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Expert Information on Projectors and Detailed Projector Reviews

SCROLL down for more reviews of projectors or CLICK HERE

Our Favorite Popular Home Theater Projectors: (1080p)

Acer H9500DB lower cost 2D, 3D
BenQ W7000
home projector, DLP, 2D, 3D
Epson Home Cinema 3010
2D, 3D
Epson Home Cinema 5010 and 6010 2D/3D
JVC DLA-X70R 2D, 3D high end
Mitsubishi HC4000 home theater projector, DLP
Mitsubishi HC9000D 2D/3D LCoS.
Optoma HD20 sub-$1000, DLP
Optoma HD33 - 3D, 1080p, DLP
Panasonic PT-AE7000
Sony VPL-VW95ES
2D, 3D projector
Vivitek H1080FD
sub-$1000 1080p Projector
Runco LS5 Their "entry level" Projector $6995

Popular 720P Home Projectors:

Panasonic PT-AX200U
Epson Home Cinema 705HD
Optoma GT720 gaming PJ
Optoma GT750 gaming Pj

 





Projector Advice and Information

Projectors: General Advice and Information
Read on to see our annual projector reports, general projector advice, FAQs, information about our awards, projector accessories and screens, tradeshows and more!

Home Theater Projector Technology
A guide to projector technologies to assist buyers in choosing the best home theater projector.


Meet Our:
5 Projector Blogs

Projector Blog

The Art of Home Theater Projectors
For comments, tips, and advice on the latest projector reviews, visit Art's blog! - by Art

The Art of of Gaming: Video Game, and Game Projector Reviews -by Pete, (under the moniker): Bitbound - A Gamers Blog

Home Theater and Projectors: The Technical Side - by RonJ - topics from 3D to image processing

Projector Press Releases - Every few days, we post the latest press releases announcing new projectors (and some related products) unlike others, we add some of our own comments for perspective. (Lori)

Projectors and the World of PC Gaming. Our 2nd gaming blogger with takes on gaming and projectors. launched 7/13/11. Scott reviews projectors for gaming, visits Comic-con, and tells you where the hardware and software deals are for gamers.



Popular Projector Reports:

NEW FOR 2012!Classroom Projector Report: Best School Projectors for K12 Classroom Projectorsfor the 2012-2013 school year: Considers 16 recently reviewed projectors and 60 others recommended for school.

A Guide To Pico Projectors - Updated 2011: Tiny projectors are cool. They are fun. Are they practical? We look at performance, features and alternatives. July starts reviews of 8 - 10 pico and micro portable projectors

1080p projectors Our 6th ANNUAL 2012 Home Theater Projector Comparison Report

A comparison report of the best 1080p home projectors currently shipping as of April 2012, from under $800, to over $20K - Featuring our Best In Class awards!
Click here for older reports including the 2010 comparison report and the 2009 comparison report

DLP vs. 3LCD vs. LCoS Technology
A practical look at some of the key differences between the various types of home theater projectors. (an older article, relevant, but a bit dated).

Programmable Remotes
Some of everything you ever wanted to know about the technology and features found in today's universal remote controls. Written by Mike, our remote control guru.

1080p vs 720p Home Theater Projectors
Find out which resolution of high-definition projectors makes the most sense for your needs. (due for updating)

Business Projectors A quick intro to what's available, pricing, and a sample selection .

Projector Screens

Buying the right projector screen is critical to getting the most enjoyment out of your home theater system. We show you how to choose the best screen, how to measure a screen's 16:9 dimensions to provide an optimal viewing experience.

 

Projector Reviews and Projector News

View All Projector Reviews
Click here for a comprehensive list of all the business and home theater projector reviews, by manufacturer, then by date.

The 2012 Home Theater Projector Comparison Report!

Newest Home Projector Reviews

JVC DLA-X70
Panasonic PT-AR100U check it out!
BenQ W7000
(major update)
Epson Pro Cinema 6010
Mitsubishi HC7800D
Acer K330 - with LED light source
JVC DLA-RS45
Mitsubishi HC7800 - A First Look (blog)
SIM2 Nero 3D-2

Sony VPL-VW95ES

Epson Home Cinema 5010

Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD all-in-one with iPad interface

Acer H9500BD 1080p
2D and 3D capable projector - New Comparisons 4/12
Panasonic PT-AE7000
2D and 3D capable projector 11/9
Epson Home Cinema 3010e
2D and 3D 10/29
Sony VPL-HW30ES
2D and 3D capable projector 10/15
Optoma GT750 Game and Family Projector 10/5/11
Casio XJ-M145 business/education projector

Epson 3D Projector Overview sorting out all five new projectors

NEW: Find Art's podcasts from the International Consumer Electronics show in January... See what he has to say about all the new gadgets! Visit our twitter based Spreaker.

For a list of all our projector reviews with paragraph descriptions - most recent first, please scroll down

Next Home Projector Reviews:

Acer H6500, in House and being watched. Stay tuned for our review to post soon!

Sony VPL-VW1000ES !!!  Sony's true 4K home theater projector, 2D and 3D capable.  Can't wait!

