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Are there any PJs that could dethrone the 2050???

2K views 31 replies 12 participants last post by  sage11x 
#1 ·
Since my PE7800 died after 12 years ive been back on here pokin around... i decided since it was down it was time to update the theater before i replace the PJ.

Well projects keep coming, now ive decided to improve my hvac situation.

Having said that i dont mind waiting, ive been watching the prices slowly drop. So i plan to continue work until im ready to buy, likely around April or May, possibly even June.

So does anyone know/think there may be better PJ coming in near futue within the 2050 price range and quality?
 
#2 ·
I'd keep an eye on the Epson 3100/3700 and the coming LG Probeam.

They are a little more, but I wasn't impressed with the BenQ HT2050 at all. I may have gotten a bad sample, but the chromatic abberation made it unwatchable. I also learned I can only do laser/LED DLP because I am RBE sensitive now. I wasn't 15 years ago though, but I do remember getting headaches.
 
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#3 ·
Of course there will always be projectors at higher pricepoints that can outperform the HT2050. But dollar for dollar it's tough to beat for all-around performance. Optoma, ViewSonic and Vivitek have all closed the gap in recent years but most believe BenQ still has a slight edge in overall performance. Of course those are all DLP. For those who can't tolerate any hint of DLP rainbows about the only option at that pricepoint would be one of the Epson entry level LCD models.
 
#4 ·
I think there is the constant issue of DLP not actually improving their chips to deal with. After half a dozen plus years of so-so black levels, the fact that they haven't improved upon this significantly remains frustrating. If you are in a dedicated room, you may want to consider spending a bit more for the added black levels of something a bit nicer.

But, the HT2050 is still pretty hard to beat at the performance to money level it delivers. Also the reliability for money level it delivers. I think that is one of the strongest points to it that goes beyond the initial brightness, color quality, and solid 1080p resolution you will get. But, the black levels still are the weak point with it.

On a budget, it's still my first go-to recommendation for many.
 
#23 ·
I think there is the constant issue of DLP not actually improving their chips to deal with. After half a dozen plus years of so-so black levels, the fact that they haven't improved upon this significantly remains frustrating. If you are in a dedicated room, you may want to consider spending a bit more for the added black levels of something a bit nicer...
In my opinion the problem is not the DLP chips it is the projector designs. Home theatre DLP projectors lost the middle and high end of the market and now are budget models with simple designs built to a price.

Home theatre DLP projectors today don't seem to use the best designs for native contrast. DLP projectors over a decade ago were capable of native contrast ratios two to five times or more higher than current models like the Benq 2050. Let alone modern commercial DLP projector designs that use dual DLP chips in sequence for contrast so high they are HDR capable.

Along with far lower native contrast they also appear to use cheaper smaller DLP chips and cheaper lenses resulting in less sharpness. So reducing a key advantage of single chip DLP.

Modern home theatre DLP projectors seem to rely on dynamic contrast via lamp modulation to claim high contrast specs while delivering far lower native contrast. The Benq HT2050 for example claims 15,000:1 contrast, but according to
http://referencehometheater.com/review/benq-ht2050-projector-review/
only has 1,700:1 to 1,500:1 native contrast.

They also appear to rely on using spoke time to boost their claimed lumen output. Which reduces color saturation unless disabled. The Benq HT2050 for example claims to be 2,200 Lumen, but according to
http://referencehometheater.com/review/benq-ht2050-projector-review/
calibrated with brilliant color off is 1,665 Lumen. Which is still high for a single chip DLP using a single 240W lamp and a RGBRGB color wheel. So maybe the color wheel is not fully optimized for color accuracy over light output or maybe its down to the F number of the lenses not fully optimized for contrast over light output.
 
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#5 ·
I was looking to upgrade about a year and a half ago and the BenQ W1070 was the go to recommendation. Within a short time the HT2050 was the most talked about. Give it another year and it will be the next best model everyone recommends.

IMO there is no good place ever to jump on the technology wagon anymore if you are going to wish a short time later you had waited. For the money they are all great and you should get what you can afford and enjoy it.

Stepping up from the PE7800 you will be blown away by every aspect of the newer projectors starting around $400 and up.
 
#6 ·
IMO there is no good place ever to jump on the technology wagon anymore if you are going to wish a short time later you had waited. For the money they are all great and you should get what you can afford and enjoy it.

Stepping up from the PE7800 you will be blown away by every aspect of the newer projectors starting around $400 and up.
Pretty much my thoughts, i was still completely happy with my 7800 but the PQ looks awful when the PJ wont power on lol.

I decided to redo alot of my theater, ive repainted, had the screen wall re skim coated as i have a painted screen and im redoing all the duct work and adding a return so i have a while. June 25th is the goal date i want to have a new PJ mounted and ready, but i could easily be done before then if i really want to be.

A friend is finishing the theater in his new house and he bought the 2050 at my recommendation...but he went against my advice and purchased before he hung drywall lol....he paid 750 a month ago and its already sub 600 on amazon.

Will keep an eye out on the other ones, im set on DLP. I feel bad for those who get rainbows, i actually tried every trick ive read to try and see rainbows on my 7800 but never did, i dont even know what they look like aside from descriptions.
 
