Acer H5382BD 720P 3D DLP Home Theater Projector - White

I bought this projector intending to just use it for a DIY cinema experience but shortly before it was delivered I broke both my TV and my computer monitor. Once this arrived, it was a godsend. For the past five days I've had the best theater experience of my life. Pros Affordable Great picture quality - 720p is perfect for me Brightness was amazing/colors especially vivid 60 hz - great match for my xbox one Netflix has never been so entertaining Many reviews expressing hardware longevity, mainly early bulb replacements Cons Fans can be distracting revving up and down once and a while, nothing a decent soundbar can't fix Terrible audio system, but you're buying a video projector so no one cares about the audio Concerned about reviews indicating possible bulb faults causing early replacements

I love this projector. I have spent countless hours researching online, calling all of my fellow technician friends and even read a few books on video projectors and what would be best to utilize the space that we have. I have a room that is 10.5 feet wide in both directions. This is not a short throw so if you want an entire wall covered please purchase a short throw (large wall screen size image with small distance from the wall) projector. About 10 feet away from the wall you will get a very nice sized 70-80" screen depending on how you like the image focused and enlarged. I got this for my husbands man cave and he LOVES it. Again, I am not a professional on these things and I won't claim to be but I did do my homework and this is the best video projector you can get by far if it's your first one. You don't even need an expensive screen. Picture looks great even on a matte white wall. We got a simple projector rolled up screen with no storage to pull up or down we just tacked to the wall and plan to do a DIY frame when we get the chance. It's the perfect setup for a really low price. I purchased mine around Black Friday of this year and got it for two hundred Ninety dollars. Still a great price originally. Also has 3D function that we didn't even know came with this projector. Very good HD image and with regular blinds closed still produces a wonderful image even though we plan to cover the window up with blackout curtains for the ultimate viewing experience

