I'm having trouble seeing subtitles from a comfortable distance, so I want to 86 the TV for a projector. I'm not looking to spend much. I have space for about a 200 inch screen. Not interested in 4k. I want as many lumens as I can get so I don't have to watch it with the lights off all the time.

Got a budget in mind?

At this point there's no excuse to NOT go for a 4K projector.  1080p is approaching "obsolete" in the projector world if it isn't already there.

Keep in mind, projectors cost less than a direct view set of the same picture size and comparable picture quality.  But they can still get expensive.

All the 4k projectors I've looked at were about five grand, which is definitely more than I want to spend. I also do not have 4k channels available in any of the packages in my area, and I don't watch very many movies.

4K projectors are coming down in price every day.  And FauxK PJs can be found right around 2Kish now.  The Epson 5040ub can be had for like 2300.  It's a fantastic projector sporting an extremely bright, brilliant picture.  I can easily watch content with the lights at 25%.  For movies, you'll still want total control of the light, especially for HDR content and darker films.  I know you don't care about 4K content but it throws a beautiful 4K HDR picture for being a fauxK projector.

On the screen size, you'll want to pay attention to throw distances of the projectors you are looking at.  Just because you might have the wall that will support a 200" screen, your depth/projector choice may not support that size picture. And remember, the bigger the screen, the more surface area you are spreading the lumens across.  So the bigger the picture, the more control of the lighting you are going to need.

Here are some pics of my 5040ub on a 120" EliteScreens with 1080P and 4K content:







Here are two pics from Toy Story (1080P content).  The first shot is with 4K enhancement of a 1080P source.  The second shot is with no 4K enhancement.  Notice the buttons, neckerchief and iris of Woody's eyes and how sharp they are with 4K enhancement vs no 4K enhancement.





ETA: wow I just realized how bad Arfcom uploaded pics get compressed.  Im going to upload these to my host and repost them at some point today.  They don't even come close to doing the projector justice.

Thanks for the rundown. There is a benQ 4K for like 1300 that we might spring for. There's also an Optoma 1080p for 500 that's tempting. It has a 3400 lumen lamp so it would probably work well. Lamp replacement cost is also a factor. Since this will replace our main TV it's going to get a lot of use and likely all of it will be at full lumens so we might burn through lamps kind of quickly.

Consider gettung a higher gain screen than running that pj full bore all the time.

Have you had a projector before?

I'm just going to throw this out there that you should seriously consider the differences between DLP and 3LCD projectors before buying one.  I bought an Optoma UHD60 and had to return it because I ended up being very sensative to the DLP "Rainbow Effect" (google it).  The picture was gorgeous but I just couldn't get past the whole thing where I'd see flashes of rainbows every once in awhile.  That effect doesn't affect everyone the same so YMMV.

I ended up with an Epson 6040UB (basically the same as a 5040UB) which is a 3LCD projector and the picture was equally as gorgeous (I actually liked it even a little better) and no rainbow effect.  I agree with the poster before me, the 5040UB/6040UB is an awesome projector for the money.  I know you don't want to spend that kind of scratch but think of it as a buy once, cry once, kind of deal.

As far as lamp life goes, it's rated for 3500 hours at full lumens which even if you are watching 4 hours a day, 7 days a week, you are still talking only $150 ever 2 years to replace a bulb and odds are good that replacement bulbs in 2 years won't even be that expensive.

In general, I'm really glad I ended up with an Epson.  Aside from the picture, it had more features and the quality of the build just seemed substantially better than the Optoma.  I'm an Epson guy from here on out and definitely a 3LCD guy.  I just don't see the downside compared to a DLP projector having had both.

Think I'll go with the BenQ MH530FHD. Seems like it will do everything I need it to. You guys have to understand that I'm not a gamer or much of a movie or TV enthusiast. I just want a big screen with a nice clear picture. I mostly use the TV for watching continuing education stuff, so I just want to be able to see print really clearly.

Lamps are a real concern on the Epsons.  The 5040 is my third Epson projector and there is a reason I keep buying Epsons.  However, on my last two projectors I have not come close to the manufacturing rating on lamp hours.  Ive already replaced a lamp on the 5040.  I run it at full brightness for HDR purposes and didn't get anywhere close to 3500 hours.  In fact, I got half that from an OEM bulb.

I even upped the maintenance on the filter thinking maybe they were getting too hot from inadequate cooling--even though it in a damn near dust-free environment.  Cleaning the filter didn't seem to have any effect on lamp life.

The only Optoma projector that I have had, I never even replaced the bulb the projector shipped with.

Just a note to OP,  but make sure you budget this maintenance item into your projector purchase.

Congrats on the 6040.  Awesome PJ that I can't say enough good things about.

It showed up and I've played with it a little. It's plenty nice for my purposes. Going to order a hundred inch screen.