Which projector to choose for a home instead of a TV

A person who has visited a movie theater at least once in his life has felt the difference between a small TV screen and a large screen showing a picture from a projector. Which projector to choose for a home instead of a TV? Consider the possibility of using it at home, types and features.

Projector Types

Depending on the design, the following types are distinguished:

1. Portable - are small-sized devices with a battery. Most often used for presentations. Also suitable for home or garden.
2. Stationary - are large devices weighing up to 5 kg. Power comes from the network.

Depending on the type of lamp used.

• Laser lamps - a service life of 6 thousand hours. However, the picture will not be very bright and clear, it is necessary to darken the room.
• LED lamps - the service life of 1-3 thousand hours, depending on the manufacturer, the power of the device and other characteristics.

ATTENTION.Projector size affects the brightness of the picture. Small devices will only display images in total darkness. Large devices show 5 times brighter than small devices. This image will not differ from the LCD TV.

• Mercury lamps are quite rare.

Advantages: it turns out the brightest image.

Disadvantages:

• it’s hard to pinpoint the life
• the lamp is expensive
• inaccurate handling may break,
• high power consumption.

Projectors with the following parameters are suitable for the home:

• aspect ratio 16: 9;
• lamp brightness over 800 lumens
• 2000: 1 contrast ratio;
• the presence of several connectors (HDMI, USB), audio outputs and a slot for microSD memory cards.
• lamp life more than 2 thousand hours.

When choosing a projector for watching movies at home, you need to pay attention:

Diagonal image. The diagonal should be more than 1 m., Most often it is limited by the size of the wall on which the image is projected.

Resolution. Often on small portable projectors it’s 800 x 480 pixels, which is not suitable for watching movies at home.

For home use, HD resolution, or better yet, Full HD or 4K resolution.

Keystone Correction. Thanks to the correction, the projector can be installed near the wall or side and get a high-quality rectangular image.

Contrast. This parameter is indicated in the instructions, however, it is better to read user reviews.

Connection Method:

• independent playback from a memory card;
• On portable devices, the Android operating system is often installed;
• large devices rarely install an operating system; you can connect a video camera, game console or TV set-top box to them.

IMPORTANT.It is better to make sure that you have the necessary audio outputs, the number and types of connectors.

Installation method:

• suspension;
• Mounting on a tripod (requires appropriate socket).

With a high resolution matrix in case of 3D support, you can watch movies in 3D. Points are sold separately.

The fan cooling the lamp is noisy in large projectors. Therefore, for a home, it is better to choose a device with a noise level of up to 20-25 dB.

Devices projecting an image on a wall have their advantages (less eye strain compared to a TV, small size and affordable price compared to large TVs) and disadvantages (image quality depends on the indoor darkness, a small selection of device types, limited service life lamps, the need to respect the distance to the screen). When choosing a suitable device, you need to proceed from its technical characteristics, the purpose of the acquisition, the size of the room, price and personal preferences.