Best Economical 4K Projector

*UPDATE 7-4-18 Lowered Price on all Epson Projectors

Runners Up:

The Epson Home Cinema 4000 3LCD Home Theater Projector with 4K Enhancement and HDR (Retails $1999) is the most economical 4K LCD enhanced projector that we have found.

The Image result for epson 4040 Epson Pro Cinema 4040 3LCD Home Theater Projector with 4K Enhancement and HDR (Retail $2399).

The Epson Home Cinema 5040UB 3LCD Home Theater Projector with 4K Enhancement and HDR (Retail $2499) has the same light engine as the 6040UB.

The  Epson Home Cinema 5040UBE 3LCD Home Theater Projector with 4K Enhancement and HDR (Retail $2799) is the same projector as above, but with a Wireless HDMI Option.

The Best Economical 4K Projectors:

The 4K e-shift4 D-ILA Projector - DLA-X570R - Overview JVC DLAX590R D-ILA HDMI Home Theater Projector with 4K e-shift4 and HDR (Retail $3699).  It has 1800 lumens of Brightness, 400,000 : 1 Contrast and a 2 year Warranty (no auto lens cover). – Upgraded for 2018, JVC’s DLA-X590RBK remains the industry’s most affordable Custom Install D-ILA projector. It delivers stunning picture detail and an unprecedented value thanks to JVC’s exclusive 4K e-shift5 technology. It accepts native 4K 60P (4:4:4) content through Full Speed 18Gbps HDMI/HDCP 2.2 compatible inputs and up-converts existing 1080P sources to 4K precision.

 

or

The Epson Pro Cinema 6040UB 3LCD Projector with 4K Enhancement, HDR and ISF (Retail $3699).  It has 2500 lumens of Brightness, 1,000,000:1 Contrast, a 3 year Warranty, a Rear Cable Cover, an Extra Lamp and a top of the line Custom Projector Mount from Chief.  It accepts native 4K 30P (4:2:2) content through Full Speed 12Gbps HDMI/HDCP 2.2 compatible input and up-converts existing 1080P sources to 4K.

One thing for sure – either projector you pick – will make you happy.

4K Enhancement. The key to understanding why the 4K Enhancement looks so impressive is realizing that there’s only so much detail the human eye can actually resolve. The 5040UB’s pixel-shifting technology increases the apparent resolution of the picture by enough to come close to that limit. Of course it depends on how close you like to sit to the screen. And it also depends on the type of subject matter — it is easier to see resolution differences between the 5040UB and native 4K projectors when viewing high resolution graphics and text documents than it is with video. (Definition from Projector Central)

 

Native 4K

The Sony VPL-VW285ES Front viewSony VPLW285ES SXRD Projector with Native 4K Resolution and HDR (Retail $4999).  It has 1500 lumens of Brightness, (Contrast not Published) and a 3 year warranty.

The Sony VPL-VW285ES Front viewSony VPLW385ES SXRD Projector with Native 4K Resolution and HDR (Retail $7999).  It has 1500 lumens of Brightness, 200,000:1 Contrast and a 3 year warranty.

The Images of 4K SXRD Home Cinema ProjectorSony VPL-VW675ES SXRD Projector with Native 4K Resolution and HDR (Retail $14,999).  It has 1800 lumens of Brightness, 350,000:1 Contrast and a 3 year warranty.

The Vivitek HK2299 DLP Projector with Native 4K Resolution and HDR (Retail $2,999).  It has 2000 lumens of Brightness and 120,000:1 Contrast. (The Benq DLP has a sharper image)

Benq now has a native DLP Projector also as of June 2018

JVC now has a DLP enhanced $K Projector for $2499 I think and if your going to pick a DLP, I would recommend this one.

What Size TV do I Need for my Room?

Before 4k TV’s came out people would use charts like this to figure out what size TV they need for their seating distance.  These charts really are telling you how far back you need to be, to not see the Pixels.

Since 4k TV’s have such a large density of pixels, it is much more difficult for this issue to arise. You need to be quite close to a fairly large TV for it to be noticeably annoying.

Optimal TV viewing distance by its size, for DVD, 720p, 1080p and Ultra HD (previously known as 4K) resolutions.

The limit to which you can increase the angular resolution by stepping back depends on your visual acuity. At some point, your eyes are not good enough to distinguish all the details. Studies show that someone with 20/20 vision (or 6/6 in Europe) can distinguish something 1/60 of a degree apart. This means 60 pixels per degree or 32 degrees for a 1080p television. 4k UHD TVs double that to 64 degrees. Keep in mind that you can see a single pixel from further away (depending on its contrast with the rest of the picture).

