Screen without limits: TOP 5 LED projectors for home

The 'size matters' tag fits in perfectly with Vivitek's portable projector concept with the Qumi Q8 model index. With its help, you can “twist” films in field conditions: in the country, at a party, and indeed anywhere, as long as there is an outlet and a screen at hand (in extreme cases, a free piece of wall) to display the image.

The uniqueness of the baby LED projector lies in the fact that in terms of brightness (1000 lm) there are simply no competitors among models of a similar form factor. Looking at the model, it's hard to believe in its serious capabilities, however, the projector can deploy a high-quality image of 120" diagonally. The resolution of the broadcast video corresponds to the FullHD format (1920x1080 pixels).

The device supports playback not only from third-party devices connected via HDMI, but is also completely independent. The built-in media player reads the main file formats (MP4, AVI, MOV, MKV) from USB media without any problems, and a signal from the screen of mobile gadgets can be transmitted over a Wi-Fi network. They are also connected to the projector via an MHL cable (the connector for this purpose is combined with the HDMI port).

On board the model there is even a small mono speaker with a power of 2 W, which provides sound to the broadcast picture. It is convenient to carry the projector in a complete case with a compartment for the power cord and a miniature remote control. Vivitek Qumi 8 has practically no significant disadvantages, except perhaps for a drop in contrast in bright daylight. However, this drawback is found in almost all models of this kind and it is certainly not worth focus on it. But once again mentioning the mobility of the projector does not hurt, because this is its main trump card up its sleeve.

The LG PF1500 is more than just a regular projector. In its compact case, it was possible to place such a rich set of "goodies" that even many older representatives of the projection equipment did not dream of.

First of all, the model captivates with its versatility — it is equally well suited both for the role of a presentation device and for use as the main component in building a home theater system. From a distance of 2 m from the wall, the image is projected at a size of about 80" diagonally, and from 3 m this value grows to 120". The maximum image resolution corresponds to the FullHD format (1920x1080 pixels).

The projector borrowed a lot of useful things from the LG TV family. It even implements advanced smart functionality — the device has pre-installed applications for watching online videos (YouTube, Netflix, etc.), Google services, social network clients (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), and also has a built-in browser. It's convenient to surf the Internet using the Magic Remote with a virtual laser pointer function and support for voice commands. Unfortunately, the remote control is not always included in the basic package of the projector.

A separate line pleases the omnivorousness of the built-in media player to the vast majority of modern file formats. Connecting third-party devices to the projector can be done in many ways — from classic wired (via HDMI and USB interfaces) to extensive wireless capabilities. So, the Wi-Fi module in the arsenal of the device is used to display pictures from the screen of mobile gadgets, and Bluetooth can be used to "pump" the built-in sound system with a total power of 6 W external portable speakers.

The story about the projector would be incomplete without mentioning the support for broadcasting 3D content. However to view three-dimensional video, you will need to separately acquire 3D glasses. In the bottom line, the LG PF1500 based on a long-lasting LED backlight system (it's no joke, its service life is 30K hours) is famous for its high image quality and advanced network functions, which is further emphasized by an attractive price tag.

Acer was one of the first to move away from the toy form factor of LED projectors — the full-sized K650i model, built on the basis of a DLP chip, was rolled out to the masses back in 2016. And since then it has not lost its relevance.

The projector has all the data to be the heart of a home theater system. At the minimum throw distance, the model produces an image of 1 m diagonally, and at the greatest distance — 7.4 m. You will need to position the device from the screen at a distance equal to 110% of its width. Those. with a picture size of 2 m, the distance to the screen should be 2.20 m.

The projector uses a bright LED emitter (1400 lm) with an extended service life (up to 20K hours). In ECO mode, the maximum brightness of the light flux drops to 1120 lm. The ambient light control sensor in the arsenal of the device allows you to automatically adjust its level. By the way, Acer K650i is flexible in installation: in addition to the traditional way of placing the projector on the table, it can be leaned on a tripod or hung from the ceiling. And not necessarily exactly in the centre of the screen — the horizontal trapezoid correction gives the go-ahead for mounting the device to the side of it.

Among the significant advantages of the model, it is necessary to write down a wide range of wired and wireless interfaces for connecting content sources (there is even a slot for an SD card in the case), the presence of built-in memory (out of 4 GB of total volume, about 2.8 GB is available to the user), as well as equipment with loud stereo speakers with a total power of 10 watts. Portable Bluetooth speakers or more serious audio systems connected to the device by wire can serve as a replacement for basic acoustics. With the release of the Acer K650i, the end of the era of lamp projectors began to seem really inevitable, because LED projectors have all the prerequisites for replacing them with more modern technologies.

The home projector from Optoma uses a newfangled LED emitter (RGB) in its design with a resource of about 20K hours. It not only improves the visual characteristics of the videos being played (in particular, it helps to get rid of the "rainbow" effect), but also provides stable brightness throughout the entire service life.

The lens of the model is equipped with a motorized zoom drive (zoom ratio is 1.9x). Optimal installation of the projector in the room is supported by image aspect ratio and lens shift: ± 60% vertically and ± 10% horizontally. The viewer also has the right to adjust the broadcast image for themselves and flexibly adjust the brightness of the backlight: from 100% to 50% in 5% increments.

All sorts of software "improvers" are put on guard for image quality. For example, the UltraDetail function improves the perception of details, while PureMotion adds intermediate frames to the video sequence in order to make it smoother. The latter mode is incompatible with games, since it doubles the already large image output delay (about 75 ms).

Along with the remote control, the buttons on which are illuminated with a pleasant blue glow, the device comes with a pair of 3D glasses, which clearly hints at the projector's support for playing three-dimensional content. Claims to the model are presented only in relation to the discrepancy between the brightness of the light flux and the claimed values — out of the maximum 1000 lm, it produces a little less (880 lm in Bright mode and 515 lm in Cinema mode). The Optoma HD91 will appeal to those moviegoers who are looking for an advanced FullHD solution for the home with all the “chips” of lamp projectors and an almost “eternal” emitter.

The addition of top-end projectors to the shelf for true connoisseurs of high-quality pictures on a large screen. The model is not far from the role model — the projector Epson EH-LS10000 , which for the first time in the line of projection equipment acquired 3LCD Reflective technology (matrices are located on a reflective layer, which allows you to correct the polarization of light and further reduce stray illumination).

The differences between the model and the previous generation come down only to the appearance of support for displaying images in high dynamic range (HDR). Accordingly, it is possible to extract more details from the dark and light areas of the image. The overall high detail of the video being played is achieved through the use of 4K Enhancement technology — it allows you to display a 4K signal on a physical matrix with FullHD resolution. In fact, this is software upscaling of video to UltraHD format with a lower resolution, and this feature works quite well.

In economy mode, the life of the laser light source reaches an impressive 30,000 hours. At maximum brightness (1500 lm), the service life is reduced to 20K hours, which deserves no less respect. In addition, due to the complete cessation of the light flux in dark scenes, it is possible to achieve "infinite" dynamic contrast. If we start talking about the correct reproduction of shades, then it is enough to mention the full coverage of the DCI and sRGB colour spaces by the matrix of the device, which guarantees natural and accurate colour reproduction.

As usual for a premium projector, it was not without 3D support (a pair of glasses for viewing 3D video is included in the package). In addition, the model has a fully motorized lens control. The icing on the cake is the low noise level during operation — only 19 dB. The lack of wireless interfaces and not quite democratic price tag slightly spoil the impression of Epson EH-LS10500. However, a VIP-status device cannot be cheap.