If you have been a fan of projectors, or at least have used an old model before, you will see how tremendous its technology has advanced over the years. A movie projector’s sole purpose is to enlarge the viewing screen for a bigger audience, but alongside have some major compromises, including picture quality and maintenance. However, over the years, we’ve seen how it improved in many aspects, as well as have added other useful features.
Now, a smart projector 4K already exists. You can imagine a larger-than-life screen that allows you to watch movies or view your presentations in full color and finer details. It also lasts longer – no need to replace bulbs often as it uses LEDs that are more durable and energy-efficient, too. As for the “smart” part, you can control your home theater projector wirelessly, even with a voice command.
A smart projector 4K uses advanced technologies to maintain the quality of the movies it streams. It has auto-adjustable settings, or you can do so too manually. Video quality significantly enhances your viewing experience, and with its extra-large screen, can mimic your experience in a cinema. And many will appreciate this in their homes now that the pandemic kept us from going to crowded spaces like cinemas.
Another advantage of using a smart projector is portability. It is a far cry from its chunky predecessor. Some models are small and lightweight so you can carry them around your home, even outdoors. But for this review, we will focus on smart projector 4K models that are best used for home theaters, therefore, needs to be placed in a fixed area in your homes like your entertainment room or similar.
When looking for the best smart projector 4K, you must first check how it stands by its claim to present the quality of 4K resolution videos. Some home movie projector models can play 4K videos but aren’t faithful in replicating it on larger screens. Also, you have to check connectivity and compatibility with your devices (HDMI, Bluetooth, wireless?), your room’s environment (is it too bright, or does it have curtains or blinds installed?), and other customizable controls like brightness, picture quality, sound mode, etc.
Best Smart Projector 4K for Home Theaters – (Comparison)
| Name | Key Feature | |
| LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector – (Editor’s Choice) | Direct streaming from subscription-based video content library apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime | Check Price |
| SAMSUNG 120″ The Premiere Projector – 4K | Uses Ultra-short throw technology | Check Price |
| Optoma UHD52ALV True 4K UHD Smart Projector | 3,500 ANSI lumens rating | Check Price |
LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector – Editor’s Choice
This smart projector 4K provides you with an immersive cinema-like experience, something that you might have been experiencing with LG TVs if you happen to own one.
One of the advantages of owning and using a movie theater projector is that you can adjust the screen size without sacrificing video quality. This smart projector 4K has a home projector screen size of up to 140 inches. The flexibility of screen size allows you to customize the experience or take advantage of the many walls in your home and watch at your own comfort.
Aside from the movies on your file, you can also stream from app-based video content libraries such as Netflix and Amazon directly from your LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector. No need to have another device and project the movies from there. This is possible through LG’s webOS, just like what powers their lineup of smart TVs.
This smart projector 4K is built-in with Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control it using voice commands. Or, use the LG ThinQ app to control it wirelessly on your smartphone. If you own several smart LG devices, you can centralize their controls in the app.
Set up your projector screen indoor and enjoy more ways to stream, play, and project videos through your smart projector 4K. Aside from direct streaming from apps, you can also project the content from your phone via Miracast or through Bluetooth.
Now, the highlight here is the video quality. And this is where the bulk of the hefty price tag goes – the technology. Firstly, it can run 4k videos that are faithful to their true quality. This smart projector 4K utilizes HDR Tone with Dynamic Tone Mapping, which optimizes each frame and not just the average of all the frames. You get outstanding picture quality with vibrancy and crispness.
The LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector also uses TruMotion, which focuses on the smooth transition between frames. Meanwhile, the Wheel-less LED technology helps battle color discoloration and rainbow effect that a theater projector normally exhibits.
This smart projector 4K has a brightness rating of 1500 ANSI lumens.
Pros
- Screen size up to 140 inches
- Voice command through built-in Alexa and Google Assistant
- Direct streaming from subscription-based video content library apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime
- Project from your smartphone via Bluetooth or Miracast
- Uses HDR Tine with Dynamic Tone Mapping
- Equipped with TruMotion
- Uses Wheel-less LED technology
- Brightness rating of 1500 ANSI lumens
Cons
- Weak at dark levels
Conclusion
The LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector is true in delivering superb quality videos for a more immersive and cinematic experience at the comforts of your home. This projector for home also has plenty of control options, making it more convenient to use.
SAMSUNG 120″ The Premiere Projector – 4K
This smart projector 4K is rated at whopping 2200 ANSI lumens brightness and contrast for the most vivid quality stills and videos. The whole cinematic and immersive experience becomes a reality with a massive 120-inch movie projector screen that boasts rich colors and crisp details.
