Best Budget Projector for Home Theater and Gaming

Hello everyone, in this article, I have deeply discussed the best budget projector with reviews and a complete buying guide after spending 81 hours into research by interviewing several professionals and testing 17 projectors.

I have made this list based on the image quality, features, and, more. I have included options for every type of consumer if you are looking for an inexpensive HD projector to transform any room into a cinematic theater room or a premium 4k projector for a true home theater.

Selecting the best projector having a multi-purpose task is one of the most difficult nowadays.

Especially when you have a limited budget. Here I have the list of budget projectors.

1. Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K – Best Budget Projector

 

The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is a home theater projector for serious home theater enthusiasts.

It features a motorized lens with horizontal and vertical lens shift, plus ample zoom.

Its 4K enhancement technology offers lots of details. Its biggest benefit over less expensive 4K projectors, however, is an excellent contrast ratio for deep, dark shadows and bright, popping highlights.

There are only a few disappointments, and they are minor. It doesnt quite have the color or razor-sharp detail of its direct competitor, the LG HU810P. Thats not to say the 5050 isnt sharp and colorful.

The 5050UBis n excellent all-around projector that looks fantastic with all content.

It offers a significant step up in picture quality over less expensive projectors, like the Optoma UHD35, while offering anyone with a dedicated home theater a projector worthy of the space.

Why choose Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is available in a black cabinet through AV integrators/installers.

It offers the same 2,600 lumens of brightness, but a modest claimed boost in rated contrast ratio to 1,200,000:1 thanks to Epson identifying champion projector samples during 5050 productions and designating those units for the commercial channel.

It also ships with a ceiling mount, an extra lamp for future replacement, and a cable cover that snaps over the rear connection cavity.

The 5050 is a 4K and HDR-compatible projector. As such, it can accept 4K and HDR signals, though keep in mind that no projector can do HDR very well.

Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD Design

On the front, it has a lens and IR sensor and vents, and the lens has got a built-in motorized lens cover that automatically opens and closed when you turn the projector on or off.

The top of the projector is nice and clean except for a few LED indicator lights.

Inside the menu system, you will find a whole host of options allowing you to calibrate and adjust the image to your liking.

There is the lens iris option useful when viewing SDR content. The 5050UB has three lamp modes, giving you an additional way to alter the amount of light leaving the projector.

Connections And Controls:

For connections, the 5050UB features the two aforementioned full bandwidth HDMI 2.0 ports.

It also includes a wired LAN port for system control, an analog VGA port, an RS-232C port, and a Kensington security lock port if the projector is being used in a public setting.

Overall performance of Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD

The Epson Home Cinema 505UB 4K PRO-UHD projector delivers an amazing 4K home theater experience for the DIY enthusiast. Capable of displaying an astonishing 2,600 lumens for both color and white brightness.

Along with the proprietary processors for resolution enhancement, color, and image processing.

The Home Cinema 5050UB produces incredible brightness, color accuracy, and image detail to faithfully display all your favorite content the way it was meant to be seen.

If you are looking for an amazing 4K projection experience to power your new home theater build-this could be it.

2. BenQ TH671ST 1080p Short Throw- Best Budget Projector for Gaming

 

Its a short-throw design with 3000 lumens, accurate Rec.709 color, and low input lag. At only $749, this compact DLP with its built-in speaker can easily anchor a value-oriented home. The short-throw lens is offset from the center and surrounded by a nice red trim ring. Its front element is more rounded than typical optics to ensure a square image at short distances.

It has a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, plus several features to enhance color accuracy.

The projector has two HDMI inputs, one of which is MHL-compatible, for connecting your digital HD devices such as a gaming console, Blu-ray player, or cable/satellite box.

The MHL-compatible HDMI input accepts wired connections from your smartphone or tablet for mirroring. Its built-in 5-watt speaker eliminates the need for external speakers if none are convenient.

The TH671ST includes a VGA cable and an IR remote control.

Why Choose BenQ TH671ST

The BenQ TH671STs combination of brightness, color accuracy, contrast, ease of setup, short-throw with zoom, quick input lag, and lightweight makes it easy to recommend both as a gaming projector and for broader use.

It is particularly well suited if you need a portable projector, whether for carrying to the office occasionally, setting it up for a backyard movie night, or moving it room to room or game playing. For these applications, the BenQ TH671ST should be on your shortlist.

BenQ TH671STs Design

The BenQ HT671ST is an impressive gaming projector and a solid value. It delivers nicely saturated color, suitably good contrast and shadow detail for dark scenes in games, and an input lag of just 16.4ms.

