Best Home Theater Projectors For 2024

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

An RGBB LED and a red laser are combined by the XGIMI Ultra's Dual-Light technology to create a vivid, color-accurate image. The brightest display offered by XGIMI to date is the Horizon Ultra. According to XGIMI, the Horizon Ultra offers class-leading color fidelity and 2300 ISO Lumens, which is 77% brighter than the HORIZON Pro, its predecessor.

Delta E is a color accuracy and error value below 3, meaning that it is 'Excellent' and undetectable to the human eye. The Horizon Ultra's color delta E, according to XGIMI, is an exceptional 1.

With Android TV 11 preinstalled on the Horizon Ultra, you can play and stream a huge selection of games and applications.XGIMI also made sure to provide players with quick refresh rates and little input latency. A brand-new, low latency (18 ms) game option is available on the Horizon Ultra. The Horizon Ultra is the first standard throw 4K home projector to feature Dolby Vision in addition to HDR10 and HLG.

This 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160p) DLP projector carries a price tag of $1,599, offering a manufacturer-claimed brightness of 2,200 ANSI lumens. This is accentuated by the colors which is supposed to cover 95% of the DCI-P3 and 100% of the Rec.709 color gamuts.

When we reviewed previous models like the HT3550 and TK850i, we were highly impressed with their crisp 4K image quality. This is mostly thanks to features like BenQ's Auto Tone Mapping, Color Mapping technologies, and Dynamic Iris technology. These features allow the BenQ HT3560 to display high-quality, natural-looking images straight out of the box.

The HT3560 is an impressive upgrade from the HT3550, even though it does share a similar design and feature set. BenQ has now added support for HDR10+, an open-source alternative to Dolby Vision HDR, along with HDR-PRO and Dynamic Black technologies, creating a cinema-like experience at home.

While the projection industry has seen advancements in affordable and high-quality laser and LED light sources, lamp-based projectors like the HT3560 remain relevant. BenQ continues to produce a significant portion of its home theater, gaming, and cinema projectors powered by ultra-high performance lamps, emphasizing their value.

In order to compete with other premium projectors like the Sony XW5000ES and the Epson LS12000, the W5800 uses BenQ's proven CinematicColor technology to give accurate color production. The DYNAMIC BLACK technology adjusts the laser's light to maximize visible contrast, resulting in a stunning SDR and HDR picture.

The BenQ W5800 supports HDR content mastered in HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+. This is done with BenQ's HDR-PRO technology which has tone mapping that balances details in bright and dark scenes. 

To ensure maximum color accuracy, BenQ calibrates each W5800 before it leaves the factory and includes a calibration report in the box. The W5800 can reproduce 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, used to master most HDR content without a light-robbing cinema filter.

The projector features a motorized lens with 1.6X zoom and a good amount of lens shift (vertical +/-50% and horizontal +/-21%), allowing for flexible placement without losing out on image quality. This flexibility makes the W5800 an adaptable option for various home theater setups.

BenQ continues to balance performance with value, impressing with models like the HT3650i and HT4550i. The W5800 builds on these models with advanced features, making it a significant step up from the award-winning W4000i/HT4550i reviewed last year.

The core of the new BenQ W4000i projector is its 4LED light source, which offers a broad yet precise color gamut. BenQ claims that the new projector displays genuine film colors. BenQ refers to this CinematicColor as an exclusive design that offers precise color reproduction to users. Additionally, BenQ offers users a new feature called WIDE COLOR GAMUT (WCG), which reproduces 100% DCI-P3 color performance when enabled in HDR mode. This is 1.3 times larger than the color gamut of comparable DLP 4K projectors with Rec. 709. With brilliant colors and amazing depth in both bright and gloomy areas, the image quality is excellent whether you're viewing movies or your favorite television shows.

BenQ has been pushing the boundaries with their 4LED technology in recent years, producing ever-higher brightness levels. With 3,200 ANSI lumens of brightness, the W4000i gaming projector outperforms the highly acclaimed X3000i. Not only has BenQ improved the brightness of the W4000i, but it has also used a larger 0.66" DLP imager to achieve this.

BenQ has added complete Netflix support for the first time. This is the Netflix app without the need to sideload an app or use a personalized launcher. I appreciate BenQ incorporating this much-needed feature at last.