Top 5 Home Theater Projectors

* 720p Home Theater Projector

Optoma HD66 720p DLP Home Theater Projector

* 1080p Home Theater Projectors:

 1/ Optoma HD8600 1080p Home Theater Projector

 2/  Epson Home Cinema 8700 UB

 3/  Mitsubishi HC4000 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector

 4/ Sony VPL-VWPRO1 1080p Home Theater Projector

 

 

Optoma HD66 720p DLP Home Theater Projector

The HD66 is a bright little package, rated at 2500 lumens maximum. Now, the HD66 is marketed as a 720p projector, since that is the maximum resolution at which it can display 3D content. However, it has a 1280x800 DLP chip, so not only can it display native HD 720p, but it can also display computer signals in 1024x768 and 1280x800 without compression as well. It will display HD 1920x1080p/60 in compressed form. It cannot display 24p natively, but it is sometimes difficult to tell the difference between 60p and 24p even on native 1080p projectors.

Street Price (USD) : $644 MSRP (USD) :      ** Brightness (Lumens) : 2500 ANSI Contrast (Full On/Off) : 4000:1 Variable Iris: No Audible Noise: 32.0 dB Eco-Mode: 30.0 dB Weight: 2.3 kg Size (cm) (HxWxD) : 10 x 29 x 19 Std. Lens: Focus: Manual Zoom: Manual, 1.10:1 Throw Dist (m) : 1.5 - 10.3 Image Size (cm) : 102 - 762 Optional Lenses: No Digital Zoom:      ** Digital Keystone: Vertical Lens Shift: No Warranty: 1 Year Performance: H-Sync Range: 15.3 - 91.1kHz V-Sync Range: 24 - 120Hz	3D Projector: 3D Ready 3D Glasses Type: Shutter Compatibility: HDTV: 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60 EDTV/480p: Yes SDTV/480i: Yes Component Video: Yes Video: Yes Digital Input: HDMI Computers: Yes Display: Type: 2 cm DLP (1) Color Wheel Segs:      ** Color Wheel Speed:      ** Native: 1280x720 Pixels Maximum: 1600x1200 Pixels Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (HD) Light Source: Type: 185W P-VIP Life: 3000 hours Eco-Mode Life: 4000 hours Quantity: 1 Speakers: 2.0 W Mono Max Power: 255W Voltage: 100V - 240V FCC Class: B Special: 3D Projection RS232 Port Status: Shipping First Ship: Dec 2009
** this item is either not applicable, unpublished, or unknown
The Optoma HD66 is manufactured by Optoma.

Source: projectorcentral.com

Optoma HD8600 1080p Home Theater Projector

The HD8600 has a very bright cinema mode. In fact, it has one of the brightest Cinema modes we've seen thus far; the only thing that even comes close is the LG CF181D at 1219 lumens. The HD8600 is a great choice for large-format cinema.

The HD8600 defaults to Cinema 2 mode, which entails a few things. First of all, the lamp defaults to Eco-mode (called "Standard" on this projector, as opposed to "Bright"). Second, there is a manual iris, and it defaults to position 6 of 8, which is mostly open. Third, these measurements were taken with the projector's "Standard" lens, which is a 1.25:1 manual zoom model, in the widest position.

MSRP (USD) : $7,499 Brightness (Lumens) : 1600 ANSI Contrast (Full On/Off) : 50000:1 Variable Iris: Yes   High Brightness: ANSI Lumens:         ** Contrast Ratio:         **   High Contrast: ANSI Lumens:         ** Contrast Ratio:         ** Audible Noise: 29.0 dB Weight: 8.6 kg Size (cm) (HxWxD) : 17 x 43 x 34 Optional Lenses:   Optoma BX-DL080 Fixed Lens   Optoma BX-DL200 Zoom Lens   Optoma BX-DL300 Zoom Lens Digital Zoom:      ** Digital Keystone: Vertical Lens Shift: Horz & Vert Warranty: 3 Years Performance: H-Sync Range:      ** V-Sync Range:      **	Compatibility: HDTV: 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60 576i, 576p EDTV/480p: Yes SDTV/480i: Yes Component Video: Yes Video: Yes Digital Input: HDMI 1.3 Computers: Yes Display: Type: 2 cm DLP (1) Color Wheel Segs:      ** Color Wheel Speed:      ** Native: 1920x1080 Pixels Maximum: 1920x1080 Pixels Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (HD) Light Source: Type: 280W P-VIP Life: 2000 hours Eco-Mode Life: 3000 hours Quantity: 1 Speakers: No Max Power: 390W Voltage: 100V - 240V FCC Class: B Special: Anamorphic Ready RS232 Port Status: Shipping First Ship: Sep 2009
** this item is either not applicable, unpublished, or unknown
The Optoma HD8600 is manufactured by Optoma.

