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Best Home Theater Projectors For 2024

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Bring theater-level quality into your home with one of the best home theater projectors on the market. As more movies than ever release directly to streaming platforms, now is the best time to purchase a projector for your home theater.

Having a projector as your primary viewing experience creates large pictures that offer immersion that can't be found with a standard-sized TV. With all of the projectors on this list being 4k, you will get a great watching and gaming experience. Not to mention that projector-level quality comes at a fraction of the cost of an ultra-sized TV.

Take a look at our list of the best projectors for your home theater in 2024.

Sony VPL-GTZ380

If you are looking for the ultimate home theater experience, you should look closely at Sony’s flagship projector, the VPL-GTZ380, a 10,000-lumen, native 4K SXRD projector that retails for $80,000 (minus lens).

Enter the VPL-GTZ380. Compared to its predecessors, the GTZ380 delivers much higher brightness and wider color gamut resulting in a massive increase in color volume.  The unit’s X1 Ultimate chip also boosts video processing power, further improving both SDR and HDR picture quality.

The GTZ380 is intended for applications where the highest image quality is critical. While the unit will be most attractive to video enthusiasts looking for the ultimate home theater projector, you will also see it utilized for other applications, including film festivals, private screening rooms, and training simulators.

Sony VPL-GTZ380 Specs
Price$80,000 (minus lens)
TechnologySXRD (3)
Native Resolution4K (4096x2160)
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)10000
Contrast∞:1
Zoom Lens Ratio1.95:1 (VPLL-Z8014 Lens)
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight112
Warranty3 year

Sony VPL-XW7000ES

Sony VPL-XW7000ES projector premium home theater award

The XW7000ES is a 3200-lumen native 4K home theater projector that retails for $27,999. It is part of a complete line refresh of Sony’s SXRD projector lineup. Sony has reduced the number of models they offer but now every unit utilizes a laser light source. Since the laser light source has a rated life of 20,000 hours the result is years of nearly maintenance-free operation. 

In addition to their laser sources, these models also utilize a new 0.61-inch SXRD panel which is more compact while still offering high native contrast and native 4K UHD resolution. The XW7000ES is 20% smaller and 30% lighter than the VW915ES.

Sony VPL-XW7000ES Specs
Price$27,999
TechnologySXRD
Native Resolution3840x2160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)3200
Contrast∞:1
Zoom Lens Ratio2.14:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight31 lbs
Warranty3 year

JVC DLA-NZ9

JVC-NZ9-Projector-Hero-2

JVC has announced three new D-ILA home theater, projector models. The JVC DLA-NZ9 is an HDR home theater projector that delivers true 4K resolution (4096 x 2160). It is the replacement for the award-winning DLA-NX9/RS3000, which we reviewed a while back. These JVC models utilize their BLU-Escent laser light source, include 8K e-shift technology, and are the world’s first projectors to offer 48Gbps 8K/60p inputs.

The DLA-NZ9 sits at the higher end of JVC’s D-ILA FPJ lineup, but its high native contrast combined with 4K resolution results in exceptional performance. Since this is a native 4K unit (unlike a 2K pixel shifting projector), it can faithfully reproduce all 8.8 million pixels found in 4K content.

JVC claims the NZ9 has a native contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (Dynamic Contrast Ratio 1,000,000:1), which is exceptional. Laser dimming gives the NZ9 a nearly infinite dynamic contrast ratio. In addition, the NZ9 can also deliver rich, vibrant colors. JVC also claims that the NZ9 can reproduce 100% of the DCI-P3 color space with the Cinema Filter engaged.

JVC DLA-NZ9 Specs
Price$25,999
TechnologyDILA, 3Chip
Native Resolution4,096 x 2,160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)3000
Contrast100,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio2.00:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight56
Warranty3 year

Sony VPL-XW5000ES

The Sony VPL-XW5000ES is a 2000-lumen native 4K home theater laser projector that retails for $6,000. The XW5000ES, which is Sony’s entry-level 4K home theater, is the least expensive native 4K 3-chip LCOS projector on the market.

All of Sony’s current lineup up of 4K home theater projectors, including the XW5000ES, utilize a Z-Phosphor laser light source. The laser light source has a rated life of 20,000 hours which results in years of nearly maintenance-free operation. The fact that the XW5000ES is a laser projector is a big deal. In the past, the least expensive laser light source equipped 4K SXRD projector was the VW915ES which retailed for about $20,000.

While the new SXRD panels used in the XW5000ES offer very high native contrast, the projector’s dynamic contrast is nearly infinite due to its ability to precisely modulate its Z-Phosphor laser light source.

Sony VPL-XW5000ES Specs
Price$5999
Technology3 LCoS panels (SXRD)
Native Resolution3840x2160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)2000
Contrast∞:1
Zoom Lens Ratio1.60:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight28lbs
Warranty3 year

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000

Epson LS12000 Hot Product award

The Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 which retails for $4999 is a 4K HDR-compatible laser home theater. The Pro Cinema LS12000 uses native 1080P 3LCD panels but the projector is equipped with the latest version of Epson’s 4K UHD Pro technology. This feature combines advanced pixel-shifting technology and a new Precision Glass Shift Plate with three individual high-definition LCD chips to produce 4K resolution (3840×2160 pixels) on screen.

