- I really like projectors.

I much prefer a bigger image over that from a TV.

And there's something nice about the texture

of a projected image to my eyes.

Also, I think TVs are kind of ugly.

I have a really big wall in my living room.

And even if I've put up a 70 inch TV,

it would still look small and kind of dinky.

Now that a movie theater isn't really an option.

My friends have been asking me what kind of projector to get

so to help them, but also myself,

I've been living with nine different projectors.

After three months and a lot of movies

I found the projector that's best suited

for most situations.

There are a lot of specs

and choices to make when it comes to projectors.

But basically the important things are

how easy is it to set up audio, image quality and price.

Currently, there are five kinds of projectors

that you can get for your home.

DLP LCD LED LCoS and laser.

For this test, I looked at DLP and LCD,

which are common for home projectors.

And also one laser projector ranging in price

from $530 to $2,800.

You can spend a lot more

for high end dedicated home theater projectors.

But for this test, we kept the budget reasonable.

Most of the models I tested max out at 1080 P resolution,

but we do have a couple of 4k picks as well,

DLP or digital light processing,

and LCD projectors are lamp based.

So the bulb will eventually degrade,

but they're much more affordable.

DLPs tend to be smaller and more portable

and offer more contrast and blacker blacks.

While LCDs tend to have a sharper crisper image

and appear brighter than DLPs even at a lower lumen count.

Laser projectors are not lamp based.

On average the laser lasts five times longer

than the bulb in a DLP or LCD projector.

And unlike a lamp based projector where a bulb emits light

through a color wheel to produce the image

laser projectors generate

only the exact colors needed for an image.

This efficiency makes for a much brighter image

and very accurate colors and deep black levels in contrast.

All this comes at a much higher cost.

On average, low end, laser projectors are around $2,000.

Although you can find some smaller ones for less.

We also need to talk about the projected images surface.

The surface you project on is important,

You can use a wall white is typically best,

but a regular wall won't show off the projector's best self,

every tiny bump, refracts light, and creates small shadows.

So the image ultimately loses quality and brightness.

You'll benefit a lot from getting a projector screen,

especially if you'll be watching with a little daylight

projector screens brighten the image noticeably,

depending on what they're coded in.

I used an inexpensive 80 inch pan of view popup screen.

You can find a similar one for around a hundred bucks,

but it's still made for a better experience

than just pointing the projector at my wall.

And as for content, every projector has an HTMI input.

So I was easily able to stream things

by plugging in my Roku stick.

You can also use a laptop, Apple TV,

or whatever other device you use to stream video.

(upbeat music)

Out of the nine projectors I tested the best overall,

the one I'll be recommending to my friends is the $899

Epson 2150.

Epson may remind you of a school teachers,

overhead projector, but they make good projectors.

The image is really great.

It's big, it's bright and it's color is really pretty.

The 2150 is an LCD projector,

which gives it a really crisp image.

It's 1080, but the image is really good

for what most people will want.

It's only 2,500 lumens, which seems kind of low, but again,

LCD makes a low lumen count,

seem brighter and more vibrant than a DLP projector would

with the same lumens.

You can watch this with some ambient daylight,

but definitely not broad daylight pouring in

and toggling to dynamic mode makes

for the best daytime image.

That's a great thing about Epson projectors.

You can easily toggle between viewing modes

and they're all great.

At night if I was watching a movie I'd use cinema,

which looked great with dark blacks.

I like how the modes are in the corner of the image,

not in the middle, like most others blocking the content.

Also the 10 watt speakers are loud.

You likely won't need external speakers with this model.

The fans are also loud though, and it gets hot.

I would avoid putting this right next to your head.

And honestly, that's easier than it may seem

because the Epson 2150 has automatic keystoning,

which feels like a magical feature.

Keystoning is important.

It allows you to straighten out the image.

So the projector doesn't need to be perfectly parallel

with the wall.

There's also really great manual knobs, focus,

zoom lens shift, and Keystone can all be done manually,

which is way easier than with digital controls.

The zoom is also 1.6 times,

which is exceptional.

Without moving the projector you can have an image

that ranges anywhere from 80 inches diagonally across

to 132 inches across.

So if it's too bright in your room during the day,

you can make the image smaller

to more efficiently use the lumens available.

This zoom lens paired with all the other controls

makes life way easier.

If you move, or if you end up putting the projector

in a different room,

you'll be able to customize it

to the new space very quickly.

