special Interest Award!
BenQ W1500 12/25/13 Home Theater or Entertainment, the Wireless HDMI and creative frame interpolation, and more zoom range built on the W1070’s picture. If you want the extras, and the Wireless HDMI saves you bucks installing, it’s worth the difference in price.
Optoma HD131Xe 12/16/13 This 3D capable 1080p projector is an entry level 1080p resolution projector for home entertainment and gaming. Some strengths (black levels…) and weaknesses (color accuracy…) But then if “entry level” projectors didn’t have faults, they wouldn’t be entry level!
Sony VPL-HW55ES 12/7/13 This $3000+ “entry level” Sony home theater projector is serious. Brightest calibrated picture, one of the best all around pictures available under $4000 if not the best. A must consider, in your budget. Hot Product Award!
Epson Pro Cinema 4030 11/12/13 Replacement for the older PC9350, it is a major step up. Impressive black levels, great color, 3D, It’s an excellent value, even comes with a spare lamp, 2 pair of 3D glasses and ceiling mount. Best in a home theater, but bright enough for many other rooms. Hot Product Award.
Epson Home Cinema 5030 UB 10/28/13 This year’s updated UB projector, has several modest improvements, including black level performance. Epson’s best picture yet. A real price performance value.
Sony VPL-VW600ES 10/7/13 This isn’t a full review, but a “First Look” blog at a pre-production version of this new true 4K projector after viewing it in my theater for 4 days. I look only at out of the box performance using native 2K content only (upscaling with Sony’s Reality Creation to 4K). Amazing picture. When we get a full production projector we’ll look at everything else, measure and calibrate.
Epson Home Cinema 2030 8/27/13 This is Epson’s first sub $1000 1080p projector and it qualifies as a lot of home entertainment projector for the money. It’s really bright – 2000 lumens, and it’s “smart” – supports MHL, including devices like a Roku stick for internet streaming content. Good feature set, even better value proposition.
*ViewSonic PJD7820HD 8/5/13 ViewSonic rocks the house with a measured 3500+ lumens, 3D, and native 1080p resolution for $699. Breakthrough price performance. A value as a portable business projector or as a bright, entry level home entertainment projector.
Optoma HD25-LV 7/14/13 Here’s an extremely bright home entertainment projector for the family room, with 3D, sound, good color, and “a cut above” performance for it’s roughly $1300 price. Easily deserving one of our Special Interest awards.
Epson Home Cinema 750HD 7/11/13 Low cost 720P 3D capable, exceptionally bright (3000 lumens) projector built for the living room / family room. A good gaming projector though lag times could be better. Really good color for movies, etc. Special Interest Award.
Acer H6510BD 7/2/13 This is a nice entry level projector that sells for under $800. DLP technology, exceptionally bright (2802 lumens measured max). Rough around the edges but a good value especially for the non-enthusiast seeking a projector with a good, large 2D or 3D image.
BenQ W1080ST 6/21/13 This short throw, 3D, home entertainment projector is almost identical to BenQ’s W1070 which was reviewed and won a Hot Product Award. The W1080ST receives the same. There are very few differences other than the lens. A top choice for around $1000.
*HB Opto HBP503D 6/2/13 Here’s a pocket projector that output 275 lumens! Highlights include the optional battery pack which attaches and lasts 2 hours. HDMI, WXGA, PC Free, and 3D (with two pair of glasses). Really good color too. Two awards!
JVC DLA-X35 3/3/13 Available in black or white, (white typically for family rooms), this impressive $3500 projector is best in a home theater setup. After all, it is only slightly brighter than JVC’s more expensive projectors, and barely average overall. This X35 sports much improved 3D performance, good overall color, lens memory and great blacks.
JVC DLA-X95R 2/16/13 Deep natural black levels, great color, power everything, Lens Memory, built from the best of components, the X95 delivers a beautiful picture. A projector that should appeal to the purist. Try not to let the $11,999 price tag distract you.
