If you have an interest in the world of tech, you know that TVs, projectors, and even mobile phones have moved from Full HD i.e. 1980 x 1080p to 4K UHD, which has a pixel resolution of 3840 x 2160p. If you have bought a new TV, with a screen size of more than 43-inches, for your home then most probably it’s a 4K TV that comes with the support of a high dynamic range and can showcase a much wider color gamut. The same goes for the projectors as well; in the world of entertainment, projectors have always been a unique niche product that only rich people can buy.
But now things are changing, more and more people can now afford a projector in their homes, and there’s not much which needs to be changed to set it up. So if you are in search of buying a new projector for yourself, then it would be better to go for the 4K version instead of 1080p full HD.
In this article, we are going to show you why having a 4K projector is a much better option for you to be future-proof and also for entertainment purposes as well. Along with this, we are going to list out some of the best available 4K projectors. So let’s get started.
What is a 4K Video Resolution?
If you have already paid the annual fees for a streaming service, you are probably spending more time watching shows at your pace rather than watching it according to the time restriction of Tele. Some cable and satellite companies have started broadcasting their signal in 4K, but it takes a considerable toll on their efficiency and speed. As a result, most of the cable channels are only going as high as 1080p. Most of the content you will watch in 4K will come as an on-demand service or via streaming services like Disney+, Prime by Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and others.
The majority of the projectors which are available in the market come with a built-in Chromecast or Android operating system that allows them to use all these applications and stream content in 4K resolution. But what is 4K resolution in real life? Well, the answer is simply a display that comes with a resolution of 8 million active pixels. In layman’s terms, a display that is bright, has more color, better resolution, and has a much sharper picture quality than a standard TV can fall under the category of a 4K resolution display.
For cinema and projectors, you will find that a 4K resolution is slightly higher than that of a 4K monitor or a TV. For projectors, 4K resolution is 4096 x 2160 pixels. It is four times the pixel ratio of a 1080p display or a projector. Due to more pixels, the image quality is relatively better, and to stream such a high-quality image, you will need high-speed Internet as well, along with the device which has HDMI 2.0 support. Netflix, one of the biggest 4K streaming service providers, recommends a steady 25Mbps of downstream speed to watch content in 4K quality.
When you are watching content on a bigger display, you can easily make out the difference between a 4K video and a 1080p video. Some of the high-end top-of-the-line smart TVs are hitting 8K resolution, but right now, we don’t have any 8K content available, and even the network speeds aren’t that fast enough to provide 8K streaming without any stutter. So if you buy a 4K projector, you will future-proof your theater room for the next ten years or so.
Things to Look for in a 4K Projector
Given below are some of the tips and things you need to keep in mind when you are buying a 4K projector for your home or your office.
Type of Projector
There are two major types of projectors, the first one being the DLP (Digital Light Processing) and the second being LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). A DLP employs a light source in combination with the color wheel and the chip, which has microscopic tilting mirrors. The light will pass through the color wheel, reflect off the mirror, and then it will be projected on the screen. With LCD, the light source will be passed by three different LCD chips that have one primary color, red, green, and blue to create a perfect image.
Lamps, LEDs, and Lasers
A video projector that uses lamps will require the changing of lamps after 3,000 or 4,000 hours of viewing. Some can even go as high as 5,000 hours of viewing. On the other hand, LED or Laser projectors have a much longer life; they can often go as long as 20,000 hours or more without requiring any repairs.
Light Output & Brightness
With the help of sufficient light, a projector can provide you with high-quality images. If the output of the light is too low, it is going to look muddy and soft, even if you are sitting in a dark room. The best way to see how bright a projector can go is to check its ANSI lumens rating. It will show you how much light a projector can output. A projector with 1,000 ANSI lumens or greater can be considered sufficiently bright. Even though you can theoretically use a projector that has a greater lumen than 1000 in a lightly lit environment, they still work best in a more darkened room.
