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Epson 2250 (1080p) v. 4K projector - 10 ft seat viewing

4899 Views 25 Replies 6 Participants Last post by turbosig2000, Jun 28, 2021

turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · Jun 25, 2021

A bit new to the projector world. Looking for people's opinions on using a 1080p projector versus a 4K one.

Budget: Sub $1k if its 1080p; Upto $1,500. if 4K.

Media: Apple 4K TV with fiber optic HDMI to current projector. Stream 4K iMovies mostly. Don't watch TV on the projector.

Concern is that the seating distance is 10 ft from the projector screen (100"), and I read a lot that 4K from that distance is not that discernible. Current projector is an Amazon special that was fine just starting out, but now I want to step up, but not to the highest level.....at least not yet. Budget can't swing more than what I listed.

I can control the ambient lighting in the room pretty well, but would also like to watch sporting programs during the day with moderate ambient light. Lumens of 2,500 should be adequate for my purpose.

Anyone have any experience with the Epson 2250? I can care less about streaming capabilities since my Denon and Apple tv handle all that.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

1 - 20 of 26 Posts

DunMunro

· #2 · Jun 25, 2021

turbosig2000 said:
A bit new to the projector world. Looking for people's opinions on using a 1080p projector versus a 4K one.

Budget: Sub $1k if its 1080p; Upto $1,500. if 4K.

Media: Apple 4K TV with fiber optic HDMI to current projector. Stream 4K iMovies mostly. Don't watch TV on the projector.

Concern is that the seating distance is 10 ft from the projector screen (100"), and I read a lot that 4K from that distance is not that discernible. Current projector is an Amazon special that was fine just starting out, but now I want to step up, but not to the highest level.....at least not yet. Budget can't swing more than what I listed.

I can control the ambient lighting in the room pretty well, but would also like to watch sporting programs during the day with moderate ambient light. Lumens of 2,500 should be adequate for my purpose.

Anyone have any experience with the Epson 2250? I can care less about streaming capabilities since my Denon and Apple tv handle all that.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

A 4K projector will appear to be sharper at 10ft:

Chart: 1080P Does Matter - CarltonBale.com

1080P DLP will also appear sharper than 1080P 3LCD at 10ft.

The HC2150/2250 are good values and perform well but DLP is better for sports. I'd suggest looking at an LED BenQ X1300i which will downsample 4K HDR to 1080P HDR, as will the short throw laser Optoma GT1090HDR (GT1080HDR is similar but with a bulb as is the longer throw BenQ TH685) and the true 4K HT3550 and TK850. The new TK700STi might be worth looking at while the TK800M is still a solid option:

This tool will help you decide where to place the projector and if your room can accommodate it:

www.projectorcentral.com

BenQ TK800M Projection Calculator - Throw Distance and Screen Size

Find screen size and throw distance for the BenQ TK800M projector.

www.projectorcentral.com

(use the drop down menu at the top to select other projectors)

turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 25, 2021

DunMunro said:
A 4K projector will appear to be sharper at 10ft:

Chart: 1080P Does Matter - CarltonBale.com

1080P DLP will also appear sharper than 1080P 3LCD at 10ft.

The HC2150/2250 are good values and perform well but DLP is better for sports. I'd suggest looking at an LED BenQ X1300i which will downsample 4K HDR to 1080P HDR, as will the short throw laser Optoma GT1090HDR (GT1080HDR is similar but with a bulb as is the longer throw BenQ TH685) and the true 4K HT3550 and TK850. The new TK700STi might be worth looking at while the TK800M is still a solid option:

This tool will help you decide where to place the projector and if your room can accommodate it:

BenQ TK800M Projection Calculator - Throw Distance and Screen Size

Find screen size and throw distance for the BenQ TK800M projector.

www.projectorcentral.com

(use the drop down menu at the top to select other projectors)

Thanks for these suggestions! I will take a look at these. Appreciate the input!

PixelPusher15

· #4 · Jun 25, 2021

What's more important to you? Movies or sports? If it's sports then sure go the DLP route. You aren't going to get an improvement in contrast though, most likely a downgrade since the 2250 is actually pretty decent for its price range when compared to the projectors mentioned above. The dynamic iris on it is better than the dynamic black feature on lamp-based DLP projectors IMO; less distracting.

