Get your popcorn ready! Let’s figure out how to create a real movie theater in your home to get the most out of watching movies.
A projector is an essential part of a home theater. It’s what creates the atmosphere, immerses viewers in a different reality, allows them to watch matches for betting on 20Bet, and makes family movie nights more cozy. Here’s how to choose a projector for your home so you can watch movies in comfort.
Decide Where You want Your Projector
First, think about exactly where you want to watch movies. Not only is it important to decide on the room, but it’s also important to choose the exact area. Ideally, this should be decided while you are still renovating, because it will be possible to design a retractable screen and make conclusions for the overhead projector. If the renovation is already completely finished, then the choice of projector for the home theater will be slightly limited.
Determining the zone is also necessary to calculate the distance from the screen to the location of the projector and to determine the size of the screen itself. This parameter is called the projection ratio, and it’s important.
There are several types of projectors with different optics: ultra-short-focus, short-focus, medium-focus, long-focus. The first models can be mounted almost right up to the screen and it doesn’t prevent the projector from displaying a picture which has a diagonal of about 100 inches and more. This includes, for example, The Premiere projector from Samsung. It’s handy and compact, it doesn’t need any brackets and stands. All you have to do is put it near any wall or screen to enjoy a movie in perfect quality. So if you are thinking about which projector to choose for your home instead of a TV, check out The Premiere.
The mid-focus models are more popular and much cheaper – they are usually hung from the ceiling or placed on a shelf. They are also capable of projecting a 100 inch image, but at a distance of at least 2.5 meters, while the short-focus ones are enough for 1-1.5 meters.
What Projector Parameters to Consider
Brightness
The brighter the light in your room, the more powerful the projector should be. On average, 2000 lumens is enough for viewing in dim daylight, for darker rooms 700-1000 lumens will be enough.
By comparison, the Premiere from Samsung has 2800 lumens brightness, so details on the screen will be distinguishable even in the middle of the day without curtains.
Resolution
How do you choose a projector for your home theater? Check the resolution – it is better to take no less than Full HD 1920×1080 format 16:9. Then the picture will be clear, and the immersion in the movie will increase.
The models with SVGA 800×600 and XGA 1024×768 are already considered outdated. Remember that the bigger the screen, the more noticeable the pixels. So the higher the resolution, the less noticeable the pixels on a large screen from a short distance.
4K Ultra HD resolution would be perfect – found in XGIMI Halo+ projectors, Samsung The Premiere LSP9T SP-LSP9TUAXRU and others.
Power
The lower power limit for a home projector is 200-210 watts. A less powerful one won’t do for watching movies or gaming.
Number of Matrices
Projectors basically have two technologies: 3LCD (three matrix) and DLP (one or three matrix). When choosing one, you should pay attention to the parameters of a certain model. For example, 3LCD has more accurate colors and DLP has higher contrast and black depth.
Projector Types
By class, projectors are divided into handheld, ultra-portable, portable and stationary. The first two are unlikely to be suitable for a full home theater. But if you are looking for how to choose a portable projector for the office, this is your case. Such gadgets are no bigger than a smartphone – they will help to show a presentation or video in any convenient place.
The question remains – a projector for home theater, which to choose – stationary or portable. The first one has more advantages – high resolution, powerful luminous flux, a wide range of interchangeable optics. It’s also possible to connect several signal sources simultaneously.
Portable ones have their own advantages, too. Although they are compact, they still have high resolution and light output. They are convenient in that they allow you to periodically change the location of your home theater. Today – a romantic movie in the living room, tomorrow – a marathon of cartoons in the nursery.
What Connectors Are in the Projectors
Another important parameter that will help answer the question of how to choose a projector for the home.
There are several basic ports: USB, LAN, SPDIF, HDMI, 3.5 mm, and VGA. You may not need all of them, but their presence is important.
- USB will allow you to connect flash drives with movies and Bluetooth-modules for wireless speakers.
- LAN will help connect to the Internet, especially if the projector has a built-in Android TV system.
- The SPDIF connector is needed to connect the projector to a speaker system, such as a soundbar.
- HDMI is used to transmit audio and video. The projector may have one or two of these inputs, for example, for a game console and a computer at the same time.
- The 3.5 mm jack is used for headphones. What if you want to watch a movie quietly while the kids sleep?
- A VGA connector is required for standard video transmission.
- The ThunderBolt port can come in handy if the video source is a pre-2016 Macbook version. For newer versions, you will need to buy an adapter for VGA, DVI, HDMI, USB.
Some projectors also have the ability to transmit the signal wirelessly – via Wi-Fi or from a flash drive. In this case, you won’t have to connect it to your computer.
Moreover, before you choose a projector for your home, find out just in case the necessary length of HDMI cable for installation in your room. It’s usually not included with the device or it’s not over one meter.
How to Choose a Screen for a Projector
How to choose a projector for your home, it became a little clearer. So let’s move on to the screen. Let’s say at once – even for the most expensive projector you can buy a budget version. In some cases, you can do without a screen if you have a flat light wall without patterns.
If you are still wondering how to choose a projector screen for your home, the key criteria are the effective area and the format. For example, if the projector produces only 4:3 resolution, you need an appropriate screen so the picture is not cropped.
Also, there are several kinds of screen – suspended or on a stand. The first ones are more convenient – you can roll them up and down with the remote or with a button in the wall. But they will need a special niche in the wall, usually it’s designed immediately during the repair. Consider the reflection factor. Some can increase the brightness of the picture by 20-30%.
Before you choose a projector for home use, decide what focal length is right for you. The format of the screen will also depend on this. For example, a roll screen is not suitable for short or ultra-short focus models. It should be as flat as possible, without bends, dents and waves so that the focus is always clear. In this case, you need to buy a constant tension model only or adapt a light matte wall.