The LS12000 is Epson’s most advanced Pro Cinema Series projector to date and it is designed to deliver the performance and features demanded by the most discerning video enthusiasts. The LS12000 is a great option for someone who wants to enjoy HDR movies and high frame-rate gaming in a family room or dedicated home theater.

Epson LS12000 Specs
Price$4999
Technology3LCD laser
Native Resolution1920x1080
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)2700
Contrast2,500,000:1 (Dynamic)
Zoom Lens Ratio2.00:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight28.0
Warranty3 year

Epson Pro Cinema LS11000

The Epson Home Cinema LS11000, which retails for $3999, is a 4K HDR compatible laser home theater projector. The LS11000 has a rated brightness of 2,500 ANSI Lumens and can deliver over 1,200,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

We had the opportunity to review the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 and were incredibly impressed with the unit’s performance. The Home Cinema LS11000 delivers a lot of the same performance as the LS12000, but for a thousand dollars less.

The LS11000 sits at the top of Epson’s Home Cinema Series projector lineup. It is feature packed and delivers outstanding performance at a price that should be within reach of many enthusiasts. The LS11000 is a great option for someone who wants to enjoy HDR movies and high frame-rate gaming in a media or family room.

Epson LS11000 Specs
Price$3999
Technology3 LCD
Native Resolution1920x1080x4 (3840x2160)
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)2500
Contrast1200000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio2.1:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight28lbs
Warranty3 years

LG AU810PB

LG AU810PB Hot product award

The AU810PB is one of these great new offerings and part of the LG CineBeam line-up of projectors. This series is designed to make projection more accessible and appealing to a broader range of consumers. We have reviewed a couple of other projectors in this line-up.

The LG AU810PB is a 4K DLP Laser Smart projector with a suggested retail price of $3999. This projector offers a great deal of performance and numerous advanced features for its price. The LG AU810PB has a rated brightness of 2700 Lumens, and its Laser-light source is rated to last up to 20,000 hours.

The LG AU810PB combines all the Smart capabilities of flat-panel TVs but with the high-quality, maintenance-free Laser-light engine and 4K resolution to make it a true flat panel TV replacement.

LG LG AU810PB Specs
Price$3999
TechnologyDLP with XPR (0.47” DMD)
Native Resolution1920x1080x4
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)2700
Contrast2,000.000;1
Zoom Lens Ratio1.6:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight24.3. lbs
Warranty2 year

LG HU710PW

LG CineBeam HU710PW from the front

The LG HU710PW is one of two newly announced CineBeam projectors. We were excited to get our hands on the HU710PW ($2,499.99 SRP) because it is the first LG projector to utilize a hybrid light source system. This new LG system uses an LED light source supported by laser technology to provide 2,000 ANSI lumens of brightness combined with a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. This hybrid light source is designed to deliver enhanced light source brightness and markedly improved color range.

The LG HU710PW is a feature-rich 4K 0.47-inch Digital Light Processing (DLP) Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) projector powered by LG’s hybrid laser and Light Emitting Diode (LED) light engine. The HU710PW is a smart projector with a suggested retail price of $2,499.99. This projector offers a great deal of performance and numerous advanced features for its price. The LG HU710PW has a rated brightness of 2,000 lumens, and its hybrid LED laser-light source is rated to last up to 20,000 hours in Standard mode and 30,000 hours in the projector’s Eco mode.

LG HU710PW Specs
Price$2,499 MSRP
TechnologyDLP Laser and LED Hybrid
Native Resolution1920x1080x4
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)2000 ANSI lumens
Contrast2,000.000;1
Zoom Lens Ratiox 1.6
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life20,000 hours
Weight14.3 lbs
Warranty1 Year Parts and Labor

Benq HT3550

BenQ HT3550 Hot product award

The BenQ HT3550 is a “step up” single-chip DLP projector sporting Texas Instruments, “smaller” 4K UHD DLP chipset. The HT3550 projector claims 2000 lumens, which is just slightly less than the lower-end HT2550, and even further below BenQ’s “bright room” equivalent of the HT2550 – the TK800, which claims 3000 lumens.  The HT3550 projector has a list price of $1499.

I might note that the BenQ HT3550 is a relatively small home theater projector and that it is also one that looks particularly good, with clean lines, an off-white cabinet with A brown-gray back.  The built-in sound and 9.4 lb. weight (4.2 kg) make it more than portable enough for moving from room to room, hauling outside for movie nights (or sports nights, or Game of Thrones – final season – nights.

BenQ HT3550 Specs
Price$1,499
TechnologyDLP (1)
Native Resolution3840x2160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)2000
Contrast30000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio1.30:1
Lens ShiftYes
Lamp Life4,000 hours
Weight9.3
Warranty3 years

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