Beyond that, most of its strengths for gaming, combined with its not quite 6-pound weight, also make it a highly capable portable projector for home, office, or both.

Even better, the BenQ TH671ST is very much in the same league as similarly priced home theater projectors for color accuracy, black level. And shadow detail, while color for animations or business graphics is vibrant and suitably eye-catching.

Connections And Controls

Although the BenQ TH671ST cant read data from a USB stick, it does have 2 HDMI ports, one of which is compatible with MHL.

You get a full set of controls on top of the projector, and it comes with a small remote for convenience.

The back of the unit is stocked with quite a few ports, including dual HDMI, and everything is spaced well, so theres no congestion if youre simultaneously hooking up multiple devices.

Overall Performance

BenQ TH671STs performance is excellent with a lot of features to showcase all of the incredible capabilities.

It comes with a brightness of 3000 lumens, which is bright enough for any environment.

The images are bright, even in a room full of ambient light without distorting the general image appearance.

When you have set your projector to economic mode, the brightness is reduced by 36%. In all the modes, the brightness of the projector is perfect.

The projector comes with a present color mode that is great and usable out of the box.

When you set the color mode in the brightest mode, it comes with a slight green shift. The contrast of the BenQ HT671ST projector is incredible and works fantastically.

It works in succession with great brightness to maximize the shadow details and highlight the separation in the darkroom.

The flexibility of the projector connection is great and supports most of the media players, pcs, macs, and smartphones, and gaming consoles.

3. BenQ HT2150ST 1080P Short Throw Projector

 

 

The BenQ is built around a single DLP chip and a six-segment RGBRGB color wheel- a choice that yields lower brightness but better color accuracy than wheels that include a white panel.

It has 2200 ANSI lumens for its brightest predefined picture mode can boost brightness when you need it to stand up to ambient light, but as with almost any projector, the lower brightness modes deliver better color accuracy. It might be the best budget projector in terms of color accuracy.

Why choose BenQ HT2150ST 1080P Short Throw Projector

• HT2150STs color wheel spins at 4x speed at 60 Hz and at 6x at 50Hz
• It also features six segments in an RGBRGB configuration
• BenQ has equipped the projector with two 10-watt speakers
• HDMI CEC functionality is also supported
• The remote control is backlit making it easier to use in a darkened room
• The video upscaling and processing is very good
• 2D images are bright with excellent color and lots of light output

BenQ HT2150ST 1080P Short Throw Projectors Design

Curvy designs are a characteristic in almost all BenQ projectors and this could not be any different here.

With a size of 380.5 x, 121.7 x 277 mm, and 7.27lbs (3.3 kg) the projector is small enough to be carried around. Looking at the front of the projector we find the lens being positioned a little off-center towards the right side while to the right we see a big IR sensor.

Connections And Controls

The HT2150ST provides two HDMI inputs and a VGA/PC Monitor input. Another input option that can be added is wireless HDMI connectivity via the WDPO2 accessory.

The HT2150ST comes with onboard controls on the top of the projector as well as a standard remote control. However, the projector also provides an RS232 port for the custom control system.

Overall Performance Of BenQ HT2150ST

The projector performed very well with its microsecond DMD response time. Even during the fast panning of the camera, the picture remained clear and solid. The HT2150ST doesnt have any kind of CFI frame interpolation that could smooth out the motion.

HT2150ST gives you the opportunity for an all-immersive gaming experience.HT2150ST low input lag ensures great responsiveness so you can take the initiative to action. Short throw technology and 1.2 big zooms allow the projector to be positioned in small spaces with hassle-free installation.

Savor an all-immersive cinematic experience with breathtaking Full HD 1080p visuals while the 6X RBGRGB color wheel delivers lifelike colors for a superb viewing performance.

4. Epson 3LCD Full HD 1080p Projector

 

 

The Epson Home Cinema 2250 is equal parts 1080p home theater projector and streaming projector, with integrated Android TV and a bright, color-accurate image.

The HC 2250 has a native 1080p (1,920-by-1,080-pixel) resolution, courtesy of three 1920 by 1080 LCD chips.

The 3LCD design guarantees both that you wont see rainbow artifacts and that color brightness will match white brightness, so color images will be full as bright as you would expect from the 2,700-lumen white brightness rating.

Why Choose Epson Home Cinema 2250

The Epson-Home Cinema 2250 3LCD full HD 1080p projector with Android TV is a great projector for your home cinema. It has a great image and works well in ambient lit or light restricted viewing areas.