2012 Home Theater Projector Comparison Report: including our annual Best In Class awards, is live!
------------------------------------------

Newest Business and Education Projectors:

Quick List of Business and Education Projector Reviews
Or scroll down for the full list of reviews by date with paragraph descriptions:
Epson PowerLite 435W
Epson Powerlite Pro Z8450WUNL
Optoma ZX210ST
Epson BrightLink 485Wi
Mitsubishi WD380U-EST
Hitachi iPJ-AW250N
Optoma ML500
Optoma TW-610STi
NEC U310W
Casio XJ-ST155
Casio XJ-M145
Vivtek QUMI
Epson Powerlite Pro G5450WUNL
Sharp PG-D45X3D
Epson Brightlink 455wi
Hitachi CP-AW250N
Casio XJ-A250V
Optoma TW675UTi-3D
BenQ MP780ST
Acer X1261P
Sony VPL-EX175
Epson Powerlite 96W
Optoma TW610ST
Epson Powerlite 1775W
Hitachi CP-X5021N
InFocus IN3916
LG CF3D
Samsung SP-F10M
Lightspeed's 3D DepthQ Modulator
NEC NP216
Dell 1610HD
Canon LV-8310

More Reviews - Projection Screens, Accessories, All-in-ones, Comparisons:

Carada Masquerade CIH Masking system for projector screens
Boxlight OutWrite 1.4
interactive module
InFocus LiteShow III
(wireless networking, split screen...)
MovieMate 85HD 720p All-in-one combo projector
Screen Innovations Black Diamond 1.4 screen
Epson MovieMate 60 All-in-one combo projector

DVDO Edge Video ProcessorDVDO Edge Video Processor

Calibration Software review
: Digital Video Essentials HD (DVE HD) on Blu-ray


Pico and Pocket Projectors: Recent Reviews

Optoma ML500
Viewsonic PLED-W500 3D, WXGA, media player
Acer K330 3D, WXGA!
Vivitek QUMI
- 3D and 720p!
Acer K11 Pocket Projector
Optoma Pico PK301

XP8000 battery pack for Optoma PK301 pico projector (or iPhone)
3M MPRO 150
LG HX300G
AAXA P1 Jr. pico projector - only $119
Optoma Neo-i a "pico" boombox!


Projector Reviews FAQ

Click above for our section with frequently asked questions about projectors, as well as about our equipment, how we select projectors to review, and what goes into each projector reviewing process. We are adding more topics.

Recent Blogs on New Projectors and Accessories

Art of Home Theater Blog: Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K Projector – Reviewer’s Dream – 1st Look
Pete's Art of Gaming Blog:Review – BenQ W7000 Projector
Ron's Technical Blog: Passive 3D Projection – Part 6
Scott's PC Gaming Blog: The Humble Botanicula Debut

   

Latest Projector Reviews

Click for additional projector reviews

NEW! Classroom Projector Report: Best School Projectors for K12 Classroom Projectorsfor the 2012-2013 school year is posted! It considers 16 recently reviewed projectors and 60 others recommended for school. Many of the key elements are here, but more will be added through early June. Stay tuned.

Acer S5201M 05/14/12 This short throw projector is a solid performer both in brightness and sharpness. Plus, it has great interactivity at a very low price. A good value for interactive presenters!

Epson PowerLite 435W 4/30/12 This projector has proven to be a real performer in the ever growing, short throw class, of projectors. With its measured brightness of 2639 lumens, the 435w has more than enough power to handle just about any environment!

Epson Powerlite Pro Z8450WUNL 4/25/12 7000 lumens, and WUXGA (1920x1200) with six lens options. A commercial projector for about $15,000 (NL is "No Lens included"). Exceptional feature set, including Edge Blending, Dynamic Iris, Multi-projector use, advanced networking, off axis operation, split screen, DICOM. A rental and staging projector, or command and control, auditorium, scientific and medical applications...  Hot Product Award

Optoma ZX210ST 4/24/12 A feature-laden small XGA multimedia projectos we've reviewed here at Projector Reviews! Great sharpness, very good brightness and color, but the highlight is that it's a reasonably bright (about 1500 lumens) LED projector! Plus 3D, PC-Free, USB, SD presenting

Epson BrightLink 485Wi 4/22/12 Overall, Epson has produced a ultra short throw interactive projector that is easy to use, easy to set up, and is priced right. Previous versions won our Best In Classroom award two years in a row.

Mitsubishi WD380U-EST 4/14/12 This Ultra Short Throw WXGA DLP projector is a very capable performer with every type of input you could want. Features include 3D capability, PC-Free presenting from USB, 2800 lumens, networking with notifications, Mic input.

Optoma ML-500 4/6/12 DLP pocket projector - that's a large pico projector - led light source, claiming a massive (for such projectors) 500 lumens.  LED light source rated at 20,000 hours.  A really small projector with LED light source that's actually bright enough for a decent sized room!

Optoma TW-610STi  3/31/12 3D capable (not Blu-ray 3D) portable DLP business and education projector is bright - claiming 3100 lumens.  An Interactive version of last year's 610ST, includes PointBlank interactive pen usable from anywhere in the room.  Easy setup.

NEC U310W   3/30/12 An ultra-short throw, interactive projector that's 3D capable (pen optional, glasses optional) with WXGA resolution. An special - desireable - ability is to Interfaces with iPad, pen interfaces through iPad's mic jack. Impressive image quality with impressive color.

2012 Home Theater Comparison Report 4-9-12  We've considered every home theater projector we've reviewed that's still current, and picked this year's best.  Best In Class awards (and runner-up )given in the under $2000, $2000 - $3500, and $3500+ price ranges.  This year's recipients include projectors from Acer, BenQ, Epson, JVC, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, and Sony. Special interest awards given to Optoma and Viewsonic PJs.

JVC DLA-X70R 3-29-12 JVC again capitalizes on the best blacks in the industry. This is a superb 2D projector that typically sells for under $8000, that is designed for a good home theater room, not a family room. 3D capable, 3D is "just acceptable", and a weakness (relative to 2D). Lens shift CFI and other features. Excellent!

