One of the most crucial components of modern home theater installations is the projector. Why? Well, apart from the fact that it will deliver the picture – the visual entertainment – that your eyes will be fixed on most of the time, the home entertainment projector represents an investment that must be very carefully made.
To help guide the purchase decisions of home theater owners, Projector Reviews recently released the 2013 Best Home Theater Projector report. Site editor Art Feierman said, “This year’s crop of home theater and home entertainment projectors raises the bar for quality. That’s true whether considering under $1000 projectors, those in the $2000-$3500 sweet spot, or the massively amazing $25,000 true 4K projector from Sony, which demonstrates what to expect in future, more affordable home theaters.”
Let’s check out some of the projectors that made the list. Meanwhile, if you need any help on installing projectors and video players in your home theater, just give the professional home theater installation team here at Hooked Up Installs a call.
Sharp XV-Z30000
Best in Class Under $2000
The Sharp XV-Z30000 is a 1080p high definition DLP® home theater projector that’s been praised by CNET for its state-of-the-art 3D performance and reasonable price. This projector features a Texas Instruments DLP® chip with 1920×1080 resolution, an outstanding 50,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 1600 ANSI lumens high-brightness rating. It also comes with 2 sets of 3D glasses.
Epson Home Cinema Pro 6020UB
Best in Class $2000 – $3500
The THX-certified Epson Home Cinema Pro 6020UB actually ties the 5020UB/e for the Best in Class ($2000 – $3500) Award, but their differences are minor, and the former gets the edge for the Pro version’s extra goodies (like 2 free pairs of 3D glasses, a ceiling mount, and a spare lamp). It features full HD 2D and 3D 1080p performance, an astounding contrast ratio of up to 320,000:1, and the widest horizontal lens shift in its class. The projector’s built-in cinema filter with an expanded color gamut, meanwhile, provides terrific cinematic experiences in your home theater, complete with true-to-life colors and up to 3 times brighter colors.
Sony VPL-VW1000ES
Best in Class $3,500 – $10,000
Got cash to spare? Then you have to check out Sony’s amazing 4K home theater ES projector: the VPL-VW1000ES. It actually retails for just below $25,000 – beyond the price range of its class – but there’s no denying that projectors like it will be seen in more affordable 4K home theaters of the future. Sony’s SXRD™ 4K movie theater projector technology delivers greater than four times 1080p resolution, anamorphic 3D performance, and 1080p to 4K upscaling – making it, according to Feierman, this year’s “Holy Grail” of home theater projectors. The VPLVW1000ES also comes with a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 2,000 ANSI lumen brightness, and wide color gamut.
