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Reddit Reviews
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.
had the same dilemma and nearly bought the Optoma HD-146X. Used can be found for around 200-250€. But got here a recommended that finally made more sense. Ended up with Optoma HZ-146X. New, Laser, good enough brightness for the money. Will last years and do a good job.
New, Laser, Warranty - other specs similar. Got a good deal for 450 as new vs 200 for used HD.
> 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.
yh I have the hd144x it's really similar and a great 1080p projector. I've had it for about 4 years haven't used it much in the past about year and half due to moving rooms I haven't sent it up properly. but yh no issues. I heard a lot of complaints about the newer Optima projector but I think the ones around the hd14xx line has been great
I got optoma 3500 ansi lumen works flawlessly in broad daylight hd164x
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've had this one for years and that is a great deal for the price. I don't use Stremio, but it looks like there is an app for it on Google Play, so you should be good to go. The image quality/color is great, I was stunned when I first got it. The biggest drawback is the brightness; you'd better be watching this thing in a dark room. It's not terrible, but I upgraded from an Optoma HD146x, which is significantly brighter. Granted, it's not like I could watch the Optoma in the middle of the day with the blinds open either, but I was a little disappointed in the Xgimi's brightness comparatively.
I mentioned this in another comment, but I've owned this projector for years projecting onto a 120" screen; the brightness is the biggest drawback this projector has. It looks great in a completely dark room, but it's pretty dim if it's competing with any other light source.
Rankings by Use Case
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