Where some years ago, any HD home cinema projector worth its salt came with an unavoidably enormous price tag, developments in the industry mean they’re now available at more competitive prices than ever before. There’s a whole range of exciting projectors on the market at the moment, some of which are available at prices under £800.
If you want to buy a projector on a budget, then 2018 is your year to do so. Here’s a look at some of our favourite home cinema projectors under £1,500 and an outline of just what you can get for your money.
BenQ W2000 – £762 inc VAT
- Brightness: 2,000 lumens
- Contrast ratio: 15,000:1
- Lamp life: 3,500 hours
Available for just £762 inc VAT, the BenQ W2000 is a fantastic example of the high-tech home cinema projectors on the market at some seriously impressive prices. This Full HD model of course delivers 1920x1080px resolution, but does so with incredible performance for this price range, which further reinforces our view that Full HD resolution is fast becoming entry level home cinema technology.
But the device doesn’t just offer HD resolution. It also delivers excellent levels of brightness at 2,000 lumens, complete with a contrast ratio of 15,000:1. Considering that the average brightness range for home cinema devices is currently between 1,800 to 2,400 lumens, 2,000 isn’t to be sniffed at.
Sure, there are some brighter devices out there but remember in a dark home cinema room, your goal should be to eliminate all ambient light and if you’ve achieved this, the 2,000 lumens the W2000 delivers will be plenty for a bright, clear image that doesn’t break the bank.
BenQ W1210ST – £874.80 inc VAT
- Brightness: 2,200 lumens
- Contrast ratio: 15,000:1
- Lamp life: 3,500 hours
The BenQ W1210ST projector is designed to bring all the essentials of modern day projection to your home in a compact and cost effective model. Available for £874.80 inc VAT, it features many similar features as the W2000 model; 1920x1080px projection 2,200 lumens, and 15,000:1 contrast ratio, along with a typical lamp life of 3,500 hours – and all brought to you at in convenient 3.6kg device.
This being a short throw projector, however, it’ll require minimal space in your home cinema setup. It’s designed to throw a 1.38 metre diagonal image from just a metre away – perfect if you need the device to fit into a room or setup that just doesn’t have the space to set the projector back the 1.8 metres that the W2000 would require, for example. For the price offered, this technology is once again, very impressive.
Epson 6700 – £1,310.40 inc VAT
- Brightness: 3,000 lumens
- Contrast ratio: 70,000:1
- Lamp life: 3,500 hours
Clocking in at £1,310.40, the Epson EH-TW6700 is the only model in its price range to feature both horizontal and vertical lens shift. This feature, usually exclusive to premium projector models, allows you to literally ‘shift’ the lens a few inches without moving the entire projector unit – in this case both up and down as well as left and right.
Why would you want to do such a thing? Well if the installation is anything but 100 per cent centred with the screen, you might see a slightly distorted image, more rhombus in shape than the rectangle you’d expect. Lens shift means you have more flexibility to fix this without requiring a complete rethink in the installation and positioning of the entire device (and light fittings in the room, which are often dead centre!)
A slightly heavier model than some of its BenQ counterparts, it comes in at 6.9kg. It’s a sturdy model, with all the benefits you’d expect of a device in this range; 1920x1080px, 3,000 lumens of brightness, and greatly outranks the two BenQ models in terms of contrast ratio, coming in at 70,000:1. So expect excellent blacks and deep, rich colours.
BenQ W1700 – £1,438.80 inc VAT
- Brightness: 2,200 lumens
- Contrast ratio: 10,000:1
- Lamp life: 3,500 hours
Surprised you can find HD projector technology for under £1,500? What about 4K in this price bracket?
The priciest model on this list, the BenQ W1700 is £1,438.80 inc VAT. But trust us, even at this price, it’s stunning value for money considering the technology it includes.
This is about as cost-effective as 4K projection gets. It’s not ‘native’ 4K on the panel, but you’re looking at 8.3 million distinct pixels on the screen and that’s an incredible achievement for a device in this price bracket. Trust us when we say this technology is well worth the price tag.
Obviously the resolution is the big selling point on the BenQ W1700. But it also boasts a typical lamp life of 4,000 hours, 10,000:1 contrast ratio and 2,200 lumens of brightness in a 4.2kg model. You’re not likely to be disappointed with this one.
We’ve said it before but this is a really exciting time in the come cinema projection industry. Previously exclusive and premium level technology is fast coming to the market at accessible and affordable prices. While BenQ often lead the way with this trend in the home cinema arena – it’s happening all across the industry.
Looking for a new home cinema projector? Give us a call today on 0808 278 8882. Projectorpoint have one of the widest ranges of devices in the country. Our expert team are on call to find the best device for you.