clean lcd panel epson projector made in china

Modern projectors are one of the best tools that any conference room can have. They also make for great additions to any living room or classroom looking to increase screen size. They are an affordable way to project images into large surfaces while still maintaining a clear, smooth, and sharp image. LCD screens have become an integral part of most projector’s optical assembly units since the 90s. In this article, we will show you how to properly clean and maintain the screen of an LCD projector.

LCD’s or Liquid Crystal Displays are the most common type of screen found on most electronic products. They are relatively affordable and very versatile, you can easily find LCD screens that are as small as a watch, or as big as a wall-mounted television set. They are used mostly in computer monitors, television displays, projectors, mobile phones, calculators, and even in military aircraft displays.

The screen works using the inherent properties of liquid crystals. The liquid crystals are usually held between two sets of transparent electrodes. When an electrical charge is passed between the electrodes, the molecules of the crystals can be manipulated predictably to form different images. Most LCD screens have internal control mechanisms that transform the signals coming from any given device into precise electrical inputs, these allow the screen to render any image we want.

If your screen gets dirty or damaged there is no need to panic. There are several solutions to keep an LCD screen well maintained and working properly. Let’s explore some of the main reasons the LCD projector screens get dirty or damaged.

There are multiple ways by which the LCD screen in your can stop functioning properly or decrease its picture quality. Maybe you can see a fractal of psychedelic colors when you project your image, or there is a visible line blocking the image that can’t be removed by simple cleaning. Let’s look at some of the most common reasons.

Depending on the issue you are having, it is important to understand the best ways to approach the handling of an LCD projector screen. On most projectors, the LCD screen is located within the optical unit of the device. One of the most common issues is dirt and stains stuck to the outer layer of the glass. This is by far the easiest problem to fix because there is no need to disassemble the projector to access its components. On our example project, we can see that there are stains and some dirt accumulating on the screen.

The black dots tell us there is some dirt stuck to the screen. The shadowy smear is probably a stain. For this simple cleaning job, it is important to know the best tools you’ll need to proceed.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting to clean an LCD projector screen is rubbing their fingers on the screen to try and eliminate the issue, but this may cause further problems as hands tend to leave smears and stains on screens. If enough pressure is added you can actually damage the screen. To remove all the dust, dirt, and stains from the outer layer of the screen you will need:

Prepare the Lint-free cloth by moisturizing it with the isopropyl alcohol or water. Feel free to use the alcohol-water blend if you want the alcohol to last longer. Make sure the cloth is not soaking wet or too dry. Once you have your cleaning materials ready proceed to the next step.

Now comes the fun part! Clean the screen. Make sure you don’t apply too much pressure. Begin the cleaning using circular motions and remember to be gentle. The goal is to soak up the dirt or dust with a wet cloth. Most dust will get absorbed by the cloth and the dirt will loosen up. Any stain or smear should come right off when the alcohol is applied, this happens because pure alcohol is one of the best chemical solvents around. Once you have cleaned the screen, try passing a dry portion of the cloth to soak up all the remaining solution.

Now that you have cleaned the screen, you’re all set! Go ahead and test the projector and look out for any visual cues that might indicate that your cleaning wasn’t thorough enough.

Make sure you repeat this process as many times as possible till you see thing goes right. We recommend you keep the proper maintenance of your screen every time you use it. This is to allow the screen to remain as shiny and clear as possible. The more work you put into maintaining the LCD screen clean, the better the results will be. Save yourself the headache of seeing unwanted spots when you need to use the projector, and try to maintain it clean.

Most of these issues will require a bit more tech-savviness in order to be fixed. Remember that if you are to disassemble the projector you might lose any warranty. So be sure to handle all the components with care.

If you think the problem lies inside the projector’s optical unit, you can always disassemble the projector to see what is going on. We recommend you have your user manual with you in order to check what projector model you own. Do some internet research to check what type of LCD screen your projector houses, and if it can be replaced. The most common problem is the dust has entered through the cooling fan accumulating near the optical unit. To fix this you’ll need:

Remember that before accessing any components the projector has to be off and unplugged, this is extremely important so do not skip this. Simply remove the projector cover and try to see if any dust or dirt has accumulated. You can then proceed to clean it off using a small vacuum cleaner or some strong puffs of compressed air. Be sure to not allow any moisture o touch the components.

An often-overlooked reason why a projector might continue to stay dirty is the condition of your room. If the room where your projector is located tends to be filled with dust, we recommend you cover your projector with a cloth or a cover. Some projectors come with protective covers for this reason, so if you find out the conditions of your room are not ideal, maybe investing in some protection is a good option.

You can absolutely change the LCD screen of a projector. You can do this in a few simple steps. We recommend you contact the manufacturer to see how they can help you. Changing components inside a projector is a daunting task for most people, so you can save yourself the hassle by emailing or calling the manufacturer. If you want to do it yourself you can:

We hope you have learned a bit more about how projector LCD screens work. We also showed you some of the most common issues people run into with their projector LCD screens. How to keep the screen of your LCD projector clean is an easy task if you make sure you treat your unit with care and follow some simple instructions. Remember that most of the tools we used (e.g. water, lint-free cloth, isopropyl alcohol) are very common household items. So give it a go and enjoy your ‘newly-bought’ projector!

Do not use glass cleaner or any harsh materials to clean the lens and do not subject the lens to any impacts; you may damage it. Do not use canned air, or the gases may leave a residue. Avoid touching the lens with your bare hands to prevent fingerprints on or damage to the lens surface.

Use the cleaning cloth and foam eraser included with your product to clean the surface. Use clean and dry sections of the microfiber cloth when erasing the screen. This is important to prevent smearing on the screen while cleaning. If ink residue remains on the screen, use the whiteboard cleaner included with your product.

When you look for really cheap projectors they are easy to find. Search "cheap projectors" on Amazon and many unheard of brands like Digital Galaxy, Fugetek, and Paramount will pop up, all touting HD 1080P projectors that put out lots of lumens with 20,000 hour LED lamps, many for under $200. They are hard to miss.

