Entry level 1080p projector shootout from US

[naviworks]

Finally convinced my friend to add a projector in his baggage as he is likely to come by Dec end or Jan from US

Following are the requirements

A) Full HD 1080p
B) Budget $1000
C) 3D not mandatory
D) projector will not be permanently fixed
E) no particular affinity towards any brand except cheap chinese
F) lighting n room conditions are variable...so looking for a brighter projector
G) LCD or DLP doesnt matter

The following projectors were considered

a) acer H6500 cheap, good specs but not much reviews on the net

b) benq w1060 comes with carrybag, 100-240V

c) benq EP5920 cheapest, latest, similar to the one above

d) mitsubishi HC4000 1400 lumens only, slightly out of budget

e) panasonic PT AR100U 3LCD, very bright, less lens life, higher than budget

f) viewsonic pro8200 long lens life

g) vivitek H1081 very quiet, prone to rainbow effects as wheel rotates slow


I am leaning towards benq EP5920 and request fellow members opinion...I have added a poll to make the decision easier...plz participate

It is to be noted that this will be a blind buy based on specs and reviews as audition is not possible...

 

[projectorguru99]

Believe me Pro200 is the best among the lot Reasons A. 2000 lumens B. 7 Colour Wheel Segment C. New Dark Chip3. Other option and better is Panasonic. As far as Benq, Acer and Vivitek are concerned they are all good on paper but performance and quality wise they are very low. I will say Pro 8200 is best. Also if you are importing then see that atleast you save 25k as you will not get warranty.

 

[vinay]

I think Optama, Panasonic & Epson etc are the market leaders for movie projector therefore it could be better to go with the leaders.

One of the forum member had bought a projector through his brother from America, and when it came here, did not work and had to send it back. In view to this please exercise risk management, once the projector is bought, do have it run on the foreign soil for a hour for few days. Indeed such a problem will be in rarest of rare cases, but if there is a opportunity to test, then it will be very good.

V.

Finally convinced my friend to add a projector in his baggage as he is likely to come by Dec end or Jan from US

The following projectors were considered

a) acer H6500 cheap, good specs but not much reviews on the net

b) benq w1060 comes with carrybag, 100-240V

c) benq EP5920 cheapest, latest, similar to the one above

d) mitsubishi HC4000 1400 lumens only, slightly out of budget

e) panasonic PT AR100U 3LCD, very bright, less lens life, higher than budget

f) viewsonic pro8200 long lens life

g) vivitek H1081 very quiet, prone to rainbow effects as wheel rotates slow

 

[naviworks]

Believe me Pro200 is the best among the lot Reasons A. 2000 lumens B. 7 Colour Wheel Segment C. New Dark Chip3. Other option and better is Panasonic. As far as Benq, Acer and Vivitek are concerned they are all good on paper but performance and quality wise they are very low. I will say Pro 8200 is best. Also if you are importing then see that atleast you save 25k as you will not get warranty.

have you compared any of these projectors?

As far as Benq, Acer and Vivitek are concerned they are all good on paper but performance and quality wise they are very low

quality means picture quality or build quality?

and hey wait there is a new model viewsonic pro8300 more confused now...

 

[naviworks]

I think Optama, Panasonic & Epson etc are the market leaders for movie projector therefore it could be better to go with the leaders.

can you suggest any models?

 

[projectorguru99]

i have compared optoma / Benq / Viewsonic / Epson and Panasonic.
Panasonic 100 model is good. but expensive. As far as value for money is concerned its surely Viewsonic or Epson. Go for Either Pro8200 or Epson TW 3600

 

[m.a.sara]

You have misssed out another entry level, popular projector - optoma HD20.

 

[Amarendra]

I am in the same boat as you and finally gravitating towards Viewsonic Pro8200 or Epson Tw6100. The Epson tw 3600 is not making much sense coz the price comes close to 95k where as add another 10k and you get 3d with the 6100 model.
Dont know much about the Viewsonic Pro8200 though it has received good reviews. However some people have pointed out that it doesnt handle motion as good as the rest.
Between the pana AR100 and Viewsonic (both non 3d) the price differential is just HUGE.

 

[Oakley]

Op,

Go with benq, they are good projectors. Value for money.

 

[rajadeep]

You have to decide on ur price level...
Around $800-1000 range u have 6 good projectors :-
Acer H6500(lowest price seen is $700)
BenQ EP5920(lowest price seen is $700)
Epson 8350(around $900 refurbished from epson.com with coupon)
Epson 8500UB(around $990 refurbished from epson.com with coupon)
Viewsonic pro8200(lowest price seen is $800)
Optima HD20(lowest price seen is $830)

Out of these the one I got was the Epson 8500UB(bought it for $1100 with a free lamp) ... This is a projector which is a class apart & won the top honors in the $2000-3500 range from almost the magazines & websites in 2010... It has unbelievable black lvl performance & the only other projector to have better black lvls below $3000 is the Epson 5010(now 5020)... I have it temporally setup in my living room projecting on a cream wall with 180inch diagonal & the picture quality is awesome... It has amazing placement option with lens shift & nice zoom... It is THX certified too & has a good THX mode...

My final choice would be the epson 8500UB refurbished from epson.com... If u want something with more brightness then the Panny AR100u is a good option(have seen it in person & it has a beautiful PQ)... Also in the below $800 section Acer H6500 is ur best bet with its pseudo iris thing that it has for enhancing black lvls...