Help me choose a display device

[GanChan]

My good old Acer PH530 DLP home theater projector finally bit the dust. I watch movies/TV only once or twice a week, but I'd still like something a little better than the Macbook Air perched on my lap. Unfortunately, my budget is also pretty tight for such a non-essential purchase. I've been thinking about:

1. A low-end projector on about the same par as what I had, such as this Vivitek model:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/vivitek-720p-wireless-dlp-projector-red/5238100.p?skuId=5238100
(500 lumens and 720p is pretty much what the Acer was giving me, and in a small, darkened room, it's fine.) Super-easy to store and carry. But even this little guy takes me a little above my comfortable spending margin.

2. A 32-inch TV that I would park about 4 feet away from me. The price would be right (of course I'd also have to buy a stand for it), I wouldn't have to be quite so careful about light spill, and it would be small/light enough for me to carry up and down three flights of apartment stairs unaided.

3. A low-end 55-inch TV, which would be the smallest size that would really substitute for a PJ at the same viewing distance (about 9 feet). Price would be about the same as the PJ once I buy the accompanying stand. But it would a BEAST for one person to carry safely up and down stairs, and I've had to return defective electronics to stores before.....

I dunno. Any thoughts?

 

[D.T.]

FWIW, current gen LCD based TVs are _light_.

Check out the mid-range options from Vizio and TCL - just insane bang-for-the-buck, image quality as good (and in some models, exceeding) any of the other major brands (Sony, Samsung) in the same product range.

Look at the Vizio E-series, https://www.vizio.com/tvs/eseries.html , note the 55"/50"/43" are $479/$439/$349 respectively, that's a deal for a 4K, active 10 zone dimming, Dolby Vision, and even includes built-in WiFi and Chromecast (even if the smart features aren't important)

 

[GanChan]

They're certainly light, but the 32-inchers are the only ones I can actually get my arms around. Not necessarily a deal-breaker unless I have to return the thing. Which has happened to me in the past, and was tough enough when I didn't have two flights of stairs to negotiate by myself.

I might start with the cheapest/easiest option just for grins, returning what I don't like and working my way up the $ ladder as needed....

 

[kritisharma]

I think the 32-inch TV is the better option for you, its budget is also in your pocket.