Everyone instinctively knows they will get hosed if they buy allegedly high-performance projectors at low-ball prices. But just how bad are these models? If the Amazon user ratings are to be believed, a lot of customers seem to be quite happy with them--lots of 4 and 5 star ratings. Do these projectors really give you decent home theater on the cheap?

To be honest, we"d never looked at them until now. They are made by vendors who would never send them out for professional review. So we ordered three of them on Amazon from three different brands and put them through our normal testing procedures. Our overall take is as follows:1. Some are better than others. From what we"ve seen in our test sample of three models, they cannot all be written off as total junk. None of them are high performance projectors in any sense, but some of them can produce a decently watchable picture as long as your expectations are not too high. Some can"t.

2. Many who buy these projectors have never seen a good projector. The 4 and 5 star ratings on Amazon are written by folks who are not picky about image quality. To be fair, people who buy very cheap projectors are generally not familiar with higher performance models and don"t have anything to compare them to. For many buyers, just to power one on and get a big picture on the wall for the first time is worth a 5-star rating.

3. The cheap projector vendors publish false brightness specs. We only measured three of them, but none of the three were remotely in the ballpark of their specs. The Digital Galaxy DG-757 claims a whopping 2800 lumens in their Amazon ad; the unit we got from Amazon measured 137 lumens. The Fugetek FG-637 touts 1500 lumens; the turkey we received put out 87 lumens. The HTP-LED33 claims 2000 lumens; we measured 190.

4. You can get MUCH better projectors for not much more money. What many don"t realize is that the full-line projector manufacturers offer inexpensive low-resolution products capable of displaying HD signals, and they are much better at it than the cheap brands on Amazon or eBay. Unfortunately, the major manufacturers promote these products as business projectors rather than home video or HD projectors. But in pretty much all cases they are much brighter and higher in contrast, with comparable resolution. The cheap projector brands thrive on the inexperience of consumers, hoping that they will not realize they have better options.

Bill has written up three individual reviews of the projectors we looked at. You can read through them to get an idea of the flaws we found. The models are as follows, including the current Amazon price and the promotional language the vendors use to describe them:$249

These three projectors have given us a good idea of what to expect when spending a minimal amount of cash on a home theater projector. Do they create a big picture? Yes. Is the picture watchable? In some cases yes, if you use it in a dark room and the projected image is not too big. Are there better options? Yes, without question ... you can get much better performance from the cheap business projectors made by BenQ, Epson, Optoma, and others, than you can from these products.

I love this line... "To be fair, people who buy very cheap projectors are generally not familiar with higher performance models and don"t have anything to compare them to."

I have owned over 700 projectors and like the Digital Galaxy Models. one thing to know when buying one is that the lens requires you read the distance and throw specs. I used to show movies outside the recommended distance from the screen and found some image quality loss. As soon as I took a tape measure and corrected that issue every image issue was corrected and I enjoyed the beautiful quality of a now clean image. People using computers need to keep that in mind too. Pix-elation of the image is due to image distances being incorrect by the owner . This is not a lens issue. I recommend using a white Shower curtain as a screen for front and rear projection. Only buy the cheapest white model often sold in bags below $12.00. The exception to the rule costs a tiny bit more because it has the metal grommets at top but also works. Frame it or hang it and enjoy.

Hi folks . I have just recieved a projector from China . Its interactive but they forgot to include the CD so it doesnt work . Its 3000Lm but I had to turn the lights out to see the screen. The electrical power is only 90 watts . How can a 90 watt projector make 3000lm ? Can anyone help ? T W

very informative.. I just had a quick view about the cheap high quality projectors.. most of them clamming high pixels lumens etc. and its true for people like me it is very hard to get the comparative idea.. but for sure i will take care all parameters before buying.. thanks

My wife and I recently put our ideas into action. We built a home theater I our basement. We purchased fancy wood trim, stained and hand painted the leaves on the wood. We measured the specs for our recently purchased projector attached to ceiling and turned it on. We shut all light off and with a level marked the wall. I cut the wood and used fancy corner blocks. The frame looks great. We used flat white paint for the viewing screen. The walls are painted a burgundy red and looks great together. We did buy a cheap projector and we do need the lights off but even though it"s not a high quality picture we enjoy it and none of our guests have mentioned or asked about the quality of the picture. Moral of this post is, everything will work. If you are unhappy with the quality of the image buy an LED tv, but if you"re looking to have a small movie theater experience in the comfort of your home without dipping into your child"s tuition savings then spend between $250 and $500 and make sure you READ the directions and distance specs that will help ensure you are getting the "best" display with which ever device you decide on." Good luck and I hope this helped.

Thank you for the info. Need an inexpensive projector for outside movie theater. Nothing fancy but not total junk. Any recommendations? Thankyou in advance.

People who buy inexpensive models ("To be fair, people who buy very cheap projectors are generally not familiar with higher performance models and don"t have anything to compare them to." ) might not have the resources to buy an expensive one or in my case I need one for ONE evening to show a slide show at a rehearsal dinner. The hotel wants $200 to let me use theirs. I"d sooner buy a "cheap" one and store it for...who knows what. The end.

Jane -- Keep in mind that hotels usually provide screens with the projectors. If buying your own cheap projector means you need to also acquire a screen that you need to haul in with you, you may find that the $200 fee is the easier way to solve the problem.

T Rambo -- Our favorite home theater projector under $500 at the moment is the Viewsonic PJD5555W. It"s about $450. See the review on this site. If you need to go less than that, it doesn"t really matter what you get since they will all be much lower in image quality than the 5555W. As noted above, buy from major vendors if you are concerned about reliability and warranty.

Hi to all. What about the "Unic UC-40", at 100€ (130$) ? it should be a 800 lumen, 800x480 pixels. I need a projector just for some indoor video mapping experiment, most of all I need just the white color.

