The Best Home Theater Projectors (Top 7 for 2024) - IGN (2024)

Once an afterthought to the general public as a way to watch movies and TV, the best projectors (like our top pick—the Sony VPL-VW295ES) have snuck their way into being viable options as bigger, more expensive TVs have become more popular. Why spend five figures on a 100-inch TV when you can score a decent projector for a similar price or even a fraction of the cost? It’s a legitimate question many are pondering, especially as it becomes easier to incorporate a projector into your home.

Projectors have become specialized and varied over the years, with different price points and designs catering to different needs. When you’re after a great gaming projector, something you can take with you on the go, or just the best the market has to offer, there’s a projector out there for you. Depending on your needs and what you're looking for in a projector, we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch below.

TL;DR – These are the top home theater projectors:

• Sony VPL-VW295ES
• Epson Home Cinema 4010
• BenQ HT2060
• BenQ TK700STI
• LG Cinebeam
• Optoma HD146X
• Anker Nebula Capsule

The 7 Best Home Theater Projectors for 2024

1. Sony VPL-VW295ES

The best overall projector (if you have the $)

The Sony VPL-VW295ES is a home theater powerhouse, able to project a larger-than-life display without losing picture quality. Many of Sony’s trademark technologies are built right into the VW295ES, from a Triluminos Display meant to showcase all kinds of colors, tones and textures to MotionFlow technology that helps the projector maintain smooth, realistic motion during movies, sports, and video games alike. The VW295ES is also exceptionally bright for a home theater projector at 1,500 lumens, and offers HDR compatibility.

Now, there’s a small caveat to Sony’s status as the best overall projector on this list. The VW295ES is not the best projector in existence today. It’s simply the best projector we can justify spending money on without resorting to taking out a second mortgage on your home. It’s still not cheap by any stretch, but it is more achievable than, say, a projector that fits better in a local movie theater than a living room.

2. Epson Home Cinema 4010

The best 4K projector

At the risk of adding more caveats into the fold, the Epson Home Cinema isn’t technically a native 4K projector. Instead, it accepts 4K content, which includes content encoded with HDR. This results in an image quality that is far more detailed than a standard 1080P projector and more reminiscent of far more expensive 4K alternatives. The 4010 doesn’t catch all the way up to the competition, but it does get relatively close for a bargain of a price.

The 4010 also happens to be incredibly bright, rated at 2,400 lumens. So, if you’re putting a projector in a space that doesn’t have the best light control, you’re in luck. The 4010 is capable of a clear, bright image even in a room where there’s multiple lights on, making it an excellent choice for watching NFL games and other major sporting events with friends and family.

3. BenQ HT2060

The best 1080p projector

The way for a 1080P projector to stand out in a 4K world is by being great at literally everything else. That’s exactly what the BenQ HT2060 does, starting with its ability to display an incredible range of colors. The HT20760 produces DCI-P3 and 98% Rec.709 color coverage performance, meaning there is no shortage of accurate vibrant colors in its repertoire.

It’s not just the color performance, however. The HT2060 has remarkably high contrast for a 1080P projector, and is also compatible with both HDR10 and HLG to help portray deeper blacks in dark scenes. It even offers low latency to serve as a very capable gaming projector, with a response time of 16.7ms. If it were a 4K projector, the HT2060 would likely be exponentially more expensive. Fortunately, it’s not, making it a great value for those who don’t need the highest resolution available.

4. BenQ TK700STI

The best gaming projector

Where do we start with the BenQ TK700STI? Well, for starters, it is capable of acting as a short throw projector, able to project a 100-inch image from just 6.5 feet away. The TK700STI is also compatible with most major gaming consoles, including the PS5, the Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X. Toss in the fact the TK700STI offers a shockingly low response time at 16ms, and it’s hard to imagine choosing any other projector for your gaming needs.

The TK700STI does have utility outside of gaming, too. It has its own built-in version of Android TV for native streaming, and is compatible with both Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast for casting content to it. Everything about the TK700STI is tailor made for promoting endless entertainment, and it does a good job of delivering on that promise.

5. LG Cinebeam

The best ultra short throw projector

The name of the short throw projector game is being able to project the biggest, clearest image possible from the shortest imaginable distance from the wall or screen it's being projected onto. The LG Cinebeam HU85LA finds the perfect sweet spot of size and distance, displaying a 120-inch screen at just 7.2 inches away from the screen. Pair that with features like HDR10, TruMotion technology, and several technological specs aimed at producing detailed, accurate colors in the image it projects.

The LG Cinebeam HU85LA also comes with extra perks, like the LG webOS lite streaming platform built right in and Alexa available onboard. If you’re searching for a larger-than-life viewing experience but don’t want to deal with mounting a projector at the back of your room, the Cinebeam is one of the best options you could possibly consider.

6. Optoma HD146X

The best budget projector

The Optoma HD146X is the quintessential performance-focused, budget-minded projector. For less than $1,000, you get a 1080P image that’s incredibly bright and filled with impressive detail considering its resolution. It even has features like Enhanced Gaming Mode, which is meant to boost response time, and Dynamic Black technology that intuitively adjusts lamp output to set the stage for better contrast.

It’s not a native 4K projector, or even close to it for that matter. And it doesn’t offer any advanced features like a built-in smart operating system of advanced HDR codecs. But what the HD146X does offer is good, trustworthy performance for an entry-level price tag that’s accessible for most people.

7. Anker Nebula Capsule

The best portable projector

The Anker Nebula Capsule is a drastic pivot from the rest of the projectors on this list. It’s just 480p, not very bright, and is only capable of a screen size up to 100 inches. None of that quite matters in this particular case, however. The Nebula Capsule is an ultra portable option, thanks to its diminutive dimensions, built-in speaker and moderately good battery life (four hours).

Should you rely on the Nebula Capsule for daily viewing? Probably not. But will it work wonders on a camping trip or a backyard movie night? It absolutely will, and it will walk circles around some of the best projectors on this list in the process. At least in terms of how truly easy it is to move around and set up for use.

Summary

While having a fancy, high-end TV is a great thing, it can be hard to beat a good home theater projector at times. Pair one of these projectors with some theater seating, surround sound, a popcorn machine, and some candy to have a movie theater at your disposal whenever you wish. As an added bonus, you can take many projector models with you on the go, making it easy to have family movie nights outside during the warmer months, have your game crew over for some Super Smash on the big screen, or host viewing parties of your favorite sports games or TV shows.

For those looking to set up outside or don't have a good wall space inside already to display your projector's screen, take a look at our shortlist of projector screens available to complete your home theater setup:

Nick Woodward is a sportswriter-turned-tech journalist, with bylines at Digital Trends and the like. You can find Nick covering all things A/V tech as a freelance writer at IGN.