A head-to-head home theater projectors comparison to help you pick the right one for your home theater.
Updated 2026
Verdict
Both accept 4K, but they get there differently. The Epson Home Cinema 2350 is a 3LCD projector with native 1080p panels that uses pixel shifting to produce what Epson sells as 4K PRO-UHD, rated 2,800 lumens, under 20ms of input lag and Android TV built in, for under $2,500. The BenQ HT3560 is a DLP projector whose XPR pixel shifting addresses the full 3840 x 2160 pixel grid (True 4K), with HDR10+ and 95% DCI-P3 color, rated 2,200 lumens, for under $2,500. Buy the Epson 2350 for brightness, gaming, built-in streaming and value; buy the BenQ HT3560 if the finest 4K detail and HDR in a dark room matter most.
| Epson Home Cinema 2350 | BenQ HT3560 | |
|---|---|---|
| Native panel / chip | Three 1080p (1920 x 1080) LCD panels | DLP chip with XPR pixel shifting |
| On-screen resolution | 4K PRO-UHD: pixel-shift enhancement of 1080p, not native 4K | True 4K: all 3840 x 2160 pixels addressed |
| 4K input | Yes | Yes |
| Brightness | 2,800 lumens (color and white, 3LCD) | 2,200 lumens |
| Color | 3LCD, no color wheel or rainbow effect | 95% DCI-P3 (BenQ spec) |
| HDR | HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HDR10+, HLG |
| Gaming lag | Under 20ms in low-latency mode (Epson spec) | Cinema model; not BenQ's gaming line |
| Smart TV | Android TV built in | Add a streamer |
| Best for | Bright rooms, gaming, value | Fine detail, HDR, dark rooms |
| Price | Under $2,500 | Under $2,500 |
The table above compares the Epson Home Cinema 2350 and the BenQ HT3560 on how each makes a 4K image, brightness, color, HDR, gaming lag, smart TV and price. The difference that actually decides it is brightness and convenience against pixel detail: 2,800 lumens, Android TV and under 20ms of lag for under $2,500, against a full 4K pixel grid, HDR10+ and wider color for under $2,500.
Pixel shifting means the projector flashes slightly offset sub-frames faster than the eye can separate them, so one chip or panel set draws more pixel positions than it physically has. Both projectors here do it. The difference is how far it goes: the HT3560's DLP XPR addresses every one of the 8.3 million pixels in a 4K frame, while the Epson 2350 shifts 1080p LCD panels to add detail that Epson calls 4K PRO-UHD resolution enhancement, short of full native 4K. On a 100 to 120 inch screen viewed from a normal seating distance the gap is modest; it grows on larger screens and closer seats.
3LCD vs DLP: the Epson uses three LCD panels (red, green, blue) at once, so it has no color wheel and no rainbow effect, and its color brightness matches its white brightness. The HT3560 is a single-chip DLP, which some viewers sensitive to rainbow artifacts should keep in mind.
You want the brightest image for the money, low-latency gaming, built-in Android TV streaming and an easy, affordable projector, and pixel-shifted 4K PRO-UHD detail is enough for your screen size and seating distance.
Check Epson Home Cinema 2350 on Amazon
You want the full 4K pixel grid, HDR10+ support and wide DCI-P3 color for the most detailed, cinematic picture in a dark room, and you do not mind adding a streaming device.
It accepts 4K signals and is sold as 4K PRO-UHD, but its three LCD panels are native 1080p (1920 x 1080). Epson uses pixel shifting and processing to enhance the image beyond 1080p; Epson describes 4K PRO-UHD as resolution enhancement rather than native 4K. The picture is sharper than a plain 1080p projector, but it does not put the full 8.3 million distinct pixels of 4K on screen.
It uses a DLP chip with XPR pixel shifting, which flashes offset sub-frames fast enough to address all 3840 x 2160 (8.3 million) pixels on screen. BenQ markets that as True 4K. The chip itself is smaller than 4K, but the on-screen pixel count is full 4K, which is more than the Epson 2350 resolves.
If fine detail and HDR are your priority, yes: the HT3560 resolves full 4K pixel detail, supports HDR10+ as well as HDR10 and HLG, and covers 95% of DCI-P3 per BenQ. The Epson 2350 is brighter, has lower rated gaming lag, includes Android TV and costs noticeably less, which makes it the better value for a living room or a moderate screen size.
The Epson Home Cinema 2350 is rated 2,800 lumens of color and white brightness versus 2,200 lumens for the HT3560, so the Epson holds up better against ambient light. In a dark room the brightness gap matters less and the BenQ's extra detail shows more.
The Epson 2350, on paper: Epson rates its low-latency mode at under 20ms. The HT3560 is BenQ's cinema model rather than one of its gaming projectors, so if gaming is the main use, weigh the Epson or a gaming-focused model instead.
The Epson Home Cinema 2350 includes Android TV with Google Assistant voice search, so it streams out of the box. The BenQ HT3560 does not include a smart platform, so you would add an external streamer like an Apple TV, Roku or Fire TV Stick.