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4K Games Room Projector Under £2000

3819 Views 25 Replies 14 Participants Last post by THXfreak, Nov 16, 2019

Jumbobean

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2019

Hi All,

Looking to purchase my 1st projector for my games room, looking for suggestions on projectors and general setup that anyone on the site wish they knew before they started. Been toying with the idea for a few years but decided to bite the bullet and go for it this year.

Little bit of info on what i would like;
Projector to be 4K.
Under £2000 can stretch above but would prefer not to.
Throw distance is max 3m due to room size onto a white wall or screen if this is the better option.
Looking for a picture size of 100-120in Diagonal
Projector will be table off the floor not ceiling mounted.
Will be mainly used for sports/gaming etc. UFC, Football, Online gaming such as Call of Duty/Borderlands
Room will have a blackout blind & blackout curtains to reduce natural light to a minimum if required.

Projectors I've looked at in the past are;
Philips Screeneo 2.0
Philips S6
BenQ W2700
ViewSonic X10-4K
Optima UHL55
Optima UHD60

Hope this helps and open to any suggestions like i said before i'm new to projectors have ok knowledge but looking for expert advice from yourselves.

On a side note any accessories or gadgets suggestions to add to the games room are more than welcome

Thank you in advance
James

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1 - 20 of 26 Posts

DunMunro

· #2 · Sep 30, 2019

I would suggest getting a low lag 1080p unit for gaming, possibly one with HDR support and a dedicated 4K unit for 4K BD/streaming content. If you use a painted wall (i'd suggest a light grey paint) it would be relatively easy to set up the projectors.

You could get a HD27HDR and a UHD50 (or refurbed W2700), for example, and stay in budget. The UHD60 has too long a throw to work, given your placement requirements.

rekbones

· #3 · Sep 30, 2019

If you forget about 4K the BenQ 2050a is a third of your budget and fits all your needs. The Epson 4010 will accept 4K but is only 1/2 4k with eshift but it has too long of a throw so won't work. Or the two projector idea if 4K is a must but are there any sports even broadcast in 4K in your country?

Reactions: 1

Jumbobean

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 30, 2019

I live in the UK so will be using a Sky Q box to watch F1, UFC & Football In UHD

Gaming wise its a PS4 so games will be 30-60fps but looking to the future the PS5 is expected to support games at 4K at up to 120Hz. Hence why I'm leaning towards a 4K projector. Will only be gaming at 1080p until the PS5 is released.

I thought i was quite tech savvy until coming on this forum and its like you guys are speaking a different language haha.

Thank you for the replies. Does any of what I've just said change your recommendations or shall i look into the projectors you've both suggested?

noob00224

· #5 · Sep 30, 2019

It's doubtful that there will be many games that run at 4k 120fps on the PS5, despite what the marketing says. Maybe in the future with optimization, or games that don't require a lot of resources, but probably not next gen CoD/Borderlands.
As for a 4K 120Hz low lag short-throw projector at around £2000, it doesn't exist.

You can get a Benq W1120 (HT2050a)/Optoma HD29H (27HDR) (or something similar) and wait for better models to come out, as better and cheaper 4K PJ's are being released. It's recommended that first time buyers go for a budget option to get an idea of how projection based setup work.
In the mean time the PS5 will be released and see how it actually performs.

Reactions: 1

juic-E-juice

· #6 · Oct 1, 2019

I’m a gamer first, viewer second. Like others have pointed out, what you are asking for doesn’t exist. Even if you were to quadruple your budget, it simply does not exist. The architecture of the chips currently employed aren’t optimized to run an input lag considered acceptable for serious gaming. Even 4K models that downgrade to 1080p for gaming are proving to have horrible input lag. That’s why they are directing you towards native 1080p models that have been built with the gamer in mind.

The BenQ HT2150ST is probably the most commonly praised gaming projector out there right now. If you’re really prepping for 4K though, you’re going to need to either start looking at flat screens or be prepared to wait a while. If you’re willing to REALLY expand your budget, some of the native 4K projectors ar getting input lag into the lower 30s, but this would still make games like Halo, COD or Fortnite pretty unbearable.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Dave in Green

· #7 · Oct 1, 2019

Others have already given good advice about low-lag 1080p projectors being best for gaming. Just want to be sure as someone new to video projection that you've fully thought this out. With a table-mounted projector across the room from the screen anyone walking across the room will block the image. This is no problem if everyone remains seated playing games or watching sports. But in a game room where multiple activities may be going on simultaneously it can be disruptive. So how you plan to use the game room when the projector is running is an important consideration.

Reactions: 2

sage11x

· #8 · Oct 1, 2019 (Edited)

I’m going to add to the chorus of recommendations to look at a 1080p model. Specifically one of the 1080p DLPs with a short or shorter throw and, preferably, an RGBRGB colorwheel.

