VisionMaster Plus 2

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.

Looks like that is a $1,300 projector. That's not 'cheap' for sure. It's a solid budget for a first time projector, and a model like that wouldn't be a bad way to go, but there are better options. JMGO has stuff at similar price. But, I would more likely try to get the Valerion VisionMaster or the XGimi Horizon 20. The XGimi is especially nice because it has a fair bit of zoom range as well as lens shift that can help you really dial in the image exactly without needing to use any digital correction. Digital correction should be avoided if at all possible. If I were more strict on my budget, then the Nexigo Trivsion Ultra has refurb units from $1,100 on Amazon that would be a really strong choice and that model is really well reviewed. Pull down screens suck. If you can get a fixed frame screen instead, then that is a MUCH better choice. There are a number of used fixed frame screens I always see on FB Marketplace nearby me for around $100 that are much better than any pull down screen could hope to be.

Valerion Visionmaster, XGimi Horizon 20. There are newer and newer models which have dynamic tone mapping and more advanced features and support for HDR content built in along with better brightness and better control for HDR content. They have a wider color gamut and can deliver the full DCI-P3 color space without problem. BenQ continues to be a very good performer in this price range as well. All of them have solid state light sources which already is an improvement and is 'better' than the sub-$3,000 5+ year old offerings from Epson at this price point as well. I don't hate Epson, and if you have to get a 5050UB, then it's not a piece of shit. It's just a fuck you to consumers from Epson. They know it's out of date. They know that the competition has moved to solid state projectors. They know if they just dropped a solid state light source into these models with some small firmware tweaks, that they would be incredibly popular and would undercut their super expensive new models. It's not that the 5050UB sucks, it's that Epson is giving all consumers the middle finger at this point.

Elite Screens has some 'Yardmaster' series of screens designed for outdoor use. Be aware, it will struggle during the daytime, if it is usable at all. The sky is crazy bright, and projectors, even bright projectors are not able to compete. The Valerion models, and XGimi Horizon 20 series of projectors are solid choices. I like the Horizon 20 a great deal due to their inclusion of optical zoom and optical lens shift. Almost unheard of from any other model at this price point. Watch this video as it will help you get an understanding of what is around your price point... [https://youtu.be/9QqnfJ0-I\_s?si=p88bCpfragTgla8S](https://youtu.be/9QqnfJ0-I_s?si=p88bCpfragTgla8S)

JVC is the way I would go, every day of the week. They are both bright enough for SDR viewing, and neither is appreciably brighter than the other. Relatively speaking, they are really going to be, at best, okay for HDR content. As with most projectors, they just lack the brightness to really punch on HDR content. Modern models which are getting a lot of traction, like the Valerion or XGimi models are brighter, but still aren't incredibly bright with HDR content. They just handle the larger screen sizes more easily. But, as you said, they lack the contrast of the LCoS models. This can be problematic for people who have issues with DLP as well. Your eye can't tell the difference between a 10% difference in light output, so visually, you would get very little in terms of brightness between the two models. JVC has a much greater overall focus on front projection compared to Sony. But, both companies make good products.