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any recommendations on cheap(ish) projectors for home movie duties?
My daughter asked for and got a projector for Xmas - for £66 I’m very impressed - it makes for quite immersive viewing as has become our go to way to watch movies. What it loses in quality vs the proper TV it makes up for in immersion and “cinematic” quality. It does show its lack of quality in some areas (patchy brightness and already has an u healthy amount of dust inside it which you can see in the projected image) but as I doubt it will Last more than 6 months before she kills it so that’s OK.
It has however got me wanting to buy one to permanently be in the lounge so I’d like to know what’s recommended. From what I can see so far there is a jump from <£100 cheap and cheerful straight to >£2,000 high end.
is there anything in the £200-£300 ish price range (happy to go second hand) that is solid, good quality and frankly worth having over just getting another cheapie? No “smart” features needed, just HDMI in and an audio out to connect to proper speakers.
what she’s got now is this… https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BZVYJL9G?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I’ve got an Optoma HD145x that’s been doing sterling service for 4 years. It replaced a very similar optoma hd something else that developed a colour wheel issue when it got whacked when in use (hot) but it was probably 10 years old at the time.
the optomas were the best of the budget projectors both times I bought them.
dunno what their current range is like but I’d bet they’ll have something good for sensible money.
id be cautious around 2nd hand as they are fairly fragile things
I couldn't live with a projector as a daily drive, replacement bulbs are really expensive (if you can find them) and unless you pull the curtains the picture looks washed out and crap, and they have low resolution, and they are a pain to set up properly. Decent projectors are also really expensive.
Once you go OLED, you'll never look back, proper HDR, I'd honestly just get something like this:
https://www.richersounds.com/lg-oled65b36la.html
@mattyfez - I’ve got a very similar TV to that already - an LG OLED55B9PLA
the projector won’t be replacing that - for everyday use the TV far surpasses a projector.
but there is something about an image that’s measured in meters, not inches. It for “Friday night movie night” not every day
I have an Optoma UHD51 that has been great, it's four years old now like petrieboys.
Look and see what they have, the tech keeps moving on at a pace.
Hook up to a half decent home cinema surround system and it's only beaten by a trip to the IMAX.
But buy discs to get the most out of them, streaming is good, but colours do block on some services.
I have an LG TV for normal viewing duties, but movie nights are great.
Go to Amazon, filter by best reviewed under 500. I bought an Epsom EF12 a couple of months ago on an end of line sale. I'm happy with it.
I'm on the short throw side for my room with permanent set up and screen.
But I've got a benq hs690st - fantastic colours and good intra scene contrast.
It's also a LED illumination over DLP panel so it's doesn't kick out much heat and is lower energy than the bulb versions.
It can take a 4K HDR signal which looks excellent on Apple + and Netflix 4K package. This is actually a 1080p panel but processes really well from 4k HDR.
Was about a £1000 but probably had for less.
You might need to update to the latest firmware to get the best out of it. But is fairly easy.
There is a 4k panel version called the w4000i.
I bought an ultra short throw Epson EB-585Wi from Ebay a couple of years ago. Very bright and just under HD resolution - easily projects to a 3m wide wall. I did need a bulb, but got one for about £60 brand new from Epson - total cost about £100. We even use it outside in good weather in an evening.
Ours is on a tripod so can be put away. Takes a couple of minutes to set up.
If anyone can recommend a cheap, potentially a bit gimmicky admittedly, little projector for outdoor use then I’d be keen to hear. We looked at getting one last year for our patio, with a sheet hung from the gazebo as a screen.
If anyone can recommend a cheap, potentially a bit gimmicky admittedly, little projector for outdoor use
The one my daughter has (see my initial post) would be good for that maybe. Having looked at some of the higher quality units suggested by others I’ve realised that it is actually cheaper than a replacement bulb for those other ones. Perfect for occasional use.
There does seem to be a fair gulf between cheap and cheerful and decent quality so I think I’ll stick for now, but am much better informed than before - thank you everybody.
Just for fun - this is my daughter’s cheapie unit - the square silhouette in the bottom left hand corner is a 55” TV for scale.
Cheap and gimmic, does not work. Get an older ex school/uni projector. The Epsom I linked to above is seriously bright way more than the shoot on amazon. It's ace. Sound linked to some Anker Soundcore Booms in pairs for outside cinema..
I have an Optoma HD151x - bought, refurbished, from Optoma. Think I paid 400 and something quid for it. It’s on its second bulb (non-Optoma one which was about 75 quid) in about 7 years.
I had all the cables put in when we had building work done so it was a breeze to install and set up - it projects onto a 90 something inch motorised screen that comes down in front of the main tv.
There are plenty of decent projectors on eBay - but do check how much replacement bulbs are. And the throw - make sure it’s suitable for where you want to use it.