Are you looking for the best projector under 1000 range? If yes, then don’t worry because we are here to make your search easier. A powerful projector is an essential requirement if you want to use it for a business conference or family home evenings. There are tons of options available in the market for a projector under 1000 dollars range. So it becomes quite difficult to decide which one would be the best fit for your needs.
In order to find the best 4K projectors under 1000, we have reviewed some best-selling projectors based on their performance, design, features, and reliability. After spending tens of hours reviewing, we finally came out with the top 10 best projectors for under $1000.
So, without further ado, let’s proceed to the list.
| Image | Product | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Top Selling 3LCD  | Epson Home Cinema 2150
| 9.7 | Check on Amazon |
Best for Business  | BenQ MH733 Projector
| 9.7 | Check on Amazon |
Budget Pick  | Optoma HD39HDR Home Theater Projector
| 9.5 | Check on Amazon |
Editor's Choice  | BenQ HT2050A 1080P Home Theater Projector
| 9.8 | Check on Amazon |
Best 4K Projector  | Anker Nebula Cosmos Max 4K Projector
| 9.7 | Check on Amazon |
Best Budget Projector  | XGIMI H2 True 1080p Movie Projector
| 9.6 | Check on Amazon |
Best 3LCD Portable  | Epson PowerLite 1785W
| 9.7 | Check on Amazon |
Best for Gaming  | BenQ TH685 1080p Gaming Projector
| 9.8 | Check on Amazon |
Best for Small Rooms  | BenQ HT2150ST 1080P Short Throw Projector
| 9.7 | Check on Amazon |
Budget 4K Projector  | ViewSonic PX701-4K Home Theater Projector
| 9.6 | Check on Amazon |
Best Projectors Under 1000 Dollars in 2023
To help you get the best value for your money, we have gathered these high-quality best home theater projectors list with their important key aspects including contrast ratio, brightness, throw distance, native resolution, and much more. So, keep reading to learn more about these projectors.
1. Epson Home Cinema 2150 – Best Home Theater Projector Under $1000
- Resolution – 1080p
- Display Technology – 3LCD
- Contrast Ratio – 60,000:1
- Zoom – 1.6x
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 2,500
- Connectivity – HDMI, VGA, and Wireless
The Epson brand is known for manufacturing high-performing projectors. This Home Cinema 2150 is one such projector from Epson that comes with better durability and performance.
The projector offers 2,500 lumens of brightness which makes it ideal for a variety of lighting conditions. It’s a 1080p native resolution model offering a dynamic contrast of up to 60,000:1 to deliver vibrant images. With a 3LCD projection system, the output is almost free from the rainbow effect.
The projector supports 2x HDMI ports, Miracast, and MHL-enabled devices that will let you stream movies, games, and more. If you set this projector in a small room, you won’t require any speakers as it comes with a built-in 10 W speaker which produces clear and high-quality sound. Overall, Home Cinema 2150 is one of the best 3LCD projectors under $1000 available in the market right now.
2. BenQ MH733 – Best Business Projector
- Native Resolution – 1920×1080
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw Distance –100”@2.5m-3.3m
- Contrast Ratio – 16,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 4,000
- Connectivity – HDMI, VGA, Wireless
BenQ is a premium brand in the projector manufacturing industry and known for producing high-quality products. This BenQ MH733 is one of the best 1080p 3D projectors offering a wider and larger display of projection than many of its competitors are.
The projector is capable of producing up to a 300-inch screen at 1080p, giving you the flexibility of placing the projector anywhere without compromising your room decor. The projector model uses DLP technology and offers a significantly higher contrast ratio of 16,000:1 which produces more clarity and enhanced sharpness.
The projector offers 4,000 lumens of brightness – which means you”ll always get the best clarity under the brightest lights. The other great thing about this projector is, that it supports MHL connectivity, so you can stream content from your smartphone or tablet instantly. You’ll get plenty of connectivity options including 2 HDMI, USB, Mini Jack, LAN, and more. So wrapping up, it’s best projector under 1000 price range you can buy for your home and office.
3. Optoma HD39HDR Home Theater Projector
- Native Resolution – 1920×1080
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw Distance – 120″@9.5 feet
- Contrast Ratio – 50,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 4000
- Connectivity – 2xHDMI w/ MHL, Audio out (3.5mm), USB-A (Power), 3D Sync
Optoma HD39HDR is one of the top-selling 3D capable DLP projectors that made us fall in love with its outstanding features and performance. The 4000 lumens of brightness lets you use this projector in almost any situation without having to worry about perfect darkness.