Casio XJ-ST155 3-29-12 This Casio is a very economical choice for both business and education use! It's easy to use and can accept a huge variety of sources. For simple and affordable, read on!

Epson Home Cinema 5010 Video Summary 3-12-12 Check out this full video summary of the Epson HC 5010 review. Kick back and relax - we'll show you everything you need to know!

Panasonic PT-AR100U 03/10/12 The first high brightness (a real light canon) LCD, 1080p home entertainment projector, measured about 2400 lumens. Versatile (2:1 zoom lens, and lens shift), a great family room projector for about $999 (MAP), that can double in a dedicated home theater or cave.

Epson MegaPlex MG-50 03/06/12 What a great multipurpose projector, and what a bargain! For just $699, get good brightness and contrast... Plus it boasts a base station for your iPod, iPhone or iPad. Surely a fun purchase.

BenQ W7000 Projector - Revisited: We have updated portions of the W7000 review after working with a full production version with "final" firmware. Significant improvements, especially black level performance. The "provisional" Hot Product Award, is now permanent. Bright, with glorious picture.

Epson Pro Cinema 6010 02/18/12 This mini-review primarily looks at the additional benefits that separate this projector from one of our favorites, the Home Cinema 5010 which received a full review. Extra features include 2 THX modes and THX and ISF certification, support for an anamorphic lens, longer warranty, spare lamp, and a ceiling mount.

Epson ES1000 Portable Tabletop Screen 02/05/2012 This Epson tabletop screen is a winner overal.l It's compact, sturdy, and not too heavy! Very portable, provides a great image, and comes at a low price... Nice!

Viewsonic PLED-W500 2/1/2012 This roughly two and a half pound DLP projector has a 20,000 hour LED light source, and puts over 400 lumens on the screen. Built in media player with 1GB memory, makes computer free a big advantage for this small projector. Great warranty too.

Mitsubishi HC7800D 1/29/2012 Mitsubishi's mid-priced of 3 home theater projectors, this is a rather fine DLP projector offering 2D and 3D. It is a particularly nice projector for smaller rooms and screens (typically 100" diagonal or less).

Acer K330 1/23/12 A pocket projector (too big to be a pico), small, and under 3 pounds with a 20,000 hour LED light source for low cost of operation. Measured 424 lumens, impressive for this class of projector. Very good color, and very sharp. Check it out!

JVC DLA-RS45 Projector 1/22/12 A stunning projector for viewing movies in particular. Very bright "best" mode allows for movie folks to select especially large screens (even over 130" diagonal). Average brightness for sports and HDTV. 3D capable, but far better at 2D. $3500. Hot Product Award!

BenQ W7000 Projector 1/4/12 We have been working with an engineering sample - still a few rough edges, but this is an exceptionally bright, under $3000, 3D capable home theater projector with rich colors, and a good feature set. A "provisional" Hot Product award, pending final firmware, and related fixes. Extremely impressive.

SIM2 Nero 3D-2 Projector 12-24-11 A premium single chip DLP projector from high end manufacturer SIM2. Not for the feint of heart or wallet (over $20K!) 3D capable. Beautiful picture. Sold through high end installing dealers.

Sony VPL-VW95ES 12-10-11 This is one fine $7,000 home theater projector. With that price it's not for everyone, but it's a significant improvement over last year's Sony for $3000 less! It offers a lot more brightness, better 3D... A top performer, it gets our Hot Product Award.

Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Epson Home Cinema 5010 - A Comparison. We consider 2D and 3D performance, black levels, color, features, warranty... Find out which is the best for 2D, 3D, and figure out which makes the most sense for you.

Epson Home Cinema 3010 Video Summary 11-24-11 And our videos are back! Check out this full video summary of the Epson HC 3010 review. Kick back and relax - we'll show you everything you need to know!

Epson Home Cinema 5010 11-24-11 An easy Hot Product award, for the 3D capable successor to the 8700UB. Brightest 3D so far, (finally, bright enough) Great blacks, split screen, lots to like, and little downside. Oh yeah!

Epson Megaplex 850HD 11-23-11 An all-in-one 720p projector, with a twist - a spring loaded doc for your iPad or iPhone. Very cool.

Acer H9500BD Home projector 11-22-11 This Acer's got real trade offs. It starts with very impressive blacks for a 3D capable projecctor under $2000. Too rough around the edges for a Hot Product award, but impressed enough to earn a special interest.

Panasonic PT-AE7000 11-9-11 The new flagship Projector from Panasonic, is feature laden, is brighter than most, with the lumens to do 3D nicely. Loaded with features, including Lens Memory. A Hot Product Award for this $3495 MSRP projector. Sweet!

CalMAN 4 Calibration Software 11-3-11 This software takes a huge step forward in calibration software! Appropriate for both amateurs and professional calibrators!

Epson Home Cinema 3010e 10-25-11 A quick look at the Hot Product Award winning 3010e, sibling to the 3010 we reviewed in-depth. The 3D-capable 3010e boasts excellent blacks, great color, dynamic iris and respectable black levels... All for $1799!

Epson Home Cinema 3010 10-18-11 A Hot Product Award to the best low cost 2D and 3D projector we've seen to date. Under $1600 gets you a projector with the brightness for family and bonus rooms with ambient light. It's a light canon, even fairly bright doing 3D! Great for 2D and 3D.

Sony VPL-HW30ES 10-15-11 This under $4,000 Sony home theater projector is another of those that offers very good, well balanced performance, and is also a bit forgiving. 3D capable too, with more brightness than most others we've reviewed. Hot Product Award!

