The 5 Best Home Theater Projectors

Jeffrey Pu — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:01:22 +0000

For those who are a bit more ambitious in setting up their home entertainment systems, a television might not be large enough. If you're looking to maximize the size of your screen, a home theater projector might be the right machine for you. Projectors have gotten less expensive while their image quality has steadily grown higher. Projectors that can project a screen size of over 100 inches are no longer a rarity.

What Is a Home Theater Projector?

A home theater projector is an image projector that takes a video signal and projects the image onto a screen using some type of lens system. While most projectors will still work best in dark rooms, newer, higher-quality devices are versatile enough to handle decently lit rooms as well. Higher resolution, better brightness range, and a higher contrast ratio will ensure that the image quality of your project will be at its best.

Best 5 Home Theater Projectors

Mitsubishi HC4000

A Best Buy from Consumer Reports, this front projector from Mitsubishi projects in high-definition 1080p and brings great picture quality with a reasonable price. On top of the high level of picture detail and color, this projector comes with a 12-month lamp warranty (which is longer than most), as well as in-home service. However, its lack of a lens shift function means that it could potentially be difficult to place. Currently $1,035.56 on Amazon.

Optoma HD131Xe

Well-reviewed by users, folks love the high image quality delivered by this Optoma home theater projector coupled with a very low price tag. Aside from a high brightness setting that clocks in at 2500 lumens, great colors, and a high contrast ratio, this projector also delivers full 3D capability. Placement flexibility is also the main issue with this projector, and it may be a challenge to find the perfect spot. Currently $775.00 on Amazon.

BenQ W1070

Another favorite amongst users, the BenQ W1070 brings sharp picture quality, great contrast and the ability to project in just about any lighting situation. In addition to the top-notch image quality, this BenQ projector also broadcasts 3D. Users can't stop raving about the price-to-quality ratio, and many claim it to be the best projector in its price range. This projector also features SmartEco Mode, which adjusts the lamp brightness in order to maximize power saving. Currently $898.00 on Amazon.

Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3020

On the list of recommended projectors at Consumer Search, the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3020 brings great color performance, 3D image quality and extremely high brightness, making this a great projector to use in ambient lighting. Also, while it doesn't have lens shift capability, its 1.6x zoom still gives it good flexibility in terms of placement distance. Purists might be slightly disappointed in the depths of its blacks, but users can't seem to tell the difference. Currently $1,569.99 on Amazon.

Sony VPL-HW50ES

For those that are willing to pull out all the stops for their home entertainment system, this Sony projector is the one for you. Both experts and users agree that this is one of the best projectors available on the market. Image quality is superb with sharp pictures, balanced colors, high contrast, and deep blacks. 3D performance is nearly as good as 2D image quality and set-up is a breeze. Just be aware that you get what you pay for, and this premium projector comes with a premium price tag. Currently $3,999.00 on Amazon.

This article is from Jeffrey Pu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: