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Epson Home Cinema 3800 Review

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Updated Jan 19, 2024 3:25 PM

True Score

83
84
6

Experts

87
1,160

Consumers

Product Awards

Top 10

GR Certified

Customer Favorite

Expert Rankings

Epson Home Cinema 3800 offers exceptional image quality, with 36655:1 HDR contrast, adequate brightness, and outstanding placement flexibility, making it a strong choice for creating a home cinema setup.

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot

Overview

The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is the brand’s mid-range home theater projector released in 2020. Distinguishing features of this 3-LCD DLP projector include UHD 4K resolution and the ability to accept 10-bit log signals and HDR10 4K signals. The Home Cinema 3800 has 3000 lumens of white brightness and a 5000-hour lamp life. Auto-iris eases set up. Like the best projectors for home theaters, the 3800 has HDMI 2.0 inputs.

The throw ratio is 1.32:1 to 2.15:1, and a +/- 60% vertical, +/-24% horizontal manual lens shift range adds flexibility. The keystone adjustment range is +/- 30º in all directions. Internal 10-watt speakers enable stereo sound.

Best For

  • Best Overall

  • Bright Room

  • Cheap

  • Church

  • Classroom

  • Daylight Viewing

  • Epson

  • Sports

Consensus

our Verdict

The Epson Home Cinema 3800 shines in image quality, with great contrast for a mid-range home projector. While not native 4K, it has 12-bit video and delivers exceptional results for 1080p SDR and 4K HDR content, with a class-leading 36655:1 max contrast ratio. HDMI inputs supporting 18 Gbps help ensure compatibility with various media sources, while Bluetooth connectivity enables wireless setup with mobile phones and other devices.

Well-placed controls and a 1.6x zoom help make setup easy. An adjustable throw ratio provides screen size and placement flexibility. The color gamut isn’t as wide as some, and gamers may wish for proven input lag and response time stats. The 3800’s internal speakers provide stereo but aren’t powerful enough for a home theater experience.

ReasonS to Buy

  • Great brightness
    • Above-average 275-nit SDR brightness for home movie viewing in mixed lighting

  • Great image quality
    • Good contrast with a best-in-class 36655:1 HDR contrast ratio beats over half of all tested projectors.

    • Accepts HDR10 and 10-bit log signals for high contrast, cinematic viewing with dark blacks, and almost no fringing or color artifacts

  • 4K resolution
    • While not native 4K, Epson’s PRO-UHD pixel shift works well enough to earn it an “Ultra HD” label from the Consumer Electronics Association

Reason to Avoid

  • Lacks a wide color gamut
    • Covers only 78% of DCI-P3 color space, ranking lower than ⅔ of tested projectors

  • The lamp output may not match the specs
    • The tested 2176-lumen SDR light output falls short of the claimed 3000-lumen rating

  • Mediocre 28-ms input lag
    • While slightly above average for all projectors tested, it’s significantly behind the 8-10-ms lag times of gaming projectors. It is not designed for competitive gaming use

Epson Home Cinema 3800 Specs

3D Ready3D ReadyNo, Yes
Aspect RatioAspect Ratio
BrightnessBrightness3000 lumens
Contrast RatioContrast Ratio100,000:1, 200,000:1
DepthDepth13"
Digital KeystoneDigital Keystone± 30° (manual)
Display TechnologyDisplay Technology3LCD, LCD
HDRHDRNo, Yes
HeightHeight6.5"
Integrated SpeakersIntegrated SpeakersNo, Yes
Light SourceLight SourceUHP lamps
Light Source LifeLight Source Life3,500 hrs
Max DistanceMax Distance300"
Max Screen SizeMax Screen Size300"
Min DistanceMin Distance0"
Min Screen SizeMin Screen Size40"
No
Noise LevelNoise Level35 dB
PortablePortableNo, Yes
Refresh Rate60 Hz
ResolutionResolution1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Smart FunctionalitySmart FunctionalityAutomatic Adjustments, Bluetooth, Eco-Friendly, Energy-Saving, Remote, USB
Sync TechnologySync TechnologyVRR
TV TunerTV TunerNo, Yes
ThrowTypeThrowType1.32 to 2.15:1.
Video InputsVideo InputsHDMI 2.0, USB, VGA
WeightWeight15.2 lbs
WidthWidth16.1"