Contrast Ratio
The contrast ratio is the one thing that will complement the brightness, and a contrast is a ratio between the black and the white portions of an image. With the use of high contrast ratios, you get much brighter whites and much deeper blacks. A projector might come with incredible lumens, but if the contrast ratio is low, your image is sure going to look washed out. In a darkened room, you need to have a contrast ratio of 1500:1 or higher. Anything below is going to have a grainy effect, and blacks will be more like grays.
Color Reproduction
Check how the colors look when you put the brightness to maximum. See if it still looks natural or washed out. Now check for the same but with the brightness turned too low. This will show you the color stability of your projector. Everyone has a different understanding of color, so it is better to go by yourself and check if the colors match your expectations.
Inputs
Make sure the projector comes with all the inputs that you need. All the projectors available in the market have HDMI as their standard connection. But if you are looking for a 4K projector, it must come with an HDMI 2.0 for higher bit rate data transfer. You will also find most of the projectors have DVI inputs along with the VGA as well.
Type of Screen
Some of the projectors will require you to have a screen, while some can even work straight off your walls. Having a dedicated screen is always a great idea, so make sure you check the fabric, size, and price for the projector screen before you buy it because you need to have both of them for a much better experience.
Audio
Some of the projectors have built-in speakers that might not give you a surround sound, but surely it will provide you with deeper bass and crystal clear highs. On the other hand, if you have a home theater system already present in your home, then it is better to look for a projector that doesn’t have an in-built speaker system to save up some money.
Top 7 4K Projectors to Buy in 2022
Let’s move to the main part of this article i.e. the list of the best 4K projectors which you can buy in 2022. So here’s the list for you to check out.
1. Samsung The Premiere
Samsung didn’t come out with another projector for more than a decade before they finally released this behemoth. This Premiere LSP9T projector comes with an ultra-short-throw beamer which includes a 4K UHD laser projection. It has three color lasers, so there is no need to add a color filter. This makes it possible for the projector to go up to 2,800 lumens of brightness which really shines when you put it in front of a 130-inch screen.
Features
- This 4K projector comes with the support of HDR10+ format, which also adds a scene-by-scene picture calibration for incompatible films and TV Shows.
- It has all the features of the smart TV that Samsung manufactures, so you are getting a full experience of a connected ecosystem.
- Lastly, it has inbuilt 40W speakers, so even if you don’t have a speaker system at home, you can use it without experiencing low sound quality.
Price – $6,490 or Rs 4,84,315
2. Epson Pro Cinema 4050 4K Pro-UHD Projector
Epson’s Pro Cinema comes at half the price of our first projector from Samsung. Even though it is almost half the price of that of Samsung, you can still get the best image quality to satisfy your needs. It has 2400 lumens of brightness which can easily stand against your ambient light in a family room. It also comes with a substantial amount of lens shift adjustments along with the lens memory to switch it up easily between different zooms and shift settings. It sure is not cheap, but it is one of the most affordable models in Epson’s Pro Cinema line up which comes with a resolution of 4K.
Features
- This projector checks every single image-quality box, such as the accuracy of a color, contrast, shadow details, black level, and more.
- Comes with the support of HDR10 for both movies on discs.
- There are no rainbow effects to be found in this projector due to the presence of a three-chip LCD design.
- The brightness drop from 2D video to 3D video is pretty less in comparison to other projectors.
Price – $2399 or Rs 1,79,025
3. Sony VPL-VE325ES
Sony’s VPL 4K projector is more like a Porsche among Volkswagens because of its ability to project an image on a screen crisply. The contrast ratio of this machine is genuinely extraordinary and supports HDR content in all formats. The price tag on this thing isn’t going to make your heart skip a beat, and that is saying something for sure. It can output 1500 lumens of brightness and has X1™ video processing power by Sony, which gives it the power of dynamic HDR enhancer along with super-resolution properties.
