Even if you have a good TV or two, you still may enjoy buying a home theater projector when you're ready for your next entertainment upgrade. The best models have excellent color, high brightness and a top-notch contrast ratio, and you don't need to spend over a grand to get one with good picture quality. And with a home theater projector, you can get a huge screen size for a fraction of the price of a big TV, which may be the best part. There are even portable and outdoor projector options for when you want to take movie night outside!
Whether you're looking to go the whole hog with a 4K projector, want something that will make HD sources look great, or need something you can use on the go too, you're going to find the best home theater projector for you on this list. And if you're interested in a home projector but don't know lumens from lens shift, check out our projector buying guide and eight tips for setup, placement and picture settings on home theater projectors.
Read more: What size of TV do I need?
The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is the best all-around projector we've reviewed. Take an excellent contrast ratio, paired with impressive brightness and accurate color, all with better detail than what's possible with a 1080p projector, and you've got all the pieces for a fantastic image. It's not cheap, but it offers a significant step up in image quality over other projectors on this list (aside from the Sony, which is nearly double the price). Extensive lens shift and a motorized zoom are the icing on the cake.
We wouldn't put this in the "cheap projector" bucket, but the BenQ HT2050A is definitely the best video projector you can get for the money. It produces a bright picture with great contrast and lifelike colors. It's also one of the only comparable models with vertical lens shift, which makes setup a little easier.
The Sony VPL-VW325ES is thoroughbred among ponies, a Porsche among Volkswagens, an absolute stunner with a price tag to match. The contrast ratio, easily the most important aspect of overall picture quality, is better than the Epson 5050 and significantly better than any projector that doesn't cost significantly more. And that's saying something, since the Sony itself costs significantly more than any other projector on this list. If price is no object, the picture quality is incredible.
The UHD35 packs a lot into its tiny case and low price. It can throw a ton of light, produces accurate colors and has great detail. The contrast ratio isn't great, but it's pretty average among 4K resolution projectors in this price range. And that price really is the UHD35's biggest selling point. This 4K UHD projector offers great picture quality for only a few hundred dollars over the best 1080p projectors. It doesn't offer lens shift or much in the way of a zoom, but if it fits in your room it's a great way to get a 4K projector on a budget.
It's smaller than a six-pack of Coke and equipped with Wi-Fi streaming, a surprisingly loud Bluetooth speaker and even a handle. This portable mini projector powerhouse also has one thing many compact projectors lack: a built-in battery. It's an all-in-one entertainment machine that's darn cute too.
If you're susceptible to the "rainbow effect" of moving edges on a DLP projector, then an LCD projector is for you. The Epson Home Cinema 2250 is perhaps the most flexible home theater projector on this list, touting enhanced setup capabilities like a wider zoom and lens shift. It's also brighter than any other projector here and offers built-in Android TV streaming.
Best 4K color and brightness
LG HU810PW
The LG HU810PW uses two lasers and a green phosphor to create some incredibly bright, ultracolorful images. This LG projector is one of the brightest projectors we've ever reviewed while at the same time offering some of the most impressively deep colors we've seen in a projector. The contrast ratio is quite poor, unfortunately, but the overall image is still good. That it's relatively quiet and comes in a stylish case with ample lens shift is the icing on top.
The BenQ HT2050A above is a superior-all around performer, but if you're a gamer looking for a specialized tool for the job, the TH685 is worth a look. If you don't mind sacrificing color accuracy it can get a lot brighter than the HT2050A, ideal for brighter rooms, and gaming input lag is comparable.
The M2 is about the size of a cake and like the Anker above includes onboard streaming and a (less-powerful) speaker. Unlike the Anker you'll have to supply your own external battery like a portable charger or power bank. We didn't like its picture as much as the Anker either but it does have one advantage: 1080p resolution, which is important if you want a big image with no visible pixels on your projector screen.
The EF-12 is a small, highly portable projector in the same vein as the ViewSonic M2. It fits a slightly different niche, however. It requires AC power and has better sound -- it even doubles as a Bluetooth speaker. The coolest part is the EF-12's light is created by Epson's "MicroLaser Array Projection Technology." Yep, laser beams. That means no lamps to replace.
More home theater recommendations
- Don't buy a jumbo LCD TV, buy a projector
- Why you shouldn't expect great HDR from a projector
- The big picture: Projection screen basics
- TV vs. projector: Which big screen makes the most sense for you?
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