8 best alternatives to Epson Home Cinema 5040UB as of 2018 - Slant

Sony VPL-HW45ES

Top Pro

Very low input lag for gaming

This Sony is great for gaming, since the input lag is measured at 22ms, which is pretty much as low as it gets. See More

Top Con

No built-in speakers

It does not have built-in speakers. Though, it’s a home cinema, so external speakers will create a better movie experience anyways. See More

Top Pro

Amazing picture

This Sony has a contrast ratio of 120 000:1 which produces very deep blacks. The dark colors are unusually dark even in ambient light. This also helps with the colors, which are very realistic and deep, creating a bit of a three-dimensional picture feeling. It has 1800 lumens of white brightness and the same amount of color brightness. This balance means that the colors are stunningly precise at every level of brightness. See More

Top Pro

Very quiet fans

The fans are very quiet, making 22 dB of noise. This is one of the quietest projectors overall. See More

Top Pro

Long-lasting lamp

It has a lamp-life of 6000 hours, which will last for 6-7 years if you watch a movie a day. Though all lamps lose brightness over time so you might want to replace it earlier. Replacements are available for around $300. See More

Top Pro

Good for 3D content

The VPL-HW45ES has 3D support. Image quality in both 3D and 2D are the same. Though, just as any other 3D projector, the image brightness suffers in 3D mode due to dark glasses. In addition, it has a built in RF 3D Sync transmitter, providing a wider viewing angle and flexible sitting positioning. See More

Top Pro

No rainbow artifacts

Like LCD projectors, it barely shows any rainbow artifacts thanks to its three-chip SXRD (brand name for LCoS - liquid crystal on silicon) technology. See More

Top Pro

Convenient set-up

It has a 1.6x manual zoom lens plus vertical and horizontal lens shift. This makes the projector very versatile when setting it up. See More

Top Pro

Customization options

It has 8 color presets and one User mode, which are all customizable to your taste. See More

Specs

Weight:19.8 lbs(9.0 kg)

Display Type:0.6" 3 SXRD

Contrast:120,000:1

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BenQ HT2050A

Top Pro

Easy to set up

The 1.3x zoom lens allows some flexibility in the throw distance. The vertical lens shift on this projector lets you move the image up and down by about 10% of the image size. This is helpful if you happen to install the projector with a small offset. See More

Top Con

Rainbow effects

Rainbow effects are an issue for this projector, as is the case for most DLP projectors. They create rainbows on bright objects on dark backgrounds, for example streetlights. Some people don’t notice them, some find them extremely annoying. Luckily, the BenQ proves to show less rainbow artifacts than an average DLP. See More

Top Pro

Bright and detailed picture

The BenQ HT2050 is a bright projector with amazing contrast. Its native resolution of 1920x1080 produces a detailed Full HD picture. The 2,200 Lumens of brightness on this BenQ is high enough to deal with some ambient light. You can watch movies in daytime with curtains rolled down. A 15,000:1 contrast ratio means that the white image is 15,000 times brighter than the black image. This gives the projector great black-levels and shadow detail so the dark scenes in movies will look great. See More

Top Con

Expensive replacement lamps

The replacement lamps cost $250. Of all the inexpensive projectors, HT2050 has one of the most expensive replacement lamps. See More

Top Pro

No blur from fast motion

Motion handling is great on the HT2050, as for all the DLP (digital light processing) projectors. In movie scenes with fast motion, the picture won’t get blurry. See More

Top Pro

Low input lag for gaming

For gamers requiring a low input lag, the HT2050 is the best way to go since it beats most of its competitors with an input lag of only 17ms. See More

Top Pro

Quiet fans

HT2050 has very quiet fans, almost unnoticeable unless there’s total silence. The fans produce more or less the same noise in both ECO and performance modes. See More

Specs

Weight:7.3 lbs(3.3 kg)

Speakers:10.0W Mono

Display Type:1 DLP

Contrast:15,000:1

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23 0

Epson Home Cinema 2040

Top Pro

Very good picture

Epson 2040 has a native resolution of 1920x1080 and is capable of playing full HD 1080p content. The Detail Clarity Processor (also used in expensive Epsons) adds more detail and makes the picture look even higher in resolution than it is. The 2040 also has a dynamic iris installed for slightly improving the black levels when watching movies at night. See More

Top Con

Complicated setup

This projector has a slight negative throw offset. The bottom edge of the image is around 5% of the total image height below the center of the lens. If you mount it to the ceiling, you will probably need an extension tube for the projector. See More

Top Pro

Great 3D experience

Many inexpensive projectors struggle with 3D performance due to low brightness. With brightness of 2200 lumens, Epson 2040 is the brightest under $1000 pick for watching 3D content. The 3D image is also high contrast (for detailed dark scenes) and rich in color. See More

