How to Choose a Projector? Guide to Choosing a Projector for Home

Category: Internet

With the improvement of the definition of movies and TV shows, large-screen TVs have become an inevitable trend in TV purchases. However, due to problems such as manufacturing and transportation, the price of TVs over 65 inches is very unfriendly. Therefore, more and more families use projection as a supplement to TV or directly replace TV. This article briefly talks about how to choose a projector. Speaking of projection, many people always feel that only a large apartment is suitable for installation, and there is no need to install a projector in a small apartment, or that there is already a TV at home, why bother to install a projector. In fact, this idea is completely wrong. First of all, the light-emitting principle of the projector is completely different from that of the TV, so the projection will not be dazzling at all even if you look at it close. Generally speaking, a 100-inch screen will not feel large at a distance of 3m. Secondly, although the projector and the TV have some overlapping functions, when we want to watch a movie or an American TV show, the viewing experience of the projector is completely different from that of the TV. Therefore, the TV and the projector are complementary and not a complete replacement. relationship. Advantage: 1. In the case of the same screen size, the price of the projection is far lower than the price of the TV. At the same time, the transportation of large-size TVs is very complicated, and the projection does not have this problem. 2. The light of the TV is direct, and the light of the projection is reflected light, so the projection is more eye-protecting compared to the TV. Disadvantages: 1. Regardless of the brightness of the projector, if the curtains are opened during the day, the effect is definitely not as good as the TV effect, because it is reflected light after all. At night, projection is better than TV because it is not glaring at all. 2. Compared with the TV, the projector generates more heat, and the bulb has a short lifespan, so the projector is not suitable for listening to the sound as soon as the TV is turned on for a day. Important parameters 1. Projector type: Generally speaking, the two common types of projectors in the market are smart projectors, traditional projectors, and laser projectors. Smart projectors use LED bulbs, while traditional projectors use mercury lamps, which are so-called bulbs. machine. Compare: (1) Smart projection: advantage: Compared with traditional projectors, smart projectors have a longer lifespan. At the same time, the heat generation is not so high, and various video APPs can be downloaded and used without the aid of boxes or other peripherals. It is very convenient and suitable for bedroom use. Or directly replace the TV for a long time. Disadvantages: Compared with the light bulb machine, the lumen of smart projection is too low, resulting in insufficient projection brightness when the ambient light is relatively bright, which affects the viewing experience. At the same time, the color reproduction and contrast are still incomparable with traditional projectors. (2) Traditional projection advantage: The biggest advantage is that the brightness is high, and the color reproduction is better. If it is simply used when watching movies and American TV shows, then traditional projection is the best choice. Disadvantages: The lifespan is relatively low compared to the LED machine. If it is kept on from morning till night like watching a movie, then the light bulb needs to be replaced soon. At the same time, it needs to be wired in advance and used with a box or other peripherals, and because of the larger size and heavier type, it is generally not easy to move after the location is fixed. (3) Laser projection: Advantage: Laser projection is one of the three types of projections. It can actually be a projector that can be used for daytime viewing, and the lamp has a particularly long life, which can completely replace the TV. Disadvantages: The price of laser projection is relatively high, and it also needs to be used with a hard-screen anti-light screen, so the entire cost of a 100-inch entry-level laser projector is basically more than 10,000. To sum up: Daytime viewing effect: laser projection＞traditional projection＞smart projection Night viewing effect: traditional projection＞laser projection＞smart projection Generally speaking, if the projection is used as the subjective equipment in the living room, and the projection location is planned in advance before the decoration, then it is recommended to buy traditional projection or laser projection. Compared with traditional projection, the lumen and color reproduction are incomparable with smart projection. . But if you are using it for viewing in the bedroom or you need to change the location often, then the smart projector is your best choice, because the smart projector is not only small in size and easy to carry, but also comes with its own system without external boxes or other Play equipment. 