If you are happy with the 2250 and just want more of what you already have then I'd look at the Epson 3800 which is on sale right now for below your max budget. It will double the native contrast your 2250 has. It's twice as sharp while not being as sharp as the 4K DLP projectors. Its super bright and doesn't lose color fidelity quite as badly as the bright modes of DLP projectors. If you are getting any screen door effect with your 2250 then the 3800 will reduce that to a point that I don't think you'd notice it. This is because the pixel shifting overlaps the pixels and makes it appear softer, yet also sharper.

The HT3550 is a very good option too if you are leaning more into movies and darkroom projection. It isn't the brightest but you should be kinda ok with only a 100" screen and some dim lighting while watching sports. It is really sharp, has great colors (better than the Epson 3800), has a dynamic iris which again I think works better than SmartEco/Dynamic Black, and I think the HDR on it works a bit better than what Epson has.

If you do go the Epson 3800 route I like to recommend it with a grey screen since its black levels aren't the best (still should be better than the 2250). With a grey screen you should be able to get a really rich punchy image that will do well in dark room and ambient light conditions.

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turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 25, 2021

PixelPusher15 said:
What's more important to you? Movies or sports? If it's sports then sure go the DLP route. You aren't going to get an improvement in contrast though, most likely a downgrade since the 2250 is actually pretty decent for its price range when compared to the projectors mentioned above. The dynamic iris on it is better than the dynamic black feature on lamp-based DLP projectors IMO; less distracting.

If you are happy with the 2250 and just want more of what you already have then I'd look at the Epson 3800 which is on sale right now for below your max budget. It will double the native contrast your 2250 has. It's twice as sharp while not being as sharp as the 4K DLP projectors. Its super bright and doesn't lose color fidelity quite as badly as the bright modes of DLP projectors. If you are getting any screen door effect with your 2250 then the 3800 will reduce that to a point that I don't think you'd notice it. This is because the pixel shifting overlaps the pixels and makes it appear softer, yet also sharper.

The HT3550 is a very good option too if you are leaning more into movies and darkroom projection. It isn't the brightest but you should be kinda ok with only a 100" screen and some dim lighting while watching sports. It is really sharp, has great colors (better than the Epson 3800), has a dynamic iris which again I think works better than SmartEco/Dynamic Black, and I think the HDR on it works a bit better than what Epson has.

If you do go the Epson 3800 route I like to recommend it with a grey screen since its black levels aren't the best (still should be better than the 2250). With a grey screen you should be able to get a really rich punchy image that will do well in dark room and ambient light conditions.

Funny you mentioned this, in researching the above projectors this one popped up on my radar and I am leaning towards it. I view movies way more than sports on the projector, almost a 90/10 split with the 10 being football only which is only a few months out of the year. I care more about movie quality especially with my little ones streaming's Disney + every other day. I like what I see so far from the 3800.

PixelPusher15

· #6 · Jun 25, 2021

turbosig2000 said:
Funny you mentioned this, in researching the above projectors this one popped up on my radar and I am leaning towards it. I view movies way more than sports on the projector, almost a 90/10 split with the 10 being football only which is only a few months out of the year. I care more about movie quality especially with my little ones streaming's Disney + every other day. I like what I see so far from the 3800.

The 3800 is really good, I think you'd be happy with it coming from a 2250. Don't totally disregard the HT3550 though. I'd pick the HT3550 for better sharpness, color, motion, and slightly better HDR. I'd pick the 3800 for it's better contrast, ergonomics, brightness, and more flexible HDR. I like better black levels and contrast so that's why I have the 3800 ranked ahead but some pay prefer what the HT3550 offers.

There is one issue with the 3800 that should be considered and that is that it can have some focus issues when using a lot of lens shift. I personally wasn't bothered by it and I think it is more noticeable on PC content and some video game HUDs. Some don't report issues though so its kinda one of those things where you just gotta see if it bothers you. I wouldn't let it stop you from ordering it though. Just get it from a retailer with easy returns.

DunMunro

· #7 · Jun 25, 2021

turbosig2000 said:
Funny you mentioned this, in researching the above projectors this one popped up on my radar and I am leaning towards it. I view movies way more than sports on the projector, almost a 90/10 split with the 10 being football only which is only a few months out of the year. I care more about movie quality especially with my little ones streaming's Disney + every other day. I like what I see so far from the 3800.

