Purchasing a Home Theatre Projector

Sourcing information is the same as your other components, but projectors can be a bit more confusing if you don’t have much experience with electronics, their peripherals and the terminology. Here is an outline of the major considerations you’ll want to look at while you’re comparing projection hardware:

The term “projector” usually refers to front projectors that are normally ceiling mounted, placed in the back of the room, or on a table, but in most instances project the images on a screen on the opposite side of the room.

Most home theatre projectors can also be used in a “rear screen” setup, but space requirements usually prohibit that arrangement. Almost all home theatre projectors produce “widescreen” images compatible with HDTV standards.

This is known as the “aspect ratio” which is greater than that of a computer or television set.

Brightness

Home theatre projectors are supposed to operate in rooms with very little ambient light, so lumens produced by the projector are important to note based on your home theatre room. A range of lumens, usually between 700 ANSI and 2000 ANSI or more, determines how dark the room must be.

How many lumens the projector must generate to accomodate the room is determined by how much light you can eliminate from the room (or how dark you can make it). Achieving the highest possible contrast ratio is a combination of darkness and your projector’s ability to reproduce shadow details in that environment.
Image Quality

The quality of the image projected can fluctuate depending on the content, and the quality of what you are displaying on the projector. A low-quality signal will also produce a low-quality image. The DVD player or Blu-ray player that you use must be compatible and mesh well with your projector’s quality.

A high quality projector isn’t supported by a low quality player. So choose hardware that is designed for the hardware it is to be used with. Manufacturer’s product lines are designed for this purpose, so finding a player and projector that work well together is easier when they are matched by their maker.

Making it Easy

A user-friendly interface with your projector is important as well. Buttons and symbols that are hard to read don’t help when your making adjustments on color or HDTV versions. A remote that allows for easy access to functions is also useful and convenient.

A zoom lens feature is also offered by many projector manufacturers making it easier to find the proper viewing distance between projector and screen. Ease of use, especially in a dark room, is always important.

Have Fun

Your projector should provide you with years of enjoyment, whether your watching movies or home videos. Know the differences and capabilities of the projector with some early research, and you’ll find investment is worth it far into the future.