I need to do the same as Mando. Do I really need an expensive projector to this? I mean simply projecting a coloured image onto canvas or onto a wall and then tracing over the image.

I would be curious if Mando, John Demetri or others looking at artist applications have found a product they are happy with? Looking to buy a project for my girlfriend who is a fine artist/photography. She is often working with photos or paused videos, sometimes composites of many images and the projector would simply be to throw only a large canvas for composition and proportions. Many thanks for a great forum

First off this is a good read for those who are looking into getting their first projectors. Great job to Evan. The budget friendly projectors on the market today are actually pretty good if you know what to look for especially now that mini projectors are aggressively competing with each other. Lesser known companies are pushing out good products like Elmo Boxi, AAXA ST200, and ViVitek Qumi. I think consumers often look too much at pricing rather than what that price is getting you. We all know the saying you get what you pay for.

The article says you can get a much better projector for not much more money. Do the authors have suggestions? I"m going to build a projector screen for outside for watching ball games. The screen a friend built is 12" x 16". He spent about $500-$600 on his projector and the picture looks pretty good. I would like some suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone,I find some good reads and points about projectors here but I have a couple of questions and need some advice.I have a 8 year old son and live in a small neighborhood in a suburb just outside of Cincinnati.My son and some of his neighborhood friends always talk about being able to watch movies outdoors.Im trying to think of a easy inexpensive way to do that for them.I was thinking about hanging a white sheet on garage door and getting a projector that is easy to set up and able to play DVDs.Im disabled so I cant carry much weight around and cant be laying all kinds of cords and wires around.Just would like something that"s not to complex.All the kids love the Star Wars movies and some have not seen the new one so Im sure they would get a kick out of watching it outside on a nice night.Any recommendations/advice/info would be great.I would leave my email but I don"t know if its allowed here so I will just check back.Thanks for your help.

To those asking for alternatives to the very cheap Chinese units, you will be much better off with something like the Epson HC640, which runs around $329 at the moment. See the review on the Caiwei A8 for comparative comments.

Good article - have you thought about updating it and reviewing some new < $100 projectors from Amazon? I"m curious to see if the newer ones perform any better since the article is 2 years old.

Trust me, I recently purchased and fooled by false ebay/amazon advertisement. Very cheap and poor projectors. The one I got touts native 1280X800 but I highly doubt if its case.

I purchased a W330 unbranded LED projector from China for $250 shipped on Ebay with the intention of using it for gaming on PS4 and I have to say I"m quite impressed! I"ve owned Epson, Ricoh, and Panasonic projectors (non led) that weigh a ton and get incredibly hot. This unit performs very well in comparison. Of course the build quality is not as superior to the other models I mentioned, but the picture quality is great and the unit is bright enough to be seen with curtains open during the day. It does have a very plastic feel and focus is achieved using a very basic threaded barrel system. This is a cheaper method for sure, but works well. I"ve put the unit on a tripod with Chromecast that I can take just about anywhere and have a movie night without the worry of dropping something that"s $600+ dollars. Bottom line, these units definitely have a niche market of folks not wanting to spend much money while having a home theater experience.

Michael, glad you had a good experience with your purchase. We generally do not recommend products like the W330 because you can get substantially better performance from models that don"t cost much more. You don"t need to spend anywhere near $600 to get a very bright 1280x800 projector. More like $350 will do it, and you end up with a projector that is much brighter and higher in contrast than the W330, as well as being brand new with a warranty--not something you usually find on eBay. Shoppers should use our Projector Database to search for inexpensive models. Just select the resolution and brightness you want. Keep in mind that the dirt cheap Chinese models usually have lumen ratings far in excess of what they promise.

Here in India chinese projectors are available for 50$ equivalent.So that pretty much rules out brands,even if they start at 300$ they are way out of competition price wise.

My advice is be very careful when buying cheap Chinese projectors. I got an AOK 2200 lumen projector when I was a projector novice simply because it touted 1080P and HDMI. Sure you can hook it up to HDMI but the picture quality is very dark and poor and the pixel resolution is not as advertised - supposedly SVGA but I doubt that very much. My old Acer 1161P was 10x better. You get what you pay for. My advice is do lots of research and go with a known brand.

I wanted to find out how much if anything has changed in 3-4 years since I last purchased for a friend a $300 advertised bazillion 4500 lumens piece of chinese rubbish with a flyscreen effect that was horribly visible and made me cringe! It had half the clarity of a second hand infocus $80 halogen projector of 800 ACTUAL lumens. All I can find on youtube is sales videos of people trying to make money out of saying how great the videos are..... Are the chinese actually producing anything half reasonable yet? Has much changed? THREE YEARS on it would be good to see a couple of touted fantastic new models tested to see how much has changed.

There must be a projector mafia because this field is ripe for disruption. Nothing seems to have changed in years since I"ve been looking for a projector. Imagine SVGA on sale still. The last SVGA monitor I used was probably over 15 years ago. Everything is HD now. So why do projectors remain as expensive as a good laptop?

E L ... You obviously have not been watching the projector market for the last 15 years. Back at the turn of the century an SVGA projector weighed 20 lbs, put out 500 lumens at 250:1 contrast, and cost $5,000. Today an SVGA projector weighs 5 lbs, puts out 3500 lumens at 20:000:1 contrast, and costs $300.