I'd look carefully at the LED X1300i and laser GT1090HDR and compare them to the HC3800. Solid state light sources are very stable and retain their brightness far longer than lamp based projectors. You can expect that the HC3800 will dim by ~20% in the first 300-500 hours of use, and then more slowly after that to 50% at 3500-5000 hrs, and colour calibration will drift as the bulb dims. I hate to harp on this, but these projectors have relatively short lamp life and they get noisy as you bump up the power to compensate for lamp dimming. DLP bulb based projectors typically have dynamic lamp dimming modes which allow the projector bulb to reduce power to adapt to scene brightness yet give full brightness when needed (Epson uses an Dynamic Iris), but also ~3x the lamp life compared to the static high power lamp mode.

turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 25, 2021

DunMunro said:
I'd look carefully at the LED X1300i and laser GT1090HDR and compare them to the HC3800. Solid state light sources are very stable and retain their brightness far longer than lamp based projectors. You can expect that the HC3800 will dim by ~20% in the first 300-500 hours of use, and then more slowly after that to 50% at 3500-5000 hrs, and colour calibration will drift as the bulb dims. I hate to harp on this, but these projectors have relatively short lamp life and they get noisy as you bump up the power to compensate for lamp dimming. DLP bulb based projectors typically have dynamic lamp dimming modes which allow the projector bulb to reduce power to adapt to scene brightness yet give full brightness when needed (Epson uses an Dynamic Iris), but also ~3x the lamp life compared to the static high power lamp mode.

I was reviewing this as well. Is the X1300i more of a gaming projector as BenQ advertises it as? I don't do much if any gaming at all. My split would be 90/10 with more streaming 4k movies, and 10 being football games only. The price is $100 cheaper than the HC3800. I need to look into the GT1090HDR you mentioned, first time I thought about using Optomo outside my usual Pico business projectors.

PixelPusher15

· #9 · Jun 25, 2021

turbosig2000 said:
I was reviewing this as well. Is the X1300i more of a gaming projector as BenQ advertises it as? I don't do much if any gaming at all. My split would be 90/10 with more streaming 4k movies, and 10 being football games only. The price is $100 cheaper than the HC3800. I need to look into the GT1090HDR you mentioned, first time I thought about using Optomo outside my usual Pico business projectors.

How many hours are on your 2250 and how long have you had it? I don't think the solid state lamps are worth sacrificing picture quality for if you don't plan on putting gobs of hours on the lamp. Both the X1300i and GT1090HDR are billed more as living room gaming projectors. Most DLP projectors under $2k are billed that way because that is what they really excel at. If you are looking for a great movie projector then I don't think these should be the pick. They also aren't that great for placement and you really have to be precise with how you install them. Not impossible, but if you want to avoid using keystone and adding artifacts then something with some lens shift might be needed. (The HT3550 does have a small amount of lens shift)

ejprojection

· #10 · Jun 25, 2021

Hi, I have owned the HC 2250 for a few months and I did buy a Optoma HD146x (I know its cheaper) to compare and let me tell you it is nowhere near the level of the 2250 actually because of that I'm hard pressed of considering other Optoma projectors and I'm being completely honest when I say it looked like a $100 projector from amazon, but that's my opinion. Now recently I have liked the experience so much that I took a dive and bought a 5050ub and let me tell you in the department of contrast and black levels you can tell the difference instantly, now on the sharpness department It actually is hard for me because with the pixel shifting even while it does produce what could be perceived as more "sharpness" because it has more pixel density of sorts, for me it is kind of a softer image overall (not saying its bad its just not a HUGE improvement on the sharpness department for me). I will say the screen material matters in all of these and I really need a better screen for my 5050ub, and the vertical and horizontal lens shift allows you to place the projector very neatly and flexibly, meanwhile with the HC2250 I had to measure a million times and the only way I like the image is if I do a FULL zoom on the zoom slider then adjust focus to my liking I can do that because I'm projecting to a wall in the 2250's case. Also the edge to edge focus on the 5050ub is perfect, on my 2250 its a battle to get it good. If I where you I would seriously consider that Epson 3800 since it has the features you will want and I've seen it on sale right now in your budget range, also take a look at the Epson 4010 (more expensive yes) but better specs and features overall and can be had refurbed on Amazon for $1,600. I personally can see the rainbow effect and it bothers me a lot so I cannot recommend any DLP options, and the DLP projectors I've seen in person have been disappointing but I have not seen any BenQ models so those may be good.

