W4100i

i would recommed bneq w4100i if you have $3000 budget. this projector has perfect contrast performance and movie color. will bring you awesome experience,

I would go with the w4100i as a good option for home theater and a little bit of gaming. For more toward the gaming side, go for the TK710. If your space allows it, I would actually choose the LS9000 over any of these and it's at a reasonable price. If you can reach it, the ls12000 is absolutely phenomenal. Best for $1000 - eBay refurbished Benq Ht3550 Best for $1500 - ebay refurbished Benq HT4550i Best for $2000 Gaming - Benq tk710. If you are more toward movies but have a 2000 budget, go for the Benq  W2720i Best for $2500 - refurbished Epson 5050ub Best for $3000 - Benq W4100i Best for $4000 - Epson ls9000 Best for $4500 - Epson LS11000. It would be a tough call between this and the ls9000 because 11000 has more lumens but 9000 has better contrast. Best for $5000 - You can probably find a Native 4K Sony XW5000es Best for $6000 - Epson LS12000, Benq W5800, or Sony XW5000es if you can't find it for $5000 I am like you too and want Laser. But Benqs LED is amazing and I would choose it over 90 percent of laser projectors. Unless you choose the Benq HT3550, I wouldn't consider lamp in 2025.

Oh sorry, I didn't specify but the prices I put are in USD. I overlooked your budget, but let me give you some advice. If you want to go strictly under $2500, nothing can beat a 5050ub refurbished at that price point. What I would do is get a LS11000 refurbished at $3,100 USD which comes with a 2 year warranty because it's Epson refurbished, and that is the best bang for your buck. If you feel more comfortable, go with the Benq w4100i for $3000 which has a LED light source which I love. It won't be as good as the LS11000, but it will be more compact and better for short ceilings. It does have more lumens, but for a 110 inch screen, you won't need those lumens unless the lights are fully on. What I would do in my honest opinion, is just get a 100 or 98 inch tv. I was about to do that to my home theater, but I had space to upgrade to 120. If you can get 115+ then go projector. 

Be careful with the valerion then. It is not full 1080p 3D, you will be disappointed. Epson did drop that feature and it is a bit disappointing. I have some 3d titles but by no means expansive and my sony can still work the 3d for me. I was in it this time for the 4k 120hz mode Epson offered as its been a gem for gaming and low lag. I would look at BenQ if youre an Epson fan or liked their image but want something DLP that is still doing 3D... w4100i I think it is, basically a sleeper of a projector for the money. They're using the new larger .65" chip instead of the .47" and theyre still doing 3D.

BenQ W4100i is a pretty great projector. I'd definately put that on the list and the price is considerably lower than $4k. Also, I've had great customer service experiences with them. I came from a similar 1080p Epson and the difference is astonishing. It is easily more projector than I could ever need.

I have a BenQ W4100i and an SI Slate 1.2 and am more than happy with a 140" picture. Would I like to do something fancier, maybe a Bragi CinemaScope or a bunch of lasers? Sure, but whatever. I don't let my 16 year old drive the Ferrari either, but it would be lost on him anyways. Everyone in the house uses this setup. It plays TV and movies and YouTube. It is great.

The new triple laser projectors (Valerion Pro2, Hisense C2 Ultra, JMGO N3) have gotten really close to the Epson and JVC level. The gap isn't huge anymore. **Valerion Pro2** – best value. \~$2,700, RTINGS #1, amazing contrast for dark rooms. **Epson LS12000** – $4,500+, 3LCD (no rainbow), motorized lens. Reliable but not better contrast than the Valerion. **JVC NZ500** – $6k+, best blacks, but you're paying a lot for that last bit of performance. **JMGO N3** – wait for real reviews before buying. For 10-12ft seating and 120-150 inches, most long-throws work fine. The zoom range is nice but not essential. If you want best value, Valerion. If you want no rainbow effect ever – Epson. If money doesn't matter – JVC. [I have the top projector options here](https://medium.com/@dejan-k/projector-vs-100-inch-tv-2026-d0b6e18c3c14) – might help narrow it down.

Valerion goes a bit deeper into black, better contrast. BenQ has more natural colors and is a bit brighter. Both are great, honestly.

Honestly, don't overthink it. DVD players aren't really a thing in projectors anymore. Just grab any cheap DVD player from Argos or Amazon for £20-30 and plug it in. Same for speakers, built-in ones are weak, but you can connect a soundbar or a Bluetooth speaker you probably already own. For a living room with windows, you want something bright. The Anker Nebula X1 is probably your best bet, it's around £2,500, super easy to set up (self-aligns, no ceiling mount), and works fine with some daylight. If that's too much money, look at the BenQ W4100i – cheaper, still great, but you'll need to mount it or put it on a shelf. I put together a comparison [**here**](https://medium.com/@dejan-k/projector-vs-100-inch-tv-2026-d0b6e18c3c14) with all the top options and what each one is good for. Happy to answer any other questions – I was clueless too before I bought mine.

Dark basement, 7.5ft ceiling mount – you're in a good spot. Under $2k, look at the **Epson HC 3800** (\~$1,600). Solid for movies and hockey, fine for gaming. If you can stretch to $2,350, the **BenQ W4100i** is noticeably better – better contrast and colors. At 12x14ft, you can do 100-120 inches easily. [Here's a comparison of the top options](https://medium.com/@dejan-k/projector-vs-100-inch-tv-2026-d0b6e18c3c14) – worth a look.

You're right, BenQ has no WiFi. But just plug in a Fire Stick or Chromecast. That's what most people do anyway. Epson 3800 is solid and simpler. No shame in that. BenQ has better contrast and colors for movies. Epson is easier. Can't go wrong either way. 👍Its on you.

For 180-200 inches outdoors, the LS11000 and X3100i won't cut it. Not nearly bright enough. At $3,500, check used or refurbished high-lumen projectors. Epson Pro L1505UH (12,000+ lumens) pops up for $3-4k. Also look for Panasonic PT-VZ580U (5,000 lumens) or BenQ LU930 (6,000 lumens). For 200 inches with any ambient light at all, you want at least 5,000 lumens bare minimum. Ideally 8,000-10,000. Also factor in an ALR screen – for 180-200 inches, that's another $2,000-3,000 at minimum, sometimes more depending on quality. Honest truth? $3,500 total budget for 200 inches outdoors is really tight. The screen alone eats $2k+. You might want to save up to $6-7k or drop down to 150 inches. But if you're set on 200, used Epson Pro is your best bet.

150 inches changes everything. Much more doable at $3,500. At that size, the BenQ X3100i or Epson LS11000 would work fine with a decent ALR screen ($1,500-2k). Or grab a Valerion Pro2 or BenQ W4100i for $2,350-2,700 and put the rest toward the screen. Glad it helped. 150 is way more realistic for outdoor movies anyway. 👍

With that room size (12x15), both work fine. That old BenQ – yeah, swap it. Modern laser projectors like the Valerion Pro2 or BenQ W4100i will be a huge upgrade. For movies mostly? Projector gives you that cinema feel. For sports with friends during the day? TV is brighter and easier. I'd probably keep the projector setup since it's already there. Just upgrade the BenQ. [Here's my comparison](https://medium.com/@dejan-k/projector-vs-100-inch-tv-2026-d0b6e18c3c14) if you want to see the options.