Mitsubishi HC8000D 2/4/13 This Mitsubishi projector wins a Special Interest Award. Overall, and excellent DLP home theater projector for under $3000. A really good choice for smaller rooms, and screens not too large.
Epson Pro Cinema 6020 1/31/13 The Pro Cinema 6020 is nearly identical to the Home Cinema 5020UB, which we reviewed in October. We had both projectors here, but to write two fully separate reviews on both made no real sense. After all, image quality and performance should be identical, except that the 6020 supports an anamorphic lens. As such, this 6020 review uses much of the text taken directly from the 5020UB review.
BenQ W1070 1/6/13 At approximately $1000, this small DLP home entertainment projector is tough to beat, exceptional color, exceptionally bright, full CMS, and even some lens shift. An easy Hot Product Award decision.
JVC DLA-X55R 12/21/12 This new JVC shares features from both JVC’s lower cost X35 and the X75R. Similar to the X35, but it has JVC’s 4K “e-Shift” image enhancement system. We take a very close look at e-Shift in this review. Overall: Excellent Projector.
Optoma HD23 12/7/12 This compact, $999 DLP projector offers really good color, respectable brightness, No 3D, but a solid projector that offers good value as a family room type projector! Special Interest Award.
Mitsubishi HC7900DW 11/27/12 Mitsubishi’s $2499 DLP projector is 3D capable, although only average brightness, it offers really excellent color. Glasses and 3D emitter are optional expenses. Hot Product Award!
PT-AE8000 vs. HC5020 UB: A Comparison 11/19/12 Each year we take a look at how each company’s flagship projectors stack up against each other.
Epson Home Cinema 3020 11/11/12 The HC3020 is Epson’s “entry level” 3D projector with $1599 street price including two pair of lightweight, comfortable, RF, rechargeable glasses. Produces an extremely bright image, with real good color, a number of improvements from last year.
Epson Home Cinema 5020 UB 10/31/12 On paper the improvements over last year are minor. In reality though, 3D is greatly improved, color is better, and it’s brighter calibrated, slightly brighter at brightest. Superb value for well under $3000!
Panasonic PT-AE8000 10/21/12 A feature laden projector with great placement flexibility. Ultra high contrast blacks, and it’s about the brightest home theater projector around. 3D, Lens Memory, and a Hot Product Award!
ViewSonic Pro9000 10/15/12 We take a look at an early pre-production version of this DLP projector that sports a 20,000 hour hybrid LED / Laser light source, something rare in home theater projectors.
Panasonic PT-DZ770UL 10/15/12 Truly impressive. Though it comes with a hefty price tag of $17,099, this projector is exceptionally sharp and boasts 7000 lumens. Guaranteed to produce an incredible picture.
Acer H5360 10/5/12 A lot of projector at a good price! Not only is this Acer a great choice in the conference room, but it is also suited for part time home entertainment use.
Sony VPL-HW50ES 9/26/12 A beautiful new projector from Sony, rather bright, 3D, excellent color, $3999 with a spare lamp, 2 pair of 3D glasses. Offers serious performance! Hot Product Award.
*AAXA P4-X 9/18/12 This is one of the more full featured pico projectors available. Claiming 80 lumens on AC and 45 on battery the P4-X is also one of the brightest in its class. Media Player, HDMI, USB, mini-tripod included. Earns a Special Interest award.
Sharp XV-Z30000 8/22/12 This Sharp projector is a “classic” DLP home theater projector. 3D Capable, Deep rich colors, very fast color wheel, lens memory, and very good blacks. Street price is elusive but well under $4000. Best in a dedicated home theater! Receives ou Hot Product award! Impressive.
