Budget Home-Theater Projectors

Top picks for low-cost home theaters

The prices of 1080p projectors have fallen to the point that some are not much more expensive than 720p projectors. Still, for those on the tightest of budgets, a 720p projector will create a home-theater experience that will wow all but the most finicky. Among 720p projectors, experts and users say that the Optoma HD66 (*Est. $650) is one to consider. Most say that it's a terrific choice for displaying movies and more with picture quality that belies its low price tag.

The Optoma HD66 is not without a touch of controversy, however. It's marketed as a 3D projector, but it can only work that magic with 3D computer games, not with broadcast, cablecast or Blu-ray content. In addition, you need a computer with a powerful graphics card and 3D glasses for each viewer. Still, Tom Andry at Audioholics.com writes, "While I feel the 3D branding is a bit misleading to the uninformed consumer, the fact is that the HD66 is a fantastic projector for the price." Bill Livolsi at ProjectorCentral.com concurs, saying: "All in all, the HD66 offers an outstanding value for those on a budget."

The HD66 can throw out a lot of light -- so much so that it can play well in a brightly lit room when in its highest brightness mode, though picture quality will suffer. Turning things down improves color fidelity and contrast considerably. At the appropriate brightness levels and with a little bit of user tweaking -- which Livolsi says is absolutely essential for best results -- reviews say colors are well saturated and images are crisp and clean. Not surprisingly, black levels are merely acceptable, but the HD66 is capable of reproducing a fair amount of shadow detail.

Like all DLP projectors, rainbow effect (discussed in the What to Look For section) can be an issue for the small percentage of the population able to see that artifact. However Andry reports that he saw no trace of it in the HD66 he reviews. Like most DLP projectors, the Optoma HD66 can be very difficult to place in some viewing rooms. There's no lens shift (see What to Look For) and the zoom range is a paltry 1.1x, which means the only real adjustment you can make to get an image centered on a screen is to physically move the projector. Livolsi notes that the best placement to completely fill a screen will be either on a low table or suspended from a ceiling mount.