ONE YEAR UPDATE AT THE END! My review is for Acer H5380BD. I have no experience with the H5382BD, the newer model. Amazon will do this with their products. As you will read, I'm also interested in the Optoma HD26, but that too is lumped together with reviews for the HD27, also a newer model. It just makes a new product look as if it's gotten more reviews than it actually has and I'm not a fan of this. So I wanted to add this disclaimer. I still highly recommend the H5380BD as mine is still going strong. And I'm sure the newer model will prove to be a strong performer. Ok, so I've been obsessing over projectors for over a year now trying to decide which one to get. HD, 1080p, WXGA. Since its my first, I just wanted an entry level model but not something I would regret purchasing in a month. I knew I'd love the big image but what about placement and noise and heat or the infamous rainbow effect. I had several models on my wish list and was actually set on the ViewSonic PJD5533w but was turned on to this Acer by reviews here. I had heard that they will sometimes go for $285 refurbished from the Acer Outlet. I saw it happen a few days later but shortly after, they were gone. I told myself if it ever happened again I would just do it and pull the trigger. And eventually it did, so I said "ef it!" and I put it in my cart. Everybody here knows that ordering something and then having to wait for it to be delivered is the worst torture. I got the projector mount in like two days but the actual projector was still several days out. Then I got a notice from Amazon saying that my order was delayed due to weather. Of course it is. But a day later, it was unexpectedly on my doorstep. I love little surprises like that. When I connected it up, I turned it on, but nothing. The lamp would not come on. No fan noise, no "attempting to process signal" message, nothing. My heart sank. Being a refurbished unit, I instantly assumed that I was sent a lemon. And I immediately considered a return process. I started thinking what would they have me do if I was to call tech support? Since I was getting a Lamp Failure message, I checked the PDF manual to see how to change the lamp. I opened the compartment, unplugged the wire harness, and reconnected it. I plugged the power cord back in and the lamp came on. Yay! The resolution says its 720p but honestly it just mimics the source. That was my biggest concern. Video looks great! I'm running everything through my receiver and using my ps3 to play games, discs and youtube. DVDs are upscaled on the ps3 Blu ray is awesome and streaming looks just fine. I planned on just shooting the image onto the bare wall but its got a butterscotch colored semi-gloss paint so it reflects a lot of shiny spots. We put a sheet up and although its not perfectly flat, its much better than the wall. I think the wall would be fine with a different paint sheen and I'm not even talking about screen paint, just flat latex. I am going to play with screen options. It is surly bright enough in the daytime, even with some curtains open. Using Eco mode, the fan is not too loud. As far as rainbows, they are there, but not enough to be distracting. It might just be personal preference though whether they bother you or not. (Update: As a screen I am now using a 4x8 sheet of 1/4" white melamine and it looks awesome! Actually, its a vinyl coated MDF. Nice and flat and just the right amount of gain. The pictures show the difference between the sheet and the 1/4", not the wall.) So to sum up, this projector is affordable, throws great video and runs quietly and, for the price I paid, this is a great purchase. If you are looking for an entry level home theater projector or something portable to bring outside on nice nights or a friend's house, I highly recommend! UPDATE ONE YEAR 6/12/16: I wanted to do this in-depth (read; long) update so you can get more of an idea of what to expect from this projector through my experience. Also, the lamp status after one year. I added one more photo so you can see the latest results! O.K. two, since my wife is such a huge G.O.T. fan. OTHER EQUIPMENT HDMI: This is the HDMI cable I'm using. I got this about one year before my projector and used it for my TV rolled up in my entertainment center. Now, it is run along the edge of the room up to the projector with no issues. BlueRigger High Speed HDMI Cable - 50 Feet - CL3 Rated for In-wall Installation - Supports 3D and Audio Return [Latest HDMI version ] CEILING MOUNT: This took some experimentation as well as some longer M4 screws. But it does come with plenty of shims and spacers. It holds the projector securely, allows for PRECISE positioning and also makes taking the projector down relatively easy. QualGear PRB-717-WHT Universal Ceiling Mount Projector Accessory SCREEN: My screen is 115" diagonal and the picture is great. I've since built a screen with blackout cloth and it looks amazing! See my review for Carl's Place Blackout Cloth 66" x110". Carl's Blackout Cloth, DIY Projector Screen, Raw Material/Fabric, 66x110-inch, Matte White, 16:9/1.0 UPGRADE: If I were to upgrade to a 1080p projector, I would go with the Optoma HD26. It has the same throw ratio, is the same size and the inputs are on the same side as the Acer. Though it's a bit more money, its still relatively inexpensive and rated very well. Optoma HD26 1080p 3D DLP Home Theater Projector REPLACEMENT LAMP: At about 2500 lamp hours I started having issues with the picture flickering, and I read a tip online that if you take it out of eco mode for approximately 20 hours it will stop flickering immediately. Then you can put it back into eco mode and it fixes the problem. I tried this a few times but the fix only lasted a couple of days. My lamp was probably near the end of its useful life. One note on replacement lamps. This process is more daunting than I originally thought. Since I'd like to have the replacement before the lamp dies, I've been looking into bulbs. One thing I've found is that there are a lot of generic lamps on the market and deceptive vendors. The problem with these bulbs is that they don't last as long as the high quality OEM lamps that come with your projector. That's the best case. Worst case is that they could potentially damage your device. The trick too is that most lamp warranties are 150-180 days from the time your order ships. If you buy a lamp and don't install it for, say four months, now you've only got two months left of warranty. Install it right away and keep the old one as a spare. I'm only looking for OEM lamp modules in its housing. Preferably made by Osram, Philips or Ushio. Unfortunately, you never know what a seller might ship. Most reputable vendors will have plenty of info about this issue of counterfeit bulbs and will brag about using only high quality bulbs. You just need to choose carefully when you order. Stay away from cheap lamps! You will get what you pay for. About $160 for OEM lamps for this model. I replaced the lamp at 3325 hours. Maybe it needed it, maybe it didn't. After I changed my lamp, I took the old module apart and noticed that the bulb retaining clip was only being held in by three screws instead of four (which may have contributed to my flickering issues) causing vibrations and whatnot. So I used one of the housing screws and added the fourth. I also cleaned the UV filter because it had become hazy. The lamp may now be good as new, IDK. I've read that some of these original lamps could go as long as 8-10,000 hours. I'll try it out when the replacement dies.So, if you're having issues with your lamp, it might not hurt to check the status of the lamp module before you invest in a new one. Some cleaning and screw tightening might do wonders to your image. It seems pretty simple to just install a bare bulb. If you're comfortable replacing a hard drive in a laptop, you should be able to do this. Just don't touch the bulb with your bare fingers. Beware! Its hard to tell online what might be high quality and what might be clever wordage. If I can find a high quality bare bulb when the time comes, I may go that route. I confirmed with Osram that they no longer produce the 190 watt (#69081) bare bulb any more and I've had vendors tell me that the 230 watt (#69793) bulb is compatible in this projector but I've had a hard time trying to confirm that with Acer. Have no fear, Philips also makes this bulb so we're not totally screwed. Apex Lamps is who I got my lamp from and the price was good and shipping was fast. There's Pureland Supply and Projector Lamps World, to name a few. For bare bulbs, Provantage and Dynamic Lamps, a vendor here on Amazon. Please note that I have had at least some contact with customer service of each of these companies and all responded very quickly and answered most of my questions. [...] SPEAKERS: The speaker(s) are practically useless so plan to use some sort of external speakers. You could use computer speakers in the 3.5mm Audio Out jack. Or, as I did, run all of your devices into an AV Receiver then, out via HDMI to the projector. That way, you will get true surround sound. You can start with two, add a center channel if and when budget permits and just build from there. 3D GLASSES: 3D looks really good especially once the sun goes down. The darker your environment, the better it looks. That's not to say it doesn't work in daytime, it's just better at night. And the glasses are so cheap nowadays, one pair cost about as much as two movie tickets. 3D at home is cool, but you should know that after a while the thrill wears off. In the nine months I've had the glasses, we've watched about eight movies and you need to keep them charged in between long periods of storage or else the battery will no longer charge. SainSonic SSZ-200DLB 144Hz 3D IR Active Rechargeable Shutter Glasses for Acer ViewSonic BenQ Vivitek Optoma 3D DLP-Link Ready Projector, Black ENVIRONMENT: This is not in a dedicated theater room, however there are blackout curtains on most of the windows. I have also been experimenting with some contrast boosting techniques such as darkening the area around the screen. Mostly with cloth as I'm not ready to take the plunge into painting the ceiling and / or walls black This replaced our main TV, it's used day, night and all weekend long! You will want to know it's different from just plugging in a TV, setting it on a stand and connecting a cable box, a soundbar or other devices to it. It takes some thought and planning. I made sure to get all of my ducks in a row before my projector arrived. I realize this is a long review, but I want to present you all of the different aspects of owning, setting up and maintaining a home theater projector. Even though I got this at a discounted price, this would be worth the full purchase price. The amount of entertainment we've gotten from this is well worth it. If a movie theater experience is what you're after, this one is hard to beat in this price range. With the right equipment and correct setup, you will have an awesome budget Home Theater! If anyone has questions, please ask in the comments. Amazon sends me emails when someone leaves a comment so I'm usually quick to respond and happy to help.