To be blunt, 4K DLP has too much lag and the alternative technologies from Epson, Sony or JVC are either lacking crucial features or are outside your budget. If you’re a console gamer I can make the strong case for 1080p anyways as most games simply run better in 1080p even on the “pro” consoles. One could make the argument for the PS4 Pro being a better 1080p machine than a 4K machine (and have— see below) and while the Xbox One X is better here it should still look mighty fine super sampled to 1080p. Big promises are being made for the next generation of machines but I’m still remembering all the failed promises from the last generation that even the more powerful iterations of the PS and Xbox failed to deliver. Simply put: console games are never going to run above 60Hz. It’s not a priority— making games pretty is and developers keep finding new ways to do that which eats up all that extra horsepower that they thought would go to frame rate and resolution increases. Again, watch DF’s excellent assessment of the PS4 Pro below.

Personally, I find the last generation of RGBRGB HD DLPs like the BenQ HT2050A and HT2150ST to be some of the best gaming displays out there for their combination of ultra low latency and, in particular, DLP’s excellent motion handling. For the latter there really isn’t anything else like DLP on the market unless you go back to the now defunct plasma or CRT.

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juic-E-juice

· #9 · Oct 2, 2019

Really neat vid with some info I hadn’t heard before.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Jumbobean

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 2, 2019

Thank you for all the advice been a big help cheers

Gae80uk

· #11 · Oct 14, 2019

Hi there! I really would appreciate your suggest about my first projector, this is the scenario: big fan of my OLED 65B7 with Atmos home theatre wants to go big with a 100' cinema experience in my living room (low ambient light) with a tab tensioned electronic grey screen over the tv. I got like 2-3 meters to use a short throw projector for 60% 4K Netflix/Amazon/USB movie content and 40% Ps4 Pro 4K HDR gaming experience. So my short list is:
- Optoma hlu55 (smart led, nice 4k content) - £1.100 on Amazon
- Viewsonic x10-4k (same as above but better sound?) - £1.200
- Benq w2700 (great HDR movies but lamp/no cinema dark room?) - £1.300
- Philips Screeneo S6 (any idea?) - £1.450
- Brand new LG HU70LA (amazing LG OS experience, promising previews so far) - £1.500 - ish

Happy to wait until Black Friday but would super appreciate your support with key reasons, thanks! G.

What's the best overall choice so far for you? If you had €1500-2000 to invest in the next month? Thanks in advance!

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noob00224

· #12 · Oct 15, 2019

Gae80uk said:
Hi there! I really would appreciate your suggest about my first projector, this is the scenario: big fan of my OLED 65B7 with Atmos home theatre wants to go big with a 100' cinema experience in my living room (low ambient light) with a tab tensioned electronic grey screen over the tv. I got like 2-3 meters to use a short throw projector for 60% 4K Netflix/Amazon/USB movie content and 40% Ps4 Pro 4K HDR gaming experience. So my short list is:
- Optoma hlu55 (smart led, nice 4k content) - £1.100 on Amazon
- Viewsonic x10-4k (same as above but better sound?) - £1.200
- Benq w2700 (great HDR movies but lamp/no cinema dark room?) - £1.300
- Philips Screeneo S6 (any idea?) - £1.450
- Brand new LG HU70LA (amazing LG OS experience, promising previews so far) - £1.500 - ish

Happy to wait until Black Friday but would super appreciate your support with key reasons, thanks! G.

What's the best overall choice so far for you? If you had €1500-2000 to invest in the next month? Thanks in advance!

Unless you're going to get a JVC and cover the entire room in black velvet the black levels will not be near OLED with any projector.

As for the rest of your question, it's been discussed above.

noob00224 said:
As for a 4K 120Hz low lag short-throw projector at around £2000, it doesn't exist.

You can get a Benq W1120 (HT2050a)/Optoma HD29H (27HDR) (or something similar) and wait for better models to come out, as better and cheaper 4K PJ's are being released. It's recommended that first time buyers go for a budget option to get an idea of how projection based setup work.
In the mean time the PS5 will be released and see how it actually performs.

The Optoma GT1080HDR and HD29H do not have RGBRGB color wheels, so worse color reproduction than the W1120 and W1210ST.

bboucher790

· #13 · Oct 16, 2019

@Gae80uk

Check out the BenQ TK800M or upcoming TK850 (waiting to see input lag results).

The TK800M is what I’m getting over a 77” OLED. Size does matter

. It’s got very good color, great motion handling, and mid 40’s input lag. The PS4 Pro is perfectly capable of providing a near 4K image in most new games. The PS5 will be even better. Getting a 1080P projector in 2019 isn’t wise IMO. There’s too much focus on 4K content nowadays.

yossigab

· #14 · Oct 17, 2019

(first post here...)
Epson revealed 2 new 4k "like" projectors - the HC3200 & HC3800.
Both are way under 2000$, and according to the spec they both have low input lag, good zoom capabilities that would enable the requirements you mentioned.
Those projectors are still not in Amazon though, they should start selling them on Nov.
I'm considering to get the 3800 for myself in the near future.

