Reasons to Buy
- The absolute best image on a consumer projector
- Offers 8K resolution by upscaling a 4k source
- 3000 lumen laser light source
- Otherworldly, best-in-class black levels and contrast ratio
- Maintains brightness in a calibrated picture mode
- Extensive picture adjustment menus with a wide range of lens shift and zoom
Reasons to Avoid
- High price point
- Size is rather bulky
Describing the NZ9 as the Ferrari of the home theater world, would not be undue. The picture quality of the NZ9 will 100% blow you away like no other device can. The image is so crisp thanks to its native 4k resolution that can upscale to 8K. That's right this bad boy is an 8K projector.
The color gamut and color accuracy are the best in the industry. The most impressive thing about the NZ9 are the black levels. They’re on par if not better than OLED flatscreens.
The 3000 lumen laser light source makes this projector perfect for dedicated theater room with low light levels. But this top of the line JVC home theater projector is also bright enough that you can take it out of the basement and into more well lit rooms while still getting an outstanding picture.
The high price tag will likely scare away most casual consumers. But if you want the absolutely best image in your home theater there is no better projector in 2022 than the JVC DLA-NZ9.
Best UST Projector
Ultra short throw projectors were the hottest trend in projection in 2020. Between 2020 and 2022 several top companies like Samsung, Epson, LG, Optoma, BenQ and Hisense released new laser TVs. Going into 2022 these are the best:
- Hisense L9G
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Reasons to Buy
- Price bundled with ambient light rejecting screen
- Brighter more vibrant colors
- Sharper image
- One of the best sound systems
- Free installation and setup
- Black body
- 120 FPS 4K gaming
Reasons to Avoid
- Limited to the 100 and 120 size
- Doesn’t do a great job handling highlight and lowlight details
- .47 chipset compared to other triple lasers with the .67
- Shiny chassis reflects some of the light
- Doesn’t come with Netflix
The triple laser Hisense L9G is a serious home theater quality projector that’s meant for your living room. The Hisense L9G provides tremendously vibrant yet comfortingly accurate colors. It's capable of producing 107% of the BT.2020 color space.
This Hisense 4K laser TV comes bundled with either a 100 or 120 inch ambient light rejecting screen making this projector a phenomenal deal. It's this bundled affordability that gives the L9G the edge over the Samsung LSP9T.
The simple design allows this living room projector to fit in with practically any interior design aesthetic. The sound this unit produces is crystal clear and superior to many other USTs.
Pictures and videos of the projector in action just don’t fully capture the absolute grandeur of the Hisense L9G on a UST screen. You must see it for yourself in person. And when you do you’ll exclaim, “I need this!”
If you've already got a projector screen or you're looking to have a triple laser projector in your home theater we'd recommend looking at the Hisense PX1-Pro.
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- Samsung LSP9T
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Reasons to Buy
- Very short throw distance
- Can produce an image up to 130” inches
- Triple laser light source produces some of the most stunning and vivid colors
- Superior motion handling
- Great black levels and contrast
- Uses the Samsung TV interface that many people are accustomed to
Reasons to Avoid
- Some people report seeing the rainbow effect (we did not) due to triple laser firing
- Some laser speckling noticeable
- There is a bit of Red tinting
- High price might scare away some people
When the Samsung LSP9T launched there was a tremendous amount of interest in this 4K UST. This was Samsung’s first foray into the world of projection (along with the LSP7T). Their goal was to release an ultra short throw that set the standard for incredible visuals. And oh boy did they deliver!
The Samsung Premiere LSP9T is absolutely one of the best UHD UST projectors available right now in just about every regard. Its triple laser technology delivers revolutionary contrast detail and provides a super bright image with incredibly radiant colors.
An excellent choice for any movie lover.
