Home Cinema Projectors

What should I consider when choosing a home cinema projector?

Throw distance, diagonal, and image resolution

Before buying a film projector, first determine how far from the screen or wall it will be placed. If the projector isn't placed within its optimum projection distance, it won't provide a sufficiently sharp image. Generally, the further you place the projector from the screen or wall, the larger the size of the projected image.

Projection distance	Diagonal	Suitable native resolution
2 m	1 to 1.6 m	HD or higher
3 m	1.6 to 2.4 m	HD or higher
4 m	2 to 3.2 m	Full HD or higher
5 m	2.5 to 4 m	Full HD or higher

Luminosity

Up to 2000 lumens - suitable for darkened rooms with minimal lighting.

2000-3000 lumens - recommend for less well-lit rooms.

Over 3,000 lumens - provides a highly visible projection, even in daylight.

Technology

DLP projectors - have excellent contrast and shadow detail. Compared with LCD projectors, they require less maintenance (no need to clean the dust). The disadvantage is that fast moving objects may cause a rainbow effect on the canvas.

With halogen lamp - compared with LED projectors, they are often larger in size with higher luminance and power consumption.
With LEDs - generally smaller in size; they offer low power consumption, but also lower luminosity.

LCD projectors - outstanding colour reproduction. Compared with DLP projectors, they are more prone to rainbow effect but are quieter. They are also slightly more difficult to maintain (some models have a dust filter, which must be cleaned from time to time).

Connection

Before buying, make sure the projector has at least one same port as the device to which you plan to connect it. If not, you won't be able to connect to the projector.

HDMI cable HDMI