Your big issue with be that most projectors just aren't bright enough to give you much performance prior to complete darkness. That's just a reality of front projection. I have a demo of this using a 5,000 lumen projector on my channel (not much else on it)...
[https://www.youtube.com/@paulvail7926](https://www.youtube.com/@paulvail7926)
You can also see how poor the black levels are in the 30' wide image demo. Similar projector. A Panasonic 3 LCD model with 5,000 rated ANSI lumens.
So, I'd go with DLP. Maybe the XGimi Horizon 20. If you want to save some money, then the 1080p Optoma HD146x is an excellent purchase. It gives you plenty of leftover budget for a streaming device (which you will need), a outdoor screen of some kind (if you need it), and audio (which you absolutely will need).
I would hit up Facebook Marketplace and look for used screens. People move and sell their screens all the time. You can get $300+ screens for $100 or less all the time. Great way to save some cash.
For streaming, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is a decent solution. I like it for the built in Bluetooth audio. It allows connecting a speaker to be easier. Bluetooth isn't the best audio, but it is convenient.
Finally, for audio, you can use any Bluetooth speaker and connect it to the Firestick using Bluetooth. Make sure it is a speaker with enough ooomph to sound good outside. I use one of those 15" tall black box Bluetooth speakers with a battery inside of it that you often see at Costco/Sam's Club for around $100-$150. It works well for my needs. Not high fidelity, but clear and loud enough for the needs I've had for it. If you can provide a plug and don't want/need a battery inside, then there are likely more cost effective options.
This whole setup, will run you under $1,000 with the Optoma projector. The Horizon 20 from XGimi is about $1,500 by itself. If you want something in that 'lifestyle 4k' category for a projector, then the Nexigo Trivision Ultra is well reviewed and is about $1,100 as a refurb, $1,300 new.
[https://www.amazon.com/NexiGo-TriVision-Tri-LED-Laser-Portable-Projector/dp/B0F6MKD9PN/ref=sr\_1\_3](https://www.amazon.com/NexiGo-TriVision-Tri-LED-Laser-Portable-Projector/dp/B0F6MKD9PN/ref=sr_1_3)
I like the Horizon 20 more overall, but the Nexigo is a solid product and saves some cash which can give you some breathing room for other things you may need for your setup.
You need to figure out your screen size. But, after dark, even cheap $100 projectors tend to look good. Those models are horrendously unreliable though so not worth anyone's time of day. But, I'd say anything that advertises 2,000+ lumens would be more than enough for a screen up to about 135" diagonal. At really large sizes, you do want more lumens, and those will cost you $$.
The black levels (real contrast) on DLP projectors is significantly better than that of LCD projectors at similar price points. Business class LCD projectors, like the one I used in my demo above, really can't deliver great contrast no matter what their marketing claims.
I will see if I can add a video of my DLP business projector to my channel so people get a better idea of what they might expect between DLP and LCD on the used market. New is pretty similar.
At your budget though, adding in movie viewing at times, I'd get the Nexigo Trivision Ultra and I'd expect to be very happy with things.
Definitely watch some videos over at [www.youtube.com/thehookup](http://www.youtube.com/thehookup) though. His stuff is very informative.
The BenQ TH575 is in the same category as the Optoma HD146x. Very similar overall. Small, not big differences between them. I do prefer BenQ over Optoma, but I believe the Optoma is a bit less money.
Getting 16' diagonal out of these models will work only after complete darkness. I'm not sure I have any example that would be exactly like them, but my W1070 may be close enough.
The math needs to math though. A 192" diagonal is only 60% more than a 120" diagonal, but it is over twice the square footage. That means a projector which is typically fine, in a dark room, at 120" diagonal, will struggle at that size. This ignores any ambient lighting which may be in play.
That's why I linked a model which should perform well at that size and look perfectly fine. Note that there is nothing about the Vivitek I linked which is really significantly worse than the BenQ or Optoma. It should be able to deliver the same image, but with more light output, and is a very reasonable price.
Sorry man, these are exactly lifestyle models. You can pick them up, and easily move them anywhere in your home, then plop them down and watch some Netflix, or other streaming content from the built in streaming apps and speaker. Some speakers being better than others. They are heavy, but not unwieldy with weights from about 10 to 15 pounds.
They are designed to look a bit better than traditional home theater models as well, so they don't look completely out of place in a normal room setup.
Heck, the Nexigo Trivision Ultra even has a carrying handle right on top of the unit.
You literally are confusing the portable market with the lifestyle market. Portable projectors are similar to lifestyle models, but they lack the brightness of lifestyle models. They require smaller screens and can't be used almost at all in rooms with ambient light. I mean, they don't FIT a normal lifestyle. But, portable models are awesome and do have their own category they fit into.
The dividing line on portable models vs. lifestyle models tends to be the ability to be used with a battery easily and their weight and size being far more convenient than the larger lifestyle models. The lower brightness on portable models also tends to separate them from lifestyle models.
That's a very small screen size. Tiny really. Typically you are far better served by a television at that size. If you are stuck on a projector as the 'only' solution, then I would consider any JMGO, Nexigo, BenQ, or similar 4K projector are being good enough. Lens shift generally comes at the cost of a much larger projector/lens requirement. You still are outside the range of most lens shift options, so I would stick with digital correction as something you really will need.
The Trivision Ultra is a good option from Nexigo as it does a good job for the money at delivering a solid image.
Lifestyle models are basically taking over the home theater market in that price range. But, there are models which absolutely trash the old home theater models.
