8 Best Projectors for Home Theater of any Scale
No need to go to the cinema each time you want to watch movies. It is more charming to set up your own home theatre, either in a cozy room in the house or even in your backyard. And you need a projector to make that happen. But do not buy just any, it’s money down the drain with a less-than-stellar experience.
Our Favorite Projectors for your Home Theatre
And here we have it. Whether you are setting up your own theater outside your backyard, in a dark room, or in a well-lit space, you can successfully mimic the theater feel with the suitable projector.
Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air
If you want to impress your date or just simply elevate the family’s viewing time, why not host your own backyard cinema complete with popcorn, soda, and snacks? But of course, you need a reliable outdoor projector to be able to pull this one off. And we have just the perfect recommendation for you.
This portable projector pretty much has all the things that you would need to flawlessly pull off a cinema night under the clear skies with the starry night’s drama.
You can seamlessly connect this to certified apps such as Netflix. It can run Google TV seamlessly too. The ease of operation makes it possible for you to pull off impromptu dates. It is also very versatile, and it has HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. You will be able to connect it seamlessly to your gadgets, laptops, and smart devices.
The sound quality is very impressive. It has Potent 2x8W speakers that are capable of Dolby Audio. You can definitely immerse yourselves in a sheer viewing experience.
BenQ W2720i
This is a reasonably priced, versatile projector that you can utilize as your mainstream projector for your home. It can be used both in dark rooms and well lit areas. Despite not supporting Dolby vision, it has quite a set of features that can make up for a satisfying viewing experience.
It can support several variations of HDR and has good contrasts and backs even when viewed in dark rooms, think of your own home theater. It supports 4k and we are definitely impressed with how alive and vivid the colors came out.
It is also a pretty versatile piece that even gamers will be able to enjoy. With a low input lag, you can use this both for both viewing your favorite films and playing titles for the weekend chaos.
It’s both a serious movie performer and your gaming buddy, so it can be hard to resist pushing through the purchase.
The only caveats we can see are that it has occasional rainbow artifacts and the sound quality can be leaning towards mediocre rather than immersive.
EPSON HOME CINEMA 880
This particular Epson projector is one of the best when it comes to viewing in bright rooms. Even on a bank wall, the displays are flawless, and the colors are bright, vivid, and on point.
It is a 1080p lamp-based projector that can project very accurate colors. And oh, it is quite a steal and is very easy on the pocket, it is also one of em budget friendly projectors that can send out quite a stellar display. And while this is the best when it comes to viewing in bright rooms, it can be quite versatile.
You can select from four color mode settings, and you can choose the most seamless viewing experience specific to your room conditions. This even offers a gaming mode, so you will also be able to play your favorite titles on the weekends. The brand offers such adjustability on the viewer’s end, making it possible for you to create a more personalized and specific viewing experience. Apart from the common setting it has other additional settings such as the white balance and color temperature. That and all for a projector less than a grand.
Whether used in a bright room or darkly lit spaces, it promises nothing but an immersive experience.
LG GRU510N
This is here on this list for a lot of reasons. This projector offers you a multitude of ways in which you can tinker through the settings to be able to create a more seamless viewing experience.
It is HDR compatible and multifaceted, offering users tons of adjustability options. But before we dive further into these, may we just mention that this is a more premier choice, perfect for those who are willing to shell out a few more moolah to create the most dramatic and immersive viewing experience in their own home.
First off, you can access content wirelessly. It also has a WebOS browser where you can navigate through Netflix, YouTube, and any other content on the web. It uses a very powerful processor that can dynamically tone map HDR content. That’s why this is an ideal choice for schools and offices too. The displays are huge, vivid, and the colors are accurate and very lifelike.
And this is also one of the best when it comes to longevity. While you may have to shell out a premium price to get the read deal, it is very low maintenance and can save you money in the long run, think of it as an investment if you will. It has a rated life of 20,000 hours. That means that you do not need to do five to ten lamp changes. Think of all the savings that you can get from that one.
XGIMI HORIZON 20 Max
This is highly recommended if you want to fill big rooms or even a bigger blank wall. It has lots of prowess, lumens to speak. And even with such a big space or screen, it can create accurate , vivid, and life-like colors.