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PixelPusher15

· #11 · Jun 25, 2021

Actually, if you are doing mainly movies on the AppleTV 4K then the 4010 isn't a bad option. It has two limitations and that's it's HDMI 1.4 jack that won't work for 4k 60hz HDR and the other is that it needs a lot of calibration to get it to do HDR well. The way to do HDR on it is to have a few saved user presets, one for HDR mastered at 1000 nits, one for HDR mastered at 4000 nits and another for SDR. Getting these setup is a bit of a pain unless you pay to have it calibrated (recommended) but once you do it is easy to call them up with the Memory button on the remote. You may be able to calibrate it yourself because it is essentially the same as the very popular 5040 and all the calibration tips will transfer over. The tricky part is getting the greyscale gamma curve to be correct, the colors are pretty darn good out of the box. The 4010 is currently selling as a refurb for a few hundred below your top budget from Walmart. You may be able to get it professionally calibrated for an all-in price you are comfortable with and have one helluva projector for the price. I think it is the best image under $2k when setup and its negatives all accounted for.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the ATV4K plays really well with it since it can makes sure it has the reight signal all the time. I'm not sure about the new ATV4K though. The nice thing about the first gen one is that it couldn't play 4K HDR @ 60hz itself for most sources (like YouTube) so it would never send the projector a signal it couldn't handle. The new one can do 4K HDR @ 60 and 120hz, so it may cause an issue. I haven't used one yet so I can't fully speak to it.

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turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 25, 2021

PixelPusher15 said:
How many hours are on your 2250 and how long have you had it? I don't think the solid state lamps are worth sacrificing picture quality for if you don't plan on putting gobs of hours on the lamp. Both the X1300i and GT1090HDR are billed more as living room gaming projectors. Most DLP projectors under $2k are billed that way because that is what they really excel at. If you are looking for a great movie projector then I don't think these should be the pick. They also aren't that great for placement and you really have to be precise with how you install them. Not impossible, but if you want to avoid using keystone and adding artifacts then something with some lens shift might be needed. (The HT3550 does have a small amount of lens shift)

I don't currently have the 2250...Im just using an Amazon special sub $300 unit. Hence why I am looking at upgrading, but not breaking the bank. Movies will be the main content, 4k streaming from Apple 4kTV (newer/est) model. Current placement of the Amazon special is ceiling mounted behind the viewing area.

turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jun 25, 2021

PixelPusher15 said:
Actually, if you are doing mainly movies on the AppleTV 4K then the 4010 isn't a bad option. It has two limitations and that's it's HDMI 1.4 jack that won't work for 4k 60hz HDR and the other is that it needs a lot of calibration to get it to do HDR well. The way to do HDR on it is to have a few saved user presets, one for HDR mastered at 1000 nits, one for HDR mastered at 4000 nits and another for SDR. Getting these setup is a bit of a pain unless you pay to have it calibrated (recommended) but once you do it is easy to call them up with the Memory button on the remote. You may be able to calibrate it yourself because it is essentially the same as the very popular 5040 and all the calibration tips will transfer over. The tricky part is getting the greyscale gamma curve to be correct, the colors are pretty darn good out of the box. The 4010 is currently selling as a refurb for a few hundred below your top budget from Walmart. You may be able to get it professionally calibrated for an all-in price you are comfortable with and have one helluva projector for the price. I think it is the best image under $2k when setup and its negatives all accounted for.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the ATV4K plays really well with it since it can makes sure it has the reight signal all the time. I'm not sure about the new ATV4K though. The nice thing about the first gen one is that it couldn't play 4K HDR @ 60hz itself for most sources (like YouTube) so it would never send the projector a signal it couldn't handle. The new one can do 4K HDR @ 60 and 120hz, so it may cause an issue. I haven't used one yet so I can't fully speak to it.

