Between the Home Cinema 3800 and X2-4K, the Home Cinema 3800 comes out ahead in brightness, while the X2-4K wins on light source and short-throw. Overall, the Home Cinema 3800 scores 80.1 and the X2-4K scores 78.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (80.1 vs 78.6). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the Home Cinema 3800 if you care most about brightness. The biggest gaps in its favor are brightness.
Pick the X2-4K if you care most about light source and short-throw. Its strongest claims are light source, short-throw.
Both ship with comparable resolution, so those specs don't 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 tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Epson - Home Cinema 3800 wins
- ▲Brightness — 3.45% more. 3000 lm vs 2900 lm.
Why ViewSonic - X2-4K wins
- ▲Light source: Laser (vs Lamp).
- ▲Short-throw: true (vs false).
Spec comparison
Image
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | ViewSonic - X2-4K |
|---|---|---|
| Resolutionⓘ | 4K | 4K |
| Brightness | 3000 lmlead | 2900 lm |
| Contrast | 100000:1 | 3000000:1 |
| Light source | Lamp | Laserlead |
| Short-throw | false | truelead |
Smart & Connectivity
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | ViewSonic - X2-4K |
|---|---|---|
| Smart OS | None | Google TV |
| HDMI inputs | 2 | 2 |
| Built-in speakers | true | true |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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