This is also as premier as it gets, sitting at the more steeply priced projectors, but you are going to be happy with how immersive an experience it can give. You can successfully recreate a posh home movie theater where you don’t have anything to do. And by that, we mean that the project can adjust itself. It uses sophisticated software that makes it feasible for you to just sit back and relax and the project will adjust everything according to the room and light conditions.
And oh, it also features Dolby sound, so pretty much everything you need to recreate a surreal cinema right at the comforts of your own home.
Hisense M2 Pro
If you are on a budget and just need a reliable projector that you can use in darker rooms, we highly recommend this one. It’s easy on the pocket, but not skimping on an immersive experience in dark rooms. Who says you need to splurge to be able to impress your date?
It features punchy colors and a punchy color depth. The visual standout is the high saturation and the vibrant hues. It is also a portable option, a cute coffee table projector that can support 4k viewing. It’s an out-of-the-box, easy-to-set-up, and easy-to-use projector for a decent and simple home cinema.
Compact and light, you can easily bring this bad boy on trips and holidays. This is actually meant for those who move around a lot and need a project that they can straight up bring with them without any fuss.
The caveat is that the specs are average, and when placed beside the more steeply priced premier projectors we have above, you can see the difference. But hey, this is quite a cheap projector that doesn’t necessarily scream cheap. It is decent and entertaining enough for casual viewing and dates.
BenQ X500i
If you just need to fill in a small room or a blank wall, this budget friendly projector will do. This is a short throw projector that doesn’t need to be positioned too far from the screen to create a larger image. Thus, this is one of the important features you have to look for if you are going to use a projector in a small room.
It can create bright and vivid colors and displays, provided that you are able to control the light conditions in that room.
This is also recommended for gamers with the gaming-specific picture modes, lower input lag, and a higher refresh rate. But since it can create vivid and bright pictures, this can also be a great option in small rooms.
Just to manage your expectations, the lens adjustments are limited, and it has no vertical or horizontal lens shifting.
NothingProjector One Google TV Projector
If you need a projector that can supply the most seamless integration to your Google TV, then look no further. It is very easy to set up and just count 1,2,3 and you’re a set to go. Instead of dongles or streaming sticks, it has a built-in smart functionality to seamlessly connect to your Google TV.
It’s easy on the budget, so you can also consider this if you are not one to spend luxuriously on a projector. You can also use this in dark rooms or in spaces with ambient lighting, so a bit of versatility there.
This is a suitable choice if you are down for some casual viewing and even gaming. When it is indeed lacking features that can supply a more immersive and superb viewing experience and proper image adjustment tools, this can serve you well if you are on a very tight budget, but need a decent, reliable, and uncomplicated projector.
Buying Guide: our criteria and metrics
This is where we based our selection.
How bright should it be?
Is brighter always better when it comes to projectors? Well, not really, it depends on where you will set up your screen. These are the key things that you have to check: 2000 lumens in standard light, 3000 lumens in well-lit spaces, and 1000 lumens for dark rooms.
Whichever you need, we have picked the best recommendation in this list.
Seamless connection
There’s nothing more frustrating than getting geared up for Saturday night only to find yourself spending a lot of time tinkering with the settings. That’s why it is important for us to only pick projectors that are easy to set up and very seamless to connect to whatever device you are going to use.
Mind the space
Before purchasing a projector, the space available in the room where you will use the projector is very crucial. More often, you need a 10- 15 feet distance between the screen and the projector, which is referred to as the throw distance.
Thus, if you are going to use it in a small room, you need a short throw projector since you may have limited space. It is more challenging to use in small spaces, though. Whichever your requirement is, we have one that fits your needs.
Whether you favor having movie dates under the starry skies outside your backyard or just in a cozy, well lit corner of your home, you need the most suitable projector. From vivid colors, decent to impressive sound quality, these are what makes up a surreal viewing experience.
Set up your Home theater on any Budget
We get projectors to be able to encapsulate the most vivid and bright displays and colors. Something with high-quality sounds and even ones that can support Dolby sound can be an added treat. So setting up your own home theatre at home does not have to be that complicated, it doesn’t always have to be expensive either.
That’s why we also chose projectors that can fit your budget, whichever it is. And even with a not so luxurious budget, you can still enjoy a satisfying viewing experience.