For 4k, this distance is often too close for most people. This is because 1080p was designed around the field of view logic above. It is the cutting point at which both the optimal field of view and 60 pixels per degree meet. For lower resolutions, it meant sitting a bit further than preferable to not notice the pixels, 4k resolutions and higher give you a lot more freedom. Because of this, visual acuity isn’t really the best way to find the right distance anymore, and it should instead be used as a way to figure out the closest point you can sit to a TV without hitting its resolution limitation.

The chart also shows that a 4k upgrade is not worth it if you are sitting more than 6′ away and have a 50″ TV. Your eyes won’t be able to tell the difference. Ultra HD only makes sense if you want a really big screen and plan on sitting closer to it. (info by Rtings.com)

To Repair or Not Repair Electronics – ?

Short Answer is NO – Repair is dead

Wait who killed it? – YOU DID

What did I do? – YOU DEMANDED CHEAP

The first thing to go is the expensive engineer in Japan who creates the Product and Publishes a detailed Service Manual, that an Electronics Service Technician can Follow and Possibly Replace a $3.00 part at Component Level.
Most Audio Video Electronics Service Manuals today are Very Small and Not Detailed.   For Example it could say – If you get one of these certain problems you might want to try replacing a certain board and if that doesn’t work try the next board.  So now skilled technicians are replacing boards and modules instead of un-soldering and replacing parts at component level on the board.

If you have an electrical issue – our third party service center can use there skills to back-trace the issue, but if they run into a burned up resistor – the service manual probably doesn’t tell  what the value is and then they are stuck.  So then your back to replacing boards, which gets expensive.

Another problem is that most Microprocessors (The Brain) are soldered on by a robot (or other technique) that is almost impossible for a human to replace (since most have 50 legs  that are about the size of a hair).  So at that point – You probably need to order a new board.

The amount of different electronics have sky rocketed  – In the past my Dad’s technicians could become experts on most machines because every brand had a hand full of products.  Now his technician is lucky to see the same model from 2 different customers.  Unless they have the same business or school district with a lot of the same machines, than it is hard to become an expert.

Google has helped narrow the gap and can be the answer to some fixes.  Search your make, model and problem (maybe trying to say it different ways).  There is a possibility someone else has found that problem and made a video or wrote an article.  Then you can possibly fix your own problem or know what part to tell your repair tech needs to be replaced.

You can also go back to the supposed experts –  The manufacturer and ask them if you can send to their factory repair  facility.  Since this facility repairs hundreds of the same models a year and has a plethora of parts available this is your best bet for an expert repair.  If they give you an option of using there local authorized facility, yes it saves on shipping but double check that they repair these on a monthly basis.  Sometimes even the local authorized facility are not the experts, because they don’t see enough of them.

After you know all of this – it still might get too expensive to repair.  If its more than 7 years old, there is normally no more support from the manufacturer.  Not to mention if you fix one part of the item for half price lets say and then something else breaks because all the other parts are 7 years old – The repair technician only warranties the part he replaced not everything else.  So then you would have been better off putting that money into a new product with a full warranty.

You might want to do a little bit of research or tinkering, I have seen stereo receivers that the dog walked by – tail hit the speaker on/ off button and that is all it was.  Sometimes the Microprocessor (a computer) gets confused and if you reset or power off for 30 seconds and power back on it fixes itself.

Or we can come out and take a look at it for you and determine if it really has a problem and give you your options on repair or replacement.

FYI – Jonathan at Audio Visual Up grew up in an Electronics repair shop (that is still in business).  We are really good a diagnosing issues and determining if you really need repair or replacement, but we do not do any on site repair and would have to take the equipment a third party repair shop.

http://audiovisualup.com/contact-us/

Do I really need Digital Signage?

The answer is …………. Well that’s too easy, how about some questions first:

1) Do you manage a business that interacts with people (customers or employees)?
2) Do you have a front desk or common area that receives a fair amount of foot traffic?
3) Do you have a message, advertisement or slogan that you want to be seen on consistent basis?
4) Do you want to add other companies advertisements to your signage, which will start to pay you money?
If you answered yes to any questions above, then “you might be a red neck” or you need “Digital Signage”.

