3D Projectors : 10 Bestselling with prices, reviews and specs

Epson is almost a year late in introducing their 3D capable home theater projectors. But the wait has been duly rewarding as Epson has managed to develop a product that combines dynamic performance with great affordability. The HC3010 has been designed primarily for your family room but can treat the audience equally well in theater too. The projector is packed with features that make it a worthy rival to the other pricier variants designed specifically for home theater purposes.

This 3D capable projector uses 3LCD technology and is shipped with two pairs of 3D glasses. The 3D capability supports everything from Blu-Ray to satellite channels to gaming consoles. The higher model 3010e has Wireless HD built in but glasses are optional. The resolution packs 1920x1080 pixels and supports 1080p full HD display. The 3010 is extremely bright with maximum intensity of 2200 lumens and a contrast of 40,000:1 in 2D and 1600:1 in 3D. This makes the 3010 highly capable of large projections. The life of the projector’s lamp is 4000 hours at full power which increases to 5000 hours in eco mode. To keep the costs down, Epson has gone with a low cost lens system which offers a zoom of 1.6:1. The 3010 gives you full color and gamma control and is equipped with dynamic iris for better black level performance (it remains off in 3D though). The Epson boasts of two 10 watt speakers which are a humble replacement for a full scale sound system or if you want to go portable. The remote control is backlit and features four presets in 2D mode, two presets in 3D mode, an Auto mode and 10 user savable settings. Another impressive feature is the split screen capability which enables you to select two distinct multimedia sources and put them up side by side. Both screen sizes can be same or the one which you designate can be larger than the other (about 2:1).

The DLA-X7 continues the lineage of high quality home projectors from JVC. The design is slick and build quality is robust. There are some new features on board that make operation much easier such as two anamorphic modes for those who want to employ a third party lens. In terms of set up and ease of usage, X7 wins with excellent flexibility. The DLA-X7 performs exceedingly well with the THX mode as well as more accurate color profiles like standard mode. The newly developed optical engine D-ILA offers high contrast and film like quality which results in smoother grayscale, truer black levels and enhanced depth. The 1920 x 1080 full HD 3D playback is mind blowing and the fact that the X7 easily produces images that are relatively crosstalk free is also fantastic. The DLA-X7 ships with 3D sync transmitter and two pairs of glasses in the box. With this projector it’s simply a case of positioning the projector correctly, connecting your 3D Blu-ray player and the sync transmitter and away you go. JVC’s proprietary Real Color Imaging Technology achieves excellent color reproduction by incorporating a color temperature setting equivalent to that of a Xenon lamp and by creating original color profiles which help enhance picture quality to levels that are unprecedented. The JVC has a rated brightness of 1300 lumens to go with a contrast of 70,000:1 for superbly bright and razor sharp images.

The HD 8300 is Optoma's flagship 2D single chip DLP projector with 3D capabilities. It delivers very good color performance and a host of features including CFI, dynamic color and dynamic sharpness features. The projector includes support for both 720p and 1080p in 3D including Blu-ray 3D and DirecTV 3D as well at a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. This medium sized projector looks good and is equipped with creative frame interpolation for smooth motion. The HD8300 gives very good color controls and calibrates really well although its black level performance is typical of DLP projectors. The projector is decently bright rated at 1500 lumens with a contrast of 30,000:1. The zoom lens ratio is an impressive 1.1.5:1 with manual zoom and focus. The lamp life is also excellent with 3000 hours at full power and 4000 hours in eco mode.

The GT750 boasts a number of improvements over its predecessor GT720 while keeping many of its features intact. The most noticeable improvement is the addition of support for 1080 resolution in 3D including Blu-ray 3D. The GT750 seems highly competent for game playing but also makes a decent general purpose home projector for your family room. It’s another very short throw projector in the sense that it sits relatively close to the screen and typically out of the way for active gamers. The projector has lots of fixed lens offset which allows it to sit low and well below the bottom of the screen. The GT750 is powered by Single chip DLP technology with a native resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The rated brightness of 3000 lumens along with 3000:1 contrast make it one of the brightest projectors around. Color performance is especially good for a low cost projector and Brilliant Color up scales the dynamics. The lamp life is excellent at 3000 hours in high power and 5000 hours in eco modes. The projector has a 10 W built in speaker with respectable sound.

