One of the greatest home budget projector in 2021 is an undervalued alternative when looking at a major screen. It’ll provide you screen size options that comfortably outnumber those available on TV, making it ideal for individuals who have always wanted to enjoy a home theater experience. After all, as good as they are, the Best budget 4K projector and gaming TVs can only deliver so much before they become prohibitively pricey.
One of the Best budget 4K projector will allow you to enjoy your favorite films and games in a size that allows you to fully immerse yourself in them, as well as host unrivaled movie, sports, or gaming evenings where everyone can see. If that sounds appealing to you, it’s time to dive into the realm of the best projectors for gaming, cinema, and television.
And if you’re used to squinting at a fuzzy budget projector in a work conference room, you’ll be amazed at how much picture quality has improved on the greatest projectors in recent years. Some projectors will even give the greatest 4K TVs under $500 a run for their money in terms of value. There’s a lot of options these days, and even if you know what to look for in terms of monitor or screen specifications, you could be forgiven for being intimidated by the additional factors to consider when purchasing a projector.
So, in this guide, we’ll go through some of the best projector under £500 uk on the market right now, at a variety of pricing points. While there are some nice projectors available at lower prices, you’ll need sturdy drapes to keep the sun out throughout the day. You’ll also need to consider the surface you’re projecting onto; you might need a screen for the perfect picture, but with high-end equipment, you won’t notice any issues if you’re projecting onto a white wall. In all honesty, you’d be better off looking into the best projector under £500 uk screen and best outdoor projector screen marketplaces to make sure you’ve got the correct equipment for your projected images.
What You Need To Know
If this is your first foray into the premium world of cinema budget projector there are a couple of things you need to look out for.
Resolution – The most important thing about getting a new budget projector is getting a clear image – you want to be able to see as much detail as possible. This is measured in the number of pixels it can show off. The most basic on this list has a 720-pixel image, which is a bit outdated for our tastes but good enough if you’re on a budget.
Full HD (1080p) budget projector are the most common, but the modern standard is 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) which all movie aficionados should hunt for. You might find some models capable of 8K reproduction which is a future trend that “quadruples the visual quality”, though it isn’t quite ready for general consumption yet.
Contrast ratio – This is how well your projector can distinguish between blacks and whites, and will ultimately give you better clarity when watching darker content like that pitch-black episode of Game of Thrones: The Long Night. The bigger the ratio, the better the performance – at 500,000:1 and more, blacks will be inky and colours will pop; at 2,000:1, the image will look a little blurry and colours may bleed into each other; you have been warned.
If you’re a sports fan this won’t matter too much, as most stadiums are so bright that Jeff Bezos could see them from space, so you won’t need much contrast, but film buffs and gamers will want to see the deep shadows in distinction to lighter scenes.
Brightness – budget projector need the perfect setting to get the most out of them, and that often means closing the curtains and watching in near-complete darkness. However, some can cope with brighter environments and even work in the garden if you’re throwing a watch party.
Brightness is measured in lumens, with a higher number offering a brighter image – around 2,500 is the sweet spot. Though you only really need to pay attention to this if you plan on keeping the curtains open or taking it outside.
Screen size – The screen size will depend on how close you put the budget projector to the wall or screen, so have a think about where you could put one in your setup. A lot of our favorites can be wall-mounted or suspended from the ceiling, while others have a “short throw” meaning you can pop it just a few inches away from the wall and still get a big display.
Resolution: 4K Ultra HD
Contrast ratio: 30,000:1
Brightness: 3,000 lumens
Screen size: Up to 300″
Connectivity: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x USB Type A, 1 x USB Type B, 3.5mm headphone jack, Built-in 5W speaker
Product Dimensions: 38 x 26.3 x 12.7 cm; 4kg
The BenQ is the Best projector and all-arounder, but the dedicated sports mode – which, among other things, smoothes up skin tones and makes grass appear greener – will give much-needed live sports methadone when you can’t get into the actual stadium. With 3,000 lumens, you won’t need to lightproof your living room to watch the Ashes, and the 4K UHD display will show every drop of sweat dripping from your favorite athletes.
2. ViewSonic – ViewSonic M2 Full HD Smart Portable LED Projector
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 2,400 LED Lumens
Contrast ratio: 3,000,000:1
Screen size: 300”
Connectivity: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 2.0, built-in Harmon & Kardon speakers
Product Dimensions: 26.1 x 27.1 x 16.6 cm; 4.08 kg
The mid-range X10-4K is up there among best projector and is 1080p projector for sports and movie-watching for the man who wants it all without remortgaging the house. You won’t need to invest in blackout blinds because of the high contrast ratio and solid lumen count; simply pick it up by the handle and enjoy the big event in the garden.
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 2,200 lumens
Contrast ratio: N/A (not listed)
Screen size: 300”
Connectivity: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2x USB 2.0, 1 x headphone jack, Dual 8W Harman / Kardon Speakers
Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 21.8 x 13.6 cm; 2.9 kg
Input latency: 35ms
Cinephiles will adore this, and it’s one of the HD Projector gadgets we’ve tested for watching movies. The high lumen count boosts the 4K resolution, resulting in crisp detail and vibrant colour reproduction. Even in the depths of Moria’s tunnels, we could see every strand of Gandalf’s scraggly beard when we watched The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring to commemorate the film’s 20th anniversary.
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 3,000 lumens
Contrast ratio: 2,000,000:1
Screen size: Up to 120 inches
Connectivity: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x USB, 1 x HDMI 3D support
Product Dimensions: 57.6 x 38.3 x 13 cm; 13.9kg
Input latency: 50ms
This mid-tier Optoma is one of our favorite HD Projector because of its rapid frame rate, a plethora of settings, and futuristic look, and it’s available at a significant reduction from its original price. This is also the only budget projector on our list that can stream 3D content, so if you have the appropriate glasses, you can totally immerse yourself in your movies.
