EH-TW7000

For a completely dark room with a 3.85 m throw and a 2.8 m screen, all three options can work, but prioritizing quiet operation and consistent image quality, the Epson EH-TW7000 seems like a solid pick. It’s reliable, delivers strong color accuracy, and generally runs quieter than the Optoma UHD38x, which has had some reported reliability issues. The ViewSonic PX701-4K shines in brighter rooms, so its advantage is less relevant here. If you’re open to slightly stretching the budget, some Dangbei 4K projectors are worth checking too, they offer excellent brightness, color, and low fan noise, plus solid build quality, making them beginner-friendly for home theaters.

I don't think people with the 5050UB should be unhappy. But, the LS11000 costs more, and has lower contrast, while XGimi is pushing out models like the Horizon 20, base model, for about $1,600, that is every bit as good or better than what Epson has in their 3200/3800 models, for less/similar money. The high end models that are in the same price range of the 5050UB are squaring up against it nicely. Valerion has been tested against JVC models with solid performance. I think Epson is trying to compete in the high end, instead of doing their best in the middle range where they have excelled for decades. Not just years, but decades they have been such an easy recommendation. We also saw from BenQ that it is not that expensive to switch from a lamp system to a laser system. It just makes no sense to buy a lamp based projector that is over half a decade old in design, considering the competition.

I just picked up a tw7000 for £600 and it's great!

My set up was an Epson 3200 (~$1300), a Silver Ticket Screens 120” wall mount screen (~$200), and some cheaper blackout curtains that don’t completely block light from windows but dull it significantly. I couldn’t watch very dark movies or tv shows in daylight, but it was plenty sufficient for what I wanted most of the time. For something like sports games, it covered my bases well. The 3200 full price is closer to $1600, but you can find refurbished (or used) ones in the $1000 range now fairly often. I don’t think there’s a world where you can get a satisfactory set up in your max $1200 budget with gambling on used projectors online that may or may not work okay, but you might be able to get something if you’re willing to go up a couple hundred dollars. This is assuming you already have an AV receiver and speakers and are not using the tv speakers. If you need to get those as well, I think $2200+ is going to be the floor for what you want unless you’re willing to spend a lot of time searching for used equipment and taking chances on them.

I've had both tv's and projectors in my small apartment. It comes down to do you live alone and do you like the dark? If you live alone and like the dark, the projector is much better. You get a huge image and you can just project it to your wall and don't have to carry a huge tv to your apartment. I have the Epson 3200 (now in my garage) and used it when I lived in my apartment and it was great (other than arguing about opening curtains). If you live with people you will be arguing about opening the blinds every day. They might want them open and you want them closed. It becomes a headache and then you will just end up with a tv.