Optoma GT750 10-5-11 Great 3D capable gaming projector that's also a very good, affordable family projector. Extremely bright, portable, has 10 watt sound, and under $800!

Casio XJ-M145 10-2-11 This Casio deserves serious consideration for your school district or business! It boasts LED/laser light source that never needs replacing, a great warranty, wireless networking and 3D readiness... Extremely low cost of operation. Our Hot Product Award, for sure!

Optoma HD8300 9-24-11 This is Optoma's flagship 2D home projector with 3D capabilities. Very good color, solid performance, and a rough edge or two. 1080p resolution single chip DLP with good placement flexibility.

Vivitek QUMI 9-8-11 This incredibly compact mini projector, weighing in at just 1.4 lbs., does well against the competition! It boasts great color rendition, a long light life thanks to its LED light source, and 3D capability!

Optoma HD33 2D and 3D Projector 8-29-11 A Hot Product award for combining good entry level 2D performance with very respectable 3D performance. That includes having decent 3D brightness, a problem for most 3D projectors

Epson Powerlite Pro G5450WUNL 8-24-11 Boasting impressive brightness, sharpness, color reproduction and depth, this Epson should be among the top choices for board rooms and smaller sized auditoriums!

JVC DLA-HD250 8-5-11 At just under $3000, this projector is of GREAT value, and is very similar to JVC's very impressive, older, more expensive DLA-RS10 and DLA-RS15 models... A definite Hot Product Award winner!

Mitsubishi HC9000D 7-27-11 Here's another first class home theater projector that can do 2D and 3D. An extremely impressive, over $5000 projector, with great picture, and an excellent CFI for smooth motion.

Acer K11 projector 7-22-11 Whether you call this 1.3 pound projector a large pico, or a pocket projector, matters little. Claiming 200 lumens, and delivering on it impressed. Works with PCs, SD, USB, also iphone (adapter needed) and more. A very versatile little projector.

Optoma GT720 GameTime projector 7-17-11 This under $700 gamer from Optoma is a great low cost game projector, good on sports, too, but not as strong for movie viewing, though it will do the job. Gaming first!

Carada Masquerade CIH Masking System 6-28-11 For several thousand dollars you can encase your fixed screen into a motorized Masquerade. No more visible letterbox, less ambient light. Big black border, looks great

Viewsonic VP3D1 - 6-27-11 Check out this blog review. The VP3D1 should work with most 720p, WXGA, etc. 3D capable projectors, that lack 1080i 3D, 1080p 3D, and Blu-ray 3D support. It works! Watched Tron Legacy, ESPN 3D, other 3D HDTV content, just fine, only minor issues

Runco LightStyle LS-5 Projector 6-23-11 A polished $7000 single chip DLP projector, with beautiful color. You don't really notice this projector, just the content - as it should be. Hot Product Award!

BenQ W1200 6-3-11 Under $1500 buys you a really sharp single chip DLP home entertainment projector with much better than average brightness, and good color. Built in sound let's it be portable (out back?) or for business.

Boxlight OutWrite 1.4 5-25-11 The perfect presentation tool! If you don't want to invest in one of the new interactive projectors, this module will give your exisiting projector all sorts of interactive capabilities for a low price - a great value for educators and business people everywhere!

Epson Brightlink 455wi 5-20-11 This ultra-short throw interactive projector received our Best In Classroom: Interactive Projectors award. Impressively capable, great color, advanced features, and a great warranty - one of a few interactive projectors that enhances the effectiveness of teachers, presenters...

Sharp PG-D45X3D projector 5-20-11 The brightest of the 3D capable projectors considered in our Classroom report, it offers excellent color, and ample brightness in 3D! Sharp combines premium 3D performance with affordable price. A Hot Product Award winner. Great for Biz and Science

InFocus LiteShow III 5-20-11 The newest LiteShow network adapter offers more features, including support for displaying up to 4 sources at once. Present to your projector (or other display) wirelessly, or via wired network. Easy to use, video streaming, many capabilities = our Special Interest Award

Hitachi CP-AW250N 5-16-11 This Hitachi projector is a true Ultra-short throw projector, that sits only a few inches from the screen or wall, keeping the bright light out of the presenter's eyes.

Sanyo PLC-WM5500 5/7/11 The Sanyo PLC-WM5500 projector has a lot going for it. You'd be hard pressed to find a projector in the PLC-WM5500's price range that can match its picture quality and flexibility of installation.

Casio XJ-A250V 5/5/11 This ultra slim lightweight portable has a 20,000 hour hybrid light source. No filters, 2:1 zoom. Rock bottom cost of operation! It's sibling the A255V adds USB wireless networking and more. A road warrior's machine first, but the RockBbottom cost of operation appeals to schools too!

Optoma TW675UTi-3D 5/2/2011 Here's WXGA (1280x800) resolution projector that produces 3200 lumens and is 3D ready (need glasses). It is interactive, and includes a pen like device that acts like a remote mouse, and more. a great tool in the classroom/boardroom! Read the full projector review for detailed information.

BenQ MP780ST 4/19/11With plenty of brightness, good color, solid interactivity and powerful sound, all at a reasonable price, the BenQ MP780 ST is a great fit for any school's projector budget. Receives our Best In Classroom - Interactive Projector award (a tie)

Acer X1261P 4/17/11 This sub-5 lb. XGA 3D capable projector is highly portable, very bright and has very good picture quality for a small DLP projector. One of the least expensive XGA projectors out there!