There is already a discussion in this forum (can't post links yet, sorry)

bboucher790

· #15 · Oct 17, 2019

Here’s a video showing the input lag of the TK800M. Looks pretty damn good IMO:
https://youtu.be/tv1vvff1Mxk

SoundYeh

· #16 · Nov 14, 2019

juic-E-juice said:
I’m a gamer first, viewer second. Like others have pointed out, what you are asking for doesn’t exist. some of the native 4K projectors ar getting input lag into the lower 30s, but this would still make games like Halo, COD or Fortnite pretty unbearable.

What about the Epson EH-TW9300/9400? Apparently they have a 28ms input lag. I'm also looking for a 4k low input lag projector for around 2 grand, and these seem to fit the bill, but I rarely see people suggesting them so I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

sage11x

· #17 · Nov 14, 2019

SoundYeh said:
What about the Epson EH-TW9300/9400? Apparently they have a 28ms input lag. I'm also looking for a 4k low input lag projector for around 2 grand, and these seem to fit the bill, but I rarely see people suggesting them so I'm wondering if I'm missing something.

I see people recommending them. But the Epson’s are not true 4K— they are simulated 4K. Also, some gamers find motion blur on some LCD based displays to be bothersome. That’s why I’m not a fan of the Epsons FOR GAMING.

MJ DOOM

· #18 · Nov 14, 2019 (Edited)

sage11x said:
If you’re a console gamer I can make the strong case for 1080p anyways as most games simply run better in 1080p even on the “pro” consoles. ]

sage11x said:
I see people recommending them. But the Epson’s are not true 4K— they are simulated 4K. Also, some gamers find motion blur on some LCD based displays to be bothersome. That’s why I’m not a fan of the Epsons FOR GAMING.

LOL. This guy really hates LCD projectors or BenQ is paying him mad bucks. So if someone is not sensitive to motion blur (btw you're the only person I see consistently pushing this) and 1080p is good enough. Is the Epson 5050 better than the Benq 4k projectors for gaming?

sage11x

· #19 · Nov 14, 2019 (Edited)

MJ DOOM said:
LOL. This guy really hates LCD projectors or BenQ is paying him mad bucks. So if someone is not sensitive to motion blur (btw you're the only person I see consistently pushing this) and 1080p is good enough. Is the Epson 5050 better than the Benq 4k projectors for gaming?

Wait, I’m the only one, on this entire forum, that you’ve ever read has “pushed” the notion that DLP has better motion handling than 3LCD? For fast action, sports and gaming? Really? MJ... you’re not that new around here. That’s a pretty well established concept.

I don’t hate LCD projectors— I’m an avid gamer, used to play tournies, and while I may be washed due to my advancing age and deterioration of my reflexes I still take gaming more seriously than most.

motion performance is a big part of a display’s appeal for ME (I was answering for myself) as a gaming display. No, 4K resolution doesn’t much matter for me right now for gaming. The next generation of consoles will likely change that.

The Epson’s have much lower input lag. Anything below 30 ms is great for all but the hardcore gamer. So, yes, if you’re not bothered by blur than the Epsons are a great choice. If you notice, I dismissed the Ht3550 as a gaming display in my review. It simply has too much lag for me to consider it for gaming. But that’s ME. I’ve seen guys claim projectors with north of 80ms have no noticeable lag. So I get that I’m in the minority.

I’m just picky. I won’t even game on an LCD TV— the pixel response on most VA panels is atrocious resulting in visible ghosting/blur on fast pans and turns. My plasmas have too much lag for all but casual play. I game on a pair of TN gaming monitors.

I’d appreciate maybe engaging me in conversation in the future instead of bashing me as a shill.

Edit: Oh! And my recommendation for 1080p on the current crop of consoles stands. Take the latest Modern warfare. It’s a mess in both Xbox consoles. PS4 Pro is by far the best way to play and it can’t come close to 4K— typically tendering at 1440p and below. If I’m given the option I will always take the higher and more consistent temporal resolution (frame rate) over a higher pixel count. Pretty surprising for a 4K DLP shill, amirite?

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MJ DOOM

· #20 · Nov 14, 2019

sage11x said:
I’d appreciate maybe engaging me in conversation in the future instead of bashing me as a shill.

Lol. Dont catch feels man. It is what it is. Its clear you're pushing your own agenda or personal preference when it comes to DLP vs LCD projectors as some kind of universal law. Its nothing new on this forum, the JVC guys do it, the Sony guys do it, etc. I guess DLP projectors needs their own champion as well. Even tho the new crop of DLP projectors literally took one step forward and two steps backs. TI crippled the biggest medium that can actually take advantage of 8.3 million pixels that you're always screaming about.

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