Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | Optoma - UHD35STx |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | 3000 lm | 3600 lm |
| Short-throw | false | true |
Between the Home Cinema 3800 and UHD35STx, the Home Cinema 3800 comes out ahead in several specs, while the UHD35STx wins on brightness / short-throw. Overall, the Home Cinema 3800 scores 74.3 and the UHD35STx scores 78.9 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The UHD35STx edges ahead on the Mars Score (74.3 vs 78.9), but the 4.6-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
The Home Cinema 3800 does not pull ahead on any single popular-comparison spec — its strengths sit in the spec-table groups rather than the headline advantages.
Pick the UHD35STx if you care most about brightness / short-throw. Its strongest claims are brightness, short-throw. The single most decisive one: Brightness — 20.00% more. 3600 lm vs 3000 lm.
Both ship with comparable resolution, light source, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Epson - Home Cinema 3800 or Optoma - UHD35STx?
Optoma - UHD35STx leads the current Mars Score by 4.6 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare brightness, short-throw against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Epson - Home Cinema 3800 if…
Epson - Home Cinema 3800 does not lead a decisive measured field here, so choose it for price, ecosystem, design, or availability when those matter more to you.
Choose Optoma - UHD35STx if…
Optoma - UHD35STx has the measurable edge on brightness lumens, is short throw.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Epson - Home Cinema 3800 wins
- No decisive advantages.
Why Optoma - UHD35STx wins
- ▲Brightness — 20.00% more. 3600 lm vs 3000 lm.
- ▲Short-throw: true (vs false).
Spec comparison
Image
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | Optoma - UHD35STx |
|---|---|---|
| Resolutionⓘ | 4K | 4K |
| Brightnessⓘ | 3000 lm | 3600 lmlead |
| Contrast | 100000:1 | 1000000:1 |
| Light source | Lamp | Lamp |
| Short-throw | false | truelead |
Smart & Connectivity
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | Optoma - UHD35STx |
|---|---|---|
| Smart OS | None | None |
| HDMI inputs | 2 | 2 |
| Built-in speakers | true | true |