With so many inexpensive full HD 1080p projectors hitting the market, I often see people asking the question “what’s the difference?” This post is for everybody who doesn’t believe that contrast ratios and picture quality are greatly improved between the low and high end models. It’s pretty plain to see how much a couple extra LCDs will add to contrast and colour quality. ProjectorPeople have a video detailing the differences between the new 1080p true HD projectors, all for under $1000, and the current best selling 1080p projectors. They pit a Optoma HD20 up against the Epson Home Cinema 6500 UB projector to illustrate perfectly how a new entry level DLP projector performs agains a high end LCD projector.
Keep in mind though, that as the camera shifts between the two screens, some brightness may be lost for a couple seconds while the camera lens adjusts. Also, when the video is compressed into flash video for the web, there might be some artifacts visible. These artifacts are strictly the byproducts of the compression and have nothing to do with the way the projectors perform. There are problems with filming projectors work but I think this video does an incredible job of comparing the two projectors visually which is not a luxury most people are afforded.
So what does it all come down to?If you are looking to get into the full HD home theater projector market but have a limited budget, you can spend $1000 and get a 1080p 300-inch picture with really good black levels in a small easy to transport case, if you’re willing to sacrifice features. On the other hand, if you are looking at upgrading to a full HD theater projector with an incredibly crisp image, some flexibility in how and where you install the projector due to a 2x zoom and lens shift, then the higher end LCD home theater projectors are what you are looking for.
Personally, I think that if you were to spend $999 on an Optoma HD20, a projector that’s truly worth the $999 price tag, you might as well spend the extra $300 and get a $5,000 projector in the Viewsonic PRO8100
If for some reason you have an aversion to ViewSonic, or you simply don’t have the extra $300 to drop on it, here are the links for the most popular high end LCD and entry level DLP home theater projectors.
High End LCD Home Theater Projectors
- Viewsonic PRO8100
- Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6500UB
(also a great projector for the price, but the price is twice as much)
- Panasonic PT-AE3000U
(this one is a fan favorite for a reason, there isn’t a single rating less than five star on Amazon)
New Entry Level DLP Projectors
- Optoma HD20
(seems to be the favorite, but it’s the only one currently shipping)
- Vivitek h3080FD
(my pick for entry level DLP HD projectors, from stats only)
- BenQ W1000(big fan of BenQ and really looking forward to this little guy’s arrival)
