What are the best projectors under $1,000?

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Apr 14, 2018

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BenQ HT2050 vs Epson Home Cinema 2040 vs Epson - Home Cinema 1040 1080p 3LCD Projector

Specs

Weight

7.3 lbs(3.3 kg)

Contrast

15,000:1

Display Type

1 DLP

Speakers

10.0W Mono

Native resolution

1920x1080

Image Size

103" – 596"

Lamp type

UHP(Ultra-high-performance)

Brightness(lumens)

2,200 ANSI

Native aspect ratio

16:9 (HD)

Throw distance

4.4 - 19.6 ft(1.3 – 6.0 m)

Size(HxWxD)

4.8" x 14.9" x 10.9"(12 x 38 x 28 cm)

Digital keystone

Vertical

Standard lens focus

Manual

Standard Zoom Lens

Manual, 1.30:1

3D Modes

Full HD 3D

Power Usage

350 Watts

Supported video modes

720p, 1080i, 1080p/60, 576i, 576p

Lens shift

Vertical

Fan noise

29.0 dB

Data Modes

1920x1200

Auto iris

Lamp life(eco-mode)

6,000 hrs

Throw Ratio (D:W):

1.15:1 - 1.50:1

Lamp life(full power)

3,500 hrs

Resolution

Screen size

Aspect Ratio

Brightness

Contrast ratio

Lamp Life

Weight

6.4 lbs(2.9 kg)

Contrast

35,000:1

Display Type

3 LCD

Speakers

5.0W Mono

Native resolution

1920x1080

Image Size

"86 – 846"

Lamp type

UHE(Ultra-high-efficiency)

Brightness(lumens)

2,200 ANSI

Native aspect ratio

16:9 (HD)

Throw distance

3.6 - 29.5 ft(1.1 – 9.0 m)

Size(HxWxD)

4.5" x 11.7" x 9.7"(11 x 30 x 25 cm)

Digital keystone

Horizontal and Vertical

Standard lens focus

Manual

Standard Zoom Lens

Manual, 1.20:1

3D Modes

Full HD 3D

Power Usage

307 Watts

Supported video modes

720p, 1080i, 1080p/60, 1080p/24, 1080p/50, 576i, 576p

Lens shift

None

Fan noise

37.0 dB

Data Modes

1920x1080

Auto iris

YES

Lamp life(eco-mode)

7,500 hrs

Throw Ratio (D:W):

1.22:1 - 1.47:1

Lamp life(full power)

4,000 hrs

Resolution

Screen size

Aspect Ratio

Brightness

Contrast ratio

Lamp Life

Weight

5.7 lbs(2.6 kg)

Contrast

15,000:1

Display Type

3 LCD

Speakers

2.0W Mono

Native resolution

1920x1200

Image Size

30.0"-300.5"

Lamp type

UHE(Ultra-high-efficiency)

Brightness(lumens)

3,000 ANSI

Native aspect ratio

16:10 (WUXGA)

Throw distance

3.6 - 29.3 ft

Size(HxWxD)

3.3" x 11.7" x 9.6"

Digital keystone

Horizontal and Vertical

Standard lens focus

Manual

Standard Zoom Lens

Manual, 1.20:1

3D Modes

Full HD 3D

Power Usage

291 Watts

Supported video modes

720p, 1080i, 1080p/60, 1080p/24, 1080p/30, 1080p/50, 576i, 576p, 480p, 480i

Lens shift

None

Fan noise

37.0 dB(28.0 dB in Eco-Mode)

Data Modes

MAX 1920x1200

Auto iris

Yes

Lamp life(eco-mode)

10,000 hrs

Throw Ratio (D:W):

1.38:1 - 1.68:1

Lamp life(full power)

5,000 hrs

Resolution

1920x1200

Screen size

30" - 300"

Aspect Ratio

16:10

Brightness

3,000 lumens

Contrast ratio

15,000:1

Lamp Life

10,000 hours

Pros + Cons

Pro
Amazing picture

The BenQ HT2050 has the best picture quality of any projector under $1000. Compared to other similarly priced projectors, it has better contrast, much higher brightness and more accurate colors. It produces a surprisingly high quality picture for such an in-expensive projector. The 2200 Lumens of brightness on this BenQ is high enough to deal with some ambient light. You can watch movies in daytime as long as you have the 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.

