The outcome of your audio-visual presentations relies heavily on the quality of the digital projector, whether for home or professional use. This is why it’s important to have one that can withstand repeated use so that it won’t fail to work in the middle of an important business presentation, an exciting movie scene, or an emotion-filled wedding video.
Now you might be thinking: How much will it cost me? Aren’t they expensive?
The short answer is: not at all. Quality doesn’t always equate to a higher cost. In fact, there are many top-of-the-line projectors that can be purchased at relatively low prices.
In the past, projectors were considered expensive pieces of equipment. But now that technology is more accessible for everyone, prices of projectors have gone down even when their features have increased in quality. Some are even as cheap as an average smartphone.
What are the best budget projectors?
Optoma HD142X
Adorama Price: $548.00
Hardcore movie and gaming enthusiasts will find this Optoma budget projector the best companion during movie or video game marathons with family and friends. The Optoma HD142X boasts full HD 1080p resolution that produces detailed, crisp image quality from HD content, Dynamic Black technology that provides high contrast ratio and more depth to images, and REC.709 color gamut reproduction capability for accurate cinematic color. This home theater projector also offers a full 3D display for an even more amazing viewing experience. Completing the package is a powerful built-in speaker that delivers excellent audio quality without the need for buying expensive external speakers.
What sets this low-cost projector apart is its ability to be used as a smart display tool. Simply connect an HDMI dongle to be able to display photos on a large screen, play games, or stream videos using your tablet or smartphone.
Optoma HD142X Key Features:
- 3,000 ANSI lumens with a 23000:1 contrast ratio for colorful and bright reproductions
- 1080p full HD resolution that delivers excellent-quality images and extraordinary gaming and Blu-ray movie experience
- Cost-saving 8,000-hour lamp life
- 2x HDMI and MHL support for easy connectivity
- Lightweight and portable at 5.5lbs
- Outstanding and true-to-life color via REC.709
- Gaming mode that maximizes the projector for extremely fast response times, vibrant colors, and and maximum contrast
- Auto power off for saving energy when the projector is not in use
Sony VPL-EX255
Adorama Price: $699.00
Targeted towards students, the Sony VPL-Ex255 is packed with features that enhance viewing experience while keeping its controls easy to learn and use.
This affordable projector uses Sony BrightEra panel technology that ensures crisp and clear visuals whether the viewing room is dimmed out or has natural light coming through. To conserve power, it adjusts the brightness of the lamp’s output according to the brightness of the image on screen. You can also temporarily disable video signal output by using the Remote Commander unit.
Sony VPL-EX255 Key Features:
- Patented BrightEra technology for clear and sharp images under any lighting condition
- Wide selection of picture modes to enhance viewing experience
- Variety of interfaces for easy connection
- Smart energy-saving features to cut down on maintenance costs
- Lamp driver replacement time of 10,000 hours for energy efficiency
Vivitek Qumi Q5
Adorama Price: $599.90
Weighing around only 1lb, the Vivitek Qumi Q5 is a portable projector that you can conveniently take with you on business trips. Its maximum brightness rating of 500 lumens delivers clear image quality. This Vivitek projector features DLP Pico chipset and BrilliantColor technologies that make the colors of your presentations pop. Because it’s 3D-ready, you can also use this device to show and view 3D content.
Vivitek Qumi Q5 Key Features:
- Up to 500 lumens of brightness and 10,000:1 contrast along with WXGA resolution that result in quality images on screen
- Estimated 30,000 hours of operation
- 4GB built-in memory and USB port for memory expansion to display content without a PC
- DLP Lamp-Free Projection Display for solid-state illumination and low-maintenance costs
- 3D-viewing capability via DLP Link for viewing in 3D format
- Connectivity options: HDMI, Universal I/O for VGA, AV mini-jack, mini-jack audio-out
- Lightweight at 1.1lbs.
- Available in blue, red, yellow, black, and white finish
Sony VPL-DX142
Adorama Price: $580.99
Built for business use, this affordable Sony projector is packed with impressive image quality and energy-efficient features that make it a value-for-money option. Its 3LCD BrightEra feature delivers natural and vibrant colors, while its whopping 10,000-hour lamp life ensures continuous operation. Weighing only 5.43lbs, this slim and portable budget projector can be easily transported and carried around in the office or during business trips.
Sony VPL-DX142 Key Features:
- XGA (1024 x 768) 4:3 screen resolution, 3LCD BrightEra™; natural and vivid color images
- 3,200 lumens white light output and 3,200 lumens color light output
- Energy-saving lamp life of up to 10,000 hours
- Auto Light Dimming mode for saving energy when the projector is not in use
- Stylish, compact, and lightweight design: weighs only 5.4lbs and measures 315 x 75 x 230.5 mm
- Six picture modes to choose from for optimized image quality: Dynamic, Standard, Presentation, Blackboard, Game, and Cinema
LG PH300
Adorama Price: $339.99
This mini budget projector is packed with powerful features like a Triple XD Engine, DLP projection technology, and a LED RGB light source that lasts up to 30,000 hours. It comes with a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to 2.5 hours of use.
