Digital Projector Information: September 2014

Today we are going to count down the top 5 LED Projectors for 2014. Why LED you might ask. Well for one thing the bulbs have extra long life so you will probably never have to change them and add to that the lower cost of purchasing and operating them is very desirable in the long run. They generally have lower lumens output, but who watches movies or plays games in highly lit areas.
So we'll start with number 5 since this is a countdown. The LED projectors featured in this article are available on amazon.com as of this writing.

#5 - VVME V61 (LED-86) LED HDMI Projector 1080p HD Ready

The VVME Projector is an entry level LED projector with a low price to let just about anyone be able to afford to have a home theater. The LED bulb is rated for 20,000 hours and the company says you should never have to replace it. It works well indoors and outdoors as long as the light is low, so only at night for the outdoors. It is 4:3 or 16:9 adjustable and has USB, Y/Pb/Pr, AV, VGA and HDMI ports, Built-in speakers, and you can play videos directly off your Hard drive with the USB inputs. The picture looks great on a 10 or 12ft screen and it has a great picture.

#4 - DBPOWER LED Projector 1080P HDMI USB Home Cinema Projector System

The DBPOWER Led Projector is next on our list. The bulb on this one is also rated for 20,000 hrs. So you should never have to replace it. Which is the biggest complaint about regular (non-led) projectors. The picture is stunning in low lit areas such as outdoors at night and such. It has Ypbpr,VGA, HDMI, AV and USB inputs so you could hook it up to just about any DVD player or even to your laptop. Rated at 2000 lumens. It is also low priced.

#3 - LG Electronics PF85U Full HD LED Projector with Smart TV and Built-In Digital TV Tuner

The LG Electronics PF85U LED Projector is also a TV since it has a built in tuner. You can put an antenna on this one and watch all the digital tv you want. No DVD player required. It has full 1080p resolution. The PF85U makes use of LG's Smart TV by utilizing the integrated Wi-Fi to stream content from your favorite on-line service providers (Amazon Instant Video, Netflix and more) as well as providing WiDi and Mira cast capabilities while the integrated digital TV tuner allows you to access over the air High Definition broadcasts. You can also plug in a hd full of media and play directly off of that. Overall it has great picture quality under low light conditions.

#2 - FAVI RioHD-LED-3T Home Theater Projector with 150" Picture

The FAVI RioHD Projector is a low cost alternative to getting a big screen TV with its 150" picture size it looks great evewn when pushed to the edge of that limit. At only 1000 lumens it is best used in a low light environment, and the bulb is rated for 30000 hrs. Which is more than usual. It also has a USB input and built in media player. It also has 2 HDMI inputs and the other usual inputs ie. composite, rca, s-video and line-out. A very good projector for the price and also available in 200" picture size.

#1 - BenQ GP20 Wireless Ultra-Lite LED 700 Lumen Projector

The BenQ GP20 Wireless Ultra-Lite LED 700 Lumen Projector features MHL function and allows you to mirror the movie, games from your IOs & Android devices to big screen. It also has Auto Blank which is an eye protection feature designed to ensure safe use around young children. It enables the GP20 to detect movements within 20 to 30 centimeters* in front of the lens and cut off the projection light automatically. It also streams content wirelessly with the addition of EZQ Software for your pc or an app for your phone. The picture is bright for a 700 lumen model even compared to a 3000 lumen model of another brand.

So there you have it, our top 5 LED projector picks. Stay tuned for our top PICO Projector picks.

3D Projectors are a fantastic way to get the best out of your blue ray 3D player. With the addition of some 3D glasses you will be experiencing 3D comparable to or better than at the movies. These projectors can be used with or without a screen (though a good screen will help a bit). They can also be used for 3D gaming experiences unlike no other. So with that said lets get on to the best 3D DLP projectors of 2014, all available on amazon.com as of this writing.

We start off at number 5.

#5 - Optoma EH500 1080p 4700 Lumen Full 3D DLP Network Projector with HDMI

The Optoma EH500 projector is fully 3d compatible, though you will need a special RF 3d emitter and special glasses of course. The picture is very bright and suitable for locations where you will be using it in daylight. In the dark it is even more amazing with its 4700 lumens. It also has network capabilities and is a good choice for edge blending with multiple units with near perfect color matching. It is designed to be mounted on the ceiling upside down so you will need an extra bracket to hook it up. But all in all this is a great unit.

#4 - Vivitek D966HD-WT D966HD 4500 lumen 1080p Full HD 3D DLP Projector

The Vivitek D966HD Projector is by far the brightest in its class at 4500 lumens. It can be used in broad daylight and still look good. It is a full 1080p 3D DLP projector. It has a built in speaker and many input options including 3d sync, rj45 and RS232. The lamp life is rated at 4000 hours which is the equivalent of 167 days of continuous movie watching 24hrs a day. That about 3 years of movie watching 3 hrs a day average. This is a bit more expensive than the others but is a good choice if using it in a bright area.

#3 - BenQ SH915 1080p 4000 Lumens Full HD 3D Ready Projector with HDMI Projector

What would a projector review be without including a BenQ Projector. The BenQ SH915 is a fully 3D ready projector producing 4000 lumens. For watching movies during the day this projector is ideal. Just add a 3D blue ray player and some 3d glasses and you'll be experiencing 3D like you've never seen before. It also has a 1.5x zoom feature to throw your movies even farther if need be. It also has Lan control for the more experienced folks to control more than 1 projector, and smarteco technology to save up to 70% power consumption. So all in all this gives the best quality even under the brightest lighting conditions. Maybe a bit too bright if you're going to be using it in a dark home theater, but it can be adjusted.

#2 - ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD 1080p 3D-Ready Projector with HDMI, Dual VGA, Composite and S-video

My good friend has this ViewSonic PJD7820HD Full HD projector, so on a recent visit to his house I checked it out. We mainly used this for 3D gaming at his house, though we did watch a 3D movie too. The 3d on this projector was amazing even though we were watching it on a wall that was painted white (he had no screen to use). The colors and picture stood up to even the best plasma tvs I have seen. Sometimes it was louder than I am used to but that was only during quiet parts in the movie. During games it didn't matter at all. He also said he's had this for about 6 months and no problems and probably wouldn't go back to a regular tv.

#1 - Optoma HD25-LV 1080p 3200 Lumen Full 3D DLP Home Theater Projector with HDMI

This is my choice for the best 3d projector of 2014.

I got the Optoma HD25-LV 1080p projector to watch 3D movies. After doing my research I tried this one because of the extra lumens which makes for a much brighter picture in lighted areas and not too bright when its used in a dimly lit area like my theater. The quality of the 3D is superior. I will also say that the 3D experience with this projector exceeds that of the movie theater. I love 3D movies and with this projector I want to watch them over again. With the Optoma HD25, my screen can be as large as 25ft which is much more than I need in my home theater. This is what I think makes it much better on a 10 or 12ft screen.

So there you have it, my top 3d projector picks for 2014. Stay tuned for my next post where I will review the top PICO projectors of 2014.

The Top 5 LED Projectors for 2014