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Best 4K Gaming Projector
A year removed from the rollout of the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, 4K gaming is huge and will continue to be through 2022 and beyond. So, now is the time to get a 4K UHD gaming projector, so you can take full advantage of the ultra high resolution gaming revolution. Here are our two top choices:
- Optoma UHZ50
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Reasons to Buy
- Stunning 4K picture
- 3000 Lumen laser light source
- Input lag of just 4ms at 1080p and 16.7ms at 4K is incredible for gamers
- Enhanced gaming mode
Reasons to Avoid
- Speakers are weak
- Streaming apps are frustrating and quality is inconsistent
- There are lower priced gaming projectors but those lack the visuals of the UHZ50
The Optoma UHZ50 was built to be the ultimate gaming projector. And it certainly delivers. This high definition projector delivers outstanding visuals to anyone without a discerning eye for detail.
The 3000 Lumen laser light source works fantastically in well lit rooms (especially when paired with an ambient light rejecting projector screen.) The moderately low price tag makes the UHZ50 an excellent choice not just as a gaming projector but as a home theater beamer as well.
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- Epson LS500
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Reasons to Buy
- Comes bundled with the screen
- Works fantastically in well lit room
- 16.7ms lag time is incredible for gamers and the lowest of any UST projector.
- Brightest 4k Laser UST currently available.
- 3 LCD Chipset is “Rainbow Effect” proof
Reasons to Avoid
- Longer than average throw distance for USTs
- Internal speakers are the worst in class
- Fan was a kind of loud in a quiet room
- Poor app interface
Many video game enthusiasts want to play in a well lit environment. Most projectors just aren’t bright enough to allow you to do that. As an ultra short throw, The Epson LS500 EpiqVision lets you game in beautiful 4K, even in a well lit living room.
We tested it with the Playstation 5 and it was phenomenal! The vibrancy of the colors, the razor sharp details and the huge 120 inch screen that comes bundled gave us an extra edge for fast paced shooters and other games.
If you’re looking for a giant screen to play video games on, the Epson LS500 is definitely a phenomenal choice.
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Best 2022 Projector For An Apartment
As apartment living becomes more prominent in 2022, big screen enthusiasts are going to need a projector that fits in with the limited amount of space available. Here are our top picks for 2022 4K projectors for apartment living:
- BenQ V7050i
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Reasons to Buy
- Widest color gamut of any single laser UST
- Fantastic contrast and vibrant colors
- Automatic sunroof protects the lens from dust and damage
- Easier to set up than other USTs thanks to the extendible measurement arms
Reasons to Avoid
- Only has 2 HDMI ports and 1 is taken up by the media player
- Media player USB power source port is on the side
- Built in speakers are not great
As BenQ's first 4K ultra short throw projector, the V7050i set the goal to strive for with single laser USTs.
If you want an overall great projector for your apartment look no further than the BenQ V7050i. This new 4K projector offers more sharpness, brightness, colors and better contrast than any other laser TVs at a similar price point. It's even better than some triple laser USTs.
While it lacks the built in sound bar from other units, it's clear BenQ chose to focus more on the visuals of this projector. You can always pair it with a wireless surround sound speaker system to make up for this.
The stylish black chassis looks fantastic in any apartment.
While we wouldn’t call this a cinephile grade projector, it offers an outstanding picture and is a great option to replace your flatscreen for everyday use.
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- Hisense L5G
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Reasons to Buy
- Sits directly under the screen so it takes up less space
- Solid built in soundbar
- UST Screen comes bundled
- Very bright vibrant colors
Reasons to Avoid
- Limited to a 100 inch or 120 inch screen size
- Takes longer to warm up when you turn it on
When we first set up the Hisense 100L5G we were a bit surprised at how good the visuals were. (Though given Hisense’s track record of producing incredible UST projectors we really shouldn’t have been). The colors were incredibly vibrant and popped more than other ultra short throws.
The L5G comes bundled with a 100 inch UST projection screen that rejects ambient light and helps make this laser TV perfect for an apartment living, even in a well lit space.