If you are looking to make the move any time soon and the XV-Z17000 is in your price range, it could prove to be a most tempting choice for a 3D projector today. At rated brightness of 1600 lumens and 30,000:1 contrast it’s slightly brighter than average in brightest mode which is enough for 3D viewing on smaller screens. It uses active shutter glasses for 3D experience with 2 pairs provided with the projector. Unlike many 3D projectors, it works well with most screens. A notable aspect of the Z1700 is the HDMI 1.4a support for Blu-ray 3D compatibility. It also supports the optional HDMI 3D standard that DirecTV uses for 3D channels which is lacking in some other 3D projectors. The projector is powered by a single chip DLP technology with a native resolution of 1920x1200 pixels with full HD 1080p display. The 1.15:1 zoom lens with manual zoom and focus has no lens shift. The lamp life is estimated to be 2000 hours at full power and 3000 hours in the more energy efficient eco mode. Another noteworthy feature is that the Z17000 runs quieter than most of the other DLP projectors.

The CF3D is essentially a commercial 3D projector that can be used in home theaters and screening rooms for its 3D abilities. This projector should find its usefulness in the halls of higher education and many scientific and engineering applications as well. The CF3D is a passive 3D projector in a sense that it uses passive 3D glasses and not active ones for 3D viewing. It also means that you need a screen optimized for 3D. Since you are bound to lose more than half of your brightness with 3D systems, the CF3D offers a serious jump in brightness claiming 2500 lumens with a 7000:1 contrast. It makes it seriously brighter than most of the other 3D projectors currently available. The projector has a native resolution of 1920x1200 pixels with full HD 1080p display. The CF3D poses six panel LCoS design which basically means two projectors sharing a lamp and a lens. The 1.3:1 zoom lens has a vertical shift that’s manual. The projector incorporates dual lamp system with a lamp life of 3000 hours at full power and 3500 hours at relatively low power.

The PT-AE7000U is the industry's first 3LCD based 3D 1080p projector. It is meant for those who want the best possible home theater image quality provided they are willing to create the proper dark theater space required to achieve it. Nonetheless, normal mode can accommodate some ambient light to deliver 1300 lumens of ultra high quality and color balanced video. The AE-7000U delivers remarkable image quality characterized by exceptional clarity and depth for a conventional 2D home theater projector. The use of a high speed 480 Hz LCD panels gives the AE7000 a competitive edge in 3D imaging over other 3D projectors that use 240 Hz or 120 Hz imaging devices. This speed allows the LCD shutters in the glasses to remain open for a greater percentage of time. This results in a brighter 3D image apart from reduction of crosstalk. The projector also features Panasonic’s indigenous 3D OverDrive Technology that analyzes and reduces crosstalk. The AE7000 is rated at 2000 lumens which may sound meager but has an awe inspiring 300000:1 contrast ratio to complement it. The projector has seven pre programmed operating modes with different lumen outputs as default in each of these modes. Lamp life in normal mode is approximately 4000 hours and 5000 hours in eco mode. Fan noise is just a whisper in normal mode and virtually absent in eco mode. The 2X zoom lens is another impressive feature that maximizes placement options but is accompanied by 42 percent loss of light output.

