Go big or go home: The best projectors in Australia for 2024

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This guide was last updated on 5 February 2024. See more.

With the rise of unlimited entertainment through streaming platforms like Netflix, and high quality 4K content, there has never been a better time to pick up a projector.

In Australia, the best home theatre projector models give you the cinema experience at home, delivering incredible picture quality on screens much bigger than your TV can achieve.

They can be used as a TV replacement, or alongside your regular TV when you want a more theatrical entertainment experience.

And with developments in projection technology, the days of needing to have an expensive model professionally installed are behind us.

Today, you can buy incredibly impressive short-throw projectors that sit on your entertainment unit and give you a massive 130-inch screen with minimal effort

But how do you choose the best projector?

There are a lot of things to consider when buying a new projector. We break down the key decision factors at the bottom of the page to help with that.

But to help guide your way, we’ve done the hard work for you. We researched the best projector models in Australia, looking at the top results in Google, reading reviews and guides from trusted websites to come up with this list.

We go into more detail on our approach below. For now though, all you need to know is that this is our list of the best projectors in Australia.

Remember that everyone’s needs are different though, so if these models don’t fit your needs, consider our buying guide at the bottom of the page.

And if you don’t quite need a projector, you could also consider our guide to the best TVs of 2023.

These are the best projectors in Australia right now:

Samsung The Premiere LSP9T

Recommended by 4/10 review sites

Samsung has combined a number of technologies to create an incredible projector for home theatre enthusiasts.

With its ultra short-throw and triple laser technologies, The Premiere LSP9T can show a 130-inch 4K picture sitting just 24cm from the wall or screen. If you can settle for 100 inches, it only needs to be 12cm away from the wall.

With 2800 ANSI lumens of brightness, the Premiere is capable of showing incredible pictures in even brightly lit rooms.

40 watts of 4.2 channel audio will fill your room with sound if you haven’t got a home theatre set up already.

It also features all the same smart TV functions as Samsung’s TV range, giving you immediate access to streaming platforms and more.

Xgimi Halo Plus

Recommended by 3/10 review sites

This smart, portable projector is ideal for creating a cinematic experience on the go.

It looks a little bit more like a Bluetooth speaker than a projector, which makes sense when you consider it has two 5W built-in speakers powered by Harman Kardon.

The Halo Plus delivers Full HD 1080p image quality on screens up to 120 inches, with a bright 900 lumens picture.

It also bundles in a wide range of intelligent features, like automatic keystone correction and autofocus, plus HDR 10+ support and a two hour battery life.

Sony VPL-XW5000ES

Recommended by 3/10 review sites

Sony has been building professional-grade projectors for years, and the VPL-XW5000ES is an impressive model.

With native 4K resolution and 2000 lumens of brightness, this projector will happily project to screen sizes up to 200 inches.

Bundled with Sony’s Trilumios Pro algorithm and X1 Pro image processor, you get incredible colour reproduction and HDR quality.

If you can get your hands on IMAX enhanced content, the VPL-XW5000ES can even display that, making it a movie-lover’s dream.

Hisense PL1

Recommended by 3/10 review sites

This sleek home theatre projector is designed to give you a huge 3840 x 2160 picture with a minimum of effort.

Simply place this device near a white wall or screen and you can get a screen size anywhere between 80 inches and 120 inches on the diagonal. Just 42 cm form the wall gives you a huge 120-inch screen size.

The projector also boasts built in Dolby Atmos, direct streaming of services like Netflix, Stan and more, plus two HDMI inputs for your device.

The 2100 lumens peak brightness means you can watch your favourite shows in all types of lighting situations too.

Epson Home Cinema LS11000

Recommended by 3/10 review sites

This powerhouse of a projector ticks all the boxes for a professional grade device.

Not only does the LS11000 beam a full 4K image using a laser array light source to faithfully recreate your entertainment, but it also boasts 4K/120Hz support for the best experience playing the latest video game consoles.