Just bought a cheaper projector claimed 7000 lumen from eBay for my friend ; for 70 bucks. When we got it and tested it’s not as bright as we expected . So we asked seller and was told the 7000 lumen is China standard which equivalant to 1200 lumen US standard. (Not sure if it’s S true) So we asked to return it for full refund. But end up settled with $50 refunded. We use it watch movie in room with no lights it’s good enough and fairly clear pics within 3 m distance . For only $20 we think it worth it. No more than that.. lol

Just bought a cheaper projector claimed 7000 lumen from eBay for my friend ; for 70 bucks. When we got it and tested it’s not as bright as we expected . So we asked seller and was told the 7000 lumen is China standard which equivalant to 1200 lumen US standard. (Not sure if it’s S true) So we asked to return it for full refund. But end up settled with $50 refunded. We use it watch movie in room with no lights it’s good enough and fairly clear pics within 3 m distance . For only $20 we think it worth it. No more than that.. lol

I think I"ll keep my eyes open on Ebay for a used one or faulty one that I can fix with a lamp or whatever or get one used working. I don"t think those crappy Chinese projectors are worth it but I have seen some real native 1920x1080 ones on YouTube that look pretty good for $250! The model was Fd30 or something.

Our backyard wall (neighbor’s house wall) is about 15’X25’. A painted panoramic mural of our personal past venues (like Serengeti) would be nice but expensive. What about a projector for evening viewing while dining? The repertoire would be only 3-4 scenes. Distance from porch (camera mount) to wall is an about 15’. Any suggestion for search for a suitable but low-cost projector for this projected mural?

I had need of a projector for art work a few years ago now, i can a crooss one from the U.S. that used 250 watt glob but even these did not last long, however when i wrote bact to the company they sent me half a dozen and got the to me in five days! I later changed the globe to a halogen globe which i ha ve never had to replace, For those wanting a home theatre projector then i would say spend about 4 x-4 hundred but for art work get the best you can afford to get the reults you are after

I have had high dollar optoma projectors and yes the quality is great but if you think I"m going to keep buying bulbs every year or every so many months when it"s only rated at 2000 hours it"s not happening. I"ve been running HD China models ever since with the patio open with light coming in with HD. hooked up to the computer whether it"s gaming or youtube or anything movies or surfing I haven"t had any problem with them. I have dropped them and they were fine. my only issue is once they get some age the dust shows a little when there is no source turned on and I don"t wish to open them to blow them out or at least not the time to do so but other than that as cheap as these things are nowadays we"re talking $80 to $150 why not. Even with the unreliable ratings as long as it says around 2800 lumens or 200 ANSI they"re bright enough for the average use for continuous hours. I"m not going to spend $700 or more on a projector anymore just to last a few months to almost 6 months of continuous use which is what I use them for just to turn around and buy a bulb when these things last for years. Optoma is my favorite projector brand from the professional units and they do have more affordable models nowadays but still I don"t need them anymore. I have even dropped one of these China models multiple times with no issue and once the brightness cut down to 50% from age on my older one I gave away it"s still threw a great image. in the front room i watch at least 130 inches in the bedroom it was at least 100 with no problem no screen direct on a blank white wall. Are they better than the business or great home theater models you can walk out of office Depot with? No but for the price do they work and do they last? Yes. If you want to go expensive do it. If you want to go cheap and you know how to make it work then do that. When I ran high dollar projectors I bought the real movie screen material that you see in theaters from a wholesaler on eBay and I ran 140 inches on that with my optoma. It was a great picture but I don"t need that anymore. With a bright white wall which is what I"m using now it still looks great. HDMI cord maximum monitor settings through the computer as well as highest YouTube settings highest movie settings and highest gaming setting such as modern warfare with no problem.

hi there evan, very interesting read, as pretty much everyone else has commented. i have been rawling through articles and review websites trying to find a decent budget projector and i couldnt agree more with what you have said in your article. its like a minefield out there looking at current lines of projector. i am in the uk. i dont want to spend thousanda but happy to pay a bit more than the cheap budget items, to get some real quality. do you have any recommendations at the moment?

Tom, if all you are looking for is a good budget home theater projector for under $1000, do a search on our website database and look at the 1080p models from any of the major brands participating in this category, in no particular order: ViewSonic, Epson, BenQ, Optoma. You"ll get a well engineered and built projector for something between $500 and $700 or so.

Rule number 1, You get what you pay for. $200 projector with similar specs as a brand name Epson for $2000??? Rule Number 2, Fake reviews. 4K of superb reviews on Amazon. 3999 are fake! Rule Number 3, Fake Specs. 60000 lumens and YouTubers have to demo it in the dark??? I think I will make a Youtube video comparing these. If you see a 3000 lumens Epson look 10x brighter than a 6000 lumens cheap projector, don’t be surprised. Rule number 5, YouTube Experts, anyone can make a video. Does not make them an expert. Just fake entertainment. And so on.

I knew nothing about these projectors and figured that for under $100 I was going to get a piece of junk, but that for $100 in the worst case I"d have at least a cheap lesson and something I could give to a nephew to enjoy at college. Bought a "Mooki" off of Amazon (eligible for free return) that purported to be 1080p with 8000 lumens and a wealth of other features.

Got it home, threw my chromecast into it, and was pleasantly surprised. Now to be fair, this was my first projector, and my expectations were low, but once set up it was actually watchable in a dark environment even blown up to about 80" on the wall. It"s not 1080p (I"d guess 720p at best), and certainly not remotely close to 8000 lumens (if the room is pitch black, it"s very watchable though).

I"ve enjoyed it a bit over the past couple of months, and have been resisting the itch to get a "real" projector, but just had the opportunity to score a new BenQ HT2050A for about $350, so looking forward to putting that into play this weekend and sending my nephew back to school with a new (for him) toy.

The EMP-6100 dust-proof projector was designed to be installed in harsh environments that would cause normal projectors to suffer frequent breakdowns. This includes places where people are constantly coming and going, where doors and windows are frequently opened and closed, and regions with a lot of dust, sand, and smoke.

Projectors that use a lamp to project an image have a cooling fan that constantly draws in cool air and then expels warm air to counteract the increase in internal temperature caused by the lamp. Epson attached a large electrostatic filter capable of absorbing fine particles, similar to the kind used in the engine room of automobiles, to the air inlet of the EMP-6100. This filter, along with a completely air-tight structure except for the air inlet and exhaust, keeps the inside of the projector clean by preventing dust and tobacco smoke (tar) from getting inside the projector and then reducing the brightness of the lamp and harming the performance of the LCD panels.

