Best projector under $3000?

[scootermaster]

1. PQ is king.
2. 3D would be nice, not essential.
3. Some flexibility in placement would be good.
4. Mostly movies, at night. Almost no TV. What little TV there is would be sports. Not sure if that matters (do projectors even deal with things like input lag, ghosting, etc?) Presuming it's not completely impossible to view during the day, I'll deal with any other issues related to light control [or lack thereof]. In other words, "crappy non low-light performance" is not a huge concern as long as the projector is not completely useless during the day.
5. FPS console gaming, if such a thing is doable on a projector.
6. Extensive HTPC usage [for the aforementioned movies]. Can't imagine that matters, but I figured I'd mention it.

Would like to spend $2000-$2400, but if there's a big jump in quality/features/PQ, could go up to $3000.

If I remember correctly, there's an Epson in this range that everybody loves. And maybe a Panasonic?

Suggestions? I'm sure JackBurton has something to say, right? =]

 

[Soccerman06]

http://www.avsforum.com/a/projectors-101-avs-favorites

If 3D isnt your primary focus, the JVC X30 or RS45 is pretty much the best in PQ in 2D. 3D with the thing isnt the best as theres some crosstalk but its good enough if your not really into 3D. I cant comment on the brightness of the unit but it does have auto focus.

edit: before I forget, the jvc x35/55/75/95 will be out soon so there might be discounts on last year's models coming up.

 

[purbeast0]

i just picked up a panasonic 8000 for $2800 shipped (MSRP is $3000).

i don't have it mounted or anything yet as my HT is just getting started, but i've played around with it on the wall and stuff (no sound).

one of the MAJOR reasons i ended up getting this one is because it is supposed to have the lowest input lag out of the newer projectors out there, as i'm a big gamer.

i've messed around with SSF4 on it @ 120" and i gotta say it makes me extremely giddy. there is no noticeable input lag to me and i can still land combos, some 1 frame links, just as i could on my lagless monitor. and fwiw, i've been gaming on a lagless monitor the past 3 years, so i have a lot of experience with minimal lag to compare it to. i'm not saying there is 0ms lag, i'm sure there is some, but it is very comparable to the "lagless" monitor i played on, which has been rated at 8ms.

i haven't used the 3d yet on it since i don't have the glasses yet, but there is a rebate for 2 pairs of free glasses if you purchase it by the end of the year.

additionally, it has pretty much received rave reviews. it's the 2nd one in the list here:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/home-theater-multimedia-projectors.htm

but if gaming is a big concern, do some research on input lag, because that is one thing that my research has shown, that projectors are not very good about in general. it just sucks because it's not an advertised number.

 

[sdifox]

I would wait a bit. 4K projectors are coming out.

 

[Kaido]

i just picked up a panasonic 8000 for $2800 shipped (MSRP is $3000).

I'll second the Panasonic PT-AE8000U recommendation (1080p, 2400 lumens). I have become a huge fan of their projectors over the last couple of years for home theater applications, ever since being introduced to the PT-AE2000U. Amazon has it for under $2900 shipped:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-PTAE...dp/B009DNXS0Y/

If I were buying a projector for home theater today, this would be the one I would get :thumbsup:

 

[purbeast0]

I'll second the Panasonic PT-AE8000U recommendation (1080p, 2400 lumens). I have become a huge fan of their projectors over the last couple of years for home theater applications, ever since being introduced to the PT-AE2000U. Amazon has it for under $2900 shipped:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-PTAE...dp/B009DNXS0Y/

If I were buying a projector for home theater today, this would be the one I would get :thumbsup:

just FYI the seller on amazon is not an authorized dealer so you get no warranty or no free glasses if you buy. there are only a handful of authorized dealers. click on the 'buy now' link down near the 8000 listing here to see them.

http://www.panasonic.com/business-solutions/buy-projectors.asp#

i got mine from projector point by contacting them because they aren't allowed to advertise it under $2999 by rule from panasonic.

 

[scootermaster]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

The 4K thing is...unfortunate. Not sure what the horizon is for those being "reasonable" though.

Also, I think I may have an in to get an employee discount at Epson, which might make on of their top rated models the choice.

But I appreciate the feedback and would like to hear anything else you have to say.