It delivers stunning picture quality, contrast ratio on the projector is 70,000:1 with image enhancement and frame interpolation that makes the image very smooth and makes this projector bright enough for any room with ideal lighting conditions. It is very portable and lightweight.

Epson Home Cinema 2250 3LCD Full HD 1080p Projectors Design

The physical installation consists of little more than pointing the HC 2250 at your screen, plugging in the power cord, optionally connecting a video source with an HDMI cable, and adjusting the manual zoom, focus, and vertical lens shift.

At only 8.4 pounds and 4.8 by 12.4 by 12.2 inches (HWD), the HC 2250 is small enough to fit just about anywhere.

The 1.6 x zoom adds screen-distance flexibility, and the vertical lens shift, at 15% of the image height, lets you match the images vertical position to the screen without having to tilt the projector and use digital keystone correction.

Connections And Controls

The projector has a built-in speaker that can play audio from a video source (DVD player, streaming device, etc.) connected by an HDMI cable.

You can pair a Bluetooth device to the projector to output audio from a device connected to the HDMI port. Two small remotes come with 2250; neither is backlit.

One is only for controlling the built-in Android TV. The other can control the Android TV, but also control the projector.

Overall Performance Of Epson Home Cinema 2250

Epsons Home Cinema 2250 is an excellent projector, creating an impressively bright image with accurate color and a decent contrast ratio.

Digital horizontal and vertical keystone correction make it easy to center images on the screen, no matter where you install the projector.

With vertical lens shift along with the manual zoom and focus, it wont take any time to set the Epson 2250 up.

The standout aspect of 2250 is its extreme light output. I am pretty sure it is the brightest projector I have ever measured. Color light output was measured by IDMA 15.4 and white light output was measured by ISO 21118.

Along with an immersive picture, the home theater projector coasts plenty of convenient functions.

Google Assistant makes it easy to find and watch your favorite streaming channels. The projector also uses an Android TV interface and comes with an easy t use remote control.

6. Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector

 

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector is a more refined version of the Epson EF-100.

It has a higher resolution, at 1080p (1920 by 1080), and lower brightness, at 1,000 lumens.

Both are smaller than typical for laser projectors, both are designed for streaming, and neither supports 3D.

But the EF12 offers integrated Android TV instead of a bundled dongle, adding support for 4K HLG. Color accuracy is excellent and the stereo speakers are impressive for the size.

Overall, the EpiqVision Mini has a polished feel, and its impressive enough to earn an Editors Choice nod for streaming projectors.

Why Choose Epson EpiqVision Mini

One of the advantages lasers have over lamps is that most are meant to last the life of the projector, eliminating the cost of replacement lamps.

The EF12s focus on Android TV and streaming and its intended use as a smart device also show in the buttons on the remote.

The EF12 offers a choice of six picture modes. The brightness, dynamic, shows a slight green bias, which is expected for the brightness mode in any projector. All necessary functions are easily accessible on the EF12s remote control.

If you want to connect a source with a cable, there are two HDMI ports (one with ARC).

A USB port is there for service. The EF12 is a relatively small and light projector, measuring 6.9 inches square, 5 inches high, and weighing 7.19 pounds.

Epson EpiqVision Mini Design

On the top of the projector, you get a power button Bluetooth and volume up and down as well as the Epson logo 3C CD and sound by Yamaha.

On the back of the projector, you have an output for audio and you have a USB and two HDMI ports on the bottom are where you put the power cable which is included in the box.

You get a speaker all the way around and the sound is pretty impressive.

On the front of the projector, you got the lens that allows you to display it on your wall or you use it on the screen for your projector, but otherwise, your walls can work perfectly fine.

You also get a remote, there is a power button, YouTube and an app button a Bluetooth button if you want to connect Bluetooth speakers as well as a button that allows you to change the input below that you get your directional and select buttons. As well as the setting buttons to controls the projector.

Connections And controls

You can connect a source with a cable, there are two HDMI ports (one with ARC).

A USB connector can be used to attach and play files from storage and a mini USB port is there for service.

If you want to connect an external speaker, there is a 3.5 mm audio out along with the HDMI ARC connection.

It also supports Chromecast for connection to computers and mobile devices. All the necessary functions are easily accessible on the EF12s remote control.

Overall Performance

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 Smart Streaming Laser Projector is a more refined version of the Epson EF-100.

It has a higher resolution, at 1080p (1920 by 1080), and lower brightness, at 1,000 lumens. It is smaller than the typical type of projectors and designed for streaming.

Epson EF12 offers integrated Android TV instead of a bundled dongle, adds support for 4K UHD (3,820 by 2,160) input for down-converting and adds HDR support for both HDR10 and HLG.