2. Lumens (brightness): The projection effect of a machine depends largely on the lumens of the machine (remember to look at ANSI lumens instead of the brightness of the light source). The greater the lumens, the greater the brightness of the projection, which can also be used when the ambient light is strong. Have a better viewing experience. Generally speaking, the ANSI lumens of LED projections are relatively low, generally around 1000, which can reach nearly 1500 or more, which is already considered high, while the light bulb machine can reach 3000 if it is more than 2000. Compare: When choosing projection, LED projection should be 800 and above, and bulb projector should be 2300 and above. Generally speaking, I can't see much difference in ANSI lumens above 1600 under the environment with the lights off at night. But if you turn on the lights at night or the curtains shading during the day, the effect of the light bulb is generally better. As for the 3000 lumens effect when the sun is in direct sunlight, it can only be said to be average, and it is definitely not as good as the TV. To sum up: If it is used in the living room, we can choose a traditional projector with more than 2300 lumens if it is equipped with blackout curtains. If you use it in the bedroom or only at night, you can choose a smart projector with lower lumen but more flexibility. 3. Resolution: Generally speaking, there are three kinds of projection resolutions: 720P, 1080P and 4K. 720p refers to 1280x720 or 1280x768, which is mainly used in low-end home projectors; 1080p refers to 1920x1080 or 1920x1200, which is the resolution used by mid-to-high-end home projectors; 4K resolution The rate refers to 3840x2160, currently mainly used in high-end home projectors or engineering projectors. Compare: The definition of the 720P resolution projector is completely inferior when the projection is 100 inches, and it can't meet the needs of watching movies at all, and it loses the meaning of buying a projector. 1080P is currently the most common projection resolution on the market. There are 1080P at the price of more than 2000 to 1W, which can fully meet the daily needs of watching movies. 4K resolution is a trend in the future. TV 4K has become popular. However, due to cost reasons, the popularity of 4K projection is not high. The current price of 4K is about 1W, and true 4K is more than 3W. To sum up: I personally suggest that it is at least 1080P for home use, otherwise the projection of such a large screen, 720p definition is too low, the viewing experience is really bad. As for the current price of 4K is too expensive, I won’t say that you can check Sony’s price for true 4K. The basic models of 4K are now below 1W. If the budget is sufficient, you can consider starting 4K. 4. Keystone correction: The function of keystone correction may not be noticed by most people, but this function determines the flexibility of projection. Although the effect of front projection is the best, but often due to environmental and design reasons, side projection or up and down fine-tuning may occur. At this time, the effect of keystone correction comes out. Compare: Generally speaking, most projections have the function of keystone correction, but the keystone correction will lose part of the picture quality, so many high-resolution projections cancel the keystone correction function in order to ensure the picture quality, or only retain the up and down adjustment, and cannot adjust the left and right. (Some advanced projections have lens shift function) To sum up: When the projection position is designed in advance at home, and the projection is not intended to be moved, if space permits, you can choose a machine without keystone correction or only up and down keystone correction to ensure the quality of the projection. But if it needs to be used in the bedroom or needs to be flexibly placed after purchase, the keystone correction function is very important. 5. Projection ratio: The projection ratio determines the distance between the projection and the screen, especially if the space is too short in a small apartment, we must find a smaller projection ratio to achieve the projection size of the 100-inch screen. First of all, we need to know the formula of projection ratio: projection ratio = projection distance / picture width Compare: Generally speaking, the screen in the home is a 16:9 100-inch screen with a length of approximately 2.2 meters, so the projection ratio = projection distance/2.2. For example, the projection distance in our home is 2.8 meters, then the projection ratio must be less than 1.27. (This is very important for small apartments, because the general projection ratio is between 1.5-2) To sum up: When the room is relatively large, we don't need to care about its throw ratio when we buy the projector, we only need to pay attention to other parameters. But if the room is small, then we should pay attention to its throw ratio when we buy the projector. I have listed the specific calculation formula above. Remember that it is the distance from the lens to the screen, not the distance from the back of the machine to the screen. Final summary: Having said so much, it’s really easy to buy a projector. First of all, you need to see whether you need to watch your own use scene every day, or you can use it to watch TV dramas at night, or use it to watch movies on TV, so you can choose the type of projection smart projector/bulb machine . Then, according to your placement and the overall space of your home, you can choose the throw ratio, keystone correction and other functions that suit you. Finally, try to choose a projector with higher lumens and higher resolution within your budget. As for whether the parameters of a machine are false, or the performance of the machine is high or low under the same parameters, in fact, there will be no big problems when buying a big brand. In the end, it depends on which one is pleasing to the eye and has the right one. You can start with activities and prices. I wish everyone can buy a projector that suits them.