This projector is also good to use in the daytime for living rooms having a lot of windows. Additionally, a 50,000:1 contrast ratio is among the best contrast ratio found under the $1000 projectors.
The HD39HDR offers 1920×1080 Full HD resolution – making it perfect for watching movies and playing games with clear and sharp images. The color output is magnificent as it supports an sRGB color space profile which enables rich and accurate colors. For connectivity, it has several input options such as 2xHDMI, USB, Autio out, MHL, etc. The projector comes with a 10 Watt built-in speaker so you don’t need to connect additional speakers. However, this projector is slightly noisier than other projectors, but not dramatically.
4. BenQ HT2050A
- Native Resolution – 1920×1080
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw and Zoom Ratio – 1.15~1.5 / 1.3x
- Contrast Ratio – 15,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 2,200
- Connectivity – HDMI x 2
If you want to turn your room into full-out entertainment then this BenQ HT2050A DLP home theater projector is an ideal choice for you. It offers excellent color accuracy, high contrast, three-dimensionality for 2D video, a solid black level, and top-tier shadow detail for the price.
Thanks to its six-panel color wheel spinning at 6X speed, it delivers excellent color accuracy with no rainbow artifacts. With a 10-watt mono speaker, it produces good sound quality with Cinema, Game, Music, and Sports modes.
BenQ HT2050A is powered by a 240-watt lamp that only offers 7000 hours in SuperEco Mode which is a little downside of this model. It offers 1.3x zoom which is a longer zoom range than usual for the price. This projector is capable to deliver a stunning 100-inch picture from 8.2 feet away which lets you bring big-screen theater entertainment into any room. Overall, the BenQ HT2050A is the best home theater projector under 1000 dollars you can buy right now.
5. Anker Nebula Cosmos Max 4K Projector
- Native Resolution – 3840×2160
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw Ratio: 1.2
- Contrast Ratio – 100,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 1500
- Connectivity – HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Chromecast
This is another best 4K projector you can buy under $1000. The Anker Nebula Cosmos Max offers vivid and vibrant and comes with a significantly higher contrast ratio of 100,000:1 – making it the most contrast-rich projector on this list.
With 1500 lumens of image brightness, this Epson projector delivers more accurate and vivid colors even in bright-lit rooms. The projector features 4K resolution which offers 4.5x more resolution than SVGA for high-resolution content.
You can easily set up Anker Nebula Cosmos Max home cinema projector anywhere in the house with easy image adjustments and convenient control. For connectivity, the projector supports HDMI, MHL, and wireless connectivity. The best thing about this projector is its wireless casting technology via Miracast Source. However, Miracast is only available for Android and Windows devices, not for Apple iOS. Overall, the Anker Nebula Cosmos Max is a great projector to use in office space and boardrooms.
6. Xgimi H2 – Best 1080p Projector Under 1000
- Native Resolution – 1920×1080
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw Ratio: 100 in @2.66m
- Contrast Ratio – 10,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 1350 ANSI
- Connectivity – HDMI, USB, Wireless
XGIMI H2 is an ideal projector to enjoy bright and stunning big-screen entertainment. This budget projector comes with full HD 1080p resolution which delivers ultra-sharp readability and enhanced picture details in every presentation.
With 1350 ANSI lumens and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio, you can enjoy movies and gaming even in a well-lit room. This home cinema projector supports 1.3x zoom which gives you an up to 300-inch display with a crisp and sharp image.
The H2 boasts Harmon Kardon speakers which produce endlessly vibrant, accurate, and beautiful sound to meet your video and gaming needs. The projector runs streaming and media apps flawlessly which lets users enjoy content from Netflix, Youtube, and more. Apart from that, the projector comes with 30,000hr long lamp life which lowers the cost of ownership.
7. Epson PowerLite 1795F – Best 3LCD Portable Projector under 1000
- Native Resolution – 1920 x 1080
- Display Technology – 3LCD
- Contrast Ratio – 10,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 3,200
- Connectivity – HDMI, Wireless
If you’re looking for a lightweight and travel-friendly best projector under $1000, then this Epson PowerLite 3LCD portable projector is ideal for you. It looks as thin as a laptop and carries a weight of just 4 lbs.
If we talk about the specifications, the projector comes with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which is two times more resolution than SVGA for HD-quality presentations. The projector supports color brightness and white brightness of 3200 lumens which deliver more accurate and vivid colors, even in a bright-lit room.
