Projectors- Are the cheap models functional?

[Shiggidy112]

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to adhere to a tight budget. I'm about 95% done with all of the purchases needed, and the little costs are adding up. I'm trying to get to the finish line with spending as little as possible, while also ensuring that I'm getting something that will still be enjoyable.

I'm looking at projectors, and I see a significant cost difference between the off-brand ones and the epson, benq, and optimas. Does anyone have one of the cheaper projectors ($150-$250), and if so, is it functional and will it last for a couple of years?

I intend on upgrading my setup over the course of a few years, swapping out 1 or 2 things per year to upgrade the experience. If this was a decent solution, that could get me 2-3 years of use, I'd be all for it. If it's just a headache and won't work, it'd be helpful to know that up front.

[3on3putt]

Short throw (or ultra short-throw) projectors that are 1920x1080 (native; not supported) with decent lumens aren't cheap. The off-brands typically don't check all of those boxes. And it's not easy to find out the throw ratio of those off-brands so it's tough to know if you're getting the right one for your room dimensions or not.

If your budget is $200 or so, you can easily get a high quality short-throw projector that is 1024x768 resolution for that price from a known and trusted brand. It will still offer a good picture, especially if you get some decent lumens. And if you plan to upgrade in the future, then this is a good way of getting a starter projector that will give you something to use for a while as you stash away money for an upgrade further down the road.

Check out the used and refurbished market from a trusted seller. I don't know what kind of throw distance you need, but check out something like the BenQ MX819ST. It's short-throw, 3000 lumens and can be had for less than $150 on ebay. And BenQ is a high-quality and trusted brand. Good quality projectors that are 1024x768 are a dime a dozen and are well within your budget, especially on the used market. Personally, I would opt for one of these lower resolution projectors from a popular brand like BenQ or Optoma over a higher resolution projector from some random off-brand that sounds too good to be true. Especially if it's only going to be a temporary solution.

[yorkie]

Hi, I bought a cheap projector from Amazon last year :WiMiUS P20 Native 1080P LED Projector 6500 Lumen Video Projector Support 4K Video Zoom Function ±50°Digital Keystone Correction for 250 US, bought this as a stepping stone until I could buy a better one.

This has been one of my best buys really happy with pic quality & the sound is good, projector has zoom & a great 50% keystone so projector can be offset as not to cast shadows.

[Shiggidy112]

Thanks, folks. I plan to upgrade down the line, but I'd like to ensure that I get 2-3 years out of the unit. It's good to know that I can get something functional to get me by for now.

[gmbtempe]

Hi, I bought a cheap projector from Amazon last year :WiMiUS P20 Native 1080P LED Projector 6500 Lumen Video Projector Support 4K Video Zoom Function ±50°Digital Keystone Correction for 250 US, bought this as a stepping stone until I could buy a better one.

This has been one of my best buys really happy with pic quality & the sound is good, projector has zoom & a great 50% keystone so projector can be offset as not to cast shadows.

Seems like a good deal for a low end projector, how did you figure out the throw distance for setup, that model does not appear to be on projector central?

[yorkie]

I have my projector set at 5mtrs on the back wall image size is 4 mtrs x 2.8 (16x10) just on the limit of the throw