CNET reviews: Best projectors
The compact Anker Nebula Mars II Pro is equipped with Wi-Fi streaming, a surprisingly loud Bluetooth speaker and even a handle. Credit: CNET/Geoffrey Morrison
It's simple to get a movie theater experience at home. With a solid projector, you can watch movies and TV shows on a 100-inch-plus screen. Paired with a soundbar or a receiver and speakers, you can get pictures and sound at least as good as your local cinema. Modern home theater projectors have impressive picture quality, good brightness in ambient light, vivid colors and a quality contrast ratio. Here are three of CNET's top picks, suited for different budgets and preferences.
WHAT Epson Home Cinema 5050UB
THE COST $2,999.99
AVAILABLE FROM epson.com
The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is the best all-around home projector you can find. Take an excellent contrast ratio, paired with impressive brightness and accurate color, all with better detail than what's possible with a 1080p native resolution projector, and you've got all the pieces for a fantastic image. This home entertainment projector isn't cheap, but it offers a significant step up in image quality over other projectors — except for the Sony VPL-VW325ES which costs a lot more. The 5050UB comes with HDMI 2.0, and extensive lens shift and a motorized zoom are the icing on the cake.
WHAT Anker Nebula Mars II Pro
THE COST $469.99
AVAILABLE FROM us.seenebula.com
Anker's Nebula Mars II Pro is smaller than a six-pack of Coke and equipped with Wi-Fi streaming, a surprisingly loud Bluetooth speaker and even a handle. It offers auto vertical and manual horizontal keystone correction. This portable mini projector powerhouse also has one thing many compact projectors like the Vimgo P10 lack: a built-in battery. This budget projector is an all-in-one entertainment machine that's darn cute, too.
WHAT Epson Home Cinema 2350
THE COST $1,299.99
AVAILABLE FROM epson.com
The Epson HC2350 is an extremely bright 4K projector at a great price. It has lens shift, built-in streaming and a compact size. It's also one of the brightest projectors available, however, its contrast ratio is well below average. As a result, its image is more washed out and "flat" compared with some other projectors. While it's 4K, the HC2350 uses LCDs to create its image, so it's susceptible to motion blur. Because of that, it doesn't always look as sharp as you might expect. If you're ready for 4K and need something with extreme brightness, this is the best moderately priced option.
The following CNET staff contributed to this story: CNET contributor Geoffrey Morrison and copy editor Jim Hoffman. For more reviews of personal technology products, visit cnet.com.
Boar's Head expands recall . . . New art exhibit . . . LIRR maintenance cost increasing . . . Olympics update
Boar's Head expands recall . . . New art exhibit . . . LIRR maintenance cost increasing . . . Olympics update
