NexiGo - PJ40 (Gen 3)

Only had mine for 3 months and a few dozen hours of usage and have developed several large black spots on the LCD. Interestingly I just updated the firmware a few days ago and you can now set the brightness only up to 5 whereas before I believe it went to 10. I think this projector has issues with burning the LCD.

720p will leave the image a little softer but it will still look much more impressive at larger sizes. But the cheap Chinese garbage projectors aren't that great. I think semi-passable starts at something like a Nexigo PJ40 gen 3 but check with /r/budgetprojectors

I have an Epson. I'd buy a Valerion (well, in my case, either a Nexigo or maybe the new AWOL - I like UST's). The Valerion Max can use an anamorphic lens, and there's a company/guy in Canada already designing one and taking pre-orders with a price range they're aiming for between $500 and $1000; Valerion has said that they'll provide anamorphic support in the software to properly stretch the image to get you 2.35:1 so that would make a superb home theater. Anamorphic for $5-6 grand is not the usual price point for real widescreen. Epson's price/performance is just not quite on point. They want stupid money for their stuff, prices that simply aren't warranted (the QB1000 for instance). Downside with anything Chinese like Valerion - the support experience may be... interesting. Anyway, these are in a cheaper category so I guess I rambled on for not much reason there, but the particular Epson pictured is not a unit I'd buy, leaving you with the Valerion, but there are other $1500-ish options for a lifestyle projector. Here's a recent video round up from The Hook Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QqnfJ0-I_s The Epson is in there. It did not do well. Based on the video, you may want to look at the Xgimi Horizon 20.

I just returned the nexigo pj40 gen 3 because of all the complaints I read about screen burn and blown fuses, etc. I bought this not knowing those issues were due to the lcd screen rather than that specific make and model, meaning this might also be prone to similar issues. That said, this screen is a little less bright, has a bigger frame, seems to have a bigger and better fan, which seems to keep it's temp in check. My x9 does not get anywhere near as hot as the nexigo did, at least not when I felt the air coming from the exhaust port last night. The nexigo was noticeably hot just standing near the exhaust, and this one was barely warm with my hand up to it. Thinking all that could help with the issues people experienced with the nexigo. Based on that, I'll roll the dice and will report back if it explodes lol. For anyone interested in performance, I was blown away by the nexigo for the price, but it struggled with blending certain colors and had some wonky artifacts at times. It was marginally brighter than the x9, only really noticeable side-by-side, and only in certain scenes or with cetain colors. The x9 is plenty bright for my needs. I have it set up in a dark basement currently, but really intend to use it outdoors for camping and in the backyard and in parks and stuff. The nexigo was measured at about 700 ansi on a YouTube video I saw, and I would guess the x9 is maybe 675 based on that. Despite a negligible drop in brightness, the x9 seems to handle colors much better and looks a bit better, in my opinion. I won't use the onboard speakers on this because I've got it hooked up to 2 jbl 320s, but they actually sound great. I was impressed. I think the nexigo speakers were slightly louder, but they sounded like ass. These are richer and fuller and more balanced with pretty good mids, compared to the tinny and abrasive nexigo speakers. The operating system sucks, you'll want a fire stick or something. The auto focus and keystone is great. The nexigo did not have that. Overall I would recommend it, but go in knowing that you may encounter the issues others mentioned here because of the LCD. I am new to projectors so I'm just gonna rock it and if it blows up I'll get a nice laser 4k one or something if I'm still loving the projector life at that point.

yes i'm quite satisfied. i wanted to buy for the same reason as you 70% gaming, 30% streaming. before buying acer i have tried the following: \* benq th585p: low input lag is really good, and the viewing quality, but it was causing too much heat and fan noise, plus it was just hd \* Viewsonic PX701-4K: it was good, but the rainbow effect was too much, it was definitely too saturated colors therefore i returned it \* Aurzen boom 3: it was great overall, but it could not produce more than 30hz therefore it was causing lag, \* NexiGo PJ40 (Gen 3): was the best for price / performance. but you had to position this projector 15 - 20 cm above your head to have the best viewing and low input lag. plus when its lamp expires you could not replace it. so at the end i've ended up buying acer. i hope these infos could help you. i am not sure about epson, but i guess they usually come either with too much fan noise or having only one hdmi input. when it's so, you should constantly unplug and plug the streaming stick.

Nexigo PJ40 for $220. It's continuously the best rated of the cheapo Chinese projectors. https://www.amazon.com/NexiGo-PJ40-Gen-Calibrated-Compatible/dp/B0CRKLJ8HC/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_1/147-7985979-8452364?pd_rd_w=XlrtX&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=TX5N9K18W776PDMRSETQ&pd_rd_wg=mUOKk&pd_rd_r=1ab98f64-853b-4b28-8c3a-2ea433a1fc72&pd_rd_i=B0CRKLJ8HC&th=1

Before you get cooked, /r/budgetprojectors exists I personally love my Nexigo PJ40 (gen 3). One of the best budget projectors out there

Even living with a basic nexigo pj40 for a few months i know my current upgrade will have to include a projector. When it comes to films, it changes the whole experience, makes it special again. I’ll be keeping the old TV on one side of the living room for the kids and gaming but I’ve set aside the biggest wall for projected UST image and had all the surround sound cables chased into the walls accordingly.

A £250 Nexigo PJ40 is more than usable, the fan is a pain in the ass though

NexiGo PJ40. It's $250 (usd). Have one myself and it's great for the price. Haven't gamed on it but it does claim 16 ms low latency gaming mode.

I agree 100% about this sub and I also have a PJ40. I pledged on Kickstarter almost a year ago for the Valerion Max and my (lamp based) BENQ HT3550 developed multiple issues so I got the PJ40 just to get me through and I have to say for the price the image quality is impressive, it is brighter than my BenQ was (even with a new lamp) it starts up within a few seconds vs about a minute and the color is good, not great but if you had nothing to compare it to you wouldn’t really have anything to complain about. The main issue with this and other lower priced PJs is how long it will last. Once the LCD gets burned out it’s pretty much e waste at that point and Reddit is littered with people saying how theirs didn’t last very long. That said if you aren’t planning on using it everyday for years and years it’s awesome gaming or watching movies on a huge screen. If you’re not ready to repair it in the next year or possibly two I’d go with a TV.

As a Nexigo PJ40 pwner, its ass. Look, for the price is okay at best, but you're much better off actually soending some cash to get quality, otherwise you might as well pay a minimum as it'll be a much better price-quality conversion.