Best Cheap 3D Projectors

Affordable projectors bring the 3D movie theater experience into your home

Thus far, one of the hang-ups with 3D in the home is that getting a screen size that's large enough to recreate the immersive experience of 3D in the theater has been practically and financially challenging. That's changing with the emergence of full-resolution 3D projectors at relatively modest prices.

Among those, the Optoma HD33 (*Est. $1,400) draws accolades for delivering good performance at a rock bottom price for a full-HD 3D projector. "Usually I like to say there's no free lunch but Optoma has served up a quality steak at a fast-food price," writes Chris Eberle at enthusiast site Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. In giving it a Highly Rated award, ProjectorCentral.com's Bill Livolsi says that it would be a solid projector if it cost twice at much. Most others are equally impressed, though a few quibbles do surface.

While 3D is the headline attraction, 2D performance is the main event, and reports say that the HD33 is a competent performer in that regard. Black levels can't compete with multi-thousand-dollar projectors, but they stand up well when compared to others in its price range. Color is also excellent. Though some reviewers received units that needed a little tweaking, others report that things look pretty good straight out of the box; most say things can be dialed in to technical perfection if you wish. ProjectorReviews.com offers one dissenting voice, with Art Feierman complaining that accuracy is off even after calibration. That said, he adds that what shows up on the screen color-wise is pretty impressive and sure to "dazzle" typical viewers.

Comments on 3D performance are more complimentary. You do need to spring separately for the glasses (*Est. $100 each), but the HD33 has the ability to use RF (radio frequency) active-shutter technology in addition to the more standard IR (infrared). The advantage is that RF glasses don't need a clear line of sight to the projector to work, while IR glasses do. The result is that the 3D image is maintained even if you move your head, producing a more-glitch-free 3D experience. Crosstalk (ghosting) is also nearly nonexistent, adding to a 3D experience that more closely mimics the experience of watching 3D in a movie theater. "In fact, the 3D effect was pretty much perfect," Eberle writes. "This is way beyond the gimmick-level 3D that flat panels generate."

There are some downsides. This is a DLP projector with the placement issues typical of other budget choices of the same technology, thanks to the limited zoom range and lack of lens shift. There's also the issue of DLP rainbows for those few that are bothered by that artifact.

The HD33 was once a clear choice among lower-priced 3D projectors, but that changed with the more recent introduction of the Epson Home Cinema 3020 (*Est. $1,600) . Getting the bad news out of the way first, blacks again are on the weak side when compared with 3D projectors that cost more. However, in most other ways the Home Cinema 3020 edges out the HD33 -- though perhaps only by a hair in some cases.

The Home Cinema 3020 is an LCD projector, which means it's a better choice, period, for those that can see the rainbow effect. Despite the lack of lens shift, a reasonably long zoom range (1.6x) provides decent placement flexibility.

While the HD33 often needs some user intervention to look its best, color is amazingly near-perfect out of the box with the Home Cinema 3020. Reports say that those that can't help but to tinker will find using the interface to be easy to master, though at least one reviewer carps that the controls are a tad too touchy.

The Epson Home Cinema 3020 3D projector is a little more feature-rich than the HD33. For starters, it has 2D to 3D conversion, which works about as well as that feature works on other display devices -- okay, but it's no substitute for native 3D. There are also built-in 10 watt stereo speakers. These in no way, shape or form can take the place of a home theater sound system for serious viewing, but provide enough sound to make in-a-pinch or on-the-go viewing satisfying enough. Epson also offers this projector in a near-identical model that adds wireless HD connectivity (from a Blu-ray Disc player, for example). The Epson Home Cinema 3020e (*Est. $1,900) certainly cuts cord clutter, but not everyone is convinced that the added cost is worth it just for that feature and the two Epson 3D projectors are otherwise identical.

Of course, 3D is the big feature, and 3D performance generally gets good feedback as well. Like the HD33, the Epson Home Theater 3020 3D projector has made the switch from IR to RF technology, meaning that the 3D effect does not fall apart as easily. Crosstalk and other artifacts are minimal.