Home Theater Projectors

The home theater projectors page includes the latest projectors used for home theater and home entertainment. See below for a list of reviews of home theater projectors, and also  information pages. They are listed in order, most recent first.

Scroll down for the list of all of our most recent home theater projector reviews.

Most of today’s home theater projectors offer Full HD, which is 1080p resolution.   Note:  Please check out our Home Theater Projector Comparison Report which is our most comprehensive buying guide for home theater projectors.  I should point out that the Projector Report does not cover the lower cost 720p projectors which aren’t quite as sharp, but start below $500.  These days a basic 1080p – Full HD – projector can be had for less than $700!

In our pages, you’ll find links to our reviews as well as other projectors that we haven’t reviewed.  You will find  specs and usually product brochures for you to peruse .  Some of the links on this page go to other similar pages, with other lists of projectors.

Projectors for your home come in two flavors:  Home Theater and Home entertainment projectors.  That second group are projectors geared for home that tend to be very bright, to use in less than ideal rooms.  (continued below)

Home Theater Projectors

Theater vs Entertainment

Remember the differences between home theater and home entertainment.

A good projector to drop into a home theater, not only has color optimized for movie viewing, but also should be able to produce very dark “blacks.” Those dark blacks are the key to dark scenes looking great. However, it is important to remember that most people expect to be watching more things than just movies at home, including HDTV, sports and there are a lot of folks using projectors for gaming. What you watch, as well as your room conditions, will be a key factor in selecting your projector.

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Price Range

Today’s projectors targeting a home theater or “cave” start at under $500 dollars for 720p resolution, and  as low as  $700 for 1080p projectors.  Just four years ago one could not buy 1080p resolution home theater projectors for much under $2000.  Note please that the least expensive home projectors are “crossover” projectors, their design based as a business portable.  Despite their “upbringing,” some of those can do an admirable job for the amount spent, but they are home entertainment.

Almost all dark room projectors are relatively modest in brightness.  It’s a trade-off for better picture quality and especially, contrast and black levels.  Most “home” projectors you will consider today offer 3000 lumens or less, with the brighter ones being capable of tackling brighter rooms, such as family rooms, living rooms or media centers.  In fact some are really geared for that, while other bright projectors may be even more at home in a dedicated theater.

Brightness has increased in the past few years to support 3D.  3D home theater projectors now include almost every new projector geared for home use.  Virtually all that have hit the market since 2012 has offered 3D.  Not all come with 3D glasses, but they are otherwise ready to go.   Active 3D for projectors is mostly a firmware thing, so not expensive to implement.

An image from the Epson Home Cinema 5030UB, a popular, low-cost LCD projector.

Click Image to Enlarge

Our Annual Report for Home Theater Enthusiasts