Epson - Home Cinema 3800

I got a new 3800 for 1350€ recently, very happy with it.

I've been demoing projectors around that price range. You're not going to find a 4k. They may handle 4k, but it won't look 4k. I settled on a refurbished Epson 3800 which was $1300. I have a 135 inch screen. If I only had room for 100 inch, I'd buy a TV.

I returned it and bought an Epson 3800. Way better.

Need to know your screen size, your aspect ratio, and your throw distance. Lens to screen. Then go here and put in the information... [https://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm?g=2&ar=16%3A9#list](https://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm?g=2&ar=16%3A9#list) Frankly, the Epson 3800 is likely the proper product for you at the very least. You aren't buying a cheap no-name toy and getting anything remotely like a quality product. You're just buying a toy.

No projector works outside during the day, and dusk is even questionable. But, the Epson 3800 is the model without any RBE that I would get. It will work great indoors as well which is a big plus. Pair it with a Amazon Fire TV Stick and a Bluetooth speaker and it'll be a nice outdoor setup.

I think the Epson is a better model overall with better contrast and much more placement flexibility. The BenQ has faster pixel response time for gaming, and a solid state light engine which is a big plus at this time. If you have access to replacement lamps in the future, then the Epson is an easy favorite in my opinion.

If this is a permanent installation, look at home theater projectors, or lifestyle models designed to be easily ceiling mounted. A proper 5.1 audio installation with an AV receiver is a must, especially in a dedicated space with a home you actually own. Run wiring in the walls before you paint, and you will have a life long proper surround system. Avoid equipment at the front of the room if possible. Run HDMI to the projector and make it so you can swap out that HDMI cable. Wireless/screen mirroring is generally quite a lousy way to do anything. Use a wired device like an Apple TV or a Chromecast. If you're just streaming, consider a Roku or similar. The lifestyle models, as seen in the video, and as recommended with the X1 are decent solutions for sure, but are trickier to ceiling mount if they don't have a 3-point or 4-point mounting structure as is common with traditional projectors. Plus, they rarely have zoom and lens shift is almost unheard of. These are more common features on traditional projectors. But, the Hisense C2 Pro is a model with good zoom but terrible mounting. The Nexigo Trivision Ultra is well reviewed and has 4-point mounting which is nice for a ceiling setup. No zoom, no lens shift, so positioning must be very accurate for best results, as is common. Super easy to setup are models like the Epson 3800, but they are lamp-based and pretty much past their prime. A shame we haven't seen a laser version of those models yet. The BenQ X500i or X3100i are considerations as is the TK710 (or TK710STi) which are decent traditional models. High end starts around $5000 with Epson, Sony, and JVC models, all worthy in a good theater. Not sure what you're really hoping to spend here. A fixed frame screen from Silver Ticket is a excellent way to go.

Epson and BenQ are proven to be reliable and have good service centers and honor their warranties. Valerion is too new to know how well they will respond and how reliable they are. But, that isn't a bad thing. Just a question mark at this point. Other companies are out there like Acer and Viewsonic as well. Some have traditional lamps, like on the Epson 3800/TW-7100 which are easy to replace, but must be replaced every few thousand hours of use. Laser and LED lamp sources are not user replaceable, but last for 20,000+ hours (rated) which is typically many, many years. Daytime viewing is a physics problem. A 500 lumen projector will not fare as well as a 3,000 lumen projector, but true daylight coming into a room will wash them both out and leave you a mess of an image. That's the physics of it all. After dark, it's a non issue and a 500-1000 lumen projector can look quite good on a 110" diagonal screen. But, screen size, throw distance, lens offset, mounting position will all matter. Oh, and you will need to handle audio separately.

The biggest issue with the TW7100/3800 model is that it is still lamp based. Otherwise, this is a really well reviewed home theater projector with a lot of zoom range and good lens shift. In low power mode it is nearly silent and will have tons of light output for such a small screen size. The screen size is tiny and you really should be getting a TV. I would be remiss if I didn't just say that this is, by far, the better option at that size. Still, the projector is a really solid choice. Not sure if the 2350 is available to you, but that model would also work from that distance, but it is a downgrade to the 3800 in most regards.

I have an epson 3800 on a 110" screen. Not a huge gamer but I have put in a few hundred hours on red dead 2 and it's awesome. Very immersive and no lag

They're both great projectors in their respective classes. The 3800 is 4k, has much better contrast and input lag, lens shift, 3D, and is quieter in Eco (both of these are so bright, you probably won't ever have to leave Eco). It's also a chonker compared to the 1060 at around 15 pounds and physically around twice the size. Re: curtains, I would just bite the bullet and get blackouts. Deconova makes some very affordable ones.