Color accuracy is excellent and the stereo speakers are impressive for the size. Overall the EpiqVision Mini EF12 has a polished feel

Checkout our guide about the best bluetooth projectors

6. Epson Home Cinema 1060 Full HD 1080p Projector

 

Epson Home Cinema 1060 projector delivers larger-than-life Full HD entertainment at home. Get a widescreen image up to 300 inches up to 25 x larger than a 60 Flat panel. Easily connect with Blu-ray Discs, gaming, streaming, and MHL-enabled devices via 2 x HDMI ports.

Featuring 3,100 lumens of color /white brightness, 1060 delivers vibrant images. Plus, Epson 3LCD projectors deliver remarkable color accuracy, with high color brightness and white color Gamut. And get a dynamic contrast ratio of up to 15000: 1, a built-in speaker, and setup tools.

Why Choose Epson Home Cinema:

The Epson 1060 uses 3LCD, 3-chip technology. This is an HD (1080p, or 1920 x 1080 native panel). I saw NO pixel grid from my close sitting position. Connections are via 2 HDMI ports (1 x MHL) to connect your cable/satellite box, Blu-ray Disc player, gaming console, or streaming device.

It has a built-in speaker. Nice for a board room or classroom. Lens Optical and manual zoom and manual focus; variable focal length 18.2- 29.2mm; Zoom 1.1- 1.2.

It has a loud fan. It is rated fan noise is37b. Epson also provides controls to manage display speed and motion issues.

Epson Home Cinema 1060 Full HD 1080p Projectors Design:

It has come with a nice size remote and power cord. From the front couple of things I love, so if you want to adjust your projector up and down depending on where you are projecting your image.

There is an IR blaster on the front side and also on the backside.

It depends where you will be mounting. It has a lens that is covered with really nice coverage.

It is an LCD technology projector, it has 3 LCDs and thats what makes it so bright even in the daytime.

This projector has a fan that will get a little louder and it will get a little hot but its worth it. On the side, it got a panel that you would take off to change your bulb.

Connections And Controls:

Home Cinema 1060 does have these two HDMI ports one for HDMI /MHL, a VGA computer input, old school RCA port for composite video and audio inputs.

Type A for PC free playback from a USB flash drive, and a USB type B for connecting a computer for easy plug-and-play projection.

Overall Performance

Epson Home Cinema 1060 is an impressive projector and a solid value. It delivers a nicely saturated color.

Suitably good contrast and shadow details for dark scenes in games, and an input lag of just 52ms.

Beyond that, most of its strengths for gaming, combined with its not quite 2.7kg weight, also make it a highly capable portable projector for home.

The Epson Home Cinema 1060 delivers more than enough to make it a solid value, starting with the fact that it is the brightest of all projectors in our eighth model.

The HC 1060 over-delivers with a whopping 3300 Lumens, exceeding its 3100 lumens rating. It is also by far the brightest with video-optimized settings, at over 2500 lumens.

 

Buying Guide For The Best Budget Projector

In this paragraph, I am going to talk about choosing a budget home theater projector. I have broken down this into a few different categories, the categories are as follows:

Room Size: The very first thing you need to consider before buying a projector is the size of your room and thats because depending on what size screen you want you may not have enough space as the projector needs to be a certain distance from the screen.

Brightness: Projectors for a home should have brightness luminosity in the range of 1500 to 2000 lumens.

Resolution: Resolution range from 480p on the low end to 720p and 1080p for HD viewing, and also up to 4k Ultra HD for sharp movies and shows.

You will get the best image quality when you match the projector resolution to the resolution of the video source you plan to use most often.

Throw distance and screen size: Throw distance is the distance between the projector and the screen. For home you can decide on the throw range according to the distance you will keep between the projector and the screen.

The ideal screen size for a home projector should be around 100 inches.

Audio: Built-in speakers are included with almost all the projectors but only a few of them provide good sound quality.

Thus, you should go for a projector that has 5.1 audio setups or goes with the external audio source.

Connectivity: You should select the projector with the most connectivity such as VGA, USB, HDMI, and SD cards.

Technological used: There are various techniques available when it comes to the projector. Some projectors operate on DLP technology while others operate on LCD technology.

The LCD projectors are quite heavy but offer reliable operation. The rainbow effect is the result of the spinning color wheel and other moving parts in the DLP projectors.

So LCD projectors should be preferred over DLP projectors.

Zoom Range and Lens Shift: The lens shift and zoom functions are important features you need on a projector. With both these features, it is possible to adjust the throw distance and size, and position of the display.