Top Con

Not a movie room projector

Black levels and contrast are not the strongest side for this Epson. If you have created a special movie room with ambient light blocked out, then you should probably purchase a more expensive projector as well. This projector is meant for watching movies in a room with ambient light (a family room). In this case, black levels and contrast are meaningless factors - they will not make much difference in the picture quality. See More

Top Pro

Low fan-noise

This Epson has rather low fan noise of 29 dB in Eco-Mode. Since the projector produces great brightness in Eco-Mode, the performance mode does not have to be used too often. See More

Top Con

Noisy fans in performance mode

In performance mode the fan noise goes up to 37 dB, being the loudest among its closest competitors. See More

Top Pro

Good lamp life and cheap replacement lamps

The lamp life is 4000 hours in performance mode and 7000 hours in Eco-Mode. In addition to a very decent lamp life, the replacement lamps are extremely cheap. They cost only $79. See More

Top Con

A blurry picture or extra input lags

LCD projectors have motion blur problems during fast movie scenes. Although the frame interpolation technology (analyzes and adds frames to the video) on the 2040 helps take care of the motion blur issue, this technology adds some input lag, so it can't be used while gaming. See More

Top Pro

Low input lags for gaming

The 2040 measures an input lag of only 24.6 ms, making it a great pick for gamers. See More

Top Pro

No rainbow artifacts

Since it is a 3LCD projector, there are no visible rainbow artifacts. See More

Specs

Weight:6.4 lbs(2.9 kg)

Speakers:5.0W Mono

Display Type:3 LCD

Contrast:35,000:1

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19 0

LG PH300

Top Pro

Great picture for video content

LG PH300 has a native 1280x720 high-definition resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio. This is great for playing video content. For a pico-projector, the PH300 also has very decent black levels (the contrast ratio is 100 000:1). See More

Top Con

Poor sound quality

It’s not recommended to use the built-in audio system. These one-watt stereo speakers have disappointing sound quality. See More

Top Pro

Very small and light

This LG is only 2.5 x 3.5 x 4.5 inches in size. It weighs just one pound. See More

Top Con

Rainbow artifacts

It is a single-chip DLP projector, so you might experience a rainbow effect on the screen every once in a while. See More

Top Pro

Everlasting lamp

The lamp lasts for up to 30 000 hours, so you probably will never have to replace it. Replacement lamps for PH300 are hard to find anyways. See More

Top Pro

Low input lag for gaming

It has a 33ms input lag, meaning you can take it to a lan-party or play video games on a big screen while travelling. See More

Top Pro

Rather quiet fans

The fan noise is a high-pitch whiny noise: 26 dB in normal mode and 28 dB in high brightness mode. The projector is rather quiet, but you can still hear the fans buzzing. See More

Specs

Weight:0.9 lbs(0.4 kg)

Speakers:1.0W and 1.0W

Display Type:1 DLP

Contrast:100,000:1

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14 0

AAXA P300

Top Pro

Comes with a battery

The projector is usable even when there is no power supply provided. Though its worth mentioning that you only get 160 lumens of brightness (half of the maximum) when running the projector on battery. The battery lasts for about an hour, which should be enough in case you need to give a short presentation with no power outlet available. See More

Top Con

Poor colors

This is not the best pick for playing video content due to its poor colors. P300 is meant for presenting slides. See More

Top Pro

Very portable

AAXA P300 is extremely light, weighing only 0.97 lb, making it easy to carry around. It is also very small in size, only 1.5 x 5.9 x 3.8 inches, making sure it will fit in a suitcase. See More

Top Con

Noisy fans

The fan on AAXA P300 is rather loud, it's comparable to an overheating laptop. See More

Top Pro

Everlasting lamp

The LED light source lasts much longer than regular projectors, estimated at around 15000 hours. Technically, the lamp will not need changing for the next 10 years, if you use the projector for 4-5 hours a day. See More

Top Pro

Large picture for a small projector

It has a throw distance of 5-12 feet and an image size of 50.5-121.3 inches. You can place the projector close to the screen in a small presentation room and get a decent image with the size of a large TV. See More

Top Pro

Usable in ambient light

As a business projector, AAXA P300 is bright enough to be usable in presentation rooms with ambient light, in fact it is one of the brightest portable projectors out there. See More

Top Pro

Great variety of inputs

It has many inputs like HDMI, VGA, MicroSD, USB and AV, making sure the presentation is not delayed due to connection issues. See More

Specs

Weight:1.3 lbs(0.6 kg)