Technically, PG-D45X3D is a large portable projector or a small fixed projector. It is portable for local use but for most time would remain mounted. After all, there aren't a lot of rooms it can't handle and its features complement it quite well. The D45X3D supports 3D and it has the brightness to pull it off despite loss of more than 75% of brightness that most 3D projectors using active glasses experience. In Sharp’s case, the projector comes along with two pairs of 3D active glasses. The manufacturer’s claim of 4500 lumens of brightness sounds suitable for large and multipurpose rooms. Small auditoriums aren't out of the question either. Most importantly, it can handle small and medium sized rooms for 3D which is not that easy. The projector supports DLP link and sports extensive Inputs including DVI and USB. The D45X3D is powered by Single Chip DLP technology. The XGA resolution packs 1024x768 pixels with 2500:1 contrast. Unlike most projectors which offer 1.2:1 or 1.3:1 zoom lenses, the PG-D45X3D manages a meager 1.15:1. The lamp Life, though, is an impressive 2000 hours in full power which increases to 3000 hours in eco mode. The projector poses serious security features which includes LAN notification and delivers excellent 10W stereo sound.

Perhaps the widespread criticism and extremely cold response to the VW90ES forced Sony to make amends in the form of a vastly improved and excellent performing machine in the form of HW30ES. The foremost improvement is the newly developed fast response SXRD chipset that can be powered at 240 Hz. The super fast refresh rate has the potential to completely eliminate crosstalk provided it properly syncs up with the glasses. Another new feature is the Dynamic Lamp Control technology which enables the lamp to adjust its light output depending upon whether the shutter on the glasses is open or closed. This makes 3D images look brighter and more dynamic without reducing the projector’s overall efficiency. The HW30ES comes with a separate transmitter, TMR-PJ1, which connects to the projector via Cat5 cable which is a paradigm shift from the VW90ES which had the transmitter integrated into the 3D glasses.

It’s also worth mentioning that the HW30ES’s dynamic iris works superbly well, especially in the auto mode. It drastically improves contrast range without suffering the flickering brightness levels that have plagued this functionality on many previous SXRD projectors. The projector supports 1080p full HD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels along with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The HW30ES gives maximum brightness of 1300 lumens and its 70000:1 contrast is equally impressive. The projector is powered by a 200W UHP lamp.

The price tag for Lumis 3D-S would be more appropriate for a Range Rover than a projector. From its slick design to what’s at the core of this projector, it is worth every dollar you spend on this beast of a performer. The Lumis 3D-S really gives you a sense that 3D technology has already reached its pinnacle. To begin with, the design of the 3D-S is extraordinary. Not only is it gorgeously sculpted and beautifully finished, but also because it’s unusually compact for a projector carrying three 0.95 inch DarkChip 4 DLP chipsets, a 280 W dimmable lamp, a triple flash technology and active 3D playback. Connectivity options are plentiful with two HDMI inputs, a PC D-Sub port and separate RS-232C and USB control options. Also, there’s a 3D sync output where you attach the projector’s external 3D sync transmitter, a feature that is not regular in other projectors. Under the hood, the Lumis is powered by three DarkChip 4 DLP chipsets in addition to Sim2’s Alphapath compact die cast lightweight engine characterized by phenomenal light efficiency and precision glass optics. To enhance the 3D performance, Sim2 has introduced PureMotion video processing. It comprises of modes designed to optimize motion reproduction with varying demands of movies and sports footage in addition to a system designed to improve motion with 3D. Exclusive to commercial 3D cinema installations, Triple Flash technology ensures that each eye gets three flashes of a 1080p/24Hz 3D Blu-ray image frame resulting in an overall frame rate of 144 fps. Triple chip DLP projection is currently the only projection technology capable of delivering such humongous frame rate with most competing technologies managing only 120 fps. This technology almost completely eliminates the two biggest drawbacks to 3D viewing; crosstalk and flickering. The 3D-S can manage some serious screen sizes upto 300 inches despite a rated brightness of 3000 lumens which seems meager in this case. It is mostly possible due to the projector’s 280W powerful lamp and extreme efficiency of its engine. The Lumis 3D-S produces spectacular detailing and sharpness from full HD 1080p 3D sources. The detailing is just as flawless and evident during dark scenes thanks to the 3D-S’ exceptional and magnificent contrast performance of 100,000:1.