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I have a 5050ub and was thinking of upgrading to a nz700. Worth it? Noticeable?
Epson projector 5050UB 4K pro HD
Sorry Epson projector 5050UB 4K pro HD
I have a 5050ub. Does it have the same 3D capabilities as your 6050ub?
I have the 5050UB. It is excellent and remains so even after 3500 hrs on the original bulb. I recently purchased a Hisense PX3 Pro UST for another room, and it doesnt match the Epson for filmic look. Also black levels aee better on Epson.
If only the 5050 would stop going up in price. I almost pulled the trigger on one for 2500 at one point but figured it would continue to go down in price. Boy was I wrong it’s up to 3700 now and I just can’t understand how a 6 year old electronic device has just continued to cost more.
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.
I have a 110" screen paired with an Epson 5050UB and would choose that over a 100" TV every time if I could only have one. The projector looks great, but besides that, the experience feels different and more special when I lower the screen and watch on the projector. When I watch on the TV in the same room, it feels like I'm just watching TV instead of enjoying a moviegoing experience. Not to mention, watching a movie with a projector on a large screen is much easier on the eyes with its reflecting light vs. a TV's light blasting directly into my retinas. A large TV screen also produces more heat, which becomes very noticeable in a smaller room with the door closed. I love my TVs, don't get me wrong. But if I had to choose a 100" TV or 110" projector screen for movies, I'm going with the projector every time. I find immersion from more than just the screen size, even though the adjustable size is an awesome perk.
Plenty of options on a projector, and the Valerion is well reviewed. No way to know how bad the laser speckle may be and if it bothers you or anyone in your family. Rainbow Effect (RBE) is another thing nobody knows about until they see it themselves. I am RBE sensitive, but it typically doesn't bug me much and I get used to it at a point I don't complain except very rarely. A safer model may be something like the Epson 5050UB, which is larger and has a lot more lens it is working with. Hard to call that out as 'better' overall, but definitely won't have laser speckle or RBE issues.
DLP generally just can't keep up on black levels compared to the better Epson, Sony, and JVC models. The 5050UB has been long stated to be one of the best values for quality in the industry, but it is long overdue for a laser update to it. The NP5 is an easy one to call the 'best of the bunch', but the lamp light source instead of a laser really does suck.
I would get rid of the credenza at the front of the room completely in favor of a screen that's a bit lower on the wall. You will want to pull the chains off the ceiling fan so they aren't in the way, and get a projector with extensive lens shift like a Epson 3800 or better, JVC, Sony will also work, then you can ceiling mount and drop the lens so it is under the ceiling fan's light, or swap the current ceiling fan for a low profile ceiling fan only and add recessed lights to the space. Walls and ceiling and carpet are all terrible colors for best performance, and you should plan to address surround sound in the room as well. The Epson 5050UB, if you're in the USA, is still a pretty solid option overall. Lots of lens shift and solid image quality overall, despite the age. It's under budget and gives you some money for a good ceiling mount (Chief RPMAU) and a decent screen (Silver Ticket, fixed frame, matte white). With the steps up to the attic right there, it looks like putting in recessed lights in that room should be super simple(ish). Not sure how handy you are, but I like this room. Might be worth spending on some motorized blackout shades for the window as well to add that 'cool' factor.
Rankings by Use Case
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