When comparing Epson Home Cinema 2040 vs BenQ TH670, the Slant community recommends Epson Home Cinema 2040 for most people. In the question“What are the best projectors?” Epson Home Cinema 2040 is ranked 3rd while BenQ TH670 is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Epson Home Cinema 2040 is:
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.
Specs
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Pros
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pro Low input lags for gaming
The 2040 measures an input lag of only 24.6 ms, making it a great pick for gamers.
Pro No rainbow artifacts
Since it is a 3LCD projector, there are no visible rainbow artifacts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pro 3D support
The projector has 3D support, though you will need to purchase suitable 3D glasses since they are not included.
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.
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.
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.
Cons
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.
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.
Con Noisy fans in performance mode
In performance mode the fan noise goes up to 37 dB, being the loudest among its closest competitors.
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.
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.
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.
