Our readers know what’s up. Whenever we ask a question like “What’s the best projector?”, we know we’ll always get a good mix of thoughtful responses and great product recommendations. As expected, we received both this time around, making for a well-rounded and perfect overview of projector life. The most interesting piece of advice was to stick with 1080p for now until 4K reaches its full potential.
Until there’s a proper, native 4K projector released with a full 32GBps HDMI 2.1 port – I wouldn’t consider upgrading from my current 1080P system.
Even at the recent trade shows, no new projectors have been announced that even meet the full HDMI 2.1 spec. This is especially a problem if you just got that new PS5, Xbox, or PC GPU and want to get that 4K @ 120Hz output. – ImALeafOnTheWind
That’s a good tip to consider for anyone who wants to shell out thousands of dollars for a 4K projectors right now. That said, some of our users made an equally compelling case for going 4K, so it all comes down to what you want to use it for. If you aren’t trying to get the most out of next-gen systems and just want to watch movies at high quality, then there are plenty of good options for you out there. Here’s what our readers had to say.
I’m new to the projector game, but I’m a big fan of my Epson 3200. I felt like it hit the sweet spot of cost for performance. It’s pretty much an entry level 4K (albeit pixelshift 4K) projector. It’s 3LCD so you’re not going to have any chance of the rainbow effect that a small subset of DLP users notice. And the input lag is acceptably low for gaming (I play a decent amount of Warzone without issue). The room I use it in is mostly light controlled (only one window with a nearly black out curtain), but it’s a multi use bonus room, so a lot of times we’re watching stuff with lights on. – ItsDeke
Epson’s EF-12 FTW! Instant on/off and excellent color reproduction and fairly bright for the relatively low lumens it has—also HDR, and good speakers are my main reasons. Also auto focus and a fairly short throw distance are nice. This is a projector that you’d put on a coffee table, in front of you rather than behind you. – dt100
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My projector, purchased back in 2013, it still running strong (have replace a few lamps along the way, a cost of ownership). In my setup (120″ screen in a dedicated room) the picture is still great (I also own an LG 65″ 4K, and I remain happy with the 1080p projector). Yeah, probably will upgrade to 4K when the prices drop, but if I were to recommend a projector today, it’d be a 1080p. – medhat1
I’ve got the Optoma HD39HDR. My projector setup is my main setup. I’ve got no regular TV. We use this projector for everything. What I really liked about it are the brightness and response time. I play video games on it, so a quick response time was a must and pretty much why I pulled the trigger on this one. I don’t have a blacked out living area where this is located, and can still watch during the day (although it is obviously much better at night). – DetFanChiGuy