Features
- It can sharpen up the HD source content in 4K by upscaling it to near 4K quality.
- This projector also comes with the IMAX enhanced certification for the improved performance on contents which are IMAX enhanced.
- It can provide video playback for 6000 hours. After that, you need to change the lens.
- The out-of-the-box picture settings are pretty much spot on, so you can leave them as such without any changes.
Price: $5,498.00 or Rs 4,10,287
4. Epson EH-TW9400
The reason why we put it in such a high position in our list is that this beamer has some awe-inspiring color reproduction results during our test. Besides, it comes with HDR support and has 2600 lumens of brightness. Keep in mind this isn’t a native 4K projector which you will not consider once you look at its price tag and other features it comes equipped with. The upscaled 4K image and videos are crisp and filled with details. It also has a great way to present skin tones and has real-life-like detailing of shadows.
Features
- It has 3D compatibility, which has motorized controls.
- You get a lens cover to prevent your lens from getting dust to creep in.
- Great color reproduction.
Price:
5. Xgimi Aura 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector
The Xgimi Aura isn’t cheap, but if you look at its price in comparison to other 4K home-entertainment projectors, you will see it’s a reasonable bargain. It also comes with the support of HDR10 along with the HLG support. Besides, you are getting 2400 lumens of brightness. The ultra-short-throw lens allows you to put the projector inches away from the screen to get a 150-inch diagonal image. If you look for another 4K projector in the market that goes as high as 110 inches of the screen, you will see the price significantly goes higher. Aura projector itself is a smart TV as it comes with Android 10 support.
Features
- You can even connect to the ethernet by using the cable.
- There is more than one HDMI socket for video input. So, you can connect more than one device to the projector and enjoy multiple modes of media.
- It has full HD 3D support, and there are almost no rainbow artifacts to be found when you are watching content through it.
- The sound system which comes with it is pretty excellent, and you can directly plug in your home theater to it with no worries.
Price: $2499 or Rs 1,86,568
6. Optoma UHD65
This is a no-nonsense 4K capable UHD projector that is available at a much competitive price point. It sure is not a native 4K, but the picture quality you are getting from it is just excellent. People who are looking for a top-notch projector performance on a budget should check this out. The color production, motion handling, and even the upscaling capabilities are all handled to perfection. It is also a future-proof product, so you are going to be satisfied with its performance for more than a decade or so. At this price range, the Optoma UHD65 is one hard product to beat, no matter how many bells and whistles the others carry around.
Features
- It has 2200 lumens of brightness and a 1,200,000:1 contrast ratio, along with the RGBRGB color wheel for a more vivid cinematic experience.
- Fine adjustments can be made to make the picture clear and highly detailed.
- It has two 4W speakers present in the stereo format. In addition, you get an optical output to the AV receiver for crisp and sharp audio output.
7. Anker Nebula Capsule II Mini
You can’t bring portability and a 4K projector in one conversation, but that’s where you are wrong. The Nebula Capsule II Mini Anker has won the market of portable projectors. It uses the DLP system and does have a low resolution of 720p. But still, given the size of a soft drink, you can imagine how amazed we were to see an HDMI port in addition to the UBC-C charging port. This gives you the ability to power up the projector while you are streaming content from a streaming stick such as Roku Express or Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Features
- You get the Android TV built inside such a small machine.
- It can easily fit in your backpack and comes with its own battery, which can even help you to watch content wirelessly.
- It has a full-size HDMI support and has a Google voice interface to control the projector from voice commands.
Conclusion
So these were some of the best 4K projectors you can buy for yourself in 2022. We hope this article has helped you understand the benefits of having a 4K resolution projector and things you need to keep in mind when buying a 4K projector.
The list we have created above is entirely unbiased, and we didn’t have any personal favorites while writing this article. If you think some other 4K projector should also be included in this lineup, then feel free to add it in the comment section, and we will try to find its place in our list; till then, enjoy the show.