Because of its extra short throw distance and more compact chassis, the Hisense L5G stands out as a great choice for anyone looking for the big screen experience in their apartment in 2022.
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How We Picked Our Top 2022 4K Projectors
To be called a top rated projector it must deliver outstanding picture quality, while balancing the cost. A home cinema projector needs to perform in different lighting conditions and situational usages. Of course it also needs to be easy to use and points for style.
We chose our favorite 2022 4k projectors based on these criteria:
- Picture Quality
- Contrast Ratio
- Brightness
- Color Accuracy
- Color Gamut
- Price
- Light Source
- What the projector is built for
- Other Features
- Size
- Chassis
- Connectivity
- User interface
What is meant by "Picture Quality"?
Picture quality is without a doubt the most important factor when choosing a projector. There are four aspects to a phenomenal-looking video image. They are the contrast ratio, brightness, color accuracy and color gamut.
Contrast Ratio
Contrast ratio is the difference between the darkest part of the projected image and the lightest part. It is possibly the most important aspect when comparing projectors. A projector with a low contrast ratio will appear flat and boring. It can also make it harder to decipher what’s happening in a darker scene.
Brightness
A projector’s brightness is often considered the second most important factor that makes up the image quality. The light output of a projector determines how bright the image is. If you don’t have enough brightness your image will appear washed out. A cinema room projector doesn’t need to output as many lumens as a regular TV because the light in the room is much more controlled. However in a more well lit environment like a living room, the brightness of the projector becomes very important. Higher brightness also helps with HDR content.
Color Accuracy
The color accuracy of a UHD projector is how true to the source content the colors on the screen appear. If you want to see the image as the director intended you need to get a projector with a high level of color accuracy.
Color Gamut
Color gamut is defined as how many colors a projector can show on a screen. Ultra High Definition content has a much wider color gamut than standard high def, which is a big part of why 4K looks so much better than 1080P. Many cheap 4K projectors lack the ability to fully display the vividness of the reds, greens and blues. Higher end projectors however are completely capable of showing all these different shades of color.
FAQ
What Is 4K Resolution?
The resolution of a screen tells you just how dense are the tiny dots (aka the pixels) that collectively make up the image you see you. The higher the pixel count the higher the resolution. 4K resolution refers to a horizontal display resolution of approximately 4,000 pixels. With the “K” standing for “kilo” (thousand)
The majority of 4K displays come with a 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. This is referred to as 4K UHD and is the 4k standard. You can also find 4K media that uses 4096 x 2160 in the movie projection industry. This is called DCI 4k.
What Is A UHD Projector?
A UHD projector is the same as a 4K projector. It’s a projector with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. UHD stands for ultra high definition. You can use these terms interchangeably.
How Much Is A 4K Projector?
Most 4K projectors cost between $1,800 to $6,000. There are some higher end ultra high definition projectors that are priced at $9,000 and above. The variation in price is a result of a number of factors including throw distance, picture quality, lamp type, chipset and other features included with projector such as built in sound.
Is It Worth Getting A 4K Projector?
If you want superior picture quality it is definitely worth getting a 4K projector. When you put a UHD image next to a 1080P it’s very easy to see the difference. This is particularly true in 2022 as more media is being broadcast and created in 4K, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Videos.
Do You Need A 4K Screen For A 4K Projector?
Yes, in order to get a 4K image from a UHD projector you’re going to need to buy a 4K projector screen or better. If you’re paying for a 2022 projector that’s ultra high definition you want to see the picture in 4K. Using a wall, even a white one, is going to have bumps and imperfections that won’t resolve to the proper number of pictures. Cheap movie screens also do not have a smooth enough surface and will distort your image.
Beware of screens that advertise themselves as “4K Ready” as these cinema screens lack the smoothness to display UHD quality video.
We recommend future proofing your investment in your display surface by getting an 8K or even 16K projection screen. This way, as more and more media content is put out in 8K and 16K you can be ready to upgrade your projector without needing to get a new screen to go along with it.