Excluding any Chinese shite off of Amazon with fake specifications, the difference in cost for "reputable brand" 4K projectors is mostly whether they are true 4K native resolution or if they are 1080p pixel shifters which pretty much achieve the same thing. At sensible distances from the screen, many would say you can't tell the difference between pixel shifted 4k and native 4k. I have the Epson 3800 ( in Europe it's a TW7100) on a 100" screen in a dedicated room and it looks beautiful to me. This PJ is where my research Les me to buy also because it has good lens shift options which give you a decent amount of flexibility in where you ideally want to mount the PJ Vs alignment with the screen. I didn't want to spend £1600 at the outset, but there we are.

yep - **Epson** **EH-TW8400 4K PRO-UHD Home Theatre** **Projector** \- be keen to know if anyone else has this projector what HDR settings they are using for it

If mostly movies, get the Epson.

Found an epson 3800 open box for $220 off which seemed like a pretty good deal. So, unless there's another contender that comes in well below the 3800's price tag (about $1300 after discount), I'll probably pick that one up. Unless there's any other models to consider that have very minor RBE and enough of a discount from there!

I bought an Epson-refurbished 3800 from their website for $1100, and have been blown away by how good it is. It's a lot bigger than I expected and mounting it was interesting, but the image quality and options are amazing. I wish it had eARC support and motorized zoom/focus/keystone, but otherwise I can't see beating it for the price. This is in a dedicated home theater in a light-controlled room. https://preview.redd.it/fl7sdlfclime1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=c24f298bc88b49ea7a5041f6ae530180ebc0a17c

If you're cool with pixel-shifting, seems like a reasonable option. [This guy](https://www.reddit.com/r/projectors/comments/za63m0/epson_home_cinema_2350_vs_3800/iyumrb5/) compares it to the 3800 I have, which I too would recommend.

\+1 for the Epson HC3800 (= EH-TW7100 here in Europe). Brightness is fine, noise is acceptable and for me the two most important factors are: large lens-shift range (I can shelf-mount the projector close to the top of the screen's height) and the 3LCD technology is completely free of the rainbow effect (as it turned out, I'm super sensitive to RBE: I got a headache after watching a show on the Hisense C1...) I bought and returned 3 other projectors this Christmas until I settled with this (BenQ W1800i: too noisy, Hisense C1: unbearable RBE, Epson HC3700: contrast was not enough for me - the 3800 is just slightly better but it's now in the acceptable range). https://preview.redd.it/d7e7z1jll1re1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b3e5b5b141b0481ce25d12c38a9b34b708259b5b

Get a fixed frame screen from Elite and pair it with an Epson 3800. That will leave you a goodly amount for sound. Other folks can recommend what to do audio-wise.

For no RBE, you are looking at Epson/Sony/JVC as the only companies that use 3 chip light engines and don’t use color wheels on their projectors. Out of those, Epson makes the most readily available models that will be bright enough and in your desired price range. I would say the Epson 3800 is probably exactly what you should be looking at.

Epson 3800 will be a good fit. They are showing up for 1200 US and will work with your throw distance.

For your application, I would recommend an ALR screen so that you have a better picture contrast under different lighting conditions. Get a motorised retractable screen so that the screen is not down when not in use. That will protect it from accidental damage. Look at the Elite CineGrey, a motorized 106” is just under $1300 US on Amazon. Don’t use a short throw projector set up. Short-throw setups usually assume the projector is sitting on a console under and in front of the screen. Get a standard throw Epson like the UB5050 or a 3800 if you’d like something even more budget friendly. Ceiling mount the projector overhead so that the projector is also protected from damage.

I think the BenQ TK710 (not the older 700 series) is probably your best choice. The Epson 3800 might be an OK alternative but you give up a lot: namely a solid state lamp/laser, true 4K resolution, support for higher frame rates and DLP’s absolutely fantastic motion handling (which is mind blowing at 120/240Hz). The BenQ X3100i comes highly recommended. I reviewed the prior X3000i a few years back. It’s a great projector and the only one of these three that will give you some extra color gamut support for HDR. I really like the 4LED light engine for its vibrant colors. However it IS a bit pricier and I’m afraid the contrast isn’t nearly as good as the two above. Fine for big screen gaming but maybe a bit less satisfying while watching movies. Another dark horse contender would be the BenQ X500i. This is actually my favorite projector BenQ offers right now besides the HT4550i. It has excellent color and superb contrast— but it’s short throw only and the light output is borderline for a 120” display in a non-dedicated room.

