Optoma - HD146X

I can’t say enough good about the Benq HT2060. I picked it up in June as my third projector in ten years. First I had a Benq WT770 ST (short throw, 720p resolution) followed by a very used Optoma HD146x (1080, standard throw, facebook marketplace). The short throw Benq still works well to this day and I use it for outdoor movie nights, having replaced the bulb once in its 7 year daily service. Albeit 720p resolution, the color balance and contrast are still really good for a ten+ year old projector which cost a scant $750 at the time of purchase. The Optoma came with a broken color wheel, which I replaced initially, then it broke again 10 months later. Luckily they are $30 on eBay, so I replaced it again. I’m also on my second bulb on that one, but it’s been sidelined for the time being, pending selling it off cheap to a friend, with full disclosure and a color wheel service warrantee, ha. No let me rant and rave and postulate and praise the Benq HT2060! I went with the HT2060 after researching the heck out of a sub $1500 projector. After my time and energy spent on bulbs and color wheels, I was very interested in LED or laser as a “permenant” light source. The added benefit of led running cooler (less hot) and no added warm up/cool down cycle were also perks that I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate. The resolution is 1080p, downcoded 4k, but it looks somehow better than 1080 and not quite 4k… there’s something going on with this projector. I feel like they got half way, knew they couldn’t claim it as native 4k, and just settled on calling it 1080p. It looks GREAT. The thing people write about with this model that got me across the “purchase” line, is the depth of contrast/black levels, the 96% color gamut, and HDR functionality. The picture on this bad boy puts the optoma 146x out to pasture. Everything is crispy, life-like, and even dark scenes are well-balanced and defined. The TRex attack in Jurassic Park is alive and well, and you can see every detail. I picked it up through Amazon, purchased from Adorama. Because they are a verified seller or whatever, I was still able to buy a warranty from Amazon. I paid $1250 plus $200 (war) and tax. Two weeks later the price was adjusted on Amazon down to $949 for a sale, and I was able to get the difference refunded. Great! My experience so far is summed up in two concrete statements: 1) I know now that contrast and color matter more to me than native 4k. I have a buddy who bought a comparable 4k bulb projector - viewsonic brand. It’s shape and bright as hell! But… my set up looks better, by a combination of factors. 2) I’ll never go back to bulbs. The LED color balance, brightness, lack of heat production, instant (3-5 seconds, comparable to a tv) on/off cycles were something I didn’t know I was getting, and love. The life-cycle being 20k-30k hours instead of 3k-8k… that’s the clincher right there, for me at least. Edit: native autocorrected to booked in the next to last paragraph.

> Optoma HD146x Have one of these - would recommend

Honestly a used Optoma HD141X or even HD146X would work well since you don’t need a battery. They’re still portable in the sense that you can put them into a backpack for example. You can solve the audio by using the Bluetooth feature from the HDMI connected device or streaming stick. or by using the 3.5mm audio output and plug a cable into a speaker. Portable units aren’t going to be super bright in this price range so I’d recommend a bulb unit instead.

Here are a few models I’ve played with and loved. GET THESE USED on eBay! -NEC M403H (Great lamp life 4k lumens, 10,000:1 contrast ratio, DLP 1920x1080) -NEC P554U (5.3K lumens, 15,000:1 contrast, 3LCD 1920x1200) -NEC Me423W ( 4.2K lumens, 16,000:1 contrast, 3LCD, 1280x800) (Cheap) -Optoma HD146x (3.6K lumens, 25k:1 contrast, DLP, 1920x1200) This is not an exhaustive list, just projectors I’ve used. Most of these are classroom/conference room projectors and can be found on ebay for under 300!

Yea I used that for various outdoor movies. Looked great!

Optoma Hd146X Great starter projector!

I agree with another post about the optoma hd146x . For that price range it’s a good starting projector and when you’re ready to upgrade it’s small enough to use for backyard parties, travel, etc… There was another post that said he spent 2500 on a receiver not including speakers and subwoofer but won’t spend 1/3 of that cost on a projector. In my opinion that’s just bad advice. I agree that sound is super important when you can afford it but I guarantee you will use the projector more at low levels than not. I would recommend to invest in image first then build sound around it as you can.

Under $300 is gonna be tough with your requirements. Check Facebook Marketplace. Optoma HD146X fits the bill, I happened to get one used for $250 a while back and I use it currently for gaming on PS5 with a little bit of movie viewing as well. Response time is 16ms at 60Hz which is good enough for casual to lightly competitive gaming (i.e. Marvel Rivals)

You cant know something you never had basically. But that projector, once it starts to get burn in, thats it... Ewaste. A proper projector (can find on ebay even as low as 300e) will have a bulb which is replaceable and last about 10k hours (depends on system) and the bulbs at least for me cost only 80euro. Colorwheels cost 5euro a pop. All very easy diy change out. My projector is now iirc 15years old. 1080p60hz, optoma, long throw, its on very often just like tv, i changed maybe 3 bulbs so far... Has gaming settings reduce latency etc. great colors and contrast. Never used a screen even for it. Any plain color wall worked better than any of the budget screens. Have repainted wall matt white now and it works very well instead of those budget screens. 

I have bought several used Projectors over the last few years, they work great for a while but always end up having bulb issues or fans issues and they overheat. Optomas are good to get used, easy to work on, but if you plan on using them in a theater setup, make sure they play nice with your receiver. I spent a lot of money on my set up, dropped 2500.00 on a Denon high end receiver ( used on inheritance money from grand parent that passed, only way i would ever be able to get something that high end.) Came across a good deal on a Optoma 1080 projector on FB Market place, think I paid like 80 bucks, it works great plugged into a streaming box like Apple TV, but when I plug it into my receiver, to get surround sound with the projector, the video will not come through and the receiver does not see the projector at all. So I use it as an outdoor projector for movie nights. I have a Benq HT1075 that a friend had that was overheating, paid like $200 for it, it works pretty good but has to be taken apart and cleaned every 6 months. I say all this to say you can find a good unit used, but be careful its like buying a used car, you don’t know if it was taken care of, and how much it was abused. It could turn into a money pit. I am waiting for UST laser projectors to become a little more affordable, then I will be will to drop 800 or so on one, and not have to worry about replacing a bulb at an inconvenient time for 150-200 bucks.

I have a 1080p Optoma projector in my HT. It is about 10 years old, so maybe due for an upgrade. For now, It gets the job done when it’s dark. But the image washes out quickly if a light is turned on and you can barely see anything. That’s why this caught my attention. With multiple strings of light bulb hanging, I could still see the display without any difficulty. I agree, this is not great but compared to the one I have at home currently the difference is night and day. What projector do you recommend from JVC?