Full 10-bit HDR support makes your movies look spectacular, and the impressive 1,200,000:1 contrast ratio helps show dark and light scenes the way they were meant to be shown.

The 2,500 lumens of brightness helps the projector shine in all lighting conditions as well.

Epson EH-TW9400

Recommended by 3/10 review sites

This 4K projector from Epson is an ideal balance between price and performance for home theatre enthusiasts.

You get a 4K projector with 2,600 lumens of brightness and a dedicated 10-bit HDR processor for exceptional picture quality.

A dedicated digital imaging processor helps ensure a smooth picture quality, while the precision cinema lens is designed to ensure dust isn’t visible on the lens and improves focus.

With enough space, you can create a screen size up to 300 inches, making it perfect for the ultimate home theatre experience in your own home.


How we chose the best projector in Australia

Review sites – including this one – are subjective by nature. Everybody has a different opinion of what is best.

So to try and counter the fact that every best guide on the internet has a different opinion of what is best, we approached our list by combining the results of some of the top sites recommending projectors on the market today.

To determine this list, we followed the same journey most consumers would follow: we went to Google.

We searched for “Best projector” and identified 10 of the top results. It’s important to note that Google results can change often. The full list of sites we referenced is outlined below:

Top ranking sites

We listed out all of the projectors listed on each site, tidying up any slight differences in spelling for consistency.

We then calculated the frequency in which each product was mentioned across those 10 guides. The more frequently a product is mentioned, the more agreement there is between experts reviewing these products that it is, indeed one of the best products available.

We set a minimum of three mentions across all 10 guides to be eligible for inclusion in this guide.

Before we created this page we removed products that are either unavailable, or difficult to find in Australia.

We also leveraged our own experience with products to ensure that we wouldn’t be recommending any product that doesn’t deliver.


Best projector in Australia buying guide

When it comes to big screens, nothing beats a high-quality home theatre projector.

Whether you are looking to replace your TV or looking for an alternative that offers a better viewing experience, the things you need to consider when buying a projector are the same.

To help you buy the right model for your needs, these are the things you should consider.

Projection technology

There are a number of different underlying technologies for projectors. Each has its own benefits or weaknesses. Deciding what type of projection technology will help you choose the best projector for your needs.

DLP (Digital Light Processing)

DLP projectors use a digital micromirror device (DMD) chip to project images. The DMD chip contains thousands or even millions of tiny mirrors, each representing a pixel.

These mirrors tilt rapidly to reflect light either towards or away from the screen, creating the image. DLP projectors are known for their smooth motion, high contrast ratios, and generally lower maintenance requirements since they don’t use lamps.

They are commonly used in home theatres, business presentations, and education settings.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

LCD projectors use liquid crystal panels to create images. Light passes through these panels, and the liquid crystals manipulate the light to form the image.

LCD projectors are valued for their accurate colour reproduction and typically offer better brightness uniformity than DLP projectors. They are widely used in business presentations, classrooms, and home entertainment systems.

LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon)

LCoS projectors are a variation of LCD technology. They use liquid crystals on a reflective silicon surface to modulate light and create images.

LCoS projectors combine the advantages of both DLP and LCD projectors, offering high resolution, excellent colour accuracy, and smooth images.

They are commonly used in high-end home theatres and professional installations.

LED (Light Emitting Diode)

LED projectors use LED light sources instead of traditional lamps. LEDs have a longer lifespan, consume less power, and produce less heat.

LED projectors are typically more compact, portable, and have quick on/off capabilities.

They are commonly found in portable projectors, mini projectors, and pico projectors for casual use.

Laser

Unsurprisingly, laser projectors use lasers as their light source to generate images.

The laser light is modulated to create the image and is then projected onto the screen.

Laser projectors offer high brightness, longer lifespans, and better colour accuracy compared to traditional lamp-based projectors.

They are used in large venues, theatres, and are increasingly common in high-end home theatres.

Resolution

Resolution is used to describe the number of pixels shown by the projector. More pixels means a more detailed picture. It is measured by the number of pixels horizontally by the number of vertical pixels.