I agree with a lot of the sentiment here, but only if you're answering the broadest question possible without any context. If you had to answer the question "what is the cheapest good projector" with no understanding of what/how they plan to consume content, what their expectations are, what their room and light control is like, etc. and really needed to CYA, the 5050ub is a great blanket recommendation. Ever since the 5040ub deals dried up, and for anyone that doesn't plan to game at 4k, I'd say a refurb HC4000/4010 and ISF calibration (specifically with separate SDR and HDR calibrations saved to memory) would be nearly as good and a better value than a 5040ub or 5050ub without calibration for $500-$1000 less... And I'd gladly take a 4000 over a 3800 if for no other reason than power/memory zoom/shift (especially if there's any interest in a 2.35:1 screen). Even the 3800 isn't a bad recommendation if the size/weight of the larger Epsons is too much. Just like anything else, context makes all the difference. You're not necessarily being elitist saying the 5050ub is the bare minimum, but it seems you're trying to cover so many possible situations that it's just the lowest common denominator.

I also had the ultra briefly, but coming from the Home Cinema 3800 the black levels were unbearable. This time around I gotta say I am pleasantly surprised

Not everyone is sensitive to it. I would see it often watching darker movies like horror, not something like Rick and Morty. A dark scene with a flash of white anywhere on the screen and I could see a rainbow inside the white briefly due to the spinning color wheel inside the projector. I had no idea what was happening when I first noticed it. After I looked it up and realized what I was seeing, I would be distracted with anything I watched looking out for it. I had to exchange it for an Epson 3800.

I just picked up a 3800 for $1600cdn on sale. I'm about 13 ft away, 120" screen. Looks awesome to me. Light controlled basement. I got it for movies and PS5 etc. Just remember they are all pixel shift 4k at this price point. I think you gotta go upwards of $5k or $6k for true 4k if I remember correctly. However, I came from a 10 year old DELL 1080p 60hz.... And this (Epson 3800) looks amazing to me.

I own the Epson 3800, the lens is my biggest complaint. a little soft in the corners. I use it for movies and gaming and happy with it otherwise. For exclusive movie watching 5050 would be a better choice imo.

I would pay the extra money for the 3800. The 1060 is an entry level projector that weighs about 6 pounds and uses a 210 watt bulb. The 3800 is mid level and weighs about 15 pounds and uses a 245 watt bulb. You will have better contrast and more color saturation with the 3800. Assuming you keep the projector for several years, there isn't much difference in costs per year.

Great deal. I have a 3800 in my home theater but have a 1060 for outdoor usage, primarily for the side of a building at the bar I manage. I actually have two 1060s in case one dies on me. The throw on the 1060 is a bit shorter. Perfect for what I'm using it for. https://preview.redd.it/r2zd4hwrnw8f1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6a047de06b62109a5aec83e96075d0d13ff6f811

People get mad at me and accuse me of being elitist when I tell them that the floor these days is an Epson 5050UB. $3000 new or $2400 for refurb: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/epson-home-cinema-5050ub/6344895.p?skuId=6344895 https://www.amazon.com/Epson-Projector-Advanced-Balanced-Brightness/dp/B0857B1DGC The issue is that I'm not being elitist. I just can't in good conscience tell them that what they want to do is possible for the price they want to do it. You've already experienced first hand want $1000 gets you in projection. Do you really think that was worth spending $1000 on? There's plenty if better options that cost more than the Epson 5050UB. And if that's your price range, we can discuss those. But I have an extremely difficult time recommending the options that cost less than that. All the good projector makers have pretty much decided they no longer want to make competitive budget projectors, including Epson. That's why this model hasn't been refreshed since 2019. So we are left with a bunch of cheap DLP projectors that recycle the same two Texas Instruments chips and cannot match a 5 year old Epson in color accuracy or contrast. If you desperately need to spend less than the Epson 5050UB and are willing to give up some contrast, the Epson 3800 is not terrible for the price. It's certainly better than the alternatives in its price range: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/epson-home-cinema-3800/6366530.p?skuId=6366530 But on the whole, if you can reach a bit further and afford the open box 5050UB instead, that's the much better route to go.

3800 is objectively better, especially since it has 4k. What is your space like, though? The epson 1060 has shorter throw than the 3800

Keep in mind that these Epson Models are not True 4K! The 5050UB is missing "only" 2 Million Pixel of the 8,3 Million Pixel of 4K. 5040UB and 4050 as well as the HC 3800 are missing 4,15 Million Pixel!

I’m not looking for perfection. I actually just tested my Epson 3800 in my backyard onto some trees and I think that’s gonna be good enough. Any thoughts on that?

Do you have a recommendation? Again I’m not looking for the best. Just a decent used like business projector that’s bright. Otherwise I do own an Epson 3800.

That’s what I’m thinking. And it def seems bright enough.

I am extremely happy with the Epson 3800. Should be around 1700-1800 after taxes. Easy set-up, beautiful picture, and for me at least, not too noisy

Yep on a high end Epson 4K HDR LCD projector at 120 inches Looks so damn good.