How to choose a projector? somethings you must know

Why do you need to carefully choose a projector?

In the past, many families would choose TVs when decorating their homes. In today's digital time, projectors are no longer exclusive to business conference rooms, but have gradually entered various fields such as home entertainment, education and teaching, and outdoor activities. Whether it is to build a private theater or to conduct an efficient business presentation, choosing a suitable projector is particularly important. More and more projectors make people feel confused when choosing. How to make a wise choice among many parameters such as resolution, brightness, projection ratio, light source type, etc., So the main purpose of this article is to help you choose the right projector for you.

There are seven key points to consider when purchasing a projector. We can start from the following points:

Based on clear usage scenarios

• Living room home theater: 1080p Full HD: Suitable for most home users, providing clear and delicate images. Large-screen immersive home entertainment, 4K For users who pursue the ultimate picture quality, especially on a large screen, 4K projectors can present richer details
• Outdoor: If you need to use it outdoors, first consider the built-in battery life, size and portability.

Brightness: affects the adaptability of the viewing environment

When choosing a projector, ANSI lumens is a key indicator of brightness, which directly affects the viewing experience in different environments. In the brightness selection is focused on environmental use, you want to be in the daytime fiber-optic strong environment is recommended to choose more than 2000ANSI, at night or dark light environment, 500-1000ANSI can also have good results, the price is also more cost-effective.

• Full black environment (e.g. bedroom): 500-1000 ANSI lumens, no ambient light interference, low brightness can present a detailed picture.
• Shimmering environment (such as living room): 1000-2000 ANSI lumens, ambient light or low-brightness light source, need to balance the ambient light and the details of the picture, with anti-light curtains can enhance the visual brightness.
• Bright environment (such as daytime living room, conference room): ≥ 2000 ANSI lumens, business presentations, teaching projection use. In bright environments, higher brightness is needed to ensure that text and images are clearly visible.
• Strong light environment (outdoor use): 3500 ANSI lumens or more, outdoor movies, open-air activities.

Type of light source: the basis for deciding the picture quality

• LED light source: long lifespan up to more than 20,000, low maintenance costs to reduce the frequency of replacement, suitable for home use.
• Laser light source: wide color gamut coverage, true and natural colors, high brightness, long life, suitable for users with very high requirements for picture quality and high-end home theater.
• Traditional bulb: lower price, but need to regularly replace the bulb, increasing maintenance costs (not recommended, phased out, only in low-end models).

Display technology

When choosing a projector, the display technology (such as LCD, DLP, LCoS) and resolution (such as 1080p, 4K) are closely related, and together they determine the picture clarity, color performance and overall viewing experience.

• Limited budget: LCD projectors can be selected to meet basic viewing needs.
• Pursuing portability and contrast: DLP projectors are a good choice for business and home use.
• Pursuing the ultimate image quality: LCoS projectors provide high resolution and excellent color performance, suitable for high-end users.

Projection ratio

Throw ratio is the ratio of projection distance to screen width, which determines the relationship between the size of the projected screen and the projection distance. A large throw ratio is suitable for large rooms, while a small throw ratio is more suitable for small spaces. When choosing a projector, consider the appropriate throw ratio based on the actual size of the room and the projection distance to ensure the best projection effect.

How to calculate the projection distance? You can use the following formula to estimate:
Distance = screen width × throw ratio

Suppose you want to project a 100-inch (about 2.2 meters wide) screen, if the throw ratio is 1.5:1, then the required projection distance is approximately: 2.2 meters × 1.5 ≈ 3.3 meters.

Resolution

At present, there are three mainstream resolutions for projectors: 720P, 1080P, and 4K. The highest resolution can reach 8K. The resolution of a projector is mainly related to the size of the display chip. The larger the size of the projector display chip, the higher its resolution.
When purchasing a projector, resolution is one of the key parameters that determine the clarity and detail of the picture. Different resolutions are suitable for different usage scenarios and needs.

Contrast

Contrast refers to the brightness ratio between the brightest white and the darkest black in the projected image. The higher the contrast, the clearer the light and dark levels in the image, the richer the details, and the brighter the colors. On the contrary, a projector with a low contrast may cause the image to be gray and lack a sense of hierarchy.

The impact of contrast on image quality

• Improve the layering of the picture: High contrast makes the transition between light and dark in the image more natural, enhancing the three-dimensional sense of the picture.
• Enhance color performance: Projectors with high contrast can restore colors more accurately, making the picture more vivid and vivid.
• Improve dark details: In dark scenes, high contrast helps to show more details and improve the viewing experience.

Conclusion: Choose the most suitable projector according to your needs

After reading this article, I believe you have a clear understanding of how to choose a projector. When choosing a projector that suits you, you should consider factors such as resolution, brightness, contrast, projection ratio, light source type, and smart functions. Choose the most suitable projector according to your own usage scenarios (such as home theater, office presentation, portable entertainment) and budget to get the best experience.