CNET.com.au's quick guide to buying a home theatre projector

Our quick guide helps you identify the key features that matter most when shopping for a projector.

From conference room to living room, digital projectors are quickly coming to the fore as prices fall and acceptance grows. Whatever your needs, our quick guide helps you identify the key features that matter most when shopping for a projector.

Projectors are at last becoming more affordable. With entry-level units dipping below the AU$1500 threshold, these machines are finding their way into homes, school rooms and small offices. But with this growing market comes the increasing problem of what to buy. With hundreds of models to choose out there from some 20 brands, and more vendors expected to jump onto this lucrative bandwagon, getting a projector can be daunting even for the savvy shopper.

Our quick guide will help you clarify the options and identify the key features that matter most when shopping for a projector.

LCD vs DLP
You'll hear these two terms bandied around most in projector-speak. 3LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and DLP (Digital Light Processing) are the two main display technologies currently available in the market.

Epson Dreamio EMP-TW700 boasts an enhanced LCD engine and dual-iris optics. Read the review.

Multitalented projectionists

Profile: SOHO users and freelancers
Type: Multi-use projectors not more than 4kg
Est. Price: AU$1500 to AU$4000

While most people would love a dedicated home theatre setup, some people need a projector for work as well, or simply don't have the space. Multi-use projectors, designed to handle simple presentations at work as well as DVD movie playback at home, have become an extremely popular choice among SOHO users and freelance lecturers. Reasonably priced, these projectors usually offer a good compromise of weight and features and come with user-selectable screen aspect ratios.

Shopping specs

Brightness
Depending on the type of home theatre setup and presentation crowd, the brightness of multi-use projectors generally ranges from 1,000 to 2,000 lumens. In most cases, 1,500 lumens is a good bet for those looking at no more than 20 people in a relatively well-lit room. Look out for models which can scale the lumens rating to generate less noise from the projector's cooling fan.

Resolution
XGA (1024 x 768) is naturally the preferred resolution choice for projectors today as it produces the best image quality from current notebooks with XGA native resolution. However, if cost is a priority, SVGA (800 x 600) projector models may be more economical. The only trade-off for SVGA models is the limited resolution which may affect the image quality for some computer presentations. Otherwise, there is hardly any degradation in DVD movie quality.

Contrast ratio
The higher the contrast ratio, the richer the black appears on the image. If you are using your projector for video purposes, choose one with a high contrast ratio to deliver the best-quality images. DLP technology is typically found in multi-use projectors because it offers significantly higher contrast ratios (about 2000:1) than LCD (400:1).

Aspect ratio
Most multi-use projectors come with two user-selectable aspect ratios: The standard 4:3 and the widescreen 16:9. This provides the flexibