Best Projector Under $1000.
Updated: November 2020
Don’t overpay for a home movie projector!
Lots of super affordable options available, here is our list for best home theater projectors under $1000. (some options under $500).
My list ranks them based on price, visual quality, performance, and buyer reviews.
- BenQ HT2050A Projector Review
- Optoma HD143X Home Projector
- Optoma HD27HDR Projector Reviews
- BenQ MH535FHD Home Theater Projector
- Optoma EH416 1080p Home Projector
- Epson Home Cinema 2150 1080p
- BenQ HT3050 Home Movie Projector
- Coming soon!
The Best Projectors Under 1000
#1.) BenQ HT2050A Review
The BenQ HT2050A has stunning, best-in-class contrast w/ super crisp colors.
It’s a reasonably priced home theater projector that offers high-resolution and sharp image quality.
Brightness: 2,200 ANSI lumens
Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1
Pricing: Medium
Excellent for movies, the BenQ HT2050A has brightness of 2,200 lumens and REC 709 color accuracy calibration.
Buyer reviews confirm that it’s great for watching animated movies, sports, and video games. The HT2050A delivers consistently sharp, high-quality images.
In terms of fan noise, the BenQ HT2050A makes a low-pitch white noise which is only noticeable in quiet moments.
Super quiet compared to other 1080p home theater projectors.
great for gaming, animation, sports, and action movies!
It offers the most accurate colors you can get from a projector for less than $1000.
#2.) Optoma HD143X 1080p DLP Projector
The Optoma HD143X is an affordable model that offers DLP technology and full 3D option.
For a cinematic experience the HD143X is able to create high quality images with vivid colors and no rainbow effects.
Brightness: 3,000 ANSI lumens
Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
Contrast Ratio: 23,000:1
Buyers say that it’s very versatile model.
Most use it as a home theater projector, but it can also be used for commercial purposes — it’s super lightweight and easy to set up at an angle.
With a SVGA resolution and 3,000 lumens, the Optoma HD143X is ideal for business presentations. It delivers vivid colors even in bright rooms.
As a 1080p projector it reproduces the REC 709 color gamut to deliver 3x color brightness. It’s great for saturated colors.
Perhaps the best projector under $1000 for gaming and animated movies!
Overall, the HD143X is Optoma’s best budget-friendly projector, offering powerful features for an affordable price.
#3.) Optoma HD27HDR Projector
The Optoma HD27HDR projector is the perfect for HDR, 3D and supporting 4K resolution.
Since 4K projectors are never under $1000, a model like the HD27HDR is the next best thing — supports 4K by converting it into native 1080p resolution.
Brightness: 3,400 ANSI lumens
Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1
Optoma HD27HDR is also great for color display.
Whether watching a movie or gaming online, it supports a wide color gamut of REC.2019 colors. The effect is brighter whites, deeper blacks, and higher quality color depth than similar projectors.
Buyers also love the lightning-fast response gaming mode which has low lag time of 8.4ms — perfect for online gamers!
Watching 3D on the HD27HD should look spectacular as well. For the full effect, make sure to have a true 3D source, 3D HDMI cable, and 3D glasses.
#4.) BenQ MH535FHD 1080p Projector
The BenQ MH535FHD is a 2019 upgraded from the previous 2017 model.
Budget friendly model costing around $500 — but as a newer model, it offers a lot of the advanced features you’d get on more expensive projectors.
Brightness: 3600 ANSI lumens
Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
Contrast Ratio: 15000:1
Featuring 3,600 lumens of brightness and native 1080p Full HD quality, buyers love the picture quality and say that the operating fan is nearly silent.
BenQ MH535FHD also includes projector lamp life up to 10,000 hours, longer than similar models.
From researching dozens of models, I think the BenQ MH535FHD is the best projector under $1000 w/ DLP technology – good brightness and crisp picture make it perfect for home theaters in the $500-600 range.
Very good buyer ratings online too!
#5.) Optoma EH416 Projector
The Optoma EH416 is a versatile projector that can be used for home theaters or business presentations.
Buyers say it gives videos an extremely sharp, bright picture — excellent for animation and movies!
Performance: 1080p quality
Brightness: 4,200 ANSI lumens
Contrast Ratio: 20,000:1
There’s also a strong optical lens that lets you view from a distance using a 1.6x zoom function!
As a versatile projector under $1000, buyers say they use it as a home theater projector and for presentations. It’s also fairly lightweight at only 6.6 lbs, making it very portable.
Optoma EH416 is used by:
restaurants, bars, golf courses, stores, hotels
Buyers say it’s one of the best projector under $1000.
#6.) Epson Home Cinema 2150
The Epson Home Cinema 2150 offers Widescreen Full HD quality from nearly any type of device.
Wireless screen mirroring technology lets you watch videos, view photos or stream movies directly from your smartphone.
Performance: 1080p quality
Brightness: 2500 ANSI lumens
Contrast Ratio: 20,000:1
The dynamic contrast ratio is what really stands out.
Epson Home Cinema 2150 provides better color depth than similar projectors. Along with the brightness of 2,500 lumens you’ll see brighter whites and deeper blacks.
Buyers also love the Wireless Miracast feature. It’s super easy to sync with your smartphone — great for family slideshows or streaming Netflix!
Looking online, the Epson Home Cinema 2150 is the best projector under $1000 for smartphone mirroring.
#7.) BenQ HT3050 Review
The BenQ HT3050 is the most expensive on my list, but still a projector under $1000.
It displays a clear and crisp image without having to set up calibration.
Performance: 1080p quality
Brightness: 2000 ANSI lumens
Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1
Great for movies, the BenQ HT3050 has a brightness of 2000 lumens and color accuracy calibration REC 709.
It shows bright whites and deeper black levels than nearly any other home projector under $1000.
Buyers also confirm there’s hardly any rainbow effect and say the fan noise is super low, practically unnoticeable. Many use it as a portable projector, but it’s also great for setting up with a ceiling mount.
BenQ projector cooling fan system prevents the HT3050 from overheating even when watching for continuous hours.
The HT3050 is the best projector under $1000 for easy set up.
Best Projector Under $1000
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