Comment

Pro
Quiet fans

HT2050 has very quiet fans in ECO mode, almost unnoticeable unless there’s total silence. Also, the fans don't get noticeably louder when the projector is switched to performance mode. HT2050 is a quiet projector and will not disturb your movie experience.

Comment

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. Setting up the HT2050 is easy and worry free.

Comment

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 with 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.

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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.

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Pro
Low input lag for gaming

For gamers requiring a low input lag, HT2050 is a great pick. It beats most of its competitors with an input lag of only 33ms.

Comment

Con
Expensive replacement lamps

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

Comment

Pro
Very good picture

Epson 2040 has a native resolution of 1920x1080. It 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. In a dark room, it makes black colors look darker and deeper.

Comment

Con
A blurry picture or extra input lags

This LCD projector has motion blur problems during fast movie scenes. Fortunately, it uses the Frame Interpolation technology, which analyses the picture and adds frames to it. This noticeably helps with the motion blur issue. On the downside, Frame Interpolation adds extra input lags, so you can not use it while gaming.

Comment

Pro
Great 3D experience

Many inexpensive projectors struggle with 3D performance due to low brightness. With brightness of 2200 lumens, Epson 2040 is great for watching 3D content. The 3D image is rich in color. It's also high in contrast, which makes dark scenes look good.

Comment

Pro
Low input lag for gaming

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

Comment

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 an above average lamp life, the replacement lamps are extremely cheap. They cost only $79.

Comment

Pro
No rainbow artifacts

DLP projectors often show flashes of red, green, and blue on bright objects in darker movie scenes. Since this is a 3LCD projector, there are no visible rainbow artifacts.

Comment

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.

Comment

Con
Noisy fans in performance mode

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

Comment

Con
Not a movie room projector

A good movie room projector needs great contrast and black-levels for an excellent picture. This projector does not have them. It's meant for a family room with ambient light, where any blacks would get grayish anyways. If you expect a great cinemalike experience in a movie room, this projector will not cut it.

Comment

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 wish to mount it to the ceiling, you will probably need an extension tube to drop the projector below the ceiling. This is important for a proper image placement.

Comment

Pro
Good picture

Though the picture quality is nothing outstanding, the projector is amazingly bright. This means that the 1040 is meant for a family room with ambient light, where picture quality aspects like black-levels don't matter that much. The blacks get washed out anyways, when external light falls on the screen. Though, compared to an average projector, the black-levels and shadow detail are still good and produce a good picture in a dark room. Overall, the projector has a clean and sharp picture with good color accuracy.

Comment

Pro
Portable if needed

The projector weighs only 5.7 lbs and measures 3.3 x 11.7 x 9.6 inches. If you need to give a business presentation every once in a while, you can technically take this projector with you.

Comment

Pro
Awesome lamp-life

The lamp lasts 5000 hours in Performance Mode and up to 10 000 hours in Eco-Mode. The lamp lasts almost twice as long as the average projector's lamp. If you don't like the idea of getting a new lamp after a year or two, this projector beats most home cinemas by a long shot.

Comment

Con
Noisy fans in performance mode

The fans produce 37 dB of noise in performance mode. This is definitely noticeable and can be annoying. In Eco-Mode the fans are a bit quieter - at 28 dB of noise.

Comment

Pro
Very bright

With an amazing brightness of 3000 lumens, this projector will work great in areas that are not dedicated home theater setups. 3000 lumens is enough to get a bright image, even with ambient light in the room. It will also work great if you choose to use it outdoors, or move it around to other locations that might not be as dark as your room at home.

Comment

Pro
1080p resolution

Many projectors don’t come in full 1080p resolution, so this one has a leg up on the competition. 1080p matches the resolution of most computer monitors, and TV’s today, so at this price, 1080p is a must have feature.

Comment

Con
No 4K or HDR support

TV’s, Blu-Ray, and streaming technology has been progressing quickly in recent years. The latest technologies available are 4K,and HDR, but unfortunately this projector lacks either. While it may not be a dealbreaker for most, it should be noted that this projector doesn’t feature either of these technologies that may be nice for future proofing a home theater setup.

Comment

Con
Gets hot while running

The projector gets fairly hot because of the lamp running inside. This can be an issue if you plan on using this projector closer to the ground, in reach of children. Although this isn’t limited to just this projector. All lamp projectors will run fairly hot.

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