The HD projectors category includes most home theater projectors. It includes both those sporting Full HD which is 1080p resolution, and 720p projectors, which, technically are just HD. The same is true for LCDTVs and Plasmas when talking HD and Full HD. HD is, of course, an acronym for High Definition.
In the projector world, primarily HD is a phrase associated with home theater projectors, rather than other types, but recently, the HD definition is showing up on business, education and other commercial projectors with 2K resolution. (2048×1024, or similar). For our purposes HD Projectors will be defined for home theater projectors only. See below for a list of HD projector reviews and information pages.
For home theater systems, virtually all projectors are either HD or Full HD these days.
You can still find a few all-in-one projectors that are lower resolution, but everything else, or at least everything we’re aware of, over $600 should be HD, and there really is only some DIY stuff, and maybe some old closeouts for less.
Most 720p HD projectors are under $1000, but there are some huge exceptions, including 3 chip DLP’s such as the Runco LS-7, a rather superb, $15,000 extremely bright home theater projector. In fact 720p 3 chip DLP projectors can cost several times even that amount.
That’s fine, some real high performance projectors, but keep in mind there are also a number of under $10K 720p single chip DLP projectors from “high end brands” as well.
Popular HD projector brands: Sony, Panasonic, Optoma, Epson, Mitsubishi, and InFocus.
1080p Report: 1080p Home Theater Projector Comparison Report.
The bottom line on today’s High Definition – HD Projectors is that they provide a level of quality, that less than a decade ago, was unobtainable for less than $20,000. Yet, today’s HD projectors start well under $1000, even for Full HD. The overall picture quality varies by price, brand and other issues, but even the very least of the HD home theater projectors is almost certain to dazzle just about everyone but hard core enthusiasts, when properly set up.
For those with older projectors, or looking for their first, an HD projector should truly impress, but content is king. If you watch standard TV and standard DVDs, you will not be able to get the fullest performance, and viewing pleasure that would come with HDTV, and Blu-ray discs.
BenQ W1000 Projector
The W1000 is exceptionally bright and is perhaps the most impressive overall 1080p projector out there under $1,000.
JVC DLA-RS25 Projector
The RS25 is a worthy successor for last year’s Best In Class (under $10,000) 1080p projector winner, the RS20. The premium priced RS25 offers premium performance with improved color management, plus CFI.
LG CF181D Projector
At $2499, the LG CF181D LCoS 1080p projector is extremely impressive. It’s one of the very brightest projectors under $10,000 and one of the best under $3,000, has really good color, and decent black level performance.
Epson Home Cinema 8500UB
The 8500UB replaces last year’s Best In Class winners, also Epson 1080p projectors, boasting a sharper image, great blacks, a great warranty, improved CFI, and better color. What’s not to like?
Mitsubishi HC4000
The Mitsubishi HC4000 may be the entry-level (under $1,500) 1080p projector to beat. It offers rich, great looking color, decent blacks, a sharp image, and is really bright in Best Mode.
