A guide to buying a projector
 
There are many brands and types of movie projectors or some would call it home cinema projectors. The question is which movie projector should you buy and what should you look out for?  
 
Movie Projector types and brands.
 
There are many brands of projectors to choose from: Mitsubishi, BenQ, Sharp, Panasonic, Dell, Epson, NEC, Infocus, Sony and many more from which to choose. Some brands market themselves better than others. So it's best to look at the projector's technical specifications to size up which is a better movie projector for your home theatre.
 
movie projector
Before you rush down and grab a movie projector, do a little research first. First question to ask is, what is the size of your room and where will the audience be sitted. This will then determine the specifications you need to ensure a nice and clear image.
 
Room size
 

If you have a small room, you are going to have many inconveniences placing the projector at the back of the room. A small room would need projectors with a shorter 'throw ratio'. This means you can place the projector nearer to the screen and still get a good-sized and clear image.

At the same distance from the screen, a projector with a shorter throw ratio will give you a larger screen size compared to one with a longer throw ratio.

 
Ansi Lumens
What is ansi lumens?
Ansi lumens measures the brightness of the room. It affects the projection quality. The stronger the lighting in your room, the brighter your movie projector needs to be. A brighter projector also improves the picture quality especially when the machine is far from the screen, such as when you are in a large room where people at the back also need to get a good view.
 
So the brighter your room and the bigger your audience, the brighter your projector needs to be. Here is a rough guide to how much 'lumens' you may need.
 

Display Area 5 to 6 feet: 500 to 1000 lumens

  • Display Area 8 to 10 feet: 1000 to 1500 lumens
  • Display Area 12 to25 feet: 2000 lumens or more
Resolution
What is resolution?
  • No, it is not the New Year thing. You will often hear that one of the most critical factor in deciding a good movie projector is the resolution of the image on the screen. Resolution is the number of pixels that the projector is capable of displaying. Movie projectors with greater the resolution produce a better quality image because there are more pixels per square inch.
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  • Here is an example to illustrate the concept of resoultion. If you have a white board and you throw on it a handful of sand, you will be able to see lots of grains on the board. But if you pack to the fullest the amount of sand that is required to fill the white board, you are not going to see any grain at all. Therefore a projector with less resolution will have a grainier picture, since there are fewer pixels per square inch.
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  • Most projectors now come in 1,024 x 768, which is most popular because it matches the output of most laptops. If you are on a tight budget, 800 x 600 works too. But you won't get the same sharpness when viewing text on screen.

  • Contrast Ratio
  • What is contrast ratio?
  • Contrast is the ratio between the lightest and darkest areas of a picture. You may want to select a movie projector with a contrast 1000:1 or better. Contrast ratio ranges from 350:1 to 20000:1. Needless to say, the higher contrast ratio will give you a better image.

 

 

  • Keystone Correction
  • What is keystone correction?

    All projectors have a feature called 'keystone correction' which puts it back into the right shape. It therefore compensates for projectors position not being perpendicular to the screen

    If your movie projector is not resting on a perfectly flat surface, the image will be tilted to the left or right. Make sure your projector has adjustable feet to compensate for the tilt. when you raise the projector, a skewed image which looks like a trapezium will result.

     

     
     
    Liquid crystal display LCD or Digital light processor DLP
    It's a little confusing, but nothing to worry if you understand the first few terms above. There are two technologies powering movie projectors. Liquid crystal display projectors have lenses with smaller throw ratios and more brightness. This makes them popular as big-room projectors. Digital light processor projectors have higher contrast ratio, which is good for videos and give greater clarity to text than LCD ones.
     
    Connections
    Connecting gadgets can be a major stressful event for some. Check and see if you need long extension and multisocket for the movie projector. I suggest you learn the various types of ports and sockets once and for all.
     
    Some ports on the movie projector would be confusing. You would see something like this. (One HDMI port, one YPbPr component input, one 15-pin VGA port, one composite video port, one s-video port, one RS-232c, one D4/SCART connection.) All projectors come with the standard 15-pin VGA port but some also have digital DVI ports. They connect mainly to the computer or media player. You can also connect your DVD player through S-video, composite and component video and, in some cases, even your Blu-ray player when the HDMI port is present. When in doubt, ask.
     
    Sound

    Some movie projectors have built-in speakers. In this case, there's the 'audio in' port. But if you are going to watch movies most of the time, you definitely need better speakers for maximum pleasure. The 'audio out' port is a must if you want to connect your standalone stereo speakers to the projector. And make sure the projector is a quiet one itself, no unnecessary fan noise.

    • Other specifications to look for:
    • Start up and shut down time: Some take ages to start up and to cool down.
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    • Projector Mount: needed for permanent installations, ceiling or wall. Who pays for the installation and how much.
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    • Bulbs: typical UHP, UHE, Halide lamps, 1000 to 4000 hours. Choose a long life bulb, dur ...
    • Projector Controls: Make sure you test the ease of using the controls.
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    • Remote Control: Some remote control need a manual itself.
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    • Warranty : For how long and what part of the projector. Some have warranty for parts only and you have to pay for labour charges.
       
      Support : Any help desk available should you accidentally plug in the wrong cable and a burning smell follows.
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