Ahead of Black Friday, Amazon is dropping $800 off the price of the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD 3-Chip LCD Projector. It's normally $3,000, but today it's on sale for only $2,299.99. This is the best price we've seen for a brand-new (not refurbished) unit. The previous low was $,2499.99 at the beginning of the year. When it comes to image quality, the Epson 5050UB is one of the best projectors you'll find for under $3,000.
Epson Home Cinema 5050UB 4K Projector
The 5050UB was released back in 2019, so it's not exactly a new release. This is a 3-chip LCD projector that uses 2-way pixel shifting to achieve a simulated 4K resolution. The technology is incredibly good; at standard seating distance, it's nearly indistinguishable to a native 4K image and a heck of a lot sharper than a traditional 1080p image.
The 5050UB's real claim to fame is its outstanding picture quality for its price bracket. Even now, four years after its launch, the 5050UB still boasts unrivaled black level and contrast ratio compared to any of its 4K competition. It's so good that in a properly light-controlled room, it's indistinguishable from a premium TV. With a new bulb the 5050UB also pumps out 2800 lumens, which is plenty of light for most small-to-medium home theater setups. Another advantage of the 5050 is in its flexible placement options. Setting up this projector is easy thanks to its generous motorized lens shift on both its horizontal and vertical axis.
The 5050UB uses a traditional bulb that should be replaced every 3,000-5,000 hours according to Epson. Bulbs dim over time so real-world lamp replacement depends on your own judgement (3,000 hours is a more accurate number). Replacements cost around $110 for an OEM lamp unit.
The 5050UB isn't the best gaming projector out there; there are newer projectors with faster response times and support 4K @ 120Hz over HDMI 2.1. However, that doesn't mean the 5050UB isn't a slouch, either. If you don't mind playing PS5 or Xbox Series X games at 4K @ 60Hz, you're still in for a magnificent gaming experience. Bigger is better.
Despite its age, the 5050UB price doesn't go down in price often. Normally the only way to get it at a significantly lower price would be to grab one from the used or refurbished market. There are better projectors out there, but you'd have to pay at least $4,000 to $5,000 to experience any appreciable improvement.
Should You Buy Now or Wait for Black Friday?
Black Friday 2024 is less than two weeks away, so in general, it makes sense to wait. Regarding this specific deal though, it is unlikely that the projector will drop in price any further. This projector has been out for five years and until today we had only seen a maximum discount of $500. The fact that it has dropped an additional $200 is already a surprise to me.
More Black Friday TV Deals
If you're looking for a traditional TV intead of a projector, there are plenty of early Black Friday TV deals to check out:
Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
