How bright of a projector do I need for use in my home?
Determining how bright your home theater projector should be is dependent on many factors. One of the major factors to consider is where you plan on setting up your home theater. If you are planning to have a dedicated home theater room where there aren’t any windows or there isn’t a lot of ambient light (which is the growing trend among technology-savvy home owners), then you can choose a home theater projector with a lower lumen count. Brightness is measured in ANSI lumens (or just lumens), and the more lumens produced by the projector, the brighter the projected image will be. Therefore, if you are planning on setting up yourhome theater projector in a room with large windows or one that receives a lot of ambient light from other adjacent rooms, you will need a projector with a higher lumen count to produce a quality image. A good rule of thumb for a home theater projectors is that it should have a lumen count of 700 or better if you plan on using it in a dedicated setting, 900 or better for rooms with some ambient lighting (rooms where lights can be dimmed and there still be some light coming in from windows or an adjacent room), or 2000 lumens or more for rooms with high ambient lighting (rooms with large windows where lighting cannot be controlled).
If I use a projector, will I still get a high-quality image?
Using a home theater projector will allow you to bring cinematic quality right to your living or family room. In order to obtain optimum image quality, there are some essential rules to follow. Be sure to match the native resolution of your home theater projector to your source material, be it HDTV signals or a progressive scan DVD player. This can sometimes be tricky because your home theater projector’s resolution is measured in pixels and HDTV and DVD signals are measured in lines. HDTV signals are not completely standardized, but 720p and 1080i signals are most common. A progressive scan DVD player has a 480p signal. These measurements can be compared to the height measurement of projector resolution. A home theater projector with an 800 x 600 resolution consists of 600 lines. As confusing as this is, most projectors come equipped with video scaling technology that allow them to improve the appearance of a signal that isn’t the same as the native resolution of your home theater projector. Even with that in mind, it is recommended to purchase a home theater projector with as much resolution as you can afford. Resolution is a measurement of the clarity and sharpness of the image, and the more resolution, the better quality image. Having more resolution can’t hurt you, but having too little resolution can. Also, buying a home theater projector with higher resolution future-safes your home theater to evolving technologies.
Should I mount my home theater projector to the ceiling?
This is a major decision that needs to be made before you decide to purchase a home theater projector. Although a good portion of home theater projectors can be ceiling mountable, not all are. Therefore, to keep your planning fail-safe, it is best to decide if you want a tabletop or ceiling installation first. Each choice has its advantages, but will be ultimately decided by how you want to use your home theater projector.
 Ceiling mounting your home theater projector does offer a more “put-together” look and feel to your home theater. This will get any cables off the floor and leave table tops clutter-free. Another advantage to this approach is that you will only have to worry about setting up the projector once and then every time you want to use it after that, just turn it on. This is a great time saver and will allow you to focus on enjoying your home theater rather than setting it up in a timely fashion.
Keeping your home theater projector as a table-top projector offers the advantage of portability. You will have the flexibility to transport your projector to another section of the house, outdoors, or even take it to the homes of family and friends. However, you will need to set-up the projector for each use and will not look as professional as it would if it were ceiling mounted and you will want to make sure that your home theater projector is aesthetically pleasing as it will always be visible.
I want a home theater projector that is easy to use.
There are plenty of features that make your home theater projector user-friendly. Automatic keystone correction and lens shift may sound complicated, but they are extremely helpful and easy to use tools that ensure you will get great image quality. Many times they are easy to use and pressing a button on the remote control. Remote controls that are full function allow you to completely control your home theater projector from your couch or favorite chair. Many home theater projectors have user-friendly menus to more easily allow you to control color and other functions without spending and hour looking for the setting. Simple video source switching allows you to switch from HDTV to video with the press of a button.
Is there anything else to look for?
Some other features to consider in order to give your home theater projector that “wow” factor include picture-in-picture, automatic keystone correction, rear projection capability, and long lamp life. Picture-in-picture will give you the flexibility to watch the big game and another program at the same time. Automatic keystone correction is necessary for table-top home theater projectors to ensure good image quality for all of those situations when set-up conditions aren’t exactly ideal. Home theater projectors with rear projection capability are able to be set-up behind the screen and project the image from behind. This is a great way to show-off and hides those annoying cables to give your portable home theater a more polished look. A long-life lamp for your home theater projector means that you will have to replace it less often, saves money (replacements can cost anywhere from $200 to $400), and ensures that those outdoor movie marathons projected on the garage door can go just as long as you can. |