The 4010 is outside my budget unfortunately. Still finding the HC3800 as my best option with my seating arrangement (10ft viewing from screen), some ambient lighting and the content (Apple 4KTV). The price seems reasonable at the moment $1,399 on most sites. I use a fiber optic HDMI for the run from my AVR to the current Amazon cheap projector that is HDCP 2.2 so I shouldn't have an issue (I hope not) with signal to either projector.

turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jun 25, 2021

ejprojection said:
Hi, I have owned the HC 2250 for a few months and I did buy a Optoma HD146x (I know its cheaper) to compare and let me tell you it is nowhere near the level of the 2250 actually because of that I'm hard pressed of considering other Optoma projectors and I'm being completely honest when I say it looked like a $100 projector from amazon, but that's my opinion. Now recently I have liked the experience so much that I took a dive and bought a 5050ub and let me tell you in the department of contrast and black levels you can tell the difference instantly, now on the sharpness department It actually is hard for me because with the pixel shifting even while it does produce what could be perceived as more "sharpness" because it has more pixel density of sorts, for me it is kind of a softer image overall (not saying its bad its just not a HUGE improvement on the sharpness department for me). I will say the screen material matters in all of these and I really need a better screen for my 5050ub, and the vertical and horizontal lens shift allows you to place the projector very neatly and flexibly, meanwhile with the HC2250 I had to measure a million times and the only way I like the image is if I do a FULL zoom on the zoom slider then adjust focus to my liking I can do that because I'm projecting to a wall in the 2250's case. Also the edge to edge focus on the 5050ub is perfect, on my 2250 its a battle to get it good. If I where you I would seriously consider that Epson 3800 since it has the features you will want and I've seen it on sale right now in your budget range, also take a look at the Epson 4010 (more expensive yes) but better specs and features overall and can be had refurbed on Amazon for $1,600. I personally can see the rainbow effect and it bothers me a lot so I cannot recommend any DLP options, and the DLP projectors I've seen in person have been disappointing but I have not seen any BenQ models so those may be good.

The 2250 was my first choice (hence the subject line in this post). Glad to see that you enjoyed it. I think the 3800 is a good entry point for my needs and budget at this time.

Stephen Hopkins

· #15 · Jun 25, 2021

If you like the idea of the 4010 but not the price, you don't give up much (slightly better lens, slightly better tone mapping) going with a refurb 4000 or 4040. If your budget is $1500, you could get the 4000 refurb from Eletctonics Express with their easy-to-find monthly 5% off coupon code and still have enough for a professional ISF calibration. The 4040 for just a tad more from Epson direct may be worth it, though, for the 3yr warranty.

The big Epsons can also get nearly as bright as the 3800 with the cinema filter off, but have more accurate colors when lights are off with the filter turned on.

PixelPusher15

· #16 · Jun 25, 2021

turbosig2000 said:
The 4010 is outside my budget unfortunately. Still finding the HC3800 as my best option with my seating arrangement (10ft viewing from screen), some ambient lighting and the content (Apple 4KTV). The price seems reasonable at the moment $1,399 on most sites. I use a fiber optic HDMI for the run from my AVR to the current Amazon cheap projector that is HDCP 2.2 so I shouldn't have an issue (I hope not) with signal to either projector.

Did you click on my link where it's selling as a refurb? Not supposed to talk pricing really but I'll say that it is selling as a refurb for less than the 3800 by about a $160

Sorry, I misunderstood the original post and thought you were asking if the jump from a 2250 to 4K was worth it

Stephen Hopkins

· #17 · Jun 25, 2021

If you do go the 3800 route, B&H currently has it less new than Epson refurb.

Reactions: 1

turbosig2000

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jun 25, 2021

PixelPusher15 said:
Did you click on my link where it's selling as a refurb? Not supposed to talk pricing really but I'll say that it is selling as a refurb for less than the 3800 by about a $160

Sorry, I misunderstood the original post and thought you were asking if the jump from a 2250 to 4K was worth it

Totally glanced right over that link. That's a great price. What is the process to get refurbs recalibrated?

Stephen Hopkins

· #19 · Jun 25, 2021

It's not just for refurbs... find an ISF Tech/Calibrator in your area and have them come do it... the price seems steep at first glance but it is WELL worth it, especially for HDR.

PixelPusher15

· #20 · Jun 25, 2021

Stephen Hopkins said:
If you like the idea of the 4010 but not the price, you don't give up much (slightly better lens, slightly better tone mapping) going with a refurb 4000 or 4040. If your budget is $1500, you could get the 4000 refurb from Eletctonics Express with their easy-to-find monthly 5% off coupon code and still have enough for a professional ISF calibration. The 4040 for just a tad more from Epson direct may be worth it, though, for the 3yr warranty.

The big Epsons can also get nearly as bright as the 3800 with the cinema filter off, but have more accurate colors when lights are off with the filter turned on.

I was waiting for this! I held back saying it so you could

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