My tips: 1) If you can, buy well known name brands from BestBuy or other reputable place, that will honor their returns and warranties. 2) If you find something used on FB marketplace, make it a local thing, so that you chat with the seller, and if your gut tells you this is a bad deal, then walk away. 3) DON'T send anyone a nickel in advance for anything. Lots of scammers out there willing to sell you world for cheap, making you feel like you got a deal, then ghost you. --- Imagine 7 years ago when I posted online that I was looking for a puppy, and boy, the scum that came out of the woodwork looking for advanced payments was unreal.
Back to projectors. I got a new BenQ TH575 from BestBuy 3 years ago, and it's been beautiful. Then 2 years ago I got lucky and bought a used Epson Home Cinema 1060. It's been a beast. I use both projectors at two different spaces. For the Epson, I like that I can find the bulbs through AliExpress for $12. Mind you, not the highest of quality, but they do the trick. Other people will hate that, but I need to save money when I can.
I think for $1,000, you can find something good from BestBuy. Not their marketplace. But from the store itself. 1080p. Not sure if you'll find 4K. Good luck.
It's good. Many of us have been down your road, till we understand that there's always better projectors that can fit a budget. I had a 720, moved up to be BenQ 1080p, and an Epson 1080p. I'm thrilled with these two and one day, when I get some cash, I'll try a 4K. But you're doing good. And they won't be as loud.
I have been using [this](https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-TH575-Projector-Enhanced-Game-Mode/dp/B0B4QV9YV6?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.u7HNh-URHcsrG25EC7m8NueCXtcHX4VLJ7Y3bbJw7wQazF-znAXE8O2-7uIpzvRbap5ptat3Kue0gmj9r_TC3XfTnmWGn6QynFZ5ikQG6SDIVEIcNJX5jGCYRjAlYNATRkMhrXeEUEbfCXHL2Y3tSUv1yae6LdeqcLgiKuscQ4HEQGcr6Ow9wN30opvv2fq4f7OBjye8Ddysk4er1tvcNvzXhNncCg2uMKR_TdyKbVk.ExKL4WrgYWyg8g_mS060-hEl6A5uZwpk0ykOsQT9d4c&dib_tag=se&keywords=BenQ+TH575&qid=1750837999&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=grok43-20&linkId=d3224b3bf60bc51981f8b9e1de5e2227&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl) from benq for a while , its a decent monitor and excellent value for money. overall a very solid option for your use case I feel
That's a near bottom of the line Epson. Being realistic about pricing, mid-tier is $1,200-$2,000 or so. At $300-$600, you are looking at the most entry level projectors that major manufacturers may have available.
I'd skip that Epson for sure as it is WXGA resolution and will have decent brightness but very poor contrast/black levels.
DLP is a different way to project than 3 LCD or single panel LCD projectors offer and they tend to have much better contrast, especially on lesser expensive models like the BenQ TH575.
There is a ton on Google that compares 3 LCD to DLP projectors.
If you haven't please watch this video as it may be more in line with your price point and you get a laser/led projector instead of a lamp-based projector, which matters more and more these days...
[https://youtu.be/jmmGQOSAReI?si=nyzuQ15VBiutLKDz](https://youtu.be/jmmGQOSAReI?si=nyzuQ15VBiutLKDz)
Take a bit of time and look at the JMGO website. The N1 is only $500 and is a fair bit brighter than the listed XGimi. XGimi often also struggles with contrast on their portable models of this nature.
JMGO also has their lower end 4K models which are decently reviewed and another step up in brightness.
The BenQ TH575 is a more traditional projector. This means setup isn't super easy. You have to position it fairly exactly and it requires manual keystone correction. It is brighter, but may not be ideal for casual bedroom use like you are after. Especially since the lens MUST be on center as it has no horizontal keystone correction.
4-corner correction is pretty normal on the newest portable/lifestyle models which are on the market and helps make setup easier.
You may want to search for 'bedroom' within this group as this question is asked several times a week.
if you're debating TV or projector, 100% get a TV, I would always suggest a TV unless you're going over 100" or for whatever reason REALLY want a projector
that being said I highly suggest saving a little more for the refurbished benq th575. either that or you'll have to go the used route
you know nothing? ok well projectors are mainly made if you want to go 100" or bigger and projectors are way more pricey compared to how cheap TV's are (plus you need to have closed curtains)
and that's a no-name brand crap, for budget price i'd recommend the benq th575 and a silver ticket screen
and I still wouldn't recommend it as a TV replacement
r/budgetprojectors almost all of them in that price range are trash lol, projectors can be pricey, the budget recommendation here is \~$500 for a refurbished benq th575
but cheapest good brand name is probably refurbished xgimi projectors, or if you want to search for used benq/epson
head over to r/budgetprojector , best budget recommendation here is the refurbished benq th575 for $512 which is a great deal, this used to always be sold out but its back in stock (also a dongle like a firestick)
also that amazon one is no-name garbage single lcd panel that's WAY overpriced that lie on specs because in reality those cheap ones are worth under $100, don't last long and are around 400 lumens at best
yaber is not a name brand, its cheap lcd garbage that are meant to die like most cheap projectors and those aren't worth over $100 since they die so fast
benq/epson are dlp/3lcd and last 10-20 times longer and are much brighter and better in every other way. projectors are very much "you get what you pay for"
r/budgetprojectors
magcubic is the #1 worst projector brand ever. look into actual brand name refurbished benq/epson/xgimi they are dlp/3lcd
and just know any other super cheap brand will probably be lcd based and will therefor die sooner rather than later because projectors are definitely "you get what you pay for" (if you do want something super cheap and crappy then I guess the happrun h1, I wouldnt go over $100 on lcd)
the popular budget recommendation here is a refurbished benq th575 for $512, and if you want something cheaper maybe a refurbished xgimi or even better, something used like a benq w1070 that go for \~$300
the best budget one recommended here is a ebay refurbished benq th575
and if you want something like actually super cheap then head on over to r/budgetprojectors
please note all those super cheap ones that the other comment listed like elephas and yaber are lcd based unlike benq/epson are DLP and 3LCD, those cheap lcd based will die 10 to 20x faster and the brightness is limited and dim on those and I personally wouldn't waste over $100 on lcd based projectors
it will need to be watched with no light to look its best btw, and TV's are super cheap compared to projectors
if you still want one, look into the JMGO n1 and also the refurbished benq th575 constantly goes in and out of stock on ebay for $512
skip portables like that mogo pro, they sacrifice brightness with a higher price just for portability
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1
Valerion
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Great picture, good gaming, but pronounced RBE and no lens shift.
1kennet