When the filter absorbs so much dust that it becomes clogged, an internal air flow sensor detects the reduced flow and uses an LED indicator or an on-screen notice to inform the user that the filter needs to be replaced or cleaned. Ease of maintenance was also a consideration when designing the filter, which can be replaced single-handedly while the projector is mounted on the ceiling.

Two years before commercialization of the EMP-6100, Epson began noticing that a significant number of projectors in Chinese elementary and middle schools were breaking down. China had been using projectors in its school classrooms for several years, but large amounts of dust and sand were causing the projectors to break down in just a few years. In addition to the yellow sand that blows across China all year long, building and house construction sites kick up a lot of dust that then gets inside projectors, where it accumulates and causes problems. As a pioneer of the projector business, Epson quickly decided to address the issues facing its customers by rapidly designing a durable product that could resist sand and dust, and thereby increase the presence of its projectors in the promising Chinese market

The development of a dust-proof projector was further driven by the increasing use of projectors for various purposes in many other countries and regions, as well. Even in developed economies such as the U.S. and Europe, dust-proof projectors were needed in high-use environments, for example ceiling-mounted projectors at universities and restaurants and amusement facilities with high concentrations of tobacco smoke.

After the launch of the EMP-6100, more and more users began to recognize the need for sufficient dust protection when installing a projector outdoors or in a dusty room. This, in turn, made dust resistance a new selling point for projectors and drove other companies to also launch products with anti-dust features.

Epson"s lineup of dust-proof projectors, which was launched with just two models, is now being expanded to meet specific customer needs based on the size and brightness of the places in which the projectors will be used. Now, anti-dust features come standard on most of Epson"s major products sold in China and are a driving force in the growth in sales of Epson projectors.

The BenQ TH585P 1080p DLP projector is the lower-priced sibling of the TH685P we discuss in Other good budget projectors under $1,000. In terms of picture quality, it looks very similar to the TH685P and has the same performance limitations (mediocre contrast, color, and black-level performance, plus light spill around the screen), plus the built-in speaker is just dreadful—so movie lovers will be much happier if they spend a bit more to get the HT2050A. And for gamers, we like the TH685P’s better complement of features: 4K HDR signal input, 120 Hz refresh rate, better built-in speakers, and slightly short throw ratio and higher zoom for easier image placement.

Epson’s Home Cinema 880, which is the lowest priced model in the company’s Home Cinema line, is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s one of the brightest projectors we’ve tested for this guide, measuring 3,160 lumens in the Dynamic picture mode and 2,276 lumens in the Game picture mode, which is also very color-accurate. I had no problem watching movies, TV shows, and sports on my 84-inch-diagonal screen during the day, even with the window blinds open. But the 880 also had the worst black level and one of the worst contrast ratios of any projector we’ve measured, so movies—even in bright scenes—looked flatter and more washed out. Plus there’s no optical zoom or lens shift and only one HDMI input, and the fan noise is loud at maximum brightness. We can’t recommend the Home Cinema 880 for movies, but if you need a more affordable projector for daytime use—especially for gaming and sports—this one might be worth a look. The newer 880X is basically the same projector packaged with an Android TV stick and a carrying case.

The Epson Home Cinema 2200 is almost identical to the Home Cinema 2250 in its features, except it has a lower zoom of 1.2x and no lens-shifting capabilities. In a direct comparison with the Home Cinema 2250, we found that the Home Cinema 2200 had a greenish push to the color temperature and a higher black level, resulting in lower contrast. We think paying a little more for the Home Cinema 2250 is worth it, especially for movie-watching in a dim to dark room—but if you find this model on sale, it is a solid choice for bright-room viewing.

Epson’s EF-100 was the company’s first “mini” LCD projector. It has a small, portable (but not battery-powered) form, a laser light source, and a stated brightness of 2,000 lumens, but only a 1280×800 resolution. It comes with an Android TV stick for streaming video. We did not review this projector, but regular Wirecutter contributor Geoff Morrison reviewed it for CNET, comparing it directly with the BenQ HT2050A. He found that, although it had comparable brightness, its contrast and black level were much worse. The newer EF11 and EF12 (which adds Android TV) have a 1080p resolution but are less bright (a claimed 1,000 lumens). With selling prices around $800 and $1,000, respectively, these mini projectors are quite pricey for what you get. For a similar price, the Home Cinema 2250 is a much better performer.

The Fangor F-405 is a sub-$300 LCD projector sold almost exclusively through Amazon. The picture quality on this one is flawed but not horrible. It didn’t have the major brightness-uniformity and focus issues we saw with the similarly priced Yaber Pro V7, and the black level was decent—but this projector was even dimmer than the Yaber (only measuring 266 lumens) and had the worst color accuracy we’ve measured in a long time. The color temperature (or color of white) is really green—with minimal adjustments available—and this projector can only reproduce 70% of the color gamut for HD video (most projectors come in above 90%). But if you’re willing to forgive the color problems, it’s a watchable image for the occasional movie night, and it comes with features like Bluetooth audio output and Wi-Fi screen mirroring. The biggest frustrations here are ergonomic: The power cord has a big DC brick in the middle that makes it hang heavily and awkwardly, there’s no zoom and lens shift, and the F-405 casts the image 20 inches lower than the BenQ HT2050A—so to get the image up on the wall or screen, you have to place the projector on a higher surface or aim it up and use more keystone adjustment (and there isn’t much of it to work with).

The Optoma HD39HDR is a gaming-oriented 1080p DLP projector. It accepts a 4K signal (and downscales it to 1080p), supports HDR10 playback, and has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a gaming mode with low input lag. This projector is very bright, but its measured contrast is lower than our picks, and it’s not as color-accurate. Plus, it reproduces much less of the HD color gamut than other DLP projectors we’ve tested, like the newer BenQ TH685P. It’s also slow to switch between different frame rates and resolutions.