 

[purbeast0]

Funny seeing this thread pop up 9 years later due to a spammer, but reading the replies about 4K from 9 years ago is kind of funny.

9 years later, true 4K projectors still aren't really even close to being under $3k, let alone with HDMI 2.1 to utilize a lot of the benefits of 4k and newer technology.

I'm still rocking my AE8000 and actually just got a replacement one because mine had these yellow vertical lines develop that apparently is due to the LCD innards going bad. I lucked out and had someone on avsforums sell me one they had boxed up for a year that had 2k hours on it, for $100 lol. So I jumped on it.

I am still loving my 1080p projector too and even game on Xbox Series X and PS5 on it and it looks fantastic. The new consoles can't even do 4k @ 60fps consistently anyways and I'd take framerate over resolution 10/10 times.

Oh, and 3D is a complete gimmick lol.

 

[Kaido]

Funny seeing this thread pop up 9 years later due to a spammer, but reading the replies about 4K from 9 years ago is kind of funny.

9 years later, true 4K projectors still aren't really even close to being under $3k, let alone with HDMI 2.1 to utilize a lot of the benefits of 4k and newer technology.

I'm still rocking my AE8000 and actually just got a replacement one because mine had these yellow vertical lines develop that apparently is due to the LCD innards going bad. I lucked out and had someone on avsforums sell me one they had boxed up for a year that had 2k hours on it, for $100 lol. So I jumped on it.

I am still loving my 1080p projector too and even game on Xbox Series X and PS5 on it and it looks fantastic. The new consoles can't even do 4k @ 60fps consistently anyways and I'd take framerate over resolution 10/10 times.

Oh, and 3D is a complete gimmick lol.

I pretty much only do LED & laser projectors these days (mainly XGIMI). I do a few bulb projectors, mostly for 4K. I may switch to laser (Dangbei X3) at home at some point: (still rocking my old XGIMI, it's been a champ!)

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005002685715312.html

XGIMI has a new UST 4K laser for $2,500 that does 150" that looks pretty good:

 

[purbeast0]

I pretty much only do LED & laser projectors these days (mainly XGIMI). I do a few bulb projectors, mostly for 4K. I may switch to laser (Dangbei X3) at home at some point: (still rocking my old XGIMI, it's been a champ!)

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005002685715312.html

XGIMI has a new UST 4K laser for $2,500 that does 150" that looks pretty good:

That projector is already dated though with just HDMI 2.0 and HDR10. It doesn't have VRR and other stuff that I would require if I were to upgrade to 4K. I'm also very skeptical if it's true 4k or not as it doesn't really have any specifics on the resolution.

 

[Kaido]

That projector is already dated though with just HDMI 2.0 and HDR10. It doesn't have VRR and other stuff that I would require if I were to upgrade to 4K. I'm also very skeptical if it's true 4k or not as it doesn't really have any specifics on the resolution.

tbh I haven't been overly impressed with any 4K projector I've seen so far, which is why the 3,200-lumen 1080p X3 may end up in my basement at some point. My brother just moved so I may set him up with my current XGIMI as a house-warming present, i.e. an excuse to upgrade lol.

 

[purbeast0]

tbh I haven't been overly impressed with any 4K projector I've seen so far, which is why the 3,200-lumen 1080p X3 may end up in my basement at some point. My brother just moved so I may set him up with my current XGIMI as a house-warming present, i.e. an excuse to upgrade lol.

I haven't seen any myself, but just from the research I've done, you have to spend like $8k+ to get a decent one.

Still not really in my realm yet and I'm more than happy with what I got now.

Once the kind that are out now for high prices (laser, 4k hdmi 2.1) for like $5k I'll start looking at em. I will also need to upgrade my AVR too, which are also far behind now. Most don't even have more than 1 HDMI 2.1 port on em, and I'd need at least 2 for PS5 and XSX.

 

[IronWing]

I pretty much only do LED & laser projectors these days (mainly XGIMI). I do a few bulb projectors, mostly for 4K. I may switch to laser (Dangbei X3) at home at some point: (still rocking my old XGIMI, it's been a champ!)

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005002685715312.html

XGIMI has a new UST 4K laser for $2,500 that does 150" that looks pretty good:

What the heck is going on at 5:58 in that video?

 

[Kaido]

What the heck is going on at 5:58 in that video?