Acer H9500BD Home Theater Projector Review

January 19, 2016 · Acer

In 2011, the Acer H9500BD was one of the first 3D projectors to hit the market at a sub-$2,000 price. Thanks to its pricing, it quickly found a loyal audience of operators. But that was just one factor that made it a fast favorite. The projector was also equipped with several technologies that delivered impressive image quality. For example, the H9500BD’s dynamic iris increased the overall black levels, providing rich dark scenes. Overall, the 3D specs are fairly impressive too. The projector is capable of displaying a variety of 3D content – from Blu-ray to PC 3D – and the image quality is fairy crisp, bright and clear. Today, the projector’s specs are a little aged, as many of the components that made it unique in 2011 have become commonplace. But at the time, the H9500BD was a unique and powerful projector for 2D and 3D content.

Acer H9500BD: Unique Specs and Features Although the projector is capable of 3D imaging, it’s particularly impressive as a 2D projector. Image quality and color performance are far above-average and near flawless, especially compared to similarly priced projectors. Features that made this possible included:

Dynamic Iris: The projector’s dynamic iris adds depth to dark images, helping to enrich black levels and clarify shadow detail. In 2011, when the projector was initially released, dynamic iris wasn’t common in $1,500 projectors. Today, it’s more of the norm. Even so, the H9500BD’s iris delivers superior performance; dark scenes are vibrant and the black levels are deep. With a 50,000:1 contrast ratio, images are also crisp and fine details are on point. Maxing out the contrast can create a soap opera effect, though, and it’s best to adjust the contrast until you reach a desired level.

Accurate Color Pre-Sets: Another advantage: The H9500BD’s color performance out-of-box was near perfect. It only required slight adjustments for optimal color performance. Because of this, it’s pretty much a plug-and-play projector. Overall, the color performance is very good. Skin tones appear natural and colors are saturated and vibrant.

Additional Specs and Features: Acer H9500BDIn addition to supreme image quality, the projector was also equipped with tons of rich features. For starters, it delivered a bright image with a 2,000-lumen output in standard operating mode. That was well-suited for home theaters and moderately lit living rooms. Plus, there are tons of other great features:
- Horizontal and Vertical lens shift
- 50:1 Zoom Ratio
- Connections: 2 HDMI, Composite Video, S-Video, 2VGA
One disadvantage: The projector’s 280-watt UHF lamp doesn’t offer long-lasting performance, starting at about 3,000 hours in normal operating mode and 4,000 hours in eco mode. Fortunately, replacement lamps for the Acer H9500BD are relatively affordable, starting around $300. MyProjectorLamps is your source for affordable, OEM-quality replacement projector lamps. We carry replacements for the Acer H9500BD. Order yours today.