We did not review the Optoma HD28HDR, a lower-priced sibling of the HD39HDR that has a slightly lower stated brightness (3,600 versus 4,000 lumens). Like the HD39HDR, it accepts a 4K signal (downconverting it to 1080p), supports HDR10 playback, and has a 120 Hz refresh rate and low input lag for gaming. It has no lens shift and only limited 1.1x zoom. Geoff Morrison reviewed this projector for CNET and found that, while it does look good with HDR content if you watch a lot of that, the BenQ HT2050A is a better overall performer.

Vankyo offers a number of sub-$300 LCD projectors, similar to the models from Yaber and Fangor that we tested. While these projectors mostly have small form factors, a 1080p resolution, and Wi-Fi streaming, they have low light output that is not ideal for big-screen home theater viewing. The V630 is one of the company’s “higher-performance” models, and after reading this thorough comparison with the BenQ TH585 (the older version of the TH585P) on ProjectorReviews.com, we decided not to test it.

The Viewsonic PX701-4K is one of the few 4K DLP options currently available under $1,000, and it’s a decent overall performer, delivering a crisp, bright 4K picture. The Game and Movie picture modes have a pleasingly neutral color temperature (or color of white) right out of the box, with less of a greenish-blue tint in brighter scenes than the HT2050A. But the black level and contrast are not as good as our picks, so movies look so somewhat flat by comparison. The bigger concern is that the colors look too dark and undersaturated by default. The PX701-4K uses DLP BrilliantColor technology to improve image brightness at the expense of color accuracy; you can turn the BrilliantColor function down or off to make colors look brighter and more accurate, but you’ll lose overall brightness and contrast in the process. An experienced calibrator could help set up this projector to get the best balance between brightness and accuracy, but the similarly priced Epson Home Cinema 2250 delivers this balance right out of the box, just without the 4K HDR support. Also Viewsonic omits features like lens shift and optical zoom, so this projector has less placement flexibility.

ViewSonic’s PX727HD is a good-performing 1080p DLP projector in the same price range as the BenQ HT2050A. In our tests, the picture was clean and detailed, the color temperature (or color of white) was more accurate than the BenQ HT2050A’s, and its color was almost as accurate. It wasn’t as bright as the HT2050A, and its overall contrast wasn’t as good—but its black level was better than that of many of the other projectors we tested, without the use of a dynamic lamp or iris mode. If you’re looking for a projector to use primarily in a dim to dark room and the HT2050A is unavailable, this model is a good choice.

Yaber’s Pro V7 is another low-priced 1080p LCD projector sold primarily through Amazon. Despite its ridiculous claimed light output of “9500 L,” we measured 316 lumens (16.6 ft-L) on our 84-inch-diagonal screen, which is not even a quarter of our top pick’s capabilities and more in line with some of the mini projectors we"ve tested. Its color accuracy is average at best, and the included picture adjustments don"t help much. The 1080p image consistently looked a bit soft and unfocused, no matter how much we fiddled with the manual focus dial. And the brightness uniformity was very poor—when we put up an all-black test screen, we saw large patches of light around the screen (like a low-quality LCD TV screen), and this was evident in dark movie scenes. There’s also no physical lens shift or zoom to help position the image on your screen.

AAXA P6X: The P6X is one of the brightest mini projectors we’ve tested: With our 55-inch test screen, we measured 48 ftL out of the box in the Vivid picture mode and 34 ftL in the User picture mode, when the P6X was properly set up. It’s small and light, it has multiple input options (but no Wi-Fi or built-in apps), and the rechargeable battery can also charge other devices. Unfortunately, in our tests the P6X performed more like a business projector, prioritizing brightness over accuracy. Colors (especially green) were exaggerated, the color temperature was excessively greenish-blue to make everything appear brighter (so the picture had a more sterile, “digital” look), and this 1200×800 model produced a softer image than the 1080p projectors we tested. Also, the fan noise was quite loud. As much as we want to like the P6X due to its $360 price, it simply has too many drawbacks to recommend for movie-watching.

AAXA M7: The M7 is AAXA’s newest 1080p, battery-powered projector. It is even brighter than the P6X and can be more color-accurate, so it’s better for TV and movie watching. Like its predecessor, the M6, this one has a small form and a diverse connection panel that includes HDMI, USB-C, USB-A, composite AV, and a card reader, and the M7 has a better remote control and digital (but not automatic) focus controls. But it lacks Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and internal apps, the fan noise is extremely loud, and two different samples we tested had a problem where the picture settings locked into their default (and less accurate) state and could not be adjusted.

AAXA P300 Neo: This projector looked like a newer, smaller, cheaper version of the now-discontinued AAXA P300, a former pick. But in our tests the image wasn’t as bright or clear as that of the original P300, and we couldn’t get the keystone correction to work.

Anker Nebula Mars II Pro: Our former top pick, the Mars II Pro couldn’t keep pace with some of the newer 1080p projectors we tested. Though this model had better light output, its contrast was about half that of the MoGo Pro. But most important, its older, Android 7.1 operating system doesn’t support as many apps and isn’t as user-friendly as Android TV.

Epson “mini” LCD projectors: This line includes the original 720p EF-100 and the newer Mini EF11 ($800) and Mini EF12 ($1,000), both with a 1080p resolution. Whereas the original came with an Android TV stick, the Mini EF12 has Android TV built in (the Mini EF11 does not come with a media player). These projectors are much brighter than the other models we considered for this guide, so you can project a bigger image or use them in a brighter room. But they’re also bigger in size, lacking a built-in battery for true portability, and more expensive, so we did not test them.

Epson 880X: This new 1080p LCD projector looks to be identical to the Epson Home Cinema 880 we reviewed in our budget projector guide, but it comes packaged with an Android TV stick and a carrying case. The 880 is significantly brighter than anything we’ve tested for this guide so you can project a much larger image, but the contrast and black level are poor, which makes movies look very flat and washed out. The 880X is also a good bit larger and lacks a battery, so it’s not really portable.

