Often, for gamers and movie viewers, a projector offers a more affordable way to capture immersive and compelling big-screen entertainment. For businesses, a projector provides flexibility and big-screen images that add impact for better business results. Do you need one? You probably want to buy a projector if:

You want the largest possible picture. On the high end, projectors can be used to create a very large image size, as much as 300” or more. Most produce high-quality images at a size of 90 to 180 inches. Flat screen televisions, by comparison, typically offer screens from 50 to 70 inches. (Professional installers working in large venues can double stack multiple projectors to create even larger images.)

You don’t want to buy multiple TVs. Even if you want to create a smaller image (50 or 70 inches), a projector can provide a budget-friendly alternative to purchasing flat screen televisions for more than one room. A projector can be easily moved to wherever you want to view your videos or photos or to play video games.

You don’t have the budget for a flat screen TV. Particularly with projector technology dropping in price, a projector may be the least expensive option to create a big-screen viewing experience at home. At the same time, television technology has also dropped in price—so there is some crossover between higher-end projectors and smaller HDTVs. The average price of a flat screen television is about $1,150, while the average plasma television costs $1,590, according to June 2011 research from IHS iSuppli. Meanwhile, a home theater projector such as an Optoma HD20 OUHD20, which delivers 1080p resolutions and 300-inch images costs under $1,000. A high brightness projector provides an image more than four times larger than the average flat screen television. A projector allows you to create the largest image possible for the space you have.

You don’t have enough space for a large TV. A small projector can easily perch on a coffee table, shelf or bookcase or be mounted on the ceiling so that it takes up little to no floor space. When not being used, a projector can be tucked away in a closet and then brought out for special events and parties (Super Bowl, Academy Awards, etc.) or set up outside to create an outdoor home theater experience.

You want to take your games or movies along with you. Portable and ultra-portable projectors can be readily taken to different locations to share games, images or movies with others. Some of these projectors can also be used outdoors or in other locations where a television is not readily available.

You want to create an immersive 3D experience. 3D content from video games, movies and sporting events delivered from video game consoles, Blu-ray 3D players or satellite televisions look more realistic and are much more engaging when displayed with image sizes greater than 100 inches. In addition, 3D projection offers a wide viewing angle that optimizes the experience for multiple viewers.

You want to customize your sharing and viewing experience. A projector with a Secure Digital (SD) or microSD card slot and built-in media player provides PC-free viewing of Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), as well as Adobe PDF documents, pictures, videos and more. Portability ensures that you can share media anywhere. A DLP projector reproduces brilliant and accurate colors. White light passes through a color filter, so that a variety of colors are shone on the mirrored surface of the DLP chip. By switching among many mirrors, the chip blends various hues to create the full- color image that is projected on the screen.

Technology Buying Decisions: Projection Options: DLP or LCD?

Mainstream projectors use one of several technologies to project an image on a wall or screen. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projectors, which have been around for years, use three separate glass panels that separate the color spectrum into red, green and blue to create an image. Look for a projector that integrates Texas Instruments’ DLP chip, such as the BenQ MX701, Optoma ML800, orVivitek D537W. The DLP chip integrates a reflective surface with thousands of tiny, rotating mirrors, takes the reflected light and puts it through a color wheel to create an image. DLP projectors offer a variety of benefits that make them the choice for users for whom picture quality is paramount (such as gamers or home theater enthusiasts). For example, a higher contrast ratio allows DLP projectors to display varying levels of black as well as enhanced detail.

By Adorama Learning Center Editors
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