Source: projectorcentral.com

Epson Home Cinema 8700 UB

The Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB is built for home theater in a light-controlled room, and for this purpose it is indeed well suited. THX mode, with its 660 lumens, provides ample light for most home theater needs. Contrast is excellent, and black bars can scarcely even be seen. However, its high lumen output modes can be useful for video games or television in a room with ambient light. The 8700 UB's Dynamic mode not only exceeds the published specification handily (1830 lumens beats its 1600-lumen rating), but it does so while keeping color balance marginally intact. The result is a much brighter picture that has no garish, obvious color bias or tint, perfect for football games or last Saturday's Pacquiao-Margarito fight, which I unfortunately watched on a television rather than a projector.

Street Price (USD) : $2,149 MSRP (USD) : $2,199 Brightness (Lumens) : 1600 ANSI Color Light Output (Lumens) : 1600 ANSI Contrast (Full On/Off) : 200000:1 Variable Iris: Yes   High Brightness: ANSI Lumens:         ** Contrast Ratio:         **   High Contrast: ANSI Lumens:         ** Contrast Ratio:         ** Audible Noise: 28.0 dB Eco-Mode: 22.0 dB Weight: 7.3 kg Size (cm) (HxWxD) : 14 x 45 x 39 Std. Lens: Focus: Manual Zoom: Manual, 2.10:1 Throw Dist (m) : 1.9 - 6.0 Image Size (cm) : 76 - 508 Optional Lenses: No Digital Zoom:      ** Digital Keystone: No Lens Shift: Horz & Vert Warranty: 2 Years Performance: H-Sync Range:      ** V-Sync Range:      **	Compatibility: HDTV: 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60 1080p/24, 576i, 576p EDTV/480p: Yes SDTV/480i: Yes Component Video: Yes Video: Yes Digital Input: HDMI 1.3 Computers: Yes Display: Type: 3 LCD Native: 1920x1080 Pixels Maximum: 1920x1080 Pixels Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (HD) Light Source: Type: 200W E-TORL Life:      ** Eco-Mode Life: 4000 hours Quantity: 1 Speakers: No Max Power:      ** Voltage: 100V - 240V FCC Class:      ** Special: Anamorphic Ready Status: Shipping First Ship: Oct 2010
** this item is either not applicable, unpublished, or unknown
The Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8700 UB is manufactured by Epson.

Source: projectorcentral.com 

Mitsubishi HC4000 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector

The HC4000 is a 1080p DLP projector with a great picture, but not a lot of bells and whistles. It has a bright cinema mode--bright enough to use it on a 120" diagonal screen in a room with decent light control. The projector has a 1.5:1 zoom lens. But it lacks any form of lens shift and has a steep upward throw angle offset of 33%. For a 100" diagonal image, this means the bottom edge of the image will appear 16" above the centerline of the lens. This makes it a perfect choice for a ceiling mount, as it will not require the use of a drop tube in most circumstances. A low table mount between the seats would also be simple to set up. The zoom lens gives you some flexibility in throw distance, so it's a great option for folks with complicated ceilings; for example, I have a ceiling fan in my theater, 'conveniently' placed in the ideal spot for a projector (I still have to thank the builders for that one). Thanks to the HC4000's 1.5:1 zoom, I can place the projector in front of the fan and still get a 100" diagonal image.