Kodak Luma 450: This especially petite 1080p projector costs about the same as our top pick. It has Wi-Fi and Android 9.0 (but not Android TV) built in to stream content from apps such as Hulu and Netflix, as well as autofocus and keystone adjustments and a built-in battery rated for up to three hours of playback time. Unfortunately, its claimed light output is only 200 ANSI lumens, below the minimum we set for consideration in this guide, so we did not test it.

LG CineBeam PH30N: We tested this model as a possible budget pick. It has a petite form, a nice remote, and a built-in battery and Bluetooth support. It lacks Wi-Fi and internal apps, but it does support Miracast. In our tests, the picture quality was okay but not great: The color was decently accurate, but its measured contrast was only about half that of the MoGo Pro, its 720p image was softer than that of the 1080p projectors we tested, and the tested battery life was only about one and a half hours. The main drawback is that this is the dimmest projector we’ve tested to date (listed at 250 ANSI lumens). The internal speaker had poor dynamic ability and sounded particularly tinny; you’ll definitely need to add a speaker, and at least there’s Bluetooth for that.

LG PF50KA: This projector has plenty of connection options (it even includes a TV tuner) and a well-designed user interface. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about its included remote, which is crowded with tons of buttons that don’t serve essential functions. Plus, in our tests its image was too dim and noticeably bluer than it should have been.

Miroir HD Pro M289: We did not test this projector because we thought its $450 asking price was a bit too high for what it offered compared with other projectors we considered—and because its Amazon review rating was just average at the time. It has desirable specs such as a 1080p resolution, a claimed brightness of 400 lumens, a claimed battery life of two hours, and USB-C charging and media playback in a fairly compact package. But the focus adjustment is manual, and there’s no Wi-Fi or apps—and no Bluetooth output to provide an alternative to the tiny 2-watt speakers. In a nutshell, this model has the specs we’d look for in a potential budget offering, but its price is too close to that of our top pick.

Philips PicoPix Max: This projector—with its 1080p resolution, rated brightness of 800 lumens, long battery life, and abundant connection options—looked promising on paper, but in practice it didn’t deliver well enough to justify its higher price tag. Its brightest mode is too inaccurate for TV and movie watching, so you have to use a dimmer mode—which means it doesn’t really compete as a bright-projector option. In our tests, its picture quality was okay, but the image looked flat and dull compared with that of the MoGo Pro. Plus, the Android 9 OS is not as intuitive as Android TV, and we encountered a lot of ergonomic quirks that made the projector frustrating to use.

Samsung Freestyle: We decided not to review this uniquely designed 1080p LED projector because early reviews (both professional and consumer) have been lukewarm at best. The general sentiment is that the design is cool and the video performance is decent, but the light output is only average, and the lack of a built-in battery is a deal breaker at the current asking price of $800 or more. You can power it off some USB-C power banks, and an optional battery base and light-socket adapter are supposedly coming soon, but those will add to the price. Plus, the Freestyle uses a less common micro-HDMI port, and Samsung doesn’t even include an adapter cable. If Samsung works out some of the quirks and/or lowers the price, we might reconsider testing this one.

ViewSonic M2e: The M2e is a solid performer, but lacks a built-in battery (you can power it off a USB-C bank, though). It has a 1080p resolution and a measured brightness of 32 ftL (about 261 lumens) in the most accurate picture mode. This projector doesn’t offer the image contrast of our picks, and its black level isn’t as good as the MoGo Pro’s, so movies can look undersaturated in a dark room. But for a room with a bit more ambient light or for use with a larger screen, it can deliver a clean, detailed image, and a ton of picture adjustments are available. The M2e has a traditional horizontal design (measuring 7.2 by 7.2 by 2.1 inches), the internal speaker has solid dynamic ability, and the projector supports Bluetooth audio input and output. It also has built-in Wi-Fi, but unfortunately relies on the Aptoide TV interface that we find far less intuitive than other streaming options. Plus the fan noise is louder than we’d like, and in our tests the autofocus missed the mark sometimes, so we had to use the manual adjustment to get the sharpest image.

Wemax Dice: Similar to our top pick in many ways, the Dice is a 1080p LED projector with fully integrated Android TV (no direct Netflix app), the same connection options, and Bluetooth—but it is more than twice as bright. The setup process and onscreen user interface are basically identical in the two projectors, but the Dice’s remote is less user-friendly: It puts tiny black buttons on a non-backlit, black background, and it lacks the input and settings buttons you get on the Xgimi remote, so it takes more steps than we’d like to change sources and adjust the picture and sound settings. The Dice is larger than the MoGo Pro but has a longer battery life of three hours in the dimmest Eco mode. The picture quality is a mixed bag: The image is very bright (when the projector is plugged in), has good overall contrast, and looks sharp and detailed. But if you care about color accuracy, you may be distracted by the too-blue color temperature, the exaggerated colors (especially green), and the tendency for lighter skintones to look sunburned. Within the Android TV interface, you can make a few picture adjustments that help a little, but you can’t adjust the HDMI input at all—and we also got some handshake issues via HDMI. At the Dice’s normal asking price of $700, these flaws are hard to overlook. In that price range, Xgimi’s Elfin and Halo+ are better Android TV alternatives that are similarly bright. But the Dice does go on sale a lot, and at $500 to $550 this projector is a little more compelling as an alternative to the MoGo Pro, if you value brightness over accuracy.