Sony VPL-EX175 4/15/11 Sony's flagship education market projector combines a very good price with a rather impressive key feature set. It delivers key capabilities including networking, closed captioning, exceptional brightness, and very good image quality.

Sony VPL-VW90ES SXRD Projector 3/28/11 Sony's new flagship projector offers 3D as well as 2D, (and even a 2D content to 3D conversion). The VW90ES is still best at 2D, excellent color, very good blacks. Best 3D we've seen so far, too. Hot Product Award!

JVC DLA-RS60 3/23/11 JVC's flagship home theatre projector offers superb 2D performance, plus 3D thrown in (two pair of glasses included) as well. Brightness a particular issue for 3D (as with most projectors), but an excellent projector overall

Epson Powerlite 96W 4/10/11 This Epson packs a lot of punch for its price. Winner of our 2011-12 Best In Classroom Award. Bright, sharp, feature laden, advanced networking, low cost of operation!

Runco Lightstyle LS-10d 3/11/11 Technically, one of Runco's "entry level" 3 chip DLP projectors - at a mere $27,000 - it offers a picture that lower priced projectors can't touch. Stunning, thanks to great picture plus outstanding brightness. Truly sweet!

Optoma TW610ST 3/30/11 This Very Short Throw projector should be seriously considered by anyone looking for a bright, low priced, short throw projector. Mounted or portable, its size and placement flexibility make it a winner in the classroom or meeting room!

Sharp XV-Z17000 Feb. 2011 This Sharp projector, so far, is the least expensive home theater 3D projector we've reviewed with 1080p resolution: Hot Product Award. Really good 2D picture. 3D is brighter than most, a big plus. Truly impressive for the money.

Optoma Neo-i 2/28/11 Technically just a really big pico projector, the neo-i is really a video boom box for your iPod, iPhone, iPad, plus DVD, Blu- ray, cable box and other devices. 50 lumens gets the job done in the Pico world. Respectable sound too. Cool!

MovieMate 85HD 2/14/11 Home Theater Projector In A Box... The latest top of the line all-in-one combo projectors, from Epson: 720p resolution, good sound (output for subwoofer), nice and bright. Best one available (by default), Perfect for the family, indoors or out. Business use too!

Epson Powerlite 1775W 2/20/11 This is the widescreen WXGA member of Epson's smallest new ultra-slim portable projectors. At 3.8 lbs, its one of the most portable 3000 lumen projectors around. USB Plug and Play, HDMI, wireless, great warranty, Hot Product Award...

Viewsonic Pro8200 - 1/31/11 This sub-$1000 cross-over home entertainment projector is equally suitable as a low cost business projector. One of the brightest, affordable home projectors. A little "rough around the edges", but a solid value!.

XP8000 Pico projector external battery pack - 1/22/11 This half pound charger, let's the PK301 projector output its max 50 lumens (only 20 lumens doable on the internal battery). Has standard USB so can charge other devices too (like iPhone) - Sweet.

Lightspeed DepthQ Modulator for 3D Projection: 1/20/11 This device places in front of a wide range of projectors to produce quality 3D. Applications include home theater, software and game developers, 3D gaming, scientific and commercial 3D visualization, and more. DepthQ Modulator with passive 3D glasses, produces brighter image, lower fatigue. NVIDIA 3D Vision certified. Earns a Special Interest Award

Hitachi CP-X5021N education projector: 1/19/11: The flagship of Hitachi's "Collegiate" series, it's bright, offers networking, big sound, and low cost of maintenance. The great combination of features earns a Hot Product Award!

Sony VPL-VWPRO1 Home Theater Projector 12/24/10 Also known as the VPL-HW20a, this $3400 LCoS projector offers excellent color, post calibration. It easily earns our Hot Product Award. And: This Sony is far brighter than its predecessors!

InFocus IN3916 Interactive Projector 11-30-10 This projector is a new interactive ultra short throw projector from InFocus. It is especially easy to use and competitively priced though without as many interactive features as some - impressive!

LG CF3D 3D Projector 11-27-10 This is a 1080p 3D projector 2500 lumens, dual lamp, that puts a hefty 1000 lumens up in 3D. The LG uses low cost passive glasses, but needs a 3D screen. Impressive scientific/commercial 3D performance.

Samsung SP-F10M 11-26-10 Samsung's new F10M entry is their first low cost LED light source projector ($1299). It sports particularly good color, and measures just a tad short of it's claimed 1000 lumens. It's LEDs will barely dim compared to conventional projectors, offsetting the lower starting lumens.

Epson Home Cinema 8700UB projector 11-1-10 Epson's 4th generation UB (Ultra-Black) projector, has best in class blacks, improved color, better THX mode, and a lower price. At $2199 (and there's a spare free lamp offer) this one's tough to beat.

AAXA P1 Jr. pico projector 10-25-10 This is by far, the lowest cost pico projector we've tested to date, at only $119. It's actually rather impressive, with a respectable picture and good feature set.

BenQ W600 10-14-10 This portable 720p DLP projector is really sort of a hybrid - aimed at use in the home but also equipped to handle business and education presentations as well. Explore both worlds with the W600!

NEC NP216 10-14-10 Good value for a relatively low price, boasting sharp, bright images with accurate color that are comparable to more expensive multimedia projectors!

LG HX300G 10-1-10 Picos are getting larger (pocket projectors), but much brighter. With over 250 lumens this LG can present to small groups easily. We like it!

Dell 1610HD 10-1-10 Excellent for the presenter on a budget, and ready to meet your needs with a high brightness of 3500 lumens! Also, the 1610HD is 3D-ready.

