Buying Guide

Best Home Theater Projector Under 500 for 2022

Projector has been a popular electric appliance for home theater among trendy people and the younger in recent years. A budget of $500 is common for an entry-level quality home projector.  In this post, we carefully select the top 5 best home theater projector under 500 to help you to make a decision quickly.

Best Home Theater Projector Under 500

In this section, we select the top 5 best home theater projector under 500 from different perspectives.

Epson EX3280$499Best for Image
Optoma H190X$479Best for High Brightness
Anker Nebula Mars II$499Best for Smart System
AAXA P400$269Best for Short Throw
Emotn H1$289Best for Smart Features

Epson EX3280

Reason for Listing: Epson is a leading projector brand, and the projector features acclaimed 3LCD display technology and 3,600 lumens. The image is bright enough for daytime use.

  • Price: $499
  • Brightness: 3,600 Lumens
  • Resolution: 1024×768
  • Dynamic Contrast: 15,000:1
  • Screen Size: 30.00″ – 350.00″
  • Display Tech: 3LCD
  • Light Source: 210W UHE bulb
  • Lamp Life: 6,000 hours

Epson EX3280 offers 3,600 lumens of color and white brightness, which can deliver crisp images for home theater. The high brightness of the projector enables users to use it during the daytime. It adopts 3LCD display technology and prevents the rainbow effect and brings vivid images.

ProsCons
3LCD Display
High Brightness
Giant Screen Size
Poor Wireless Connectivity
Lower Resolution

Optoma H190X

Reason for Listing: With this projector, you can enjoy bright and giant images even during the daytime.

  • Price: $479
  • Brightness: 3,900 ANSI Lumens
  • Resolution: 1280×800
  • Dynamic Contrast: 30,000:1
  • Screen Size: 32.31″ – 299.45″
  • Display Tech: DLP
  • Light Source: 203W Metal Halide bulb
  • Lamp Life: 6,000 hours

Optoma H190X brings stunning images during the day with the bright, 3,900 ANSI lumens. In addition, the projector has a high contrast of 3,000:1, delivering clear images for you. The projector also has a low input latency, which is suitable for playing games at home. It is a 3D projector, meaning that you can use the projector to watch 3D movies at home just like at a cinema.

ProsCons
High Brightness
Giant screen
Low Input Latency
3D
Poor Wireless Connectivity
Lower Resolution

Anker Nebula Mars II Pro

Reason for Listing: Anker Nebula Mars II Pro is a smart portable projector with a built-in battery and Android system, bringing more fun and convenience to your home.

  • Price: $499
  • Brightness: 500 ANSI lumens
  • Resolution: 1280×720
  • Dynamic Contrast:  1,000:1
  • Screen Size: 40.00″ – 100.00″
  • Display Tech: DLP
  • Light Source: LED
  • Lamp Life: 30,000 hours

Anker Nebula Mars II is a hot smart projector for home use. The projector has a built-in Android system so that you can enjoy movies or shows conveniently. In addition, it has a built-in battery with a long lamp life of 4 hours, meaning that you can use the projector without connecting it to power when going camping.

ProsCons
Built-in Battery
Built-in System
Long Lamp Life
Few Interfaces
Smaller Screen

AAXA P400

Reason for Listing: if you want to get a big screen in a small room, then you need to pick the projector as it has a short throw ratio of 0.7:1.

  • Price: $269
  • Brightness: 400 LED Lumens
  • Resolution: 1920×1080
  • Dynamic Contrast: 1,000:1
  • Screen Size: 10.03″ – 180.17
  • Display Tech: LCoS
  • Light Source: LED
  • Lamp Life: 30,000 hours

AAXA P400 has a short throw ratio of 0.7:1, and you can project a 100” screen from 63” away. In addition, it has a built-in battery with a lamp life of 2 hours, making outdoor use possible. Regarding resolution, it has 1080P resolution, whose projection image is clear and vivid.

ProsCons
1080P Resolution
Built-in Battery
Long Lamp Life
Few interfaces

Emotn H1

Reason for Listing: A well-designed projector can be practical and beautiful. The projector features a retro design and smart features, which brighten your living room.

  • Price: $289
  • Brightness: 250 ANSI lumens
  • Resolution: 1920×1080
  • Dynamic Contrast: 3,000:1
  • Screen Size: 65” – 251”
  • Display Tech: LCD
  • Light Source: LED
  • Lamp Life: 30,000 hours

Emotn H1 has exquisite workmanship and unique design, which adopts retro design and buttons work like blue switch mechanical board. The projector has a built-in Android system so that you can watch movies directly on the projector without connecting to external devices. Regarding resolution, it has 1080P resolution and produces crisp images. In terms of connectivity, it supports both Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi, delivering convenient wireless connections. The built-in battery, leather handle, and 1GB+16G memory also make it suitable for outdoor use.

ProsCons
1080P Resolution
Built-in Battery
Built-in Android system
Built-in Memory
No USB 3.0

You may be interested in The Best HD Projector Under 500.

Top Considerations for Home Theater Projectors

Here are some factors and top considerations before paying for your projector. You can also refer to the projector buying guide, helping you to pick the best home theater projector under 500.

Resolution

Generally, a good home theater projector on the market has 720P or 1080P. Projectors with a pricing higher than $1,500 have 4K resolution. Some budget projectors have 420P or 720P resolution.

480P (852 x 480): widely seen in low-end home projectors;

720P (1280 x 720): widely seen in mid-range home projectors;

1080P (1920 x 1080) or (1920 x 1200): good home projectors;

4K (3840×2160): widely seen in high-end home projectors.

Brightness

Brightness is also a key parameter for home projectors. The internationally recognized unit is ANSI lumen or ISO lumen. The higher the lumen value, the higher the brightness provided the brightness unit is fixed.

Contrast

Contrast determines the details and gradation of the projection image. The higher the contrast, the more details, and gradations on the projection image. A projector with high contrast can project vivid and colorful images.

System

Recently, smart projectors get more and more popular among households. If your home theater has a smart Android system, then you can access some streaming apps conveniently and download various apps conveniently. If the projector has no system, then you need to connect the projector to a TV stick or other streaming devices first to access the content.

Battery

If you want to use the projector in an outdoor environment occasionally, then you need to pick a projector with a built-in battery so that you can use the projector when there is no power supply. Generally, the battery life should be no less than 2 hours.

Connectivity

The connectivity can incorporate wired connectivity and wireless connectivity. For wired connectivity, the projector should be equipped with HDMI, USB, and audio interfaces so that you can connect the projector to common devices, such as TV sticks, game consoles, TV sticks, computers, and more. For wireless connectivity, the projector should have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect the projector to external devices wirelessly.

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