What is Digital Signage?
The answer is …………. Oh, well I will just tell you this time:

Digital signage can be as simple as connecting a computer to a TV (using a VGA or HDMI Cable),
change the TV to the corresponding input that it is plugged into and you can see the computer image on your TV.  Now start up a PowerPoint presentation that you previously made and there you have it, digital signage.
A normal and advanced setup can be seen below:

Above is a normal digital signage setup and below is an advanced version with several displays.

Digital Signage is slowly taking the place of traditional advertisements; such as billboards, fast-food restaurant menu(s) and on shelf display(s).

It is already such a big industry, how can it get even bigger?
The answer is ………….. Well actually that is the wrong question.

The question should be – Technology is advancing so quickly, how can it not get bigger?
What existing and new technologies are going to take Digital Signage to even more of the masses?
-Outdoor Sunbright TV’s exist today.  They cost about 3 to 4 times higher than a traditional TV, but can be placed outside and the image is twice as bright as an inside TV.
-Touch Screen Displays on Digital Signage to further engage customers attention (people are getting so comfortable with touchscreen on their cell phones, that they expect it on new technology).
-Bendable displays – Hopefully sooner rather that later we will have a somewhat economical bendable display (TV).  Everything can get wrapped with a thin bendable display, imagine walking down the street and every trash can you see is an interactive advertisement.

Yes, you need Digital Signage!

Visit us at www.AudioVisualUp.com or call 817-798-5088

Projectors are getting cheaper than TV’s

Video Projector on any Budget

You can easily go to a 120″ diagonal and bigger on a projector that
costs under $500.00.
Just realize that price will only buy you an XGA Projector,
which is 1024 X 768 Resolution.
It’s not quite 720P, but for the price
it is always a hit.

Be cautious of packaging or salesman information:

Some industry packaging is misleading and cannot always be trusted.  There are several installers/ owners I have worked with that
have told their customers they were getting a higher resolution, then what was actually
installed.
At the time they didn’t know and the customer never realized they
got an XGA Projector, because of the wow factor.

The customer was told they were getting a 720p or 1080p projector, simply because
the salesman/ installer/ customer didn’t understand the difference between compatibility
of the projector and the native resolution (If you end up with a picture that is almost square “4:3”, then you don’t have High Def “16:9”).

Want High Definition:

You can get 720P and 1080P Projectors for less that a $1000.00, just be careful.
See – http://www.blog.av-up.com/2013/07/projector-buying-top-5-features-to-look.html

Do I need a Screen:

If you are putting a lot of money into the project, most people would use a screen.
Especially when you can get an economical 100″ screen for under 600 hundred bucks.
If you are more interested in creating a large image that looks good on a budget, a wall painted flat white is good and add a black border to make it even better.

Mounting:

Different Size Ceilings/ Applications Require Different Lengths
Fixed Extension Column
Primarily for Residential
Chief Internal Joist Ceiling Mount
Universal Ceiling Projector Mounts

You can set the projector on the ground or on a shelf of some sort.
The most common way is to mount the projector upside down from the ceiling with a projector mount see above.


Cabling:

Extend the cables from your source device to the projector.
If you are coming from your cable box; you would come out with HDMI, through your wall, up in the attic and down to the projector.

Audio:

These projectors do not have very good audio, so a stereo system is advised.

www.AV-UP.com

Projector Buying Top 5 Features to look for

Top 5 Features to Look for When Buying a Video Projector or Computer Projector

Resolution Detail of the Image: (Always look at Native Resolution, not maximum resolution)

SVGA – 800 X 600 Pixels – 4:3 Aspect Ratio – $300.00+
    XGA – 1024 X 768 Pixels – 4:3 Aspect Ratio – $450.00+
720(p)(i) – 1280 X 720 Pixels – 16:9 Aspect Ratio – $700.00+
  1080(p)(i) – 1920 X 1080 Pixels – 16:9 Aspect Ratio – $1000.00+
4K Ultra HD – 3840 X 2160 Pixels – 16:9 Aspect Ratio – $7500.00+
*Prices vary depending on features*
(p) Progressive updates the entire picture in 1/60th of a second.
(i) Interlaced updates half of the picture in 1/60th of a second.    
– Multiply the horizontal pixel resolution with the vertical pixel 
 resolution & you get the total image resolution. 

Lumens – Brightness of the Image:  

6′ Image Width – 1000 lumens with no ambient light & 2000 lumens with ambient light on image.
10′ Image Width – 1500 lumens with no ambient light & 3000 lumens with ambient light on image.
14′ Image Width – 2000 lumens with no ambient light & 4000 lumens with ambient light on image.
*Approx. Minimum Requirements Above*
         F.Y.I. – When the lamp weakens over time, so does the brightness!
     Lower lumen projectors can produce a larger image, but normally won’t be bright enough.

