(upbeat music)
- I really like projectors.
I much prefer a bigger image over that from a TV.
And there's something nice about the texture
of a projected image to my eyes.
Also, I think TVs are kind of ugly.
I have a really big wall in my living room.
And even if I've put up a 70 inch TV,
it would still look small and kind of dinky.
Now that a movie theater isn't really an option.
My friends have been asking me what kind of projector to get
so to help them, but also myself,
I've been living with nine different projectors.
After three months and a lot of movies
I found the projector that's best suited
for most situations.
There are a lot of specs
and choices to make when it comes to projectors.
But basically the important things are
how easy is it to set up audio, image quality and price.
Currently, there are five kinds of projectors
that you can get for your home.
DLP LCD LED LCoS and laser.
For this test, I looked at DLP and LCD,
which are common for home projectors.
And also one laser projector ranging in price
from $530 to $2,800.
You can spend a lot more
for high end dedicated home theater projectors.
But for this test, we kept the budget reasonable.
Most of the models I tested max out at 1080 P resolution,
but we do have a couple of 4k picks as well,
DLP or digital light processing,
and LCD projectors are lamp based.
So the bulb will eventually degrade,
but they're much more affordable.
DLPs tend to be smaller and more portable
and offer more contrast and blacker blacks.
While LCDs tend to have a sharper crisper image
and appear brighter than DLPs even at a lower lumen count.
Laser projectors are not lamp based.
On average the laser lasts five times longer
than the bulb in a DLP or LCD projector.
And unlike a lamp based projector where a bulb emits light
through a color wheel to produce the image
laser projectors generate
only the exact colors needed for an image.
This efficiency makes for a much brighter image
and very accurate colors and deep black levels in contrast.
All this comes at a much higher cost.
On average, low end, laser projectors are around $2,000.
Although you can find some smaller ones for less.
We also need to talk about the projected images surface.
The surface you project on is important,
You can use a wall white is typically best,
but a regular wall won't show off the projector's best self,
every tiny bump, refracts light, and creates small shadows.
So the image ultimately loses quality and brightness.
You'll benefit a lot from getting a projector screen,
especially if you'll be watching with a little daylight
projector screens brighten the image noticeably,
depending on what they're coded in.
I used an inexpensive 80 inch pan of view popup screen.
You can find a similar one for around a hundred bucks,
but it's still made for a better experience
than just pointing the projector at my wall.
And as for content, every projector has an HTMI input.
So I was easily able to stream things
by plugging in my Roku stick.
You can also use a laptop, Apple TV,
or whatever other device you use to stream video.
(upbeat music)
Out of the nine projectors I tested the best overall,
the one I'll be recommending to my friends is the $899
Epson 2150.
Epson may remind you of a school teachers,
overhead projector, but they make good projectors.
The image is really great.
It's big, it's bright and it's color is really pretty.
The 2150 is an LCD projector,
which gives it a really crisp image.
It's 1080, but the image is really good
for what most people will want.
It's only 2,500 lumens, which seems kind of low, but again,
LCD makes a low lumen count,
seem brighter and more vibrant than a DLP projector would
with the same lumens.
You can watch this with some ambient daylight,
but definitely not broad daylight pouring in
and toggling to dynamic mode makes
for the best daytime image.
That's a great thing about Epson projectors.
You can easily toggle between viewing modes
and they're all great.
At night if I was watching a movie I'd use cinema,
which looked great with dark blacks.
I like how the modes are in the corner of the image,
not in the middle, like most others blocking the content.
Also the 10 watt speakers are loud.
You likely won't need external speakers with this model.
The fans are also loud though, and it gets hot.
I would avoid putting this right next to your head.
And honestly, that's easier than it may seem
because the Epson 2150 has automatic keystoning,
which feels like a magical feature.
Keystoning is important.
It allows you to straighten out the image.
So the projector doesn't need to be perfectly parallel
with the wall.
There's also really great manual knobs, focus,
zoom lens shift, and Keystone can all be done manually,
which is way easier than with digital controls.
The zoom is also 1.6 times,
which is exceptional.
Without moving the projector you can have an image
that ranges anywhere from 80 inches diagonally across
to 132 inches across.
So if it's too bright in your room during the day,
you can make the image smaller
to more efficiently use the lumens available.
This zoom lens paired with all the other controls
makes life way easier.
If you move, or if you end up putting the projector
in a different room,
you'll be able to customize it
to the new space very quickly.
All in all the Epson 2150 just works well.
It's easy, flexible and offers a bright crisp image.
(Gentle music)
If you're looking for a cheaper option,
then I'd recommend this projector.
The Optoma HD146X costs $549
and shares many of the same specs as Epson 2150.
It's 3,600 lumens,
which is actually more than the Epson 2150,
but it's a DLP projector.
So it appears darker and less vibrant.
In bright mode the projector image is very green.
It's kind of unusable, but in vivid or cinema mode,
the image is great.
Vivid mode is pretty bright.
If you're viewing in the middle of a day,
you'll need to put shades down,
especially if you don't have a screen,
but it's not a bad experience.
And it's contrast is good.
In general, I really liked the way Optima projectors look.
