Choosing a Home Theater Projector

The very name "Home cinema" implies the purchase of a projector – what kind of cinema without a "magic ray in pitch darkness"? However, if he leaves romantic-nostalgic emotions, then many factors speak in favor of the projector, some of which we have already listed in the article "Home theater: panel or projector?".

On the other hand, when purchasing a projector, you need to take into account several specific points:

– Real cinema projectors can havethe brightness is below 2000 lumens, but in this case normal viewing is possible only in a well-darkened room. In other words, for such a device, most likely, you will have to allocate a separate room with the ability to adjust the brightness of lighting and controlled dimming of windows. However, in such a room watching a movie brings maximum pleasure.

– The operation of the projector fan, in addition to noise, creates a flow of warm air. In modern models, various blowing options are possible – forward, backward, sideways. If possible, it is worth considering this fact, since the flow of the stream on the audience may not create a very comfortable feeling. Also, usually, the final cooling function is implemented when the fan is running for some time after the device is turned off.

JVC-DLA-X 35 Home Theater Projector – Excellent FullHD image quality at 1300 lm brightness

– The frequency of replacement of the projector lamp is once every 2000-5000 hours of operation, depending on the model (up to 5000 hours, up to 7500 hours, up to 10000 hours and more). Thus, when buying a projector, it is worth adding the cost of a lamp to the "store" price – by no means a cheap component. On the other hand, if you calculate the time – for example, 2 hours of viewing on average for 5 days a week, then everything turns out not so pessimistic.

– There are some restrictions on the relative position of the projector and the screen. In rooms of complex architecture, with an abundance of hanging lamps, design delights, etc., some problems with placement may arise – they should be predicted in advance and taken into account.

– The possibility of hanging the projector under the ceiling is a very convenient solution, since in this case the device takes up a minimum of space and does not interfere with those present in the room. But the projector must initially provide for operability in the position from under the ceiling or in an inverted position, otherwise, for example, incorrect cooling conditions will quickly disable it without the right to warranty.

How to choose a projector for a home theater?

During the development of the consumer projector market, several specialized classes of these devices have appeared: a model for presentations, for a large cinema, for a home theater and small portable solutions designed primarily for improvised presentations. This makes it possible to flexibly select the device depending on the conditions of its use.

As already mentioned, the brightness of the models for large cinemas may not be so high, they are capable of almost anything, but the size, noise, as well as the high price force us to leave them outside of this review.

As for the cost of models for a home theater, there are possible options. But the main thing is the image quality. It is clear that anyway, a good projector should not have a resolution lower than FullHD; in the vast majority these are models working on DLP technology, which provides the presence of a lamp and a rotating "colour wheel" (for example, a model from this category). In a darkened room, the viewer receives excellent image quality indicators. The main thing that real gourmets pay attention to is the accuracy of colour rendering, the level of contrast, especially when displaying dark areas of the image and, ultimately, the naturalness of the picture.

You can also take a closer look at the "upper" representatives of presentation projectors, which today are quite capable of competing with purely theatrical models of five years ago in terms of image quality. The presentation orientation of these models provides a sufficiently high brightness. In an ordinary apartment, such a device gives an acceptable picture with slightly dimmed room lighting. In other words, if you want to "quickly" watch the news while drinking your evening tea, you will not have to grope for a cup in pitch darkness. And for a movie, the projector is switched to the cinema mode with increased image quality and reduced brightness, which again lengthens the lamp's life. Many projectors of this class also have FullHD resolution, like these models.

Technical nuances: resolution, brightness, technology

Epson EH-TW9200 – high-end projectors, at a resolution of FullHD has a brightness of 2400 lm. Boasts 3D support

Today, three different technologies are mainly used in the production of projectors: DLP, LCD and LCoS. In order not to delve into technical details, the following points can be highlighted. Mass projectors of DLP and LCD systems give an image comparable in quality, but DLP—based models can boast higher contrast, and LCD — higher quality, saturated colour reproduction. The principle of operation of LCoS projectors is in many ways similar to LCD, but at the same time they are able to provide better contrast and excellent colour reproduction, but they are more expensive than other solutions.

As we have already said, it is preferable to select a projector with FullHD resolution for a home theater. Today it is still one of the most popular standards in modern video technology. HD models continue to enjoy their popularity. The image size is 1280x720, as practice shows, most users most often watch movies in this resolution.

Meanwhile, the first UltraHD solutions have already been presented on the market, while these are mainly projectors specifically for home cinema. But, frankly speaking, there is nothing to watch on such devices yet — at the moment there is an acute shortage of relevant content (we studied this issue in more detail in the material "4K Ultra HD: in the world of high resolution").

As for the proportions of the sides, when choosing 4:3 or 16:9, of course, you should choose the second option. On the other hand, almost any projector is able to adjust the proportions of the screen — pay attention to the description of each individual model in our catalog.

Separate recommendations for 3D lovers. For this mode of operation, cinema projectors with a high brightness index and, of course, a resolution of 1920 x 1080 are good — take a closer look at the solutions in this category. When any of these parameters are reduced, the pleasure of viewing a large image falls at a faster pace.

When there are difficulties with placing the projector in the room

NEC UM280X ultra-short-focus projector. Throw distance – up to 1 m, brightness – 2800 lm, resolution – 1024x768, lamp life – 8000 h

It is desirable that the projector is at least in the vertical plane opposite the centre of the screen. If there are difficulties in the exact location, you should pay attention to the possibilities of adjusting the size and geometry of the image (the so–called "shift" and "trapezoid") — in presentation models, these possibilities are simply impressive.

As for motorized objects, which make it possible to adjust the size (transfocation), geometry and sharpness (or part of these parameters) pictures from the remote control are worth paying attention to the fact that, usually, the projector is installed "once and for all" – that is, all these adjustments will have to be made quite rarely.

Separately, we note the option when there is still no place to place the projector at the proper distance from the screen. Ultrashort focus models are good for these purposes.

Such a projector can be fixed, say, on the ceiling at a distance of up to one metre from the screen plane. The optical system of the object creates a geometry-corrected image, with a quality almost indistinguishable from a conventional projector of the same class. In this case, the requirements for the screen itself change slightly – if, say, just a white wall is used, then deviations from the plane can cause noticeable problems. As for the screens, sometimes a lot depends on the correct choice of the screen in the work of the DC – but this is already in the next text.

What openings are needed for your projector

Any projector can only be used in combination with an external source of information. Even if it is used exclusively in the "cinema" role, HDTV support and at least two HDMI inputs are required: one for the Blu–Ray player and one for the media centre. The situation is simplified if switching is carried out through an AV receiver or another specialized device — perhaps only one input will be enough (you can read more about the signal sources for a home theater in this material, and how to choose the best AV receiver in this).

If the projector is used to watch cable TV, you may need a component input or SCART. To work with a computer (laptop), most often the projector has a D-SUB input.

Many modern multimedia projectors are equipped with docking stations for Apple mobile devices, a Wi-Fi wireless communication module, or even can independently reproduce content from USB drives — in each individual case, it is worth considering the need for each of the presented functions, its impact on the price of the device and demand in the future. Why pay for features you're not going to use?

In conclusion, we draw attention to the fact that there are many surprisingly inexpensive, very portable and fully functional devices on the market. It should be understood that a low-class projector, unable to provide a natural picture, is good as a device rather for viewing resort photos. Long-term viewing of a high-quality movie on such equipment resembles a walk through beautiful places in tight shoes: it seems good, but somehow there is no pleasure.

The main advice is just one: make your choice carefully.