Warranty – Tells me about how long the projector will last:  

Beware of projectors with a 1 year warranty or less, I have seen many that don’t last.  
A 2 year warranty is sufficient, but a 3 year warranty is the longest in the industry and therefore is most desired (the only exception is Dukane, which offers a 5 year standard warranty, but you are really buying a Hitachi with a Dukane Sticker for about $100.00 more than the Hitachi would cost).

Technology – Different types of projectors:  
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display – Uses three color panels to create the image.  No moving parts, other than fans.  Every LCD has a filter(s) that needs to be cleaned, but  the new projectors only need a filter cleaning when you replace the lamp.  LCD Projectors can get about the size of two laptops stacked on top of each other, but not much smaller because of the red, green, and blue panel setup. LCD prices range from a couple hundred to several thousand dollars.

DLP – Digital Light Processing – Uses tiny mirrors and a spinning color wheel to create the image.  The color wheel has been known to throw a color segment or seize up.  Very few DLP projectors have a filter.  This technology does allow for a smaller projector.  There are some good and bad things about DLP projectors, but just refer back to the warranty and try to get 2 to 3 years. 
Most new movie theaters use DLP technology, but they are paying $50,000 to $70,000 for each projector.  These high dollar projectors use three DLP chips (Red, Green, Blue) to create the image. DLP prices range from a couple hundred to tens of thousands of dollars.

LCOS – Liquid Crystal on Silicon – Uses three liquid crystal panels with a reflective mirror backing to create the image.  This is a combination of the best aspects of both LCD and DLP technologies. 
LCOS prices range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars.
Brand – The name on the projector:
Look for a trusted brand that supports their products and offers replacement parts.  Infocus is one of the most recognizable names in the industry and a lot of customers are happy with the product.   Except for the people that have issues after the warranty expires and seek repair.  No parts and no technical help is available, but they will offer you a discount on a new unit (which continues the circle of throw away projectors). Dell and HP projectors don’t stand up over time in my opinion, people assume that since they make a good computer, they should make a good projector.  Hitachi is the work horse of the industry, but isn’t the economical choice for high definition projectors.  There are a lot of good companies on the market, but your specific needs would change my recommendation.  If you want an economical high definition projector that is real bright, today I would say to check out the Optoma  #TH1060P projector for approx. $1400.00.  It is 1080p resolution, 4500 lumens, DLP projector with a 3 year warranty.
 http://www.optomausa.com/products/detail/TH1060P
If you want an economical high definition projector that is bright, you should check out the Optoma #TH1020 or the Viewsonic #PRO8300 projector for approx. $900.00.  Both are 1080p resolution, 3000 lumens, DLP Projectors with a 3 year warranty.
http://optomausa.com/products/detail/TH1020 – http://www.viewsonic.com/us/pro8300.html
Most high definition projectors below 2000 lumens are considered home theater.  Epson has a local home theater distributor in the DFW area, but there are many good home theater projector brands.
https://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/jsp/HomeEntProjectors/Home/HomeCinema.do?

Misc.
Contrast Ratio – Ratio of black to white on the image (Blacker blacks and whiter whites, provide overall better colors).  The problem is people were basing there projector purchase on these numbers.  Some manufactures where very liberal and some were very conservative.  Mostly DLP had very high numbers (50,000:1) and LCD had lower numbers (1500:1).  When you look at both projected images, I still liked the LCD image the best.  Today LCD is catching up to DLP in contrast ratio, but I would not base my opinion on these numbers.  Currently LCOS offers the best looking picture with a high contrast ratio, followed by LCD and then DLP.
Inputs Make sure the projector has the inputs you want or need.  Some of the new projectors can do everything through the network cable.
Lamp – A lamp will need to be replaced within a couple of years (depending on use).  Every technology uses lamps, but Casio which uses DLP technology and a laser light source that won’t need to be replaced.
Positioning – Every projector has a different lens, so make sure your projector will work where you want to put it.
Projector Extra’s – Screen, Projector Mount, Ceiling Mount, Cabling, Wall Plate and Audio.
Located in Fort Worth, Texas – we offer free consultations and free estimates in the DFW area.
Audio Visual Up sells all projectors / accessories and supports them after the sale. 
Besides Sales AV UP offers On-site Fix, Repair, Rental and Turn-key Installation on all Audio Visual or Media Equipment.

Contact Jonathan Pierce for any questions!