Acer H6500 6/29/12 This under $900 entry level projector is sold at Best Buy, and some other places. It happens to be a very bright low cost projector suitable for family rooms, bonus rooms, etc, where there’s some ambient light. Picture in Picture. A good first projector for the general consumer, it has less appeal to the real projector enthusiast
Outstanding Product of the Year: Sony VPL-VW1000ES 06/08/12 The best projector we’ve ever reviewed is this Sony VPL-VW1000ES. It is truly phenomenal. With true 4K resolution, great 3D and overall performance that surpasses any movie theater projector, we’re speechless. Read here to find out why choosing this projector for our highest award was a slam dunk!
Sony VPL-VW1000ES 6/5/12 True 4K resolution, 3D, extremely bright when calibrated, stunning picture, excellent blacks, and a big bucks price tag, Sony’s flagship projector is superb. $25K is too much for most of us, but from a pure price performance basis, it’s so good you can justify every cent. Earns our Hot Product Award!
Panasonic PT-AR100U 03/10/12 The first high brightness (a real light canon) LCD, 1080p home entertainment projector, measured about 2400 lumens. Versatile (2:1 zoom lens, and lens shift), a great family room projector for about $999 (MAP), that can double in a dedicated home theater or cave.
Epson MegaPlex MG-50 03/06/12 What a great multipurpose projector, and what a bargain! For just $699, get good brightness and contrast… Plus it boasts a base station for your iPod, iPhone or iPad. Surely a fun purchase.
*Viewsonic PLED-W500 2/1/2012 This roughly two and a half pound DLP projector has a 20,000 hour LED light source, and puts over 400 lumens on the screen. Built-in media player with 1GB memory makes computer-free a big advantage for this small projector. Great warranty too.
BenQ W7000 1/4/12 We have been working with an engineering sample – still a few rough edges, but this is an exceptionally bright, under $3000, 3D capable home theater projector with rich colors, and a good feature set. A “provisional” Hot Product award, pending final firmware, and related fixes. Extremely impressive.
Sony VPL-VW95ES 12/10/11 This is one fine $7,000 home theater projector. With that price it’s not for everyone, but it’s a significant improvement over last year’s Sony for $3000 less! It offers a lot more brightness, better 3D… A top performer, it gets our Hot Product Award.
Epson MegaPlex 850HD 11/23/11 An all-in-one 720p projector, with a twist – a spring loaded doc for your iPad or iPhone. Very cool.
Acer H9500BD 11/22/11 This Acer’s got real trade offs. It starts with very impressive blacks for a 3D capable projector under $2000. Too rough around the edges for a Hot Product Award, but impressed enough to earn a Special Interest Award.
Optoma GT750 10/5/11 Great 3D capable gaming projector that’s also a very good, affordable family projector. Extremely bright, portable, has 10 watt sound, and under $800!
Optoma HD8300 9/24/11 This is Optoma’s flagship 2D home projector with 3D capabilities. Very good color, solid performance, and a rough edge or two. 1080p resolution single chip DLP with good placement flexibility.
Vivitek QUMI 9/8/11 This incredibly compact mini projector, weighing in at just 1.4 lbs., does well against the competition! It boasts great color rendition, a long light life thanks to its LED light source, and 3D capability!
Optoma HD33 8/29/11 A Hot Product award for combining good entry level 2D performance with very respectable 3D performance. That includes having decent 3D brightness, a problem for most 3D projectors
*Viewsonic Pro8200 1/31/11 This sub-$1000 cross-over home entertainment projector is equally suitable as a low cost business projector. One of the brightest, affordable home projectors. A little “rough around the edges”, but a solid value!
Epson Home Cinema 8350 10/6/10 This Epson just won’t go away, always been a top seller. 2D only, Hot Product Award winner, 1640 lumens measured at max, so extremely bright, 2.1:1 zoom, lens shift, and a “best in class” warranty. Still solid, at much lower price.
MegaPlex crossover
*Projectors marked with an asterisk are considered “crossover” products. They are relatively low cost, and the bulk of their design comes from business projectors. However, they are also optimized in some ways that make them suitable as affordable home entertainment projectors.
© 2021 Projector Reviews