This also makes a great home projector due to its built-in DTV tuner and HDMI input that works with MHL Android mobile device display mirroring, and iOS if you use a converter cable. The LG PH300 has a USB port that enables access to photos and videos from a flash drive without having to connect to a computer. You can also use this port to view MS Office files for your school or work needs.
LG PH300 Key Features:
- Built-in two-way stereo speaker system that delivers excellent audio quality during presentations
- Audio output jack that allows attachment of headphones for listening solo or connecting to an external speaker for a large viewing audience
- Can project up to 100” diagonal image with HD (1280×720) and a brightness of 300 lumens
- DTV tuner for capturing over-the-air live TV signals, enabling live streaming of your favorite shows
Optoma HD28DSE
Adorama Price: $699.00
This powerful Optoma home theater projector provides the best movie viewing experience, thanks to DARBEE Vision’s patented visual presence technology that produces images with exceptional depth, detail, and clarity. Entertainment buffs will enjoy watching their favorite TV shows and Blu-ray movies, playing their favorite Xbox One and PS4 games, and viewing whatever media they please using this projector.
Optoma HD28DSE Key Features:
- Darbee Visual Presence technology that enhances images to reveal extraordinary levels of detail, depth, lighting and object separation
- 1920×1080 full HD resolution, 3,000 lumens, and 30,000:1 contrast ratio for luminous images and profound black levels
- Four Corner Adjustment allows quick easy adjustment to correct trapezoidal images
- Brilliant Color dazzles with 10 preset color enhancement profiles
- High performance yet low maintenance with 8,000 hours of lamp-life in Bright+Dynamic mode
- WHD200 Wireless HDMI System (optional) and other media streaming dongles with onboard USB power
Epson VS240
Adorama Price: $299.99
Built with all the essential features while still being affordable, the Epson VS240 business projector is one of the cheapest projectors in the market today. It has 3LCD, 3-chip technology for three times higher color brightness and up to three times wider color gamut than competitive DLP projectors for faster setup and better image quality.
Although it was made with the business professional in mind with its 800×600 SVGA resolution, this budget projector is versatile enough to be used in a variety of situations where high-performance graphics display isn’t required.
Epson VS240 Key Features:
- SVGA resolution of 800×600, making it ideal for projecting graphics
- 3LCD, 3-chip technology for 3x higher color brightness and up to 3x wider color gamut for accurate color representation
- 3,000 lumens color brightness for more precise and vibrant color and 3000 lumens white brightness for well-lit rooms
- HDMI-compatible, so it can be used with the latest laptop and media player models
Pyle PRJ3D99TU
Adorama Price: $299.99
Great for a wide variety of applications, the Pyle PRJ3D99TU high-definition LED widescreen projector comes with a LED lighting source and a maximum native resolution of 800×600. Completely versatile, it’s compatible with HDMI, VGA, RCA, S-video, and component video inputs.
This Pyle widescreen projector has a digital ATSC tuner that allows you to pick up digital TV signals by connecting the projector to an antenna. It can also play 3D media, so you can watch any 3D movie flick or animation.
Pyle PRJ3D99TU Key Features:
- 2000:1 contrast ratio for clear and brilliant projection
- Projects in 4:3 and 16:9 widescreen format for a comfortable viewing experience
- Ideally for projector screen size of 60 to 120in.
- Can be used with either a speaker or earphones
What are the best budget projector screens?
Once you’ve bought your projector, there’s still the issue of the surface or screen that you’ll project the images onto. While a wall will do in a pinch, there’s still the hassle of having to remove frames, furniture, or anything that’s blocking the way.
If you think a pull-down screen is your only option, similar to the ones that were probably used in your middle school, think again. There is an entire world of options available in Adorama’s Projection Screen section, including ones designed to be put away quickly, ones that are for rear projection, front projection, or both to ones for very specialized uses.
The surface material that is used on the screens is important for the type of use the screen was designed for. For instance, the Da-Lite mini fold tabletop projection screen ($235.20) has a different material for its rear projection version and for its front projection version of its 21×30-inch screen.
An example of a permanently mounted wall screen is the Draper Clarion 4:3 format fixed wall projection screen ($1,127.00). It includes frame extrusions that enable both horizontal and vertical tension adjustability so that the screen maintains a flat surface for a perfect viewing experience.
Not everybody wants a screen present at all times, and a variety of options are available for this type of user, often a corporate one that needs the white space for other purposes such as a grease board. A projector screen that’s perfect for a corporate setting is the Da-Lite boardroom electrol video ceiling recessed electric screen ($1,628.80) that has a silent motor and a ceiling enclosure that can conceal the screen when not in use.
