Brightness is measured in ANSI
lumens. For home theater projectors, brightness typically ranges from
700 - 2000 lumens or more. Your viewing environment will be a big part
of determining how bright your projector needs to be. Dedicated home theaters
(rooms with controlled lighting and no ambient
light) will not require as much brightness as a space with ambient
light from windows or other household lighting. We recommends the following
lumen outputs:
Dedicated home theaters need 700 lumens or better.
Rooms with some ambient light should have at least 1000 lumens.
Spaces with high ambient light need about 2500 lumens.
Image Quality
The two main factors to consider when looking for image quality are resolution
and brightness uniformity.
Resolution is the number of pixels as measured from left to right and
top to bottom of your image. Currently SVGA
(800x600) and XGA
(1024x768) are the most common projector resolutions. An XGA projector
has about twice the number of pixels of an SVGA projector, but it also
costs more.
XGA or higher resolution native
wide screen formats like WXGA
are recommended as the best choices for HDTV, DVDs and other home theater
applications.
Brightness uniformity is also important to consider. Uniformity is the
percentage of brightness carried from corner to corner and edge to edge
of your image. A higher uniformity rating means better consistency throughout
your image. For the most consistent images, look for a uniformity rating
of 85% or better.
Connectivity and compatibility also factor into getting the sharpest,
clearest images. Projectors specifically designed for home theater often
have multiple video inputs, special video micro-chips and other features.
Other projectors may not have been created solely for home theater use,
but still produce great video.
It is generally recommended that the projector you buy for home theater
have at least one component
video input. A component video inputs look like a composite input,
however it splits the video signal into three separate parts rather than
one. It is the most common type of high quality signal available today.
Nearly all projectors will have at least one composite
and one S-Video
connection. S-video cables differ from composite cables in that they split
video signal into two different components: luminance and chrominance.
The S-video cable will offer marked improvement over a composite cable.
LCD and DLP projectors typically have a lamp
life of between 1000-2000 hours. Lamp life is commonly discussed in
terms of "Half Life." This simply means the manufacturer has
set a limit on what they feel is the quality life of the lamp. If the
lamp half life is 2000 hours, the lamp will generally last much longer
although the brightness of the image may deteriorate. For example, on
an LCD projector, the lamp half life is usually 2000 hours. The image
brightness is normally about 85% of the original brightness up to 2000
hours. After 2000 hours you may see a drastic reduction in brightness.
DLP projectors normally have less of a life and the brightness tends to
start deteriorating before the half life. Longer lamp life means less
expense in maintaining your projector.
If you are planning to use your projector to replace your current television,
lamp replacement cost should be factored into your purchase. Replacement
lamps run approximately $299-$450.
If your projector will be used primarily for watching movies and special
events, lamp life will not be quite as important. But you may still want
to factor the cost of a replacement lamp into your purchase. The average
projector used in this manner runs approximately 8 hours a week.
When selecting your projector, look for intuitive menus. Particularly
those that allow you to easily adjust color fidelity, choose between HDTV
and NTSC broadcast,
and easily switch your video sources. Full function remote controls are
also a plus if you want to make your life a little easier. With or without
these special features, most of today's projectors are very easy to use.
If you plan to ceiling mount your projector, you will need to know the
fixed distance between the projector and your screen. This is because
different projectors have different throw ratios. The throw ratio is the
relationship between your projectors distance from your screen to the
width of the image. For example, if your projector will be ceiling mounted
ten feet away from your screen, your image will be larger than if your
projector is only five feet away.
If you will be setting your projector on a table, consider a projector
with less fan noise. Aim for around 35dB or less for "whisper quiet"
fans. You may also want to consider the overall product case design since
the projector will be visible.
For Ceiling Mounted Projectors:
Purchase a ceiling mountable projector not all can be ceiling mounted).
Determine the distance between projector and screen.
Be sure to leave enough space between projector and wall to ensure proper ventilation.
For Tabletop Use:
Aim for less than a 35dB noise rating.
Look for a projector design that suits your taste.
Consider the distance projector will be placed from your screen.
A projector is a "fixed resolution" display device, so it has
what is called a "native aspect ratio." The most common aspect
ratios for projectors are 4:3, 5:4 and 16:9. That means that the chip
(or panel) inside the projector is shaped in the specified 4:3, 5:4 or
16:9 proportions. Think of the chip as a miniature version of the image
you will see on your screen. Currently the most common aspect ratio in
projectors is 4:3, which is the same as most televisions and computer
monitors.
Dedicated
Home Theater
A 16:9 native aspect ratio is designed primarily for home theater use.
This is because wide screen DVD and HDTV signals are broadcast or encoded
in the 16:9 format. Home theater enthusiasts tend to prefer 16:9 aspect
ratios because they are closer to original 35mm film format. 4:3 projectors
can also display wide screen images however, and can also be a good choice
for home theater use.
Multi-Use Projectors - "Black Bars" or
"Letterboxing"
Many projectors, whether in a 16:9 or 4:3 native aspect ratio, are able
to display multiple aspect ratios. However, while displaying their non-native
signals, you will see black bars either on the sides (16:9 displaying
4:3), or at the top and bottom (4:3 displaying 16:9) of your image.
Dedicated
Home Theater
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