Street Price (USD) : $1,278 MSRP (USD) : $1,995 Brightness (Lumens) : 1300 ANSI Contrast (Full On/Off) : 4000:1 Variable Iris: No Audible Noise: 31.0 dB Eco-Mode: 25.0 dB Weight: 3.6 kg Size (cm) (HxWxD) : 13 x 35 x 27 Std. Lens: Focus: Manual Zoom: Manual, 1.50:1 Throw Dist (m) : 3.2 - 7.7 Image Size (cm) : 178 - 635 Optional Lenses: No Digital Zoom:      ** Digital Keystone: Vertical Lens Shift: No Warranty: 2 Years Performance: H-Sync Range: 15.0 - 80.0kHz V-Sync Range: 50 - 85Hz	Compatibility: HDTV: 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60 1080p/24, 1080p/50, 576i 576p EDTV/480p: Yes SDTV/480i: Yes Component Video: Yes Video: Yes Digital Input: HDMI 1.3 Computers: Yes Display: Type: 2 cm DLP (1) Color Wheel Segs: 6 Color Wheel Speed: 4x Native: 1920x1080 Pixels Maximum: 1920x1080 Pixels Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (HD) Light Source: Type: 230W     ** Life:      ** Eco-Mode Life: 5000 hours Quantity: 1 Speakers: No Max Power: 340W Voltage: 100V - 240V FCC Class: B Special: Anamorphic Ready Short-Throw RS232 Port 2:3 Pulldown Status: Shipping First Ship: Sep 2010
** this item is either not applicable, unpublished, or unknown
The Mitsubishi HC4000 is manufactured by Mitsubishi.

Source: projectorcentral.com

Sony VPL-VWPRO1 1080p Home Theater Projector

Sony's newest home theater projector is the VPL-VWPRO1, a 1080p SXRD model built for home cinema use. This successor to the HW15 brings several improvements to the table, but it is largely an evolutionary step. The VWPRO1 keeps the HW15's bright cinema mode and great contrast, improving both slightly. Good connectivity and quiet performance make the VWPRO1 easy to set up, as does its 1.6:1 zoom lens with both horizontal and vertical lens shift. An included spare lamp helps to ease the cost of upkeep.

With an MSRP of $3400, the VWPRO1 faces some stiff competition from lower-priced challengers. However, its large-screen performance is unmatched in its price bracket, making it the projector of choice for those seeking the ultimate in really big big-screen home theater.

	MSRP (USD) : $3,400 Brightness (Lumens) : 1300 ANSI Contrast (Full On/Off) : 85000:1 Variable Iris: Yes   High Brightness: ANSI Lumens:         ** Contrast Ratio:         **   High Contrast: ANSI Lumens:         ** Contrast Ratio:         ** Audible Noise:      ** Eco-Mode: 22.0 dB Weight:      ** Size (cm) (HxWxD) : 18 x 41 x 46 Std. Lens: Focus: Manual Zoom: Manual, 1.60:1 Throw Dist (m) :      ** Image Size (cm) :      ** Optional Lenses: No Digital Zoom:      ** Digital Keystone: Horz & Vert Lens Shift: Horz & Vert Warranty:      ** Performance: H-Sync Range:      ** V-Sync Range:      **	Compatibility: HDTV: 720p, 1080i, 1080p/60 1080p/24 EDTV/480p: Yes SDTV/480i: Yes Component Video: Yes Video: Yes Digital Input: HDMI Computers: Yes Display: Type: SXRD (3) Native: 1920x1080 Pixels Maximum: 1920x1080 Pixels Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (HD) Light Source: Type: 200W UHP Life:      ** Quantity: 1 Speakers: n/a Max Power: 300W Voltage: 100V - 240V FCC Class:      ** Special: RS232 Port Crestron RoomView™ Status: Shipping First Ship: Oct 2010
** this item is either not applicable, unpublished, or unknown
Comments: Ships with spare lamp.
The Sony VPL-VWPRO1 is manufactured by Sony.

Source: Sony, projectorcentral.com