PowerLite Pro Cinema 6030UB

Is mid-range $20 or $10? I have a dedicated room. This month I moved from Epson 6050 to JVC NZ700, the Epson is nice and has a great picture for the price, no doubt. But moving to native 4k made a difference in black levels, HDR, low light and the Frame Adapt tone mapping, filmmaker mode. And it’s “laser”. It’s not like the first time I saw 1080 HD on a Mitsubishi, but it’s definitely a step up, and I think you are future proofed for quite some time.

My Epson 6050 also looks this good…in a completely light controlled room with blackout curtains. THIS picture quality while in a brightly lit room is absolutely insane

5050 has better contrast and deeper blacks than the 11000. The LS12000 is the laser update to the 5050 but it loses 3d for better 4k pixel shifting. I had a 6040 for just shy of 2 years and replaced it last April with a 6050. Lamps are $300 through a dealer, but can be found cheaper. ~9.5 months in and I’m just over 300hrs. I can get through this lamp’s life and probably another’s before seriously considering replacing it, and by then it’ll be a JVC for me.

I love it. It seems noticeably brighter than the 6040 in the same picture profiles, especially in 3D. I went back and forth on a used JVC NX series, but opted for the 6050 so I could have a warranty and it’s in my white-walled living room, so the contrast edge of a JVC wouldn’t have been as noticeable but the less brightness definitely would have been. I don’t think I suffer from rainbow effect, but I haven’t don’t a ton of testing. Also, the chance that I invite a friend over and they might be affected, kinda scared me off DLPs for now. Supposedly Valerion’s new reduction algorithm pretty much eliminates it. But contrast and black levels on DLP’s is only just catching up to epson (while other features far surpass like Dolby Vision support). I want a few more years of maturity on the laser long throw options and hopefully more reasonable prices too before I consider swapping.

I bought the $60 dollar one and it was reasonable for watching low stakes entertainment. It crapped out 3 days into it. I bought a used $200 Epson 1080p 3D capable one and haven’t regretted it. (dont remember the model)

The PT-AE4000 was a *great* projector in its day, and that’s why it still impresses people — especially in a dark room. For $60–$200, I’d say it’s a solid deal **if** the lamp hours are low or recently replaced. At the higher end ($300–$400), I’d personally start looking at slightly newer Epson UB models instead. Just keep in mind it’s a \~15-year-old projector: brightness is modest by today’s standards, parts are aging, and replacement lamps can cost as much as the projector itself. Totally fine for movies in a light-controlled room, less ideal if there’s ambient light. As for wall vs screen — a white wall *works*, but even a cheap fixed-frame or pull-down screen will noticeably improve contrast and uniformity. You don’t need ALR at this budget, just a basic matte white screen will be a big step up. If you’re open to alternatives, used Epson 6500UB/8500UB/8700UB or later Panasonic AE models are worth a look. New cheap projectors may be brighter on paper, but image quality usually isn’t comparable.