Needed: Suggestion for 1080 projector

I like the DLP projectors with the dark chip three .66” chip and the RGBRGB color wheel.

The BenQ HT 2050A is the most recommended.

You may have to change your ceiling mounting point but that’s not a big job.

He would have to cut his throw in half with the 2050a


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JRock3x8 said:

He would have to cut his throw in half with the 2050a


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That's an exaggeration. He sounds like he is filling the 10' width of the wall, so the Benq HT2050A could be as far as 15' away. He'd have to move his mount forward 3'-4', not "in half". Then again, he also said 130" image, which would not fill 10' width. He also said his mount is "about" 19' away. Projector throw distances and image sizes all require more precise info than he has given so far, especially when he is at the fringes of common throw distance limits for budget projectors.

dreamer said:

He'd have to move his mount forward 3'-4'

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I move my projector 3’-4’ every day last night I moved it twice in fact.

In the OPs case it might not be pretty stringing or extending the cables a few feet across the ceiling when moving the mount but it will work. If they want to pretty it up that’s not too hard as well.

Not sure the Epson 3100 is still on sale but it was a few $100 less then your budget and has the longer throw needed. The Panasonic I assume is LCD so switching to DLP may or may not be a problem. The 3100 is LCD with cheap lamps and loads of lens shift.

Edit: Of course the Epson 5040 refurbished is the best deal right now and a few $100 over your budget but well worth it.

The long throw option of the older 720p models is still tough to find from DLP models. We would need precise measurements as 130" and about 19' aren't really exact. Exact can make a difference.

That said, the Epson 3100 is a solid choice.

It can throw a 130" diagonal from 12'7" to 20'5". It also has a fair bit of lens shift which is helpful for lens positioning in relation to the screen.
https://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_3100-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Oh, and the price is right.

A big jump would come from the Epson 5040. This model, as a factory refurb from Epson, offers a significant step up in quality, especially in terms of contrast. It's a bit over budget, but has more lens shift and greater zoom range for even more placement flexibility. Yes, it is 4K capable, but that just gives you an upgrade path, it's still a 1080p capable model with some of the absolute best quality for the money you can get.
https://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-Home_Cinema_5040UB-projection-calculator-pro.htm?id_=120

At its current listed price the Epson 3100 is the biggest bargain among new (not refurbished) projectors that can handle a 19' throw to a 130" screen. However, Epson's currently listed low pricing goes away this coming Saturday, Sept. 7.

Dave in Green said:

At its current listed price the Epson 3100 is the biggest bargain among new (not refurbished) projectors that can handle a 19' throw to a 130" screen. However, Epson's currently listed low pricing goes away this coming Saturday, Sept. 7.

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OK. I made more precise measuremnts. My ceiling mounter projector is 22" from the wall where I project the image. I want a 130" diagonal image. Looks like I missed the Epson 5040. I think it would have made a good one. I really don't want to move the ceiling mount. All my wires and outlet are at this point. If I have to up my budget, I'd rather do that than move the mount. Any other suggestions with better measurements and an upped budget?

I recently picked up an old jvc rs45u for about 300 and then another 200 for a new bulb. Really good 1080p image. Other models would include the x30 x35 and up, also sonys hw40, hw50/55.

I would look into dlp projectors from marantz and runco as well. Not quite the contrast of the lcos projectors but good contrast with the perfect pixel response of dlp.

bonnie_raitt said:

OK. I made more precise measuremnts. My ceiling mounter projector is 22" from the wall where I project the image. I want a 130" diagonal image. Looks like I missed the Epson 5040. I think it would have made a good one. I really don't want to move the ceiling mount. All my wires and outlet are at this point. If I have to up my budget, I'd rather do that than move the mount. Any other suggestions with better measurements and an upped budget?

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Assuming your mount is exactly 22' from your screen the 5040 is your best bet. If older refurbished or used is in the cards the old Epson 8350,5010/20/30,4000 all have the same zoom range. Throw distance is measured from the front of the lens to the screen not from the mount so you need to measure to the inch including the size of the projector from its mounting point. The 3100 needs 20' 5" for a 130" diag screen so you wouldn't have to move it more then a foot forward for it to work.

If the measurement from the front of the lens is exactly 22' to a 130" diagonal 16:9 aspect ratio image then the Epson 4000/5000/6000 series is the only reasonable choice among currently available new or factory refurbished projectors. Those models all have a 2.1x zoom lens that provides the longest throw of any home theater projector that's commonly recommended on this forum. For example, while the Epson 8350 could work and is still occasionally available as a factory refurb it's really ancient technology. It was introduced 9 years ago and went out of production 3 years ago. Any factory refurb you get would likely be an older, used model that a previous owner sent in for warranty work. Some of these older model factory refurbs have been found to already have thousands of hours of use. I would suggest researching new and factory refurb models from Epson's 4000/5000/6000 series and buy the best one your budget will allow.

Your reponse got me thinking about my diagonal calculation. The wall I am projecting on is 6 ft high and 10 feet wide. I am just calculating the hypotenuse of a 10x6 rectangle. Is 130 inch the number I should be using?

If you are projecting on a wall and not on a screen you need to measure the actual image on the wall and not use the dimensions of the wall itself unless you are filling every inch of that wall both horizontally and vertically. For example, if you are filling that 10' wide wall from end to end you will have a 120" wide image that will result in a 16:9 image that will be 68" high or 5' 8" of the wall's 6' height. That would result in an actual 138" diagonal. But if your image has some space on each side then it's less than 120" wide and the height and diagonal would also be different.

When calculating throw to determine which projectors will work and which ones won't you can't approximate. You need the exact distance from the front of the lens to the screen (or wall) and the exact size of the image you want to throw.

OK. I turned on my current projector and measured the displayed area. It measured 9'-8"(116")x 5'-7"(67"). By my calculations that is a diagonal of 134"

bonnie_raitt said:

OK. I turned on my current projector and measured the displayed area. It measured 9'-8"(116")x 5'-7"(67"). By my calculations that is a diagonal of 134"

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OK, so for a slightly larger 134" image (over 130") from exactly 22' lens to wall the projector model choice doesn't really change. The Epson 4000/5000/6000 series with its extra long throw lens is still by far the best option of any currently available new or factory refurbished model. There are a few odd business models that might work for throw but they'd cost just as much as the Epson 4000/5000/6000 series and would be optimized for business presentations rather than home theater.

Yes, all of the 4000/5000/6000 series have the same long lens. The 6000 series is the most expensive because it comes with an extra replacement lamp, a ceiling mount and a black case instead of the white one used on the 4000/5000 series. Otherwise performance is identical between the 5000/6000. Both of those series come with Epson's Ultra Black panels that produce better black levels than the 4000 series. Other than less convincing black levels the 4000 series has similar overall performance to the 5000/6000 and is the least expensive.

The newest models in those series are the 6050UB, 5050UB and 4050 (the UB is for the ones with the Ultra Black panels). The previous generation is the 6040UB, 5040UB and 4040. The lower the third digit the older the generation, so, for example, the 5040UB replaced the 5030UB in 2016 and was replaced by the 5050UB in 2019.

Just curious, have people had good results with the wireless video. I'm still running an HDMI cable along the floor

I have no personal experience but from what I have read it is a hit or miss. Some have had zero issues and others have had nothing but problems. It might have to do with how much electrical interference you have in your home/neighborhood. A cable is definitely more reliable.