The Hottest Home Theater Projectors: Our Top Picks for 2007

Under $5000 1080p Home Theater Projectors

Introduction
All-in-one home projectors
Lowest cost home theater projectors
Under $1000 home theater projectors
$1000 - $1500 home theater projectors
$1500 - $2000 home theater projectors
$2000+ 720p home theater projectors
Under $5000 1080p projectors
Over $5000 1080p home theater projectors

Best In Class: Sony VW50 "Pearl"
Runner-up: Mitsubishi HC5000
Special interest: Panasonic PT-AE1000U

Sony VPL-VW50 - the Pearl - Home Theater Projector:

A beautiful performing projector, the Sony Pearl has superb black levels, and rich colors. Sharpness is "good", (generally considered a bit soft) but not as sharp as the best 1080p's. Equipped with power focus, zoom and vertical lens shift, it is a versatile projector that will work in most rooms. One note, it's not particularly bright in best mode. The Pearl gets top honors in the under $5000 group, in no small part because of those great black levels and acccompanying shadow detail. Although the VW50 lists for $4995, it is widely and often rather significantly disounted.

The image immediately below (using the Sony) is from "X-Men: The Last Stand" (Blu-Ray).

Image from the Sanyo PLV-VW50 Pearl projector.

The Pearl uses SXRD technology (LCOS). It has three panels (R,G,B), so has no color wheel and therefore no rainbow effect issues that might affect some. Being LCOS, it also has an essentially invisible pixel structure, so no Screen Door Effect. Sort of a projector for everyone.

Watching the Sony is extremely enjoyable.

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Mitsubishi HC5000 LCD home theater projector:

It was a tough call, between this and the Panasonic PT-AE1000U. The Mitsubishi's strengths, include unmatched sharpness, and out of the box excellent performance. Being a typical LCD projector, pixels are just barely visible, in large bright stationary areas, or things like white movie credits on dark backgrounds, if you like to sit close. In all fairness, though, pixels are still a touch less visible than with a 720p DLP projector.

The image below is from "Starship Troopers" (standard DVD).

Imafe from the Mitsubishi HC5000 projector.

Erogonomically the Mitsubishi HC5000 is tough to beat - a wide range zoom lens, lens shift, and by far the quietest 1080p projector on the market, in fact so quiet, that it is probably quieter in "full power" (bright lamp) mode, than any of the other projectors in their low power (economy lamp) modes. In low power, it is for all practical purposes, silent.

The HC5000 isn't particularly bright, and under normal circumstances is best with screen sizes from 92" to perhaps 110" maximum. If only Mitsubishi sacrificed the super quiet noise levels for a brighter lamp and a bit more fan noise... As I own a 128" Firehawk screen, the Mitsubishi, like the Panasonic, and Sony were eliminated as possibles form my own home theater, because they just aren't bright enough.

One thing about the Mitsubishi is truly sensational, and almost gave the HC5000 top honors: The razor sharpness of the HC5000 is unmatched among the seven 1080p projectors we have reviewed so far. Plus, colors are rich and dynamic. it is this combination that earns the Mitsubishi our runner-up status.

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Panasonic PT-AE1000U Home Theater Projector

It really was hard not to give the PT-AE1000U top honors, or the Runner-up spot. Why, you ask? Price/Performance. First and foremost, the PT-AE1000U is definitely the least expensive 1080p projector out there. It started with a $3995 MAP (minimum advertised price), and while discounting is very limited below that, there is currently a $400 rebate. That tends to set the Panasonic's street price a good $500 below any other 1080p projector.

So, why didn't it get top honors? Simply, because, I ultimately concluded that "pure" performance in this class is more important than price/performance. Afterall, people are spending twice as much or more (than a 720p projector) for 1080p. You are paying for more performance. One could argue, that from a price performance standpoint, people should, for the time being, stick with the much lower priced 720p projectors (more bang for the bucks), And that's why our final decision turned out the way it did.

Below (PT-AE1000U), Gandalf from "Lord of the Rings", on standard DVD.

Gandalf image from the Panasonic PT-AE1000U projector.

Thanks to Panasonic's SmoothScreen Technology, this LCD projector has the least visible pixels of any projector on the market, LCD, DLP, or even LCOS, and that's saying something. There is a tradeoff, however, with the Panasonic also having perhaps the softest looking image. Image quality overall, is very, very good, and it is always a pleasing projector to view. Of particular note, it is more forgiving on good old regular low definition TV, than most other projectors. It offers superb placement flexibility.

The Panasonic is a projector that is probably the Toyota Camry of 1080p projectors, very good overall, but lacking the pure performance of, say a BMW. Like the other projectors in this class, it is not very bright, and normally should be limited to screens no more than 110" diagonal, and preferably a bit smaller. Like the Camry, it is a product that most people can own, and fully enjoy, and recommend to their friends, but those seeking absolute performance will likely end up elsewhere. Still if budget is an issue, keep in mind, it is an excellent projector for $500 - $1000 below the closest 1080p competition, and unless you sit there, like me, doing side by side comparisions, I doubt you'll have any issue at all with the PT-AE1000U home theater projector.