The projector is compatible with PC, Smartphones, and Mac computers so you can easily project from your devices without plugging into the projector and can also move freely about the room. for connectivity, this projector supports Chromecast via HDMI, plus Roku and MHL-enabled devices to share HD videos directly from your streaming devices.
8. BenQ TH685
- Native Resolution – 1920×1080
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw and Zoom Ratio – 11.13:1 – 1.46:1
- Contrast Ratio – 10,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 3,500
- Connectivity – HDMI x 2 (Shared MHL)
BenQ TH685 is the best 3D home theater and gaming projector available under $1000 which offers an ultimate gaming experience with its high-end specifications. It comes with Rec.709 HDTV standard color coverage that gives you 100% color accuracy while watching movies and playing games.
It is a 1080p native resolution projector that offers 3,500 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 that delivers detailed, sharp, and crisp visuals to enhance your enjoyment.
The other great thing about this projector is, that it is virtually free of a rainbow effect, which can cause a serious issue for some users of DLP projectors. The projector comes with a built-in 5-watt stereo speaker with the lowest fan noise, which means you’ll hear the movie, not the projector. Carrying 15,000 hours of prolonged lamp life, BenQ TH685 is the best-selling DLP projector under $1000 price range.
9. ViewSonic PX701-4K – Best 4K UHD Projector
- Native Resolution – 3840×2160
- Lens – 1.1x Optical Zoom
- Screen Size – 30″-300″
- Throw Distance – 3.3-35.9 ft. (100″ @ 10.9 ft.)
- Contrast Ratio – 12,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 3,200
- Connectivity – HDMI, USB A
ViewSonic PX701 is the best 4k projector under 1000 dollars that gives you an immersive cinema-like experience on a 4k Ulta HD screen. The projector sports a whopping 3,200 lumens of brightness to keep the contrast strong in bright or dark rooms.
With high brightness and quality sound, this projector provides bright visuals and immersive audio in nearly any environment. Apart from that, the projector comes with up to 20,000 hours of lamp life which reduces power consumption.
Its 1.1x optical zoom feature provides more mounting flexibility means there will be less installation hassle. The projector also comes with a backlit remote control that can be easy to use in dark rooms and for nighttime viewing. For connectivity, the projector supports two HDMI inputs to connect your laptop, digital camera, and many other devices. Combining all these powerful features makes it an ideal home theater projector under $1000.
10. BenQ HT2150ST Short Throw Gaming Projector
- Native Resolution – 1920×1080
- Display Technology – DLP
- Throw and Zoom Ratio – 0.69~0.83 / 1.2x
- Contrast Ratio – 15,000:1
- Image Brightness (Lumens) – 2,200
- Connectivity – HDMI x 2 (MHL)
BenQ HT2150 is another great budget projector on our list that is equipped with 1080p Full HD image quality with high brightness of 2200 ANSI lumens. In addition to this, it also gets a 3000:1 contrast ratio and a 6x RGB color wheel that delivers sharp and crisp visuals with good color accuracy. It features two built-in 10W speakers that deliver brilliant sounds to enhance your gaming fun.
The projector offers 16.67ms low input lag and microsecond DMD response time which ensures an ultra-smooth gaming experience without unwanted motion blur and image lag. This projector is able to produce a 100-inch display at only 4.9 feet from the screen, which is an impressive feature we have found in this projector. And, these specifications make it the best short throw projector under $1000 budget range you can get right now.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Projector
There are a lot of factors that affect the overall performance of a projector. Here’re a few things you need to know.
Resolution
The resolution depends on the input material. If you want to use the projector for business or education presentations, then a projector with 720p or 800 x 600 pixels can work well which can also save some money. However, if you’re aiming to use it for HD movies or gaming, then you should look for a resolution of at least 1920 x 1080 pixels. If you’re assuming for a higher resolution projector under $1000, then you should check ViewSonic PX747 to enjoy 4K content.
Display Technology
The majority of the projector market is dominating two main types of technologies – DLP and LCD projectors. DLP projectors use a panel of tiny microscopic mirrors and a spinning color wheel that points the light toward or away from the screen. They deliver sharp images and there’s no motion blur effect when fast actions are running on the screen. On the other hand, LCD projectors have no moving parts and hence they cost slightly less. A plus point to the LCD projector is that they have better saturation and lower noise, but they tend to be a bit heavier.