All Specs

Test Results

SDR Brightness (nits)275.2047
HDR Brightness (nits)235.3577
SDR Brightness (Lumens)2,176
HDR Brightness (Lumens)0
SDR Color Temperature (K)0
HDR Color Temperature (K)0
Contrast Ratio (x:y)23,971.05
Color Gamut % (DCI P3 uv)76.85
Color Gamut % (Rec. 709)113.7
Color Gamut % (Rec. 2020)0
Color Gamut % (BT.2020)0
Color Gamut % (BT. 709)0
Input Lag (ms)28

All Tests

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Product Comparison

Epson Home Cinema 3800 Review

True Score

83
74
NR
NR

Ranking

#

10

/

28

#

23

/

28

#

/

#

/

Market Context

The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is the brand’s mid-range home theater projector released in 2020. Distinguishing features of this 3-LCD DLP projector include UHD 4K…

The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is the brand’s mid-range home theater projector released in 2020. Distinguishing features of this 3-LCD DLP projector include UHD 4K resolution and the ability to accept 10-bit log signals and HDR10 4K signals. The Home Cinema 3800 has 3000 lumens of white brightness and a 5000-hour lamp life. Auto-iris eases set up. Like the best projectors for home theaters, the 3800 has HDMI 2.0 inputs.

The throw ratio is 1.32:1 to 2.15:1, and a +/- 60% vertical, +/-24% horizontal manual lens shift range adds flexibility. The keystone adjustment range is +/- 30º in all directions. Internal 10-watt speakers enable stereo sound.

Compared to the BenQ Tk700sti, the Epson Home Cinema 3800 has a slightly lower tested SDR brightness of 275 nits vs. 276 nits. The BenQ…

Compared to the BenQ Tk700sti, the Epson Home Cinema 3800 has a slightly lower tested SDR brightness of 275 nits vs. 276 nits. The BenQ is more gaming-focused, with a shorter throw ratio range of .9:1 to 1.08:1, contrasting the Epson’s longer 1.32:1 to 2.15:1 ratio so that the Epson will be more suited to larger rooms and bigger screens.

Compared to the Epson Home Cinema 2250, the 3800 model has a brighter lamp output of 3000 lumens vs. 2700. The 3800 offers 4K UHD,…

Compared to the Epson Home Cinema 2250, the 3800 model has a brighter lamp output of 3000 lumens vs. 2700. The 3800 offers 4K UHD, while the 2250 is limited to HD 1080p resolution. The 2250 has one HDMI 2.0 port, compared to the 3800 with 2 HDMI 2.0 ports. See our Epson Home Cinema 2250 review for more information.

Compared to the pricier Epson Home Cinema LS1200 laser projector, the DLP-based 3800 has less peak brightness and a shorter maximum throw ratio of 2.32:1…

Compared to the pricier Epson Home Cinema LS1200 laser projector, the DLP-based 3800 has less peak brightness and a shorter maximum throw ratio of 2.32:1 compared to 2.84:1, making the 3800 more suited to smaller spaces. The 3800 weighs less and has easier mounting options. For another option in Epson’s laser projector lineup, see our Epson Home Cinema LS11000 review. Or, for a short-throw laser projector, consider the Epson Epiqvision Ultra LS800.

3D Ready

No, Yes

Yes

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Brightness

3000 lumens

3000 lumens

Contrast Ratio

100,000:1, 200,000:1

10,000:1

Depth

13"

9.70"

Digital Keystone

± 30° (manual)

Yes

Display Technology

3LCD, LCD

DLP

HDR

No, Yes

Yes

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Score Card

E

Expert Score

84

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

87

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

83

Expert Scores

  • Projector Reviews
    73.55

    Category Trust Rating

    NR
    “I’m a big fan of Epson projectors, which offer a potent combination of high performance… Read More

    By:

    Art Feierman
  • Projector Central
    61.35

    Category Trust Rating

    90
    The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is a tremendous value at $1,699. Even straight out of… Read More

    By:

    M. David Stone
  • Techradar
    39

    Category Trust Rating

    80
    Native 4K it isn’t, but with bright, contrasty and colorful images – as well as… Read More

    By:

    Jamie Carter
  • Home Theater HiFi
    82.2

    Category Trust Rating

    NR
    THE EPSON HOME CINEMA 3800 lives in a crowded price category but for the money,… Read More

    By:

    CHRIS EBERLE
  • Sound and Vision
    60.1

    Category Trust Rating

    88
    Epson’s latest 3LCD projector goes easy on the wallet while delivering performance and features typically… Read More

    By:

    Al Griffin
  • Business Insider
    26.6

    Category Trust Rating

    NR
    A truly versatile home theater projector allows you to watch an array of media in… Read More

    By:

    James Brains