Xgimi with their Horizon 20, the Valerion Visionmaster models, the Nexigo Trivision Ultra. These are all a different box around the projector, but the image quality they are delivering is really exceptional.
Yeah, I've had issues with the format as well, but it is what the industry is doing at this point. More lifestyle models, less home theater specific models. The BenQ HT2060 is a solid 1080p LED projector, but for the money, there is just no chance I would purchase it.
Nexigo Tri vision ultra. Boarder the screen with some trim board, paint the wall black and then get a screen that’s stretchy and make it extremely stretched out to where the black shows through. I did this and I feel like it’s like half way to oled level blacks. Color pops because of the white screen but when it’s trying to do dark scenes the light that goes out hits that black wall behind the screen and gets muted pretty well.
Nexigo Tri vision ultra. Boarder the screen with some trim board, paint the wall black and then get a screen that’s stretchy and make it extremely stretched out to where the black shows through. I did this and I feel like it’s like half way to oled level blacks. Color pops because of the white screen but when it’s trying to do dark scenes the light that goes out hits that black wall behind the screen and gets muted pretty well.
https://preview.redd.it/57ljob2wrltf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6925a846e56da2ae4c856ba72ae2d812f995ffa5
This is what it looks like in person
I have the nexigo and it’s great! Absolutely love it except for one issue. If you like to watch movies or shows with subtitles on and it’s a dark scene it will brighten the whole scene. If you don’t have the subtitles on the projector is perfect. but if I was to buy today I would go with the new xgimi just because it’s brighter, and has optical zoom for a similar price
I would strongly recommend investing in a screen. An entry level unit projecting onto a screen will usually outperform a mid tier unit projecting onto an untreated wall.
You’ll want a motorized drop down screen with tab tensioning. The tab tensioning is important for avoiding ripples in your screen down the line.
Regarding your choice of unit: the Titan noir Kickstarter is currently the best deal in projectors. At $3k it outperforms the Valerion Max, which retails for a couple grand more. I believe that you have until 15 June to order from the Kickstarter.
For a less expensive option I’d investigate a secondhand or discounted Valerion Pro2. That unit is also tri-laser and can often be found at a discount as Valerion sent many out to buyers of the Max to use while they waited for the company to finish the Max’s manufacturing. The Max has now been released so there are a number of barely used secondhand Pro2s on the market.
If you’re uncomfortable buying secondhand (or can’t find a well priced Pro2) you might also investigate the Nexigo TriVision Ultra, the Xgimi Horizon 20, or the Valerion Streammaster, all of which use laser or hybrid-laser light sources for brightness and gamut that often significantly outperform comparably priced units that use lamp or LED light sources. The Nexigo uses a hybrid laser-LED light source, which is a worse performer than pure laser but avoids the speckling issue inherent to current laser tech to which some users are sensitive.
You should also consider whether or not your mount point would benefit from a unit with optical zoom or lens shift. A ceiling mounted projector must mount to your joists (unless you live in an apartment with concrete framing). Depending on where your joists are vis a vis your projection area you might need zoom in order to hit the size at which you’re aiming or lens shift in order to hit your target area with minimal digital keystone, which cuts your resolution if used. Many entry level units lack those features.
Most importantly is to darken your room (wall, floor, ceiling) into a cave, if not then it gets more expensive as you'll need alr screen.
For the screen you can just use a wall and paint it white / grey or use spandex or cheap grey alr cloth. Some even use sheetrock panel as a screen. Unless you go tri laser projector which will limit your screen choices.
Minimum is the likes of nexigo trivision ultra (mk2 coming soon), if $1400 is too much then you better get a tv.
If you rather not turn your room into a cave then get ust. Nexigo ap mk2 is a nice option.
Imo nexigo simply due to no rbe and speckle. You can always just get cheap grey alr cloth or high gain screen to help with the brightness.
Also, since you're using it as tv you have to keep in mind laser degradation as it will get dimmer over time. Some say as quick as 10k hours they can see a significant light loss.
So do you want brighter than 2000 lumens or not? If so, only xgimi 20 max will be a lot brighter @3000 lumens, some say the fan is loud though. The others projectors are about 2000 lumens.
Imo out of all your options get nexigo trivision ultra but you might want to wait for mk2. It's the brightest out of them iirc. Xgimi 20 pro is likely close 2nd for brightness but has more features like lens shift and vrr - also better color volume and dynamic contrast.
man you’re not really understanding lumens. nexigo trivision ultra is one of the only projectors under 5 grand that runs 4k 120 on consoles. It does dolby vision and can get up to 240 hz. And it’s on sale for 1299. please do not get caught up on the 2600 lumens. That number is PLENTY for even some ambient light. Save the money and take the quality
The Valerions, highsense C2 Ultra, and nexigo trivision ultra are the three I narrowed my search down to about 4 months ago. All 3 have great picture, low input lag, handle 4K well, etc. I wound up with 3 Valerion Pro 2s, as I really am impressed with them across the above stats, aesthetics, and software, but you’d likely be fine with any of them. We use ours for heavy gaming and as a main theater projector for movies etc. Won’t ever go back to a TV. All laser projectors will need a good screen, I’d recommend something with a little bit of texture, possibly woven to reduce some speckle if you’re sensitive to it.
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Valerion
VisionMaster Pro 2
81% positive of 122 users
Great picture/gaming, but RBE and no lens shift are dealbreakers.
AV_Integrated