Throw Distance
This is one of the important factors people should consider when shopping for a new projector. Throw distance refers to how far away or close your projector must be from the screen or wall in order to produce a certain size picture. For instance, if you’re planning to place your projector 5 feet away from a 55-inch screen, then the throw ratio of the projector should be 1.1.
Brightness
The brightness of the projector is measured as lumens. More the brightness, the better the picture quality. For a business projector, a rating of 1000 lumens or less might be perfectly adequate to use in a small and dark environment. If you plan to use your projector in an environment with some ambient light, then you might look for a rating of 5,000 lumens or more.
Contrast Ratio
Contrast is an important factor to determine the projector’s picture quality. It is defined by the difference between the darkest and the brightest part of the picture. A high contrast ratio means better picture quality that lets you see more shades of colors and lights.
When you are deciding which projector to buy, know that your needs will determine what kind of dynamic or static contrast ratio you need. If you are looking for high dynamic range images or playing games with fast-moving graphics then you will need a projector with a high static contrast ratio or a projector that can change its settings dynamically.
Lamp Life
Lamp life is one of the most important factors to consider when you buy a projector. A projector with a long lamp life will save you money in the long run and make your purchase more sustainable.
Before buying a projector, it’s important to know how long the lamp lasts. If it’s just for one event, then you can get away with buying a cheaper model with a shorter lamp life. But if you plan on using it for multiple events, then look for one that has an extended lamp life.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lumens is a good projector?
There are many factors that affect how many lumens you need for your projectors. If you are looking for a projector that is bright enough to be used in a dark room, then you will need more lumens than if you were just projecting on a whiteboard. A good projector should have at least 3,000 lumens.
Are budget projectors worth it?
The answer to this question is a resounding yes. Budget projectors are worth it because they are a lot cheaper than the more expensive models and they offer many of the same features. They can be used in any conference room, classroom, or meeting space.
Which projector is best for home cinema?
The best home theater projector can be decided based on the size of the room, the distance from the projector to the screen, and how bright we want to keep it. The projector needs to be at least 1.5 times as big as your screen for a decent home cinema experience. Optoma HD39HD is one of the best options.
Final Words
These are the best projectors under $1000 in 2023 based on their reviews, performance, and specifications. We know that choosing the best projector under a specific budget can be a difficult task. There are so many different brands, models, and features to choose from. The purpose of this article is to help you make an informed decision on which projector would suit your needs the best.
If you are still confused and don’t know which projector to go for, here’s a quick suggestion.
For the best value for money, we would recommend the Epson 2150 3LCD projector. This is a great option for those who are looking for a projector that is simple to set up and use. It has many features that make it an excellent choice for classrooms, boardrooms, and other business settings.
Whereas, if your main requirement is gaming, the BenQ HT2150ST would be the best projector under $1000. It offers a low input lag of 16ms, high brightness, and great contrast ratios that deliver an amazing viewing experience.
If you have any queries or suggestions about this review guide, let us know in the comments below!
Hello BBninja, your conclusions were very very helpful for a beginner like me. What would you recommend if I’m looking to replace a Samsung 4K 65″ UHD Led Smart TV $900usd for a projector which I would like to be as well smart (Netflix, YouTube, Mirroring) and if possible, to be controlled with Google Home.
Thank you and stay safe team!
Mauricio LG.
Hello,
looking closely at Epson Home Cinema 2150 Projector as it is rated amongst the top projectors in its class for around $700 – that said, was wondering if you had any other, or better, recommendations. for example, is the Epson Home Cinema 3800 4K PRO-UHD 3-Chip Projector with HDR markedly better for twice the price at $1,400? should I then be considering alternative brands besides Epson which is considered the industry leader in the projector world. lastly, if Epson 3800 was on the table would you then recommend bumping up to the Epson Home Cinema 5040UB 3LCD Home Theater Projector with 4K Enhancement HDR10 for $1,900 or the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD 3-Chip Projector with HDR for $2,400.
all super highly rated home cinema options and a bit of a slippery slope to me …. thought you might be able to help me gain some traction with your expertise.
best,
Paul
Hi Paul,
If you’re looking for a 3LCD home cinema projector under $1000, then Epson Home Cinema 2150 and Epson Home Cinema 3100 are the best choices. However, if you’re ready to spend more money then we’ll recommend you to go for Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD 3-Chip Projector because it’s powerful enough to deliver excellent performance in all respects. Epson is the #1 projector brand worldwide and believe us, you won’t regret spending bucks on it.