Speakers:1.0W and 1.0W

Display Type:1 DLP

Contrast:2,000:1

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11 0

BenQ TH670

Top Pro

Very good picture quality

BenQ TH670 has a resolution of 1920x1080, producing a detailed Full HD picture. It has a white brightness of 3000 lumens so it's bright enough to deal with ambient light in a family room. Compared to other inexpensive HD projectors, the TH670 has the best contrast. A contrast ratio of 10 000:1 means there is a reasonably large difference between the blacks and whites this BenQ projects on the screen. This helps create a life-like picture. The contrast ratio (as for TH670’s competitors) is boosted by BrilliantColor technology. Unlike its competitors, the BrilliantColor can be disabled. This lets you choose between a high contrast or better colors, depending on the content. See More

Top Con

Complicated setup

There is no lens-shift for easier setup, so you have to be careful when first installing it in the room. Though it does have zoom-lens of 1.20:1. See More

Top Pro

Quiet fans

The fans produce 29 dB of sound in Eco-Mode. In normal mode the noise-level is 31 dB. From a few feet away, you can not even hear it. See More

Top Con

Not great for 3D

If you want a great 3D experience, an inexpensive HD projector is not the best option. You will need a large picture size for a good 3D effect. TH670 will have a dim picture if you make the screen large and view it in 3D. See More

Top Pro

A fairly long-lasting lamp

It has a lamp life of 4000 hours in Performance Mode. If you use it in Eco-Mode only, it will last up to 10 000 hours. In case the lamp dies or you want it to be as bright as new again, a replacement lamp costs $199. See More

Top Pro

Works as a business projector

Though the TH670 is a great home cinema, it also does well as a business projector. It delivers a very detailed picture with clear content. Even very small black text (5-6 points) on a white background does not get blurry and can be read easily. See More

Top Pro

Light and small

The projector weighs only 6.6 lbs, so it is easy to transport. It measures at 5.4 x 12.8 x 9.2 inches, making it is easy to store when you are not using the projector. See More

Top Pro

3D support

The projector has 3D support, though you will need to purchase suitable 3D glasses since they are not included. See More

Top Pro

Back-lighting on the remote

The remote has back-lighting on its buttons. Since projectors are used in a dark room, this comes in handy. See More

Top Pro

Low input lag for gaming

The input lag is 33.1 in game mode, 33.9 in cinema mode, and 35.2 if you turn on Brilliant Color. In other words, the projector is suitable for competitive gaming. See More

Top Pro

Great built-in speakers

It has a 10W built-in speaker with clear and loud audio, so external speakers might not even be necessary in a small room. See More

Specs

Weight:6.6 lbs(3.0 kg)

Speakers:10.0W Mono

Display Type:1 DLP

Contrast:10,000:1

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Optoma UHD60 4K

Top Pro

4K resolution

The Optoma UHD60 has true 4K resolution, meaning you can play 4K content that is extremely sharp and detailed. It's a DLP(digital light processing) single-chip projector. The DLP's digital mirror device switches very fast and creates multiple pixels for each 4K image frame, adding advanced processing the projector produces a real 4K picture. The projector got a 'real 4K' approval by the independent Consumer Technology Association. See More

Top Con

Very large in size

Though for a home cinema, the projector size doesn't matter too much, the projector is huge, measuring W490 x H141 x D331 mm. See More

Top Pro

Great contrast for a lifelike picture

Thanks to its HDR(high dynamic range) playback, the contrast level on this projector is 1,000,000:1, meaning the blacks are one million times darker than the whites. This makes the image deep and lifelike. See More

Top Pro

Low input lag for a good gaming experience

This Optoma has an input lag of only 33 ms, which makes gaming convenient. See More

Top Pro

Bright enough for some ambient light

The projector has 3000 ANSI Lumens of brightness, meaning you can watch movies even during daytime, as long as you keep the curtains closed. See More

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Optoma UHD60 4k

Top Pro

Bright enough for some ambient light

The projector has 3000 ANSI Lumens of brightness, meaning you can watch movies even during daytime, as long as you keep the curtains closed. See More

Top Con

Very large in size

Though for a home cinema, the projector size doesn't matter too much, the projector is huge, measuring W490 x H141 x D331 mm. See More

Top Pro

Low input lag for a good gaming experience

This Optoma has an input lag of only 33 ms, which makes gaming convenient. See More

Top Pro

Great contrast for a lifelike picture

Thanks to its HDR(high dynamic range) playback, the contrast level on this projector is 1,000,000:1, meaning the blacks are one million times darker than the whites. This makes the image deep and lifelike. See More

Top Pro

4K resolution

The Optoma UHD60 has true 4K resolution, meaning you can play 4K content that is extremely sharp and detailed. It's a DLP(digital light processing) single-chip projector. The DLP's digital mirror device switches very fast and creates multiple pixels for each 4K image frame, adding advanced processing the projector produces a real 4K picture. The projector got a 'real 4K' approval by the independent Consumer Technology Association. See More

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