WHILE SOME ENTHUSIASTS MAY ARGUE, it’s pretty much agreed that the projector is the star of a home theater. It’s the device that creates the image that creates the magic. People who are old hands at the projector business will marvel at how much this display category has evolved over the years. People new to projectors can feel overwhelmed by the options and features.
The truth about home theater projectors is that there are more ways to go right with your decision than ways to go wrong. Some home theaters with very specific requirements (unusually large screen, extra wide seating arrangement, long throw distance, for example) can be more difficult to accommodate, but for your average basement or spare room theater, there’s a wide assortment of products that will fit the bill for nearly any budget.
The days of bulky three-tube CRT projectors are gone. Now most average cinema projectors are fairly compact and can often be installed by one person. Prices range from about $1,000 to hundreds of thousands (for commercial-grade products). The three main projection technologies are DLP (digital light processing), LCD (liquid crystal display) and LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon). Here we’ll explain the differences between them:
DLP. For years, the most popular and affordable home theater projectors have been those that utilize DLP technology. Within this category are single-chip and more expensive 3-chip models. Single-chip projectors use a spinning color wheel to create the red, blue and green colors that make up a whole image. The number and speed of color filters in a projec- tor’s color wheel can have an impact on whether the projector creates a “rainbow effect” artifact that some viewers can find bothersome. Images produced by 3-chip DLP projectors don’t suffer from this problem.
LCD. All LCD projectors use three micro LCD panels, one each for red, blue and green. Older LCD projectors had a ten- dency to produce a screen door-like effect, but newer projectors produce very smooth, colorful images with strong contrast.
LCoS. Both Sony’s SXRD and JVC’s D-ILA projectors use LCoS technology. Like LCD and 3-chip DLP, LCoS projectors use three micro panels to produce images. LCoS projec- tors are known for their excellent black levels.
All three display technologies can produce a great home theater picture, but the technology alone doesn’t necessarily determine the picture quality (although most home theater de- signers have their favorites).
When selecting a projector, a good place to start is the lens. The last few inches in a projector’s light path have a significant impact on the picture quality. First, a long zoom on the lens al- lows for more versatility in where the projector can be placed in the room. Some projectors even allow you to order long-throw lenses for use in very large rooms. The quality of the lens optics also impacts image clarity and can minimize chromatic aber- rations caused by the curve of the lens. If you plan on install- ing a CinemaScope (2.35:1 aspect ratio) screen, then look for a projector that can work with an external anamorphic lens or has a feature built in to accommodate different screen shapes.
One of the main specifications people use when comparing projectors is brightness. Having a bright projector is good, but it’s not the only factor to consider. Brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. What passes for a bright projector gets revised nearly every year as brightness ratings continue to improve and prices decline. A few years ago an 800 ANSI lumen projector was considered bright. Now 2,000 ANSI lumen projectors can be found for under $3,000. Bright projectors do make it easier to view the image in a room with ambient light issues, but brighter isn’t always better. If your home theater will primarily be used with the lights off, then you don’t need a projector that’s going to overwhelm your screen with light. Also, don’t base your decision strictly on the manufacturer’s stated brightness. It’s usually inflated and won’t accurately represent the light output on a fully calibrated system.
After brightness, contrast is the most hyped spec for projectors. Contrast is the difference between the image’s darkest black and brightest white areas. A high ratio signifies a wide range and very dark blacks (dark blacks make every- thing else look better). Look for a projector with a high contrast ratio (expressed in figures like 10,000:1), but like brightness, contrast ratio ratings are usually inflated and only good for comparing products within a manufacturer’s own line. They don’t translate well from one manufacturer to another.
The last of the big three specs is resolution. The first thing you’ll notice when shopping is that 99 percent of all home theater projectors are 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). Only very inexpensive projectors are offered in 720p, anymore. This means that, for the most part, you don’t need to worry about resolution since most projectors output the same number of pixels. However, a slowly growing trend in projectors is for 4K resolution (4096 x 2160 or 3840 x 2160), which is four times the number of pixels of a 1080p projector. Currently, there are only a few 4K projectors designed to be used in home theaters, although that number will probably increase soon, as 4K TVs are taking over the TV market quickly. A 4K projector has the benefit of allowing you to use a larger screen because the pixels themselves will be much smaller (and impossible to see from your seat).
â–†THX and/or ISF certification
â–†Deep picture controls
â–†3D capability
â–†Wireless connectivity
â–†USB connection
â–†Quiet operation
â–†Dynamic iris
While picture quality is probably what you’ll most want to focus on, installation flexibility is also important, especially if you’re not a profes- sional and plan to install the projector yourself. Lens shift, both horizontal and vertical, helps tremendously when aligning a projector with the screen. A long zoom lens can also simplify instal- lation, although it’s best to mount your projector in a way that will minimize the use of the zoom feature; zoom can decrease the light output and introduce small amounts of distortion.
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