Home theater projectors offer a fairly affordable way to view content on a big screen and their display size easily trumps that of even the largest mass-market TVs. Not to mention, TVs larger than 75 inches in size can cost several thousand dollars. For example, LG's 88-inch OLED display costs a whopping $30,000. (Please note that in addition to a large room and tall ceilings, projectors require the purchase of a dedicated screen and potentially some mounting equipment for an optimal viewing experience.)
In order to help you find the best projector for your home theater, our partners at Best Products researched and evaluated a slew of different models from all the top brands to help you find the best one for your needs, budget and setup. Their picks not only offer large pictures — they deliver outstanding image quality.
When shopping for a projector, consider its brightness as one of its key selling points — this feature is measured in lumens. The higher the brightness, the more vivid an image the device will be able to deliver. Frequency of use is another important consideration when shopping for a home theater projector. The devices' lamps diminish in brightness over time, and they can be pricey to replace.
Projectors are a lot like cars in the sense that there isn’t a perfect make and model that will work for every family. That’s why there are so many projectors to pick from and why they range in price from just $50 all the way up to $10,000-plus.
1
Best for Most Buyers
BenQ HT2050A Home Theater Projector
bestbuy.com
$749.00
After comparing two dozen home theater projectors, we think the $700 BenQ HT2050A hits that sweet spot in finding a strong balance between price and performance without breaking the bank.
The projector delivers Full HD content at a reasonable price. Wirecutter named the model a top pick for its excellent contrast ratio, its realistic-looking picture quality, and its superb brightness. It offers an easy setup, and it has 3D support, two HDMI ports, and lets you easily connect your smartphone to it wirelessly.
The HT2050A can display images with a diagonal of up to 100 inches by being only 8 feet away from the screen. It's a fine option with little fan noise, dark black shades, and impressive colors.
2
Best Budget
Optoma HD146X Home Theater Projector
amazon.com
The HD146X by Optoma is one of the most affordable home theater projectors with native Full HD resolution. Sure, there are some cheaper projectors that can reach prices as low as $300, but they offer dim colors, weak brightness, and resolution offerings that aren’t as detailed (at up to only 800 by 600 pixels).
This one provides a high contrast ratio, a low input lag of 16ms (which makes it great for gaming), and can deliver a screen size of up to a whopping 300 inches. The projector displays 3D content, and it has a lamp that lasts for 15,000 hours. It works well in both day and nighttime. has a built-in speaker, and includes bundled remote control. We do wish it had more than one HDMI port, however.
In terms of overall value, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a projector as bright and as colorful as this one for less.
3
Best for Sports
BenQ TK850 Home Entertainment Projector
amazon.com
$1,963.50
The TK850 is one of BenQ’s latest projectors. With more than 3,000 lumens of brightness, the projector is a great choice for daytime TV watchers. It even comes with a built-in Sports Mode, which enhances the video quality to make colors commonly found on sports fields — like greens and blues — pop more than they would using a traditional projector.
The sports setting also adjusts the built-in speakers to make commentators’ voices more prominent over the projector’s fans. Speaking of speakers, its 10-watt chambered speakers deliver impressive audio quality in practically any environment.
The projector offers a true 4K 3,840-by-2,160-pixel resolution and support for HDR to provide viewers with a crystal-clear picture.
4
Best for Gaming
BenQ TH685 1080p HDR Gaming Projector
amazon.com
The BenQ TH685 is a fine match for the latest Sony PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X gaming consoles. It supports gameplay with a high refresh rate and an ultra-low response time. Although the projector doesn't deliver the high resolutions these next-generation consoles support, nor have punchy contrast as our best overall pick, its picture still looks incredibly sharp and fluid.
The TH685 has excellent brightness, is HDR-compatible, offers users dual HDMI ports, and has a built-in fan that's not too loud. Overall, it's a projector that accurately replicates colors and will pair nicely with your video game console to deliver a much larger and more immersive picture.
5
Best for Bright Rooms
Epson Home Cinema 2250 Home Theater Projector
amazon.com
$1,175.00
As you would expect, a projector works best in a dark room, but this one is a great option for those who plan to use a projector in an area with windows. It boasts 2,700 lumens of brightness, and it won't suffer from the dreaded "rainbow effect."
It offers an impressive, full 1080p resolution and built-in speakers, and even has Android TV onboard. This means you'll be able to download your favorite streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu to watch shows and movies. Regardless, it's a fine option with vivid colors that's great for watching movies, shows, gaming, or casting content from your smartphone.
6
Best 4K Projector
LG HU810P 4K UHD Laser Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector
lg.com
It’s a hard pill to swallow, but 4K projectors do not come cheap. Sony’s midrange 4K model came out almost 3 years ago, but it is still priced around $5,000 and JVC’s highly rated DLA-NX5 projector costs $6,000. This projector from LG costs half that but still can take advantage of vibrant and detailed 4K HDR content.
The LG HU810P laser projector was announced at CES in January 2021 and its support for HDR10 and HLG HDR standards set it apart from competing projectors. What that means to you are more detailed images, darker black shades, and more vibrant colors. It's also one of the few smart home theater projectors that support streaming services natively without requiring you to buy a separate device to plug in its three HDMI ports.
The projector includes both light and darkroom modes to ensure you get the best picture possible no matter what time of day it is. This projector's light source has a lifespan of up to 30,000 hours.