In Australia, you pretty much have four options. There are always exceptions, but these are the main choices:

  • HD (1280 x 720)
  • Full HD (1920 x 1080)
  • 4K (3840 x 2160)
  • 8K (7680 x 4320)

For a home theatre, you should look at buying a 4K projector. For business or portability, you can consider an HD or Full HD model.

Unless you have a ridiculous amount of money and want to futureproof your home theatre for the next 50 years, anything over 4K is probably overkill.

Brightness (Lumens)

Because projectors are beaming an image onto a screen, it needs to have a powerfully bright lamp in order for the picture to be seen properly in well-lit rooms.

Brightness is measured in Lumens, and the the higher the lumen count, the brighter the image will be. If you’re going for a big screen, or using your projector in a bright room, go for the highest lumen count you can find.

Throw distance

Throw distance is the required distance between then projector and the screen, and is important to determine the best projector for your needs.

If you have a lot of space, a projector with a longer throw range will be okay, but smaller rooms will need projectors that can be placed fairly close to the screen.

Fortunately, you can get short throw projectors these days, which can beam out large projections from a very short distance, allowing you to place the projector almost directly underneath the screen.

Screen size

How big do you want to go? One of the benefits of a nice 4K home theatre projector is that it allows you to have screen sizes 2-3 times that of a traditional TV set.

Typically, the desired screen size will influence the required throw distance and brightness, as well, so it’s important to understand exactly what you want to achieve.

It’s also good to have a dedicated projector screen as part of your setup. While you can project onto a blank wall, it won’t offer the same picture quality as a dedicated projector screen.

Make sure your screen fits the space you need it to.

Contrast ratio

A higher contrast ratio results in better differentiation between dark and light areas on the screen. This enhances image quality and depth, giving you a more cinematic experience.

Connectivity

Make sure any projector you buy has the ports you need. If you want a home theatre projector, you’re going to need HDMI connections, but if you need a projector to show powerpoint presentations for work, you may need something with a VGA port.

Built-in speakers

If you are setting up a proper home theatre, then you will undoubtedly invest in a proper surround sound system. However, if you are looking for a more portable projector for work, or even for something like camping, having a device with built-in speakers is essential.

Given the size of a projector, built-in speakers are never going to sound fantastic, but they offer versatility.

Portability

Home theatre projectors are best installed and set up in a single spot. But if you’re after a more versatile solution for travel or work, look for a projector that’s more compact in size and weight. It should also have its own carrying case to make transport easy.

Lamp life

One of the disadvantages of a projector is that the lamps have a finite lifespan. Unlike normal light globes, projector lamps can be expensive to replace.

The longer the suggested lamp life, the less frequently you will need to buy new globes, and the less you’ll have to pay over the life of the projector.

Keystone correction and lens shift

Keystone correction helps to correct distorted images when the projector is not placed at a perfect angle to the screen.

Lens shift allows you to adjust the projected image without physically moving the projector.

These features are commonplace in projectors these days, so understanding how to use them will be important, particularly if you move your projector around.

Price

A good projector these days is much more affordable compared to 15 years ago, but they are still a significant investment.

High end home theatre projectors are still remarkably costly though, so it’s worth making sure you are prepared to wear that cost.

For an entry level projector, expect to pay up to or over $1,000. For a premium home cinema experience, you could expect to pay anywhere up to $40,000.

Obviously, work to your own budget.


Update history: Best projector in Australia
  • 20 July 2023 – First Published
  • 2 November 2023 –  Updated the number of recommendations. Removed the LG CineBeam HU715Q. Added the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro.
  • 5 February 2024 – Updated the number of recommendations. Removed the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro. Added the Hisense PL1.

Author

  • Nick Broughall

    Nick is the founder and editor of BTTR. He is an award winning product reviewer, who has spent the last 20 years writing, editing and publishing technology and consumer content for brands like Finder, Gizmodo and TechRadar.

    View all posts
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