Reward Yourself This Holiday Season With A Projector

Have you been daydreaming about watching movies at home on a huge screen?  Perhaps you love the cinema experience, without the sticky floors and the overpriced concessions.  Or are you thinking about converting the game room into the ultimate man-cave (or person-cave) to see every football replay in larger than life clarity? Perhaps you just want to add a larger screen that is easily visible by everyone in your large family room, where every seat is the best seat in the house.

If you are thinking along any of these lines, you may want to think about adding a projector as the next big upgrade to your home audio-video system in Fairview.  Nothing beats a projector for sheer screen size for dollars spent.  It is true that you can get excellent flat-panel TVs that range up to 86 inches, but a projector can easily get you a 120-inch screen and higher for really large spaces.  Moreover, a projector screen is sometimes easier to hide than a large flat panel display if style and décor are important. 

So, what do you need to know to choose the best projector that will deliver the big screen experience you’re craving?  Read on to learn more.

SEE ALSO: All Media On Screen And On Command

4K and HDR

4K resolution – which is up to four times the resolution of HD – is practically standard for the majority of flat panel TVs sold today. It is not quite as mainstream in projectors, with HD models costing considerably less at this point.  Nonetheless, for future proofing, we would only recommend that you go with a 4K projector.  The amount of 4K content available from streaming services like Amazon, Netflix, and iTunes only increases every day, and Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of new and older titles are also plentiful.  Besides, on a huge screen, resolution and sharpness matter. 

HDR (high dynamic range) is the new high contrast technology that is widely available in flat panel TVs.  That tech is also infiltrating projectors too.  For the best image quality from 4K sources like Ultra HD Blu-ray (and shows from Netflix too), you will want HDR compatibility.  It makes images really “pop” on screen, and a good HDR picture is arguably an even more noticeable improvement in picture quality than just higher resolution.  

When it comes to true 4K projection, no one does it better than Sony.  A projector like the VPL-VW295ES offers an outstanding HDR image, with a super bright 1500 Lumens of light output. 

Pseudo 4K

What do we mean by pseudo 4K?  True 4K projectors at this moment can be expensive, depending on your budget.  There is an alternative that offers higher picture quality than standard HD and is compatible with newer 4K and HDR content. 

These projectors use clever pixel shifting technology to provide a higher resolution image from standard 1080p LCD technology.  The result is a sharper picture with 4K and HDR content and great image quality, even if it’s not on par with a true 4K projector.  This pixel-shifting tech is an excellent alternative for those on a budget, especially when not all the content to be watched is going to be in 4K.  Models like Epson’s Home Cinema 4010 are a great example of this breed. 

Other Considerations

When using projectors, they work best when ambient light can be controlled.  You want to consider the locations of a room’s lighting and windows and how to minimize those for the best pictures.  What you are watching matters too; dark movie scenes will look best in a fully darkened room, but a football game will be more forgiving of some ambient light.  Today’s projectors produce a very bright picture, so some can be used in daytime or with some lights on depending on the content, the screen material, and the installation.

Unlike flat panel TVs, projectors have lamps that provide the light, and they do wear out over time.  The typical lamp lasts from 2000-5000 hours, which is plenty long, but you may not want to use your projector to leave the news on for several hours a day.  Newer models with laser light technology (like the Sony VPL-VW885ES) are now in the market with 20,000-hour light source life, but those are considerably more expensive than ones with standard lamps. 

We haven’t even gotten to screens and other considerations for your new big screen experience.  Contact us; we’d love to tell you more!