I am seeking advice for purchasing my first projector for a light-controlled home theater room. I am looking for the best bang for the buck projector to meet my needs. From the research I've done so far, it seems like the Epson 5040UB is tough to beat! Right now you can purchase a refurbished Epson 5040UBe directly from Epson for $1250 with a two-year warranty.
Are there any other projectors I should be considering? I am price sensitive. I don't want to spend significantly more unless there is a compelling reason to do so. For example, I know there is a newer model (Epson 5050UB), but is it really worth another $1500 more? I'd like to stick with a max of about $2,000 for a project, maybe $2,500 but that's really pushing my budget. Would love to hear your suggestions. Thanks!
p.s. I like the idea of the motorized lenses on the Epson's that allow for a constant image height on a 2.35 screen.
I am seeking advice for purchasing my first projector for a light-controlled home theater room. I am looking for the best bang for the buck projector to meet my needs. From the research I've done so far, it seems like the Epson 5040UB is tough to beat! Right now you can purchase a refurbished Epson 5040UBe directly from Epson for $1250 with a two-year warranty.
Are there any other projectors I should be considering? I am price sensitive. I don't want to spend significantly more unless there is a compelling reason to do so. For example, I know there is a newer model (Epson 5050UB), but is it really worth another $1500 more? I'd like to stick with a max of about $2,000 for a project, maybe $2,500 but that's really pushing my budget. Would love to hear your suggestions. Thanks!
p.s. I like the idea of the motorized lenses on the Epson's that allow for a constant image height on a 2.35 screen.
The 5040 cannot be beat for what Epson's website is currently offering. There are better projectors, including the 5050, but for price to performance it cannot be beat.
Are there any other projectors between the 5040 and the 5050 I should consider? Maybe around the $2,000 range? At the moment, the cheapest I can find the 5050UB is $2425. Please weigh in if I'm wrong, but that seems like a pretty hefty price jump for what you get.
The JVC RS440 (check the deals section) from AGI is a very good model which will have better response time and better black levels. It's certainly what I would consider an upgrade on the 5050 and the 5040 models. It's not going to be night and day, and realistically, the biggest hit against the 5040, besides the 10Gb/s HDMI input, is the potential for an issue with the power supply. The 2-year warrant certainly helps to alleviate that concern, but it does exist.
JVC is a better build quality overall and few complaints exist about their projectors in terms of long term reliability and quality. So, there's that.
But, at the price, Epson is unbeatable with the 5040 and if I hadn't seen JVC over the years and know what they bring to the table, I likely would have gotten one, but I was able to score my JVC for under $2K new, so yeah, that's what I did.
Unbeatable for the price right now: Epson 5040 refurbs.
Thank you for your reply! I think that made up my mind. If I follow you correctly, it seems like the next upgrades to the 5040UB are the entry-level JVC's, which probably are normally around $2,500-$3,000. That's a bit much for my budget, and considering I can live with the few con's you listed of the 5040UB, that seems the way to go.
I just got one of the 5040 ube refurb today and I came fron the sony 45 the epson is better for sure in the small time I have had with it .brighter colors are great in 2020 hdr1 mode with 4k disk .going close to the screen the sony had much less pixel gap but the epson has 2x as many pixels so overall looks better from the seat to me .for the money hard to beat ,now buyin the sony and the epson refurb I should of just goten epson(2 for the price of one)
I picked up a 5040 two weeks ago. It's my first venture into the projector world. Paired it with a ES CineGrey 3D 135" screen, as the room is an upstairs bonus room that has windows.
I'm thrilled with the picture I get. The 5040 seems to be the best bang for buck option right now, especially if you're new to projectors.
What projectors would be the next step up over the Epson 5050ub? Would that be the JVC's? Which models? I'm finding it hard to understand the several different model names.
Also, would it be fair to say that the JVC lamp replacements are about $400 vs $150 for the epson 5050? That seems to be the case according to pure land supply
Actually genuine manufacturer replacement lamps are around $250 for the Epson and MSRP from JVC are $699. Most of the lower priced lamps are claimed OEM lamps in generic housings and quality varies from virtually no different to absolute junk so buyer beware. JVC dropped their 4K 2x eshift line up but some are still available. The new lineup of LCOS projectors are full 4K NX5/RS1000, NX7/RS2000, NX9/RS????. The older RS540/x790 the last produced eshift model and is still a very popular model if you can find one.
I appreciate everyone's input on my post! I decided to go with a used Epson 5040ub from a forum member from the site. I got it for $1100 shipped, which I think is a great deal for my first projector.
I'll keep my eye out for used/ refurbished 5050ub's down the road. For now, I think this should more than satisfy my H.T. thirsts! Thanks!
Is the 5040UB a mechanical pixel shifting projector? I'm looking for a 4k projector, but not a pixel shifting one, as they are too noisy. I had to return my BenQ HT2550 due to the noise (and source switching lag). I can't tell if Epson's 3chip LCD tech is a fancy way of saying mechanical pixel shifting, or it's a better technology.
Yes the 5040 is a 2x pixel shifting projector and only a simulated 1/2 4K in resolution. I have not heard of any complaints about actuator noise. The BenQ is a 4x actuator shifting at a much higher frequency and many complained of the noise. JVC and Sony are your only choices in true 4K and your in the wrong forum as they all list well over $3K
I bought one yesterday, should have it next week. This will be a big jump from a Optoma HD131xe.I went out and bought a bigger screen too, going from 92" to 100".
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