I'm moving this year, and ended up buying a new but smaller house still under construction. As I've decided to finish the basement right off the bat (suite for elderly parents), I've also decided to put in a proper[ish] home theater.

It's not going to be that large - 18x16 feet - and I'm expecting maybe a 120" screen. While I'm still battling mentally over how many of my old speakers to reuse (I have 4 nice on-wall rears, do need to get 4 in-ceiling for Atmos, but am still undecided whether to reuse some of my old standalone speakers for the front or go in-wall), I definitely do need to get a projector.

I know there's a recent thread on $20K projectors, but how about more at the bargain end of the spectrum? Would prefer non-DLP (I'm pretty suspectable to rainbows).

Thanks for any ideas!

"Bargain" is a relative term. I've come to the conclusion that, for a home theater, anything much less that about $4K MSRP just isn't worth having. My personal go to projector for lower budget theaters is the JVC LX-NZ3. That's actually discontinued now, but you can still find them. There is a new model coming in March for the same MSRP of $3699.

True, I should have been more specific... I'm thinking perhaps around the $5K range? Although I might be able to push that if it's worthwhile, and I don't replace as much of my older equipment (like reuse my Marantz AV7702 + MM8077).

At that price, I'd say the Epson 12000 or the Sony 5000. I don't mean to bring up the argument of 4k / faux k etc, just two nice pieces around your budget. I haven't done many, but I like the lasers...

I would check out the new BenQ HT4550i which is expected to ship in April. It's got a 4-LED light engine so no bulb and better colors, 3200 ANSI lumens, low input lag for gaming, horz and vert lens shift for easy placement, etc. Looks like it will be a real nice unit for $2600.

And while it is DLP, a 4-LED light engine doesn't use a color wheel so rainbows shouldn't be an issue. Another advantage of the LED light engine is instant on/instant off.

[Link: benq.com]

While LED doesn't use a color wheel it still does sequential color and can cause rainbows. Although, faster and less common it can still happen because it doesn't display all color simultaneously.

I think the Sony if you are not doing a 2.35 screen and don't mind going over budget little or the Epson if you are doing 2.35, the lens memory makes things a lot easier. I do think if JVC got their NP-5/RS-1100 closer in price to the Sony or Epson it would be my choice.

How IS the JVC NP5? Other than being bulb-based, it seems decent with good HDR support. Same list price as the Sony, isn’t it? Bit worried about lens quality/sharpness on the Sony 5000, but I haven’t seen one in person.

My preference is the DLARS1100, but that's just because it in the Reference series and the customer service between my distributor and the JVC rep is 2nd to none.

Reference series is also just aa bit more restricted in online sales. Otherwise, they are line by line the same projector.

The NP5 and RS1100 are the same projector sold to two different markets. Whichever one you can get. I like them a LOT and more than the Sony. Their build quality is definitely a step up from the Sony. I still have some customers using the RS-1 and have done over 10 bulb changes without problems for the 15+ years. The JVCs frame adapt HDR is second only to dedicated processors like Lumagen or MadVR.

I don't think the jump in price to laser in the JVC lineup is worth it for performance. They have the same native contrast and performance is basically the same. A little benefit with laser dimming for dynamic contrast as it can shut off and go completely black but in reality, not much difference. Laser obviously doesn't need to be replaced but you can buy a lot of bulbs for that price difference.

Another thing to consider is when you replace a bulb you are back to full brightness. Lasers dim over their lifespan just much slower because of their rated lifespan. In reality except for direct laser projectors (not JVC) it is the phosphor wheel that deteriorates and if you could replace that they would probably last practically forever. It wouldn't be financial sense for companies to make them replaceable with that many hours of lifespan. Plus, technology will have certainly changed by the time it needs to be replaced.

The only advantage I see to the Sony projectors besides price is typically they are more accurate out of the box. At this price range I would recommend a calibration by a good calibrator. If one is unlikely to get it calibrated the Sony has some merit because it is closer out of the box.

Thanks for the info! Definitely leaning towards the JVC, with the Sony 5000 as a possibility. But the adaptive HDR capabilities are kind of pushing the JVC into the forefront, as I have a lot of UHD BDs.

Do you have a screen yet? or one picked out?

Nope, not at all. The room isn’t even framed yet. Literally everything about this is currently up in the air and open to suggestions!

I have a lot of experience with screens and HT design since we specialize in projector systems, although not as many as in the past with TVs getting larger. We deal with most of the major players Stewart, Da-lite, Screen innovations, Dragonfly, Draper, Da-lite, Seymour/ Screen excellence, I think that is it. Screens are about getting the right one for your application. I'll be happy to give suggestions but there are a ton of questions about your situation that needs to happen.

Some basic questions to narrow the field.
Acoustically Transparent or not?
Ambient light when projector will be used?
Seating distance?
Projector distance?
Room color? More of a media room or dedicated area?
Audio?
Multiple rows of seating?
Movie lover? consider 2.35:1?

And of course, Budget?

I’m thinking not acoustically transparent, but I haven’t completely decided if I want to reuse my discrete speakers or go to new in-walls in the front.

Zero ambient light. This will be a decided basement theater, fully light controlled. It will be carpeted and painted dark (ie matte black ceiling, and dark matte paints). Literally any finishing design aspect can be changed to what’s the most ideal.

The room is smaller than I wanted and, due to entrance orientation, also not the direction I wanted to use it, but it’s going to be approx 18 feet wide and 16 feet deep. Two stepped rows of seating, with full understanding that the front row is going to be closer to screen than ideal (for the kids), and the rear also closer to the rear wall than ideal. Due to the relative closeness I don’t know that 2.35:1 would be appropriate.

Projector location can be anywhere the room. Ceiling is 9 feet and unobstructed. It will be used almost exclusively for movies. Planning a 7.2.4 audio setup.

Budget is… not cheap, not high-end, but somewhat flexible towards well-priced and well-performing products.

I am going to make some assumptions. If going with an acoustically transparent screen with the depth of your room, you probably won't build a false wall and put speakers behind it. In walls would be a good choice and can have some acoustic advantages over freestanding speakers. An acoustically transparent screen is a good choice for better audio.

Since you don't have ambient light, I would suggest two screens based on the close viewing distance of your front row, so you don't see weave in the screen material.

Value: Seymour Screens with UF material
Splurge: Screen Excellence with NEO material

A 2.35:1 screen can have advantages in that you can get a larger screen for two rows and the 3 front speakers will be covered by the screen. You can't go too big with 16:9 screens because of sight lines and two rows. If at all possible I would try to keep the second row 2 feet from the back wall when reclined for better acoustics. Seating against walls is never ideal acoustically. That makes sight lines a little more difficult. There are tradeoffs in everything so I understand if it can't be done.

Using a 120" 16:9 screen as an example it is almost 60" in height (105" wide). If we have a 2.35:1 screen at 60" height it is almost 3 feet wider (138"). A lot more immersion and that projector will have no problem going between 16:9 and 2.35 with its lens memory. And, with your room conditions it will be bright enough. Since, this will be mostly for movies I think the 2.35 is a no brainer whether acoustically transparent or not. You will have black bars on the sides for 16:9 material.