Epson Home Cinema 8350 Projector 10-6-10 This "entry level" 1080p costs less - $1299 MAP - is bright, and offers better color right out of the box. If your budget is under $1500 - this is a "short list" projector. Particularly killer for HDTV and sports

Optoma Pico PK301 9-30-2010 This larger than usual pico projector is everyone's favorite around here. It looks like a baby projector. Brighter than most with 20 lumens on battery and 50 when plugged in.

Optoma Pico PK201 Projector 9-29-2010 This is Optoma's tiny second generation pico projector, slim and lightweight, it is the smallest of this year's pico projectors that we've looked at.

3M MPRO 150 Pico Projector 9-28-2010 Good ergonomics, and very respectable colors, plus a ton of capability, plus a built in media player with 1 Gig of memory. Only 5 ounces fills 50".

Mitsubishi HC4000 Home Theater Projector 9-22-2010 A Hot Product Award is earned by this affordable 1080p DLP projector. A Darkchip3 upgrade provides better, blacker blacks than its Darkchip2 HC3800 predecessor. Bright, natural looking, and a strong value proposition!

Optoma HD8600 Projector Update: 9-9-10 Optoma improves the dynamic iris, one of our few complaints about this projector

Sanyo PLV-Z4000 projector 9-7-10 This Sanyo is an upgraded Z3000, with optical engine and firmware improvements. Most notably, color is better than before, black levels are still very good. The Z4000 costs less (MAP under $2000) too.

AAXA L1 Pico Projector 8-25-10 This is the first Laser powered Pico projector shipping (we believe). Like more traditional Pico's not very bright, but offers flexible multi-media player, USB input, and much more... Very interesting!

Screen Innovations Black Diamond II 1.4 Screen 8-17-10 This latest Black Diamond screen features impressive ambient light handling. For homes, business, use in rooms with more than minimal ambient light. Impressive! Earns a Hot Product Award!

LG AF115 Home Projector 8-10-10 - This LG looks like the reviewed CF181D, but isn't as bright, and can't match it's big brother's black level performance. Pre-production unit tested, we don't even know the price, or if it will make it to the US market.

Vivitek H5080 Projector - 7-8-10 - Here's a single chip DLP that's extremely bright and has great color. A new player under $3000 but very similar to Optoma's expensive HD8600. The H5080 easily earns a Hot Product Award.

Runco LS-7 Projector - 6-24-10 This is a three chip DLP projector, first one we've reviewed in a couple+ years. Your $15,000 and change will get you gorgeous color, great blacks, and tons of lumens - Roughly 1500 in "best" mode. Wow! Check out the full projector review for all the exciting details.

Sanyo PLC-XD2200 Projector - 6-4-10 An under $600 street price makes this Sanyo, with very long life lamp, and XGA resolution, an attractive value proposition. It's not the brightest, or the lightest, but it has networking, and is easy on the budget!

Mitsubishi HC6800 Projector - 5-31-10 This home projector is the middle priced of 3 1080p projectors. Highlights include "power everything", sharp image, plus lots of best mode lumens

Canon LV-8310 Portable Projector 5/21/10 A luxurious portable projector, in that it does color beautifully, and is plenty bright. Not the smallest or lightest, but still nicely portable for local travel at 7.3 lbs. 3LCD, Widescreen, WXGA (1280x800)

Casio XJ-140 Portable Projector 5/11/10 Casio's Green Slim series uses a hybrid light source of LED and Laser for 20,000 hours life. Casio has lowest total cost of ownership around. Excellent, portable or mountable, 2:1 zoom. Most impressive!

Dell S300W Ultra Short Throw Projector 5/11/10 Another excellent example of this hot new breed of very short throw projectors, and this one's even a widescreen model. It can mount within 3 feet of the screen! Definitely earns an award!

Sony VPL-TX7 Classroom Projector 5/10/10 This low cost projector is Sony's strong entry product. Has close captioning and can handle resolutions up to SXGA+ (1400x1050)

Epson Powerlite 85+ Projector 5/9/10 This portable/classroom projector has great color, a really solid feature set, low cost of operation and a whole lot more going for it. An award winner!

BenQ MP772ST Ultra Short Throw Projector 5/7/2010 This business or classroom BenQ projector, mounts close just 3-4 feet from the screen, is pleasantly sharp, and has really good color for a DLP projector. Of course, it's portable too. Impressive!

Sharp PG-D3510X 4/28/2010 Here's a portable projector that is particularly bright. Classrooms, conference rooms, even large training rooms and multi-purpose rooms are handled easily.

Optoma TX542 4/27/2010 This portable projector is both small and affordable. Good brightness, an HDMI input, and a really long life lamp make it particularly attractive for K-12 classroom (ceiling mounted) as well as for business travel.

InFocus IN2116 4/26/2010 The IN2116 native widescreen 16:10 aspect ratio business projector is on the brighter side and is capable of performing well in a lot of different environments!

InFocus SP8602 Projector 3-28-2010 This extremely bright in Best Mode projector (very bright, at its brightest), offers great color, good black levels and a sharp image. A sweet ride! HPA!

BenQ W1000 Projector 3-15-2010 This is the third of the three under $1000 1080p projectors to be reviewed. It's exceptionally bright, and overall, perhaps the most impressive, under $1K

Mitsubishi XD221U Projector 3-15-2010 This not quite entry level XGA projector offers wireless networking, particularly good color for a DLP, and a great warranty. A good choice for K-12 classroom, conference room, or travel. Under $799!

JVC DLA-RS15 Projector 3-8-2010 This is JVC's idea of an "entry level" projector. Vibrant picture, deep blacks, creative frame interpolation, a sweet ride that justifies its $5499 price tag.

