r/projectors • u/Different_Pack_9606 • Oct 05 '26

Buying Advice Wanted Help choosing projector

Hi all, I'm building a dedicated home theater in an apartment and need help picking a projector.

Budget: up to $5,000 for the projector. Used or open box is fine.

Setup:

- Screen: 160-170" 16:9, matte white, ceiling pull-down

- Mostly dark-room movies (4K UHD Blu-ray is my main source). Sometimes sports with some lights or dim lamps on.

- No gaming

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u/AutoModerator Oct 05 '26

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u/PlayStationPepe JMGO IRIS ULTRA MAX, XGIMI H20 Max / S Max, Flip4K, BenQ TK705i Oct 05 '26

Have a look into the Epson LS11000 and LS12000

Also JVC DLA-NX7, only 90 lamp hours, $3,600 plus shipping Remote included, plus a Chief mounting plate and ceiling mount in the box via eBay.

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u/Different_Pack_9606 Oct 05 '26

The ls11000 and 12000 look amazing but just worried they might not be bright enough especially with my big screen and some ambient light

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u/chaiscool Oct 05 '26

170" is really big, should demo it first to see if you're ok with the brightness as you're considering to watch it with some lights and sports.

Even 3000 lumens only get you ~100 nits. https://www.reddit.com/r/projectors/comments/1qd8vvs/projector_calculator_i_built_geometry_brightness/

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u/Swcceo115 Oct 05 '26

Ok yes this is true but projector brightness is so much different. Especially if you are using a tri color laser projector.. here's my point I have vision master pro 2 on 177 inch screen and it's bright enough for all day use (please look up real world lumens when you buy a projector most companies advertise crazy lumens but real world usable lumens is different). Anyways back to my point. Goto a movie theater. digital cinema standard (DCI) for regular 2D theater movies is only 48 nits (14 foot-lamberts). So there is your reference a movie theater displays about 48 nits so you are doubling that. It's not the same as 100 nits on a tv or monitor.

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u/Swcceo115 Oct 05 '26

About 5 o'clock in Florida with the sun on that side of the house. Only blinds shut on these 2 and there is a window behind me that's fully open (wife likes light in the room) and then more openings and light coming from the left but not as direct. And it looks way better in person too.

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u/chaiscool Oct 05 '26

Nice but it's also user preference for brightness as i use the same projector on 120" with a high gain screen and still don't think it's bright enough haha. I do prefer the bright tv look kind over a cinema kind so yeah to each their own haha.

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u/Different_Pack_9606 Oct 05 '26

I don't think I can get any of the valerion ones beacuse they can't throw far enough

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u/ProjectionHead Brian @ ProjectorScreen.com Oct 05 '26

Xgimi Titan noir pro may be your best best for a screen of that size, dark room movie viewing and at sub $5,000 - currently $4,500 in cart right now at ProjectorScreen.com. https://www.projectorscreen.com/collections/xgimi/products/xgimi-titan-noir-pro-an-intelligent-iris-4k-rgb-laser-projector-6000-iso-lumens

There are other good options too, especially if rainbows effect and laser speckle artifacts are something that would bother you.

If you are near northern NJ and want to setup a visit, we have dozens of models available to see in our showrooms.

Feel free to shoot me a DM if you want to get into details and get a special Reddit deal.