All in all the Epson 2150 just works well.

It's easy, flexible and offers a bright crisp image.

(Gentle music)

If you're looking for a cheaper option,

then I'd recommend this projector.

The Optoma HD146X costs $549

and shares many of the same specs as Epson 2150.

It's 3,600 lumens,

which is actually more than the Epson 2150,

but it's a DLP projector.

So it appears darker and less vibrant.

In bright mode the projector image is very green.

It's kind of unusable, but in vivid or cinema mode,

the image is great.

Vivid mode is pretty bright.

If you're viewing in the middle of a day,

you'll need to put shades down,

especially if you don't have a screen,

but it's not a bad experience.

And it's contrast is good.

In general, I really liked the way Optima projectors look.

They have a nice color and texture

and although the HD146X isn't quite as nice as

Optoma's higher end projectors,

the image still looks good,

but it doesn't get as crisp as the Epson 2150,

partly because it's DLP not LCD.

The HD146X also lacks in audio quality.

It's three watt speaker is unsurprisingly, not loud,

but the fan is loud.

At maximum volume you can still hear the fan

if the projector is near your head.

It's manageable though.

If this is going to be for your bedroom,

the speakers will be fine.

But if you're trying to do a movie night with friends or

you've got loud street noise, I'd recommend speakers,

which you can hook up through a 3.5 millimeter audio output.

Also, it only has a 1.1 time zoom lens,

which is pretty minimal.

So it's hard to make the image really big in my apartment.

At 11 feet away, the image is about a hundred inches,

which is big, but I wish it could get even bigger.

(gentle music)

If you're looking for a projector with better image quality

and have a larger budget, go with the Vava.

This should come as no surprise

because the Vava is the most expensive

that I tested by over a thousand dollars.

And it's the only one of the bunch

that is a laser projector.

It's $2,800, which is a lot more than the Epson, 2150.

But what you get is brightness.

The Vava is 6,000 lumens,

which means you can watch it with a good amount of daylight

and no screen, but it's still helped to pull my shades down.

It's contrast ratio is 1,500,000 to one,

which makes it extremely crisp and rich.

The image quality is closest to that from a TV,

but since it's a projector,

I think it's nicer to look at.

The other thing that makes it kind of a TV

is the fact that it's an ultra short throw projector.

It goes basically right up against the wall,

unlike traditional projectors, which are mounted behind you.

I personally don't like this setup,

but it comes down to preference.

It's also huge and heavy.

It's not ugly, but it just takes up a lot of space.

Also the maximum image is only 150 inches diagonally across.

And for that, it needs to be about 10 inches from the wall,

which means it's kind of awkwardly encroaching

on prime living room, real estate.

It's definitely sharper and brighter

when it's closer to the wall, about five inches from it.

But the image is then only about 80 inches.

It projects 4k and the speakers are really, really good.

The Vava definitely when's the best speaker award too

exponentially.

Inside is a full 60 watt Harman Kardon soundbar.

I found myself playing music

and turning off the screen a lot,

which is a nice feature that most projectors don't have.

But it heats up the room noticeably.

There were a few other things I also didn't like about it.

It took me a long time to set it up.

It connects to the internet download software.

And since it's connected to the internet,

every time I turn it on, it asks me to update.

I don't need it to connect to the internet.

There's no point,

especially since there's barely any useful apps,

other than YouTube on it.

Also, all the settings are digital, including the focus,

which I find way hard to know if it's accurate.

And this is hugely annoying.

The image bends a little on the sides.

It was really hard to get it perfect,

which just shouldn't be the case for $2,800 device.

So even though the image is technically the best one,

I wouldn't spring for this,

unless you really don't want to get a TV,

but basically want a TV.

(upbeat music)

If you're looking for a comparable good and bright image,

that'll cost you a thousand dollars less.

I recommend Optima's UHD52ALV

it costs $1,789.

And it also protects 4k with over 8 million pixels.

At 3,500 lumens it's just over half of what Vava claims,

but it doesn't feel that dim it's still bright

and there are different viewing modes.

While the vava only has bright and standard.

Like with the HD146X,

the bright mode on the UHD52ALV has a strong green tint,

but cinema mode on this 4k projector is honestly beautiful.

The color is just so pretty.

I almost feel like I'm watching film.

It gives everything a gold, almost seventies filter,

which I think is in part because of its color space.

The projector uses rec 2020, or BT 2020,

which can produce more colors than the previous VAX709.