JVC DLA-RS35 Projector 3-2-2010 - The JVC RS25 just got better: The DLA-RS35 is built from the best quality controlled components going into RS25's. The RS35 is a $10,000 LCoS projector. Essentially, the Best of the Best. Not only a Hot Product Award, but, top honors in this years comparison report our Best In Class award: $3500 - $10,000

LG CF181D Projector 2-20-2010 - A Hot Product Award goes out to the LG CF181D LCoS Projector. At $2499, it's extremely impressive. It's one of the very brightest under $10K projectors, has really good color, but only decent black level performance. One of the best under $3K.

Epson Home Cinema 705HD 1-22-2010 The latest incarnation of Epson's 720p entry level, cross-over projector. Brighter than the old 700, it's exceptionally bright. Ideal in familyrooms or even outdoors at night. Great for sports. Only $749 MAP, lowest cost of operation

Select reviews from 2009:

Hitachi CP-D10 1-2-2010 Hitachi, which focuses heavily on K-12 education, offers an ultra short throw XGA LCD projector, targeted for use in a small conference room or classroom. Bright, portable: $999!

Gefen GTV-WirelessHD 2009 Gefen offers a fully functional, wireless HDMI solution which may simplify your room wiring! It supports full 1080p 60 (also 24fps, and lower res), has a range of 30 feet, and is Lossless - One goes in my theater!

Epson MovieMate 60 All-in-One projector 2009 A great stocking stuffer. Indoor or out, it's a really bright, complete system with DVD player, 2 10 watt speakers, and lots of features. All for less than $700.

Vivitek H1080FD - 2009 $999 can now buy you and exceptionally bright 1080p home theater projector. Entry level price and overall performance, but it can really light up your family or bonus room!

The most important head to head comparsion article of 2009-2010:
Epson Home Cinema 8500UB vs. Panasonic PT-AE4000 projectors

Panasonic PT-AE4000 2009 With a pricetag of $1999, this Panasonic is brighter, and a bit better than last year's, and for less money. A truly impressive projector, with great color and black levels

JVC DLA-RS25 Projector 2009 No real surprises here. The RS25 is a worthy successor for last year's Best In Class (under $10K) winner. It sports improved color management, plus CFI. The premium priced DLA-RS25 offers premium performance. This JVC Rocks!

Epson Powerlite Pro Z8000WU NL 2009 This is Epson's flagship projector it sports outstanding 1920x1200 resolution, has a dual lamp design, and lots of networking capability. At just over $20,000 list price, it is actually priced very aggressively compared to the competiton.

BenQ W6000 projector 2009 Under $3000 MAP, this projector improves on the older W5000 which was a Best In Class Runner-up. Better blacks, sharp, one of the brightest around, great color

Epson Powerlite 826W 2009 This $999 2500 lumen, 7 lb. portable, widescreen WXGA projector is feature laden: Wired and wireless networking, presenting from USB drive, powerful speaker, and 6000 hour lamp make it ideal for classroom with low cost of operation

Sony VPL-HW15 Home Theater Projector 2009 Sony replaces the HW10 with an improved, and less expensive VPL-HW15. Under $3000, expect really good black levels, and excellent color - could be brighter

Mitsubishi WD510U Projector 2009 Mitsubishi offers up a bright, low cost, portable widescreen DLP projector. It not only claims 2600 lumens, but delivers on the promise. As a bonus, especially good color for a business DLP projector.

Optoma HD20 Home Theater Projector 2009 It's official - the Optoma HD20 is the first $999 1080p projector. Not bad! A great entry level projector, good color, fairly bright, a good family projector. The full projector review is definately worth a read if you are in the market for a new toy.

Samsung SP-A600 Projector 2009 Samsung has finally come out with an entry level 1080p DlP projector, for $1795 list. It is a very solid performer, and a very bright one (in its best mode) which sets it apart.

Sharp XG-P560W Projector - 2009 This is the first 3 chip DLP commercial projector we've reviewed. This dual lamp projector has 5000 lumens, and ideal when the best color and overall picture quality is demanded. That's been the promise of all expensive 3 chip DLPs.

Oppo BDP-83 Universal Blu-ray Player 2009 Oppo has made a name for itself among home theater enthusiasts, pioneering upscaling DVD players. The new, long awaited BDP-83 is their first Blu-ray player.

Aiptek V10 Plus Pico Projector 2009. Another tiny LED projector, the V10 Plus is unique thanks to its built in media player that lets it run photos, videos, etc. device free. Download into internal memory SD card slot for "device free" operation. Also, it has composite video input.

3M MPro110 Projector 2009 This tiny LED projector weighs barely half a pound, and is rated 10 lumens. What's special about the 3M compared to other pico projectors, however, is that it has a VGA input.

Sharp XV-Z15000 Projector 2009 Looking for an excellent DLP projector, with 1080p resolution? This affordable home theater projector qualifies! Great picture, excellent black levels, a Hot Product

Casio XJ-S57 Super Slim Projector 2009 Casio makes perhaps the thinnest, lightweight portable projector. There are a half dozen Casio projectors in the Super Slim lineup. This one is loaded, affordable and 3000 lumens. Thin enough to fit in your briefcase, with room to spare.

Octava HDMX42 4x2 HDMI Matrix Switcher - Just what the doctor ordered. Full HDMI 1.3 compliance, an optical digital audio out, 4 HDMI inputs, 2 outputs. Great for those needing to switch sources, and audio.

