The use of Video Projector is remarkable. It has long been used in presentations, commercial entertainment and for home theatre system. Earlier it used to cost a high amount for a projector, however now its easily available and affordable. Projectors are now available in different categories and price range which helps most people to afford it easily.
Before making a move on the purchase you need to look into some factors regarding the projector like,
• Type of projector
• Contrast ratio
• Lamp, LED or Laser
• Display Resolution
• Inputs
• Light output and brightness
You can refer our guide here. Projector Buying Guide – How to Choose the Best Projector?
In this article you can get a detailed comparison of the best video projectors under $500 for your needs.
5 BEST HOME THEATRE PROJECTORS UNDER $500
You can compare the best available projectors for making the right choice.
1. Vivibright GP100
2. BENQ MW535A WXGA
3. ViewSonic Light Stream PJD5155
4. Epson VS250 SVGA
5. Optoma HD146X
BENQ MW535A WXGA – The Best Home Theatre Projector Under $400
BENQ MW535A WXGA is a DLP projector suitable for small business presentation and educational purposes. It is suitable for small room with a maximum of 10 people for clear vision. The projector is equipped with a 210watt mercury lamp for the source of light. It is said to have equipped with 3600 lumens and the lamp said to last for 5000 hours in normal mode and 10000 hours in eco mode and 15000 hours in smart eco mode. It has a resolution of 1280X800 and the contrast ratio is 15000:1 for clear text. The zooming lens ratio is 1.20:1. The WXGA resolution helps in projecting excellent images and videos. The projector has a built-in 2watt speaker. The projector is easy to setup. It has an auto power off function, when idle for 20 mins it automatically powers down. It also has eco mode and smart eco mode making it conserve energy based upon the usage.
PROS
• Environment friendly
• 3600 lumens
• 3 modes for different movie experience
Check Price and User Reviews
Epson VS250 SVGA – The Runner Up
The Epson VS250 SVGA is a great projector for business purposes. It has a great design and weighs 5.3 pounds. One of the key highlighting factors is that the projector automatically adjusts its vertical keystone when the kickstand is extended. It also has a built-in wireless that helps to connect from apple or android phones. The projector comes with high quality lens and offers 3200 lumens of brightness. The projector has a built-in cap for its lens which can be slide over and when closed it atomically mutes both audio and video. It has a removable dust filter and the cooling system is well designed and quiet. The projector is equipped with a 2watt mono speaker which is of average quality and located at the back of the projector along with the connectivity ports. The projector comes with a remote making it easy to operate. The projector is easy to setup and the setting can be adjusted manually according to the preference. One of the drawbacks of the projector is that it has a low resolution 800X600. It is also a high-priced product based upon its quality.
PROS
• Automatic vertical keystone
• Bright display
• Quiet fan
CONS
• Average speaker
• Only VGA cable included
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Optoma HD146X – The Best Home Theatre Projector Under $500
Optoma HD146X is a slightly high-priced product for its specifications. The projector comes with 3600 lumens of light. The lamp life differs in certain modes from 4000hours to 10000hours in economy mode. The native resolution of the product is 1920X1080 and it is 3D compactible. The zoom range is narrow with 1:1 aspect ratio, it limits to placing the projector. The projector automatically adjusts the colours of the image to surface making the images clear. The drawbacks of the product are that the noise of the fan is loud and its kind of disturbing.
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Vivibright GP100
Vivibright GP100 is a simple designed light weight measuring 9.8 X 11.4 X 4.7 inches projector. The light weight and shape of the product makes it easy to place or carry it anywhere according to your convenience. This projector is simple with compact design and user-friendly.GP 100 is not overloaded with buttons or switches which does not make it complicated. The product comes with a power cable, a remote control, a 3in 1 AV cable, a VGA cable and a quick guide. Vivbright claims that the lens is safe for the eyes even if viewed for a longer time and it is fitted with a 3500 lumens LED light for enhanced for clarity and brightness and it will last up to 30,000 hours. It can also project in both 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios suitably according to the video. The max resolution is 1080p at 60hz. This product has a built-in adjustable keystone correction. With GP100 you can play a variety of media and it is compactable with smartphones, all kinds of television, laptops and it even supports ebook formats, TXT and LRC. The projector comes with a collapsible stand beneath the lens so you can adjust to the right spot.
Related Read: 7 Best Gaming Projector Under 1000 for Pro Gamers
PROS
• Simple and compact design
• User friendly
• 3500 Lumens LED Light
• Built-in adjustable keystone correction
CONS
• Lack of colour saturation
• Lacks 4K resolution
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ViewSonic Light Stream PJD5155
Viewsonic Light Stream PJD5155 is a DLP based projector of modest price. This projector is suitable for school and budgeted business. PJD5155 is low resolution 800X600 SVGA model which has decent image and video quality and 4:3 aspect ratio. It is equipped with a 3200 lumens lens which produces decent brightness. PJD5155 is an all-black stylish model weighing 4.6 pounds.
Related Read: 10 Best Projectors For Classroom & Presentations – Business Projector Reviews
The image quality of this projector is average and can be used in classrooms and small presentations. One of the drawbacks of this projector is the colour balance issue with dull colours and rainbow effect. PJD5155 projector is equipped with a 2watt speaker which is of decent quality.