Xgimi Halo+: The $850 Halo+ is Xgimi’s most expensive portable, battery-powered projector. It puts the same core features and user interface as the MoGo Pro in a larger cabinet, and it builds off the original Halo by offering a higher claimed brightness of 900 ANSI lumens, a more advanced suite of automatic picture adjustments, and faster startup times. You also get 3D support and motion-smoothing options. While the Halo+ definitely provides a step up in image brightness and sharpness over the MoGo Pro, it’s kind of expensive for the level of performance you get. Despite the high claimed brightness rating, the Halo+’s brightness In its most accurate picture mode is on par with (or lower than) that of the BenQ GS50, LG PF610P, and Xgimi Elfin—and all of those projectors have better color accuracy. If you’re willing to give up a built-in battery, the lower-priced Elfin is essentially identical in its features and user experience, but delivers a better-looking image. Still, the Halo+ is a solid choice—if you can wait for it to go on sale.

Xiaomi Mi Smart Compact Projector: This 1080p projector runs Android TV, so the user experience is nearly identical to that of the MoGo Pro—but this model is a lot brighter (rated at 500 ANSI lumens, and we measured roughly 37 ftL on our 55-inch screen). Unfortunately, it has neither a built-in battery (as the MoGo Pro has) nor a USB-C charging option (as the also-bright Viewsonic M2e has), so it’s not portable by our criteria. Also, its color was less accurate in our tests, and it doesn’t have the full suite of picture adjustments you get with the MoGo Pro and M2e.

I have a DB T20 that is projecting a brown smudge/ spot on the screen. It looks like it’s on the lcd if I look through the front lens. I know can see the lens is fine. What could it be? Is it worth opening it to take a look? Also it makes a buzzing sound like a fan sticking for first minute on power up then works fine.

Ok So there is a SOLUTION. If you want to fix your little projector you need to order the part below or one of the same dimensions. This part is a little bit thicker than the stock one but if you carefully press it in or widen the side guides a little bit it will fit and work perfectly. I ordered two so I would have a back up. It did take over a month for the part to come. I wrote it off because they never sent an email to say it had shipped, but eventually it did show up. That"s ordering Chinese parts for you. Good Luck! Haribol

Choosing for Room Size/Viewing Distance Every projector has a throw ratio. This refers to the size of image the projector can create for a given distance. This is usually a range, thanks to the optical zoom – you can find it in the user manual or specifications page online (if it"s for a projector you plan to buy). You can calculate the projection image size by dividing the distance between wall and the projector by the throw ratio of the projector. So if your projector is placed 10 feet away from the screen and has a throw ratio of 1.8-2.22, then you can get an image size that ranges between 54 – 66 inches. Ideally, you should be sitting at a distance that is more than twice the width of the image. To make things simpler, many manufacturers offer a distance calculator on their website for various models. Here, you just input a distance or required screen size.

Tip: Some aberrations can be corrected in-projector (keystone for example) but proper placement is the most preferable. If not possible due to placement/room constraints, then you can move on to digital corrections.

Screens are the best way to get the best performance from a projector. A screen will always be smoother than a wall and it will offer higher, more even reflectance. Some screens have gain – they reflect light better, thanks to shiny particles – and this helps in brighter rooms or if your projector is old or has low brightness. Some screens have black borders that add to the perceived contrast – making the image seem better. Finally, screens are also the correct shade of white/grey, solving the problem of a colour cast that some walls may cause. Having said all this, you can use a wall too – there are obvious cost advantages. If you must use a wall, make sure it is as smooth as possible (a plaster of Paris coat helps) and painted in flat white.

There are three main technologies used for projection – DLP, LCD and LED. DLP (Digital Light Processing) uses a chip made of tiny microscopic mirrors and a spinning colour wheel to create an image. DLP projectors deliver sharp images, don"t need any filters, have a better response time as well as 3D capabilities. The effective lamp life of a DLP projector is only 2000-5000 hours and some people see colour ghosting/banding in some scenes. On the other hand, LCD projectors use liquid crystal displays, have no moving parts and thus are generally less expensive. If you are on a budget a single chip LCD projector is ideal while 3-chip LCDs offer better colour saturation, lower noise levels and work better for movies. However, LCDs require constant filter maintenance and output less contrast. The LEDs in LED projectors have a lifespan of over 20,000 hours. They deliver better colours, have lower power consumption and virtually zero maintenance costs. Also, LED projectors are smaller and generate less heat. Do keep in mind that LED projectors have limited brightness compared to LCD or DLP so they are not recommended if your room has a lot of ambient light.

Tip: Some high-end projectors come with a feature called lens-shift. This is a physical rail that adjusts the lens up/down & sideways to move the image around. Obviously, this offers a lot more flexibility with regards to projector placement.

Pico projectors use LEDs as the light source due to which they can be extremely compact in size. Pico projectors can fit in your palm or be integrated into various devices like mobile phones (Samsung Galaxy Beam), tablets (Lenovo Yoga Tab 3), computers, and even digital cameras (Nikon S1000pj). While these projectors do not offer very high resolution or brightness, they are good enough to use in a small, dark room. You can get a 60-inch screen and you can connect multiple devices like smartphones, gaming consoles and laptops. Moreover, the portable size enables manufacturers to add internal storage as well as rechargeable battery in devices that weight less than 200 grams.

Tip: It"s always better to ceiling mount a projector because there are less chances of it being moved once setup. It also places the projector a fair distance away from the viewer so that fan noise and while becomes less audible.

If the projector is not placed perpendicular to the screen, the image is not rectangular – this is a keystone error. Most projectors offer digital keystone correction in the horizontal and vertical planes.

A 3 colour LCD system uses individual LCDs for red, green and blue. The light from each LCD is combined using a prism to create a final image. It usually offers better quality than single chip LCD or DLP designs.

This happens if you"re sitting too close to a projector – fine lines will be seen between the individual pixels on the screen/wall. A screendoor effect usually doesn"t matter if you"re displaying static images (or a presentation) but it affects movies/videos.

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Solution: Select the "Windows" key and the "P" to open the window to adjust the settings. Or go to start, programs, and "Connect to a Projector". Once there

To learn more about your Epson 595 Wi Interactive projector, check youtube for step by step videos on how to use your Epson Projector. New videos are posted often.