When you’re trying to decide which projector to buy, you’ll want to consider several factors. These include colour accuracy and brightness, the price of portability, and Dolby Atmos support. In addition, you’ll want to consider how you plan to use the projector.
Short throw or long throw
The main consideration when choosing a projector for home use is throwing distance. Short-throw projectors are not as effective at projecting images beyond six feet. On the other hand, ultra-short-throw projectors can reach 5,000 lumens. However, most short-throw projectors only reach 2000 lumens.
When choosing a projector, it is important to consider both short-throw and long-throw distances. Short-throw projectors are more suitable for small meeting rooms or home theaters and can be placed on a wall-mounted surface. However, if you plan on using the projector in a larger room or have multiple screens, a long-throw projector is the most appropriate choice.
To select the best projection distance, you should know the exact dimensions of your room. A projector with a short-throw distance is ideal for small rooms, whereas a long-throw model will give a crisper picture in a larger room.
Short-throw projectors are best for smaller rooms or renters. Long-throw projectors are ideal for home theater rooms, where the throw distance is more than four feet. They also provide better picture quality than short-throw ones.
Short-throw projectors can be placed three to eight feet away from the screen. In addition, they are less expensive than long-throw models. However, they require more space for installation. They are also better suited for outdoor theaters. Furthermore, they produce fewer distortions in images.
Short-throw projectors require more processing power to get a good image. They also tend to overheat, and their fans must spin fast to cool them down. Short-throw projectors can produce soft corners if they are too close to the screen. Long-throw projectors are generally cheaper and more suitable for home theatre environments.
When choosing a projector for home, throw distance is important. The more distance you need to cover to project an image, the larger the screen will need to be. A long-throw projector, on the other hand, can reach large rooms without too much hassle. Additionally, it will produce a brighter image, if you buy one with a high-lumen count.
Long-throw projectors provide more bang for the buck. They also tend to be easier to install than short-throw models. They can be mounted on the wall or a shelf, allowing you to avoid installing cables across the room.
Brightness vs. colour accuracy
Brightness and colour accuracy can both be important when choosing a projector for home use. While brightness is the most obvious criterion when choosing a projector, there are many other factors to consider as well. The brightness of a projector can be affected by the type of lamp it uses, ambient lighting requirements, throw distance, and aspect ratio. Other factors to consider are the resolution and colour wheel.
While ANSI lumens are generally the most important projector specifications, the colour brightness and colour accuracy should not be confused. While white brightness can be a third of the ANSI lumen rating, it does not indicate the brightness of the image in full colour. This means that you may end up with a picture that’s overly bright or wildly inaccurate. You might also end up with a picture that has an unsightly tint. These are common defects in commercial and business-class projectors, but they are largely ignored in the ANSI lumens spec.
While CLO is an industry-supported marketing gimmick, it is not a reliable measure of colour accuracy. For instance, a 3LCD projector must be able to operate with all three chips wide open to produce true-to-life colours. But a UHP lamp might have a green bias, which means that white light will have a green tint in the image.
Although the DLP projector’s colour accuracy was more impressive, it was still inferior to the LCD. The LCD projector’s colour bias was blue in mid-tones and cyan and green in high-lights. Hence, mid-tone grey objects will always appear blue, and white will have a greenish tint. Moreover, blue water will appear bluer than the source, and skin tones will appear sickly.
Colour accuracy and brightness are closely related when choosing a projector for home use. Colour accuracy is a more important factor when choosing a projector than brightness. The white brightness of a projector’s image is directly related to the white brightness of its lamp. The brightness of a colour image is almost always lower than its overall brightness, so colour fidelity and brightness must be balanced.
If you have a modest budget, you can also opt for a portable mini projector. These models often have Bluetooth connectivity and built-in streaming apps. However, despite their portability, these models do not deliver the high-quality brightness and colour accuracy of the LCD projectors.
Price vs. portability
When choosing a projector for home use, you will need to decide how flexible you need the image to be. While ultra-short-throw projectors can fit right up against the wall, their image quality isn’t very good. You can’t calibrate them properly and will not get an ideal image if you have off-white or uneven walls. Depending on your needs, you may want to buy a dedicated screen instead.
Dolby Atmos support
If you’re looking to enjoy Dolby Atmos in your home theatre, be sure to find a projector with this technology. It’s a feature that requires custom installation. Some installers are only certified to install this technology, and they may also sell other services.
Dolby Atmos is a simulated overhead sound experience that provides an immersive surround-sound experience. Using multiple sound sources, this feature simulates the sound of two to seven overhead speakers. It can also work with soundbars and headphones. Some of the best models feature Dolby Atmos.
Some projectors also feature built-in smart platforms. However, if you want to watch streaming content, you’ll need to have a reliable Wi-Fi connection. To play Blu-Ray discs, you’ll also need a nearby Blu-Ray player. You should also find a projector with an HDMI port.