Canon WUX10 Projector 2009 A Special Interest award goes to this HD resolution projector (WUXGA - 1920x1200). It's pricey, as the highest resolution projectors always are, but bright, sharp and very good color. Ideal for engineering, scientific renderings, photography...

Optoma Pico Projector PK101 2009 The Optoma Pico is the first pocket pico projector we've reviewed. Tiny, and battery powered, it's fun for gaming, watching videos, movies, and even connecting to your iPhone or digital camera - best doing images 10 to 40 inches diagonal.

Optoma HD8200 Projector 2009 This is the most exciting new Optoma home projector in a couple of years. Impressive performance, and good placement flexibiity. Despite some minor issues, A Hot Product award goes to this projector worth serious consideration.

Projector Screens: Stewart Filmscreen Firehawk G3, motorized, tensioned. A Hot Product Award is a slam dunk. I reviewed my own G3, in my old theater.

Want to see more reviews? Click here for all projector and projector equipment reviews, or here for only home theater projector reviews.

Thank you for visiting Projector Reviews, the fastest growing website that focuses on reviewing today’s best business and home theater projectors, projector screens, and projector accessories. First and foremost, Projector Reviews provides both in-depth and also, shorter, capsule reviews on the following types of projectors:

Home Theater Projectors

These are almost all widescreen projectors, with resolutions from 480p to 1080p, ideal for HDTV, DVD and hi-def DVDs, including Blu-ray disc.

Portable Projectors

Generally under 10 pounds and as light as 1 pound and change, today's lightweight projectors offer enough power to handle conference rooms with lights on, and the more powerful ones are ready for auditorium sized presentations. A few of these are widescreen projectors, but most are still standard 4:3 ratio projectors.

LCD projectors, DLP projectors, for Education

A wide range of projectors, both LCD and DLP are available for the classroom, lab, and other education applications. Many projectors designed for classrooms now feature more and better speakers to handle the room without the need of external speakers, saving significant cost.

From a technology standpoint you will find the following types of front projectors

  • LCD projectors
  • DLP projectors
  • LCOS projectors - including JVC's D-iLA, Sony's SXRD, and Canon's Realis
  • LED projectors (those cute little, and so far, fairly dim) 1 pound or smaller battery powered projectors), and a few larger projectors offering LED light sources or hybrids instead of a conventional lamp.

Unlike years ago, today’s digital projectors handle both data and video sources, even though they may still be referred to as data projectors, video projectors, digital projectors, etc.

Projector Resolution

Traditional digital projectors project an image on to a screen that has the same shape as a traditional computer monitor – (4:3), and these include the following resolutions: SVGA projectors (low resolution) XGA projectors, (the most common resolution), SXGA+ (extremely high resolution) and UXGA (starting at $30,000).However, many new projectors, especially those for home theater project an HDTV shaped image (16:9), and they are referred to as widescreen projectors. On the home theater projector front, those are organized into 720p projectors and 1080p projectors.

Business projectors

Business projectors now sell for as little as $300, but at that price you get lower resolution projectors that are mostly purchased by schools and small companies that have minimal budgets. For a hi resolution XGA projector, they now start under $400, and widescreen projectors only slightly more.

Business and Home Theater Projector Screens

Everyone buying a video projector should have a screen. And while there are many well known projector screen manufacturers, including Da-Lite, Draper, Vutec, Elite… One projector screen manufacturer that is considered to sell premium quality projector screens is Stewart Filmscreen. Other well known brands including projector screens from Da-Lite, Elite, Draper, Carada, Screen Innovations, and Vutec. We have articles to help you choose the correct projector screen surface, explain tensioned screens, positioning the projector screen, what type of screens best reject ambient room light, and much more, in our Projector Screens section

The Projector Screens section contains articles written in house, and others from Stewart Filmscreen, to help you understand, and choose the best projector screen for your room and home theater projector. It also contains a list of the reviews we have done on motorized and fixed wall projector screens from Stewart, Elite, Carada, Da-lite, Screen Innovations and others

We have occasionally reviewed projector screens, and plan to increase the number of projector screen reviews to 4 or 5 projector screens per year. We consider fixed mount projector screens, pull down projector screens and motorized projector screens, and now that I think about it, even portable projector screens and inflatable projector screens.

Our projector screen reviews will focus primarily on those projector screens that work best in home theaters, as well as specialty projector screens and lightweight portable projector screens.

We hope you find our projector reviews and projector advice to be most helpful. We also hope you will click on a banner or two to visit our advertisers (it keeps the doors open, and the projector information flowing).

Access the database of projectors from the left bar, some of the top brands are listed there, but a few dozen more can be found on the All Projector Brands link. Or, use our Projector Search feature

Many recent projector reviews are listed on the projectorreviews.com homepage, but you can access the entire list from the All Digital Projector Reviews tab on the top bar. For general information on projectors and how to choose them visit the Projector Advice and Information tab (also on the top). Our Contact Us/About Us area is on the top right. For home theater projector reviews only, click on the Home Theater Projector Reviews tab on the top of every page.

Here is a link to the new projector screens advice and reviews section or you can access it from the projector screens link on the left bar.

Note, most business should not be buying the low res projectors, as mentioned in our article “ Selecting the Right Business Projector…”

Projector Manufacturers

Today, there are more than 50 projector manufacturers, selling way more than a million projectors a year (in the US alone). Of those, perhaps a dozen or so specialize in the real high end for home, business or scientific use, brands like Runco, Christie, Digital Projection, and projectiondesign. Perhaps 20 projector companies dominate almost all of the under $10,000 projectors, with many of the others offering specialty projectors or just smaller, companies, or new players entering the market, including pico projector manufacturers.