The SAMSUNG 120″ The Premiere Projector – 4K is the first to use the HDR10 technology for optimizing frame quality and transition. It intends to provide a realistic, quality, and immersive movie experience with stunning visuals on a larger-than-life screen.
Meanwhile, a cinematic experience will not be complete without sound. You can utilize its built-in 2.2 channel sound system with subwoofers and 30-watt speakers.
This smart projector 4K uses ultra-short throw technology that needs just a minimal distance from the screen to project the whole size. This makes it more convenient to use and be subject to fewer blockings and distractions.
This home theater projector 4k from Samsung can be controlled using various types of voice assistants, including Bixby, Google Assistant, and Alexa. This makes it flexible to connect to your choice of smart home system and boosts its convenience for you.
Another noteworthy feature of the SAMSUNG 120″ The Premiere Projector – 4K is its Filmmaker mode. It is the culmination of all the elements needed for a complete cinematic experience, that gives utmost justice to movies that you can enjoy watching even at home.
If you are looking for a minimalist, sleek, and clean-looking smart projector 4K, this is the one for you. It is pure white and can be mounted on the ceiling or placed within a considerable distance from your intended screen on top of a table or any elevated space.
Pros
- Rated at 2,200 ANSI lumens
- Comes with a 2.2 channel sound system with subwoofers and 30-watt speakers
- Compatible with multiple voice assistants – Alexa, Google Assistant, and Bixby
- Project screen size up to 120”
- Filmmaker mode
- Uses Ultra-short throw technology
- HDR10 technology
Cons
- Some focus issues towards the corners of the screen
Conclusion
The SAMSUNG 120″ The Premiere Projector – 4K is able to give justice to its 4k-compatibility by replicating the true quality of the video this smart projector 4K plays. The 2,200 ANSI lumens rating provides you with bright, vivid, and stunning video quality. The built-in 2.2 sound channel system boosts the experience further.
Optoma UHD52ALV True 4K UHD Smart Projector
A home theater screen projector’s enemy is usually too much brightness in the environment as it can interfere with the picture quality as well as result in issues like glares, rainbow effect, etc. But, this can be countered by a projector that has a high lumens rating. If you happen to have spaces at home that are brightly lit, this is a good projector choice for you.
The Optoma UHD52ALV True 4K UHD Smart Projector has a lumens rating of 3,500 that makes it adaptable for use in any area in your home, even outdoors. This smart projector 4K is also equipped with UltraDetail technology that focuses on increasing frame rates to optimize the sharpness of details.
Meanwhile, this smart projector 4K uses HDR 10 and HLG for wide-color processing that allows users to experience richer blacks or darker views and brighter whites. This enhances color depth for a more satisfying visual experience. The 4k resolution HD utilizes 8.3 million pixels that provide richer details, stunning contrasts, and smoother screen edges.
Its home theater projector screen can be adjusted to suit your viewing preference. Meanwhile, it also has a long lamp life of 15,000 hours. That is about 10 years for about 4 hours of use every day.
The Optoma UHD52ALV True 4K UHD Smart Projector is compatible with smart home hubs like Amazon Echo and Google Home. With it, you can now control your device remotely, making it more convenient to use. Meanwhile, this smart projector 4K has a variety of inputs for compatibility with different devices like gaming consoles, media players, and computers.
Pros
- 3,500 ANSI lumens rating
- 4k resolution HD utilizes 8.3 million pixels
- UltraDetail technology
- HDR 10 and HLG for wide-color processing
- Long lamp life at 15,000 hours
- Compatible with smart home hubs like Amazon Echo and Google Home
- Variety of inputs for compatibility with different devices like gaming consoles, media players, and computers
Cons
- No keystone correction
Conclusion
The Optoma UHD52ALV True 4K UHD Smart Projector provides you with the flexibility to use it both indoors and outdoors with its brightness, picture quality, and portability.
Final Verdict
The best projector for home use? Choose the one that has superior video quality and convenient control access. Compatibility with various media devices is also a huge plus.
Since we are talking about home use, we expect mostly indoor use. Thus, the best projector for home theater on this list is the LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector.
The LG HU70LA 4K UHD Smart Home Theater CineBeam Projector provides the best video quality with its cutting-edge technologies. Although you will need to use it in darker areas in your home for you to appreciate its best quality. This best movie projector for home theater is worth the investment for current users.