#8 ·
I figured another year or two on my 7800 til i ws gonna upgrade, but the PJ didnt cooperate. Most frustrating thing is the PJ is technically just fine, all thats wrong is one little integrated chip on a power supply circuit board but the way it melted i cant read the numbers off of it, so icant determine the proper replacement chip.
 
#11 ·
My sharp XR10X died prompting me to go shopping for something new the same way after 10 years and oodles of hours. When I took it down getting ready for the new one I thought I would take the case off before I tossed it. It was packed solid with dust. I took it to the garage and blew it out with the air compressor and there was the thermal overload reset under all the dust. I pushed it and heard a click and put it back together and it ran like new. The sealed optical path worked amazing and now I have a backup projector. I even looked for a lamp and found they were so old they were selling them for 40 bucks.

Can’t help you out with your power supply sorry.
 
#12 · (Edited)
The LED-DLP LG PF1500w is coming out in a couple of months. I highly recommend it based on my experience with its predecessor, the LG PF1500. The advantages it has over the BenQ HT2050 are:

  • No Lamp - LED light source so it's good for 30,000 hours, compared to 3,500 hours of the HT2050 ($250 for a new lamp)
  • 40x sustained brightness - The HT2050 will go down to 80% of its brightness after 500 hours, whereas the PF1500 takes 20,000 hours to reach that same 80% mark.
  • Less Power - 100 watts vs 350 watts
  • Portability - 3.3 pounds vs 7.3 pounds
  • Input - Built-in Tuner, Netflix, and Hulu vs none

The advantages the HT2050 has over the PF1500:
  • Brightness - 2200 lumens vs 1400 lumens
  • Lens Shifts - vertical lens shift vs none

Many here prefer the color and PQ of the HT2050, but YMMV.
 
#13 ·
I really like my 2050, but it's not the second coming of Christ some people make it out to be. There is very poor placement flexibility, good but not great black levels, and rainbows on occasion. I use it in a family room and love the rich color it produces and the common sale price of $700 makes it a bargain. If the Epson 3100 or 3000 start going on sale near that price I'd consider it dethroned.
 
#16 ·
That's not the way dethroning works. The HT2050 also goes on sale from time to time and Epson 3000 series sales prices will never be as low as HT2050 sales prices. The Epson 3000 series is a step up in features and price over the HT2050 and always will be. The 2040 and 2045 are Epson's direct competitors with the HT2050. A genuine dethroning will occur when a projector close in price to the HT2050 clearly outperforms it.

Of course the HT2050 doesn't walk on water and you can always get better overall performance by moving up in price class. The general consensus is that it simply does more things better for the price than any of its direct competitors. Even the folks over in the Hi-End Projectors >$3,000 section tend to agree with that assessment. :)
 
#25 ·
Individual preferences for DLP or LCD can shuffle the pecking order. But the Epson 3000 series does add features that some consider more important than DLP's advantages in inherent sharpness and motion handling. As far as LCD panel degradation, that was reduced a few years ago when Epson went from organic to inorganic LCD panels. But I'd never try to convince a hardcore DLP enthusiast that LCD is better or vice versa. :)
 
#26 ·
If all factors were equal, I think most people would be very hard pressed to argue any case for LCD over DLP. I mean the pixel fill alone is an issue, and DLP is more consistent and film-like. The problem is the DLP contrast ratios have gone to the dumps, and all things are almost never equal.
 
#31 ·
This^^^^

The 576p max my 7800 was making at 120" still looked incredible, DLP has more versatility imo, its just up to the manufacturers as to how much they want to get out of a chipset.

Im not anti LCD, im just old fashioned and think DLP is a longer lasting product, im a new Projector every 10-15 years kinda guy. Im still happy with my 16 year old F250 diesel thats about to turn 200k miles and have no plans to get rid of it.....

i did take an educated guess and ordered a new IC chip to try and repair the circuit board that burned a chip in my 7800, i could only read the first 2 numbers on the chip. Im still going to get a new PJ but i really wanted to wait until this fall. It was .52 cents for the chip, i figure whats the worst that can happen? my projector still wont work? just have to wait 12-40 days for it to get here from asia.
 
#28 ·
Lumens, I saw over in one of the Epson threads that you have owned both the BenQ 4050 and the Epson 3100 or 3700 (forget which). I was wondering if you could humor me and give me your honest opinion between these two as it relates to overall picture quality?


I know that the higher end Epson 5040 and Sony 45ES can offer significant improvements in picture quality but neither of them will fit in my space. I need a 'short throw' projector and the BenQ trio (2050/3050/4050) and Epson trio (3100/3700/3900) are the only models that can hit my 100" screen from my throw distance.


I currently have a BenQ but am wondering if the Epson represent any appreciable upgrade in picture quality. From the reviews I'm seeing the answer appears to be no. The Epson are significantly brighter (no issue for me) and can supposedly eek out a little better black levels than the BenQs but apparently do so at the cost of some iris pumping. Supposedly, overall contrast and color accuracy appears to be a wash between the two. Most places I've seen seem to give the edge to the BenQ in terms of 'sharpness' owing to it's single chip design. I also have concerns about reliability as Epson's in the past seem to develop issues over time.


The long and short is I've mostly come to the conclusion that what little upgrade, if any, the Epson 3100/3700 represent is probably not worth the cost of replacing the BenQ I already own. That I should wait, and in the case that we buy a home and have more space, use that money towards a Sony or higher end Epson. Just curious as to your opinion.
 
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