They have a nice color and texture
and although the HD146X isn't quite as nice as
Optoma's higher end projectors,
the image still looks good,
but it doesn't get as crisp as the Epson 2150,
partly because it's DLP not LCD.
The HD146X also lacks in audio quality.
It's three watt speaker is unsurprisingly, not loud,
but the fan is loud.
At maximum volume you can still hear the fan
if the projector is near your head.
It's manageable though.
If this is going to be for your bedroom,
the speakers will be fine.
But if you're trying to do a movie night with friends or
you've got loud street noise, I'd recommend speakers,
which you can hook up through a 3.5 millimeter audio output.
Also, it only has a 1.1 time zoom lens,
which is pretty minimal.
So it's hard to make the image really big in my apartment.
At 11 feet away, the image is about a hundred inches,
which is big, but I wish it could get even bigger.
(gentle music)
If you're looking for a projector with better image quality
and have a larger budget, go with the Vava.
This should come as no surprise
because the Vava is the most expensive
that I tested by over a thousand dollars.
And it's the only one of the bunch
that is a laser projector.
It's $2,800, which is a lot more than the Epson, 2150.
But what you get is brightness.
The Vava is 6,000 lumens,
which means you can watch it with a good amount of daylight
and no screen, but it's still helped to pull my shades down.
It's contrast ratio is 1,500,000 to one,
which makes it extremely crisp and rich.
The image quality is closest to that from a TV,
but since it's a projector,
I think it's nicer to look at.
The other thing that makes it kind of a TV
is the fact that it's an ultra short throw projector.
It goes basically right up against the wall,
unlike traditional projectors, which are mounted behind you.
I personally don't like this setup,
but it comes down to preference.
It's also huge and heavy.
It's not ugly, but it just takes up a lot of space.
Also the maximum image is only 150 inches diagonally across.
And for that, it needs to be about 10 inches from the wall,
which means it's kind of awkwardly encroaching
on prime living room, real estate.
It's definitely sharper and brighter
when it's closer to the wall, about five inches from it.
But the image is then only about 80 inches.
It projects 4k and the speakers are really, really good.
The Vava definitely when's the best speaker award too
exponentially.
Inside is a full 60 watt Harman Kardon soundbar.
I found myself playing music
and turning off the screen a lot,
which is a nice feature that most projectors don't have.
But it heats up the room noticeably.
There were a few other things I also didn't like about it.
It took me a long time to set it up.
It connects to the internet download software.
And since it's connected to the internet,
every time I turn it on, it asks me to update.
I don't need it to connect to the internet.
There's no point,
especially since there's barely any useful apps,
other than YouTube on it.
Also, all the settings are digital, including the focus,
which I find way hard to know if it's accurate.
And this is hugely annoying.
The image bends a little on the sides.
It was really hard to get it perfect,
which just shouldn't be the case for $2,800 device.
So even though the image is technically the best one,
I wouldn't spring for this,
unless you really don't want to get a TV,
but basically want a TV.
(upbeat music)
If you're looking for a comparable good and bright image,
that'll cost you a thousand dollars less.
I recommend Optima's UHD52ALV
it costs $1,789.
And it also protects 4k with over 8 million pixels.
At 3,500 lumens it's just over half of what Vava claims,
but it doesn't feel that dim it's still bright
and there are different viewing modes.
While the vava only has bright and standard.
Like with the HD146X,
the bright mode on the UHD52ALV has a strong green tint,
but cinema mode on this 4k projector is honestly beautiful.
The color is just so pretty.
I almost feel like I'm watching film.
It gives everything a gold, almost seventies filter,
which I think is in part because of its color space.
The projector uses rec 2020, or BT 2020,
which can produce more colors than the previous VAX709.
That basically all of these other projectors use.
Using the menus can be a chore, but once it's set,
the image stays good when you make it bigger too.
And it can get large up to about 300 inches,
double the Vava.
There's a manual 1.3 times zoom adjustment.
So from about 11 feet away,
it can get an image as small as 80 inches diagonally
all the way up to 100 inches.
There's also a manual lens shift.
So you can raise or lower the projection.
Audio isn't bad either.
There are two, five watt speakers.
It can get loud enough,
but it's a bit empty sounding with not a lot of bass.
The projector fans are very quiet
and you can easily plug in speakers,
but it's not totally necessary.
Last but not least, if you want a really big image
or if your space is a lot smaller
then you should get a short throw projector.
The BenQ TH671ST cost $750
and allows you to project a 100 inch image
from a little less than five feet away.
Its image is sharp, even when it's so big,
but the colors specifically, the darks are muddy.
It's 3000 lumens, which isn't very bright.
So if you're trying to get a bigger image, like 200 inches,
you'll definitely need darkness.
The audio is surprisingly loud
for only having one five watt speaker.
If you have a small dark room,
this projector is great for it.
There are so, so many projectors out there,
but ultimately you just want to get one
that you enjoy using.
If you're looking for a projector that's really easy to use
has great image quality and pretty good audio quality.
And isn't too too expensive.
You can't go wrong with the $899 Epson 2150.
Thanks so much for watching a stranger
talk about projectors for over 12 minutes.
If there's a projector that you really like
that I didn't mention, please let me know in the comments.
I love projectors, I'd love to hear about it.
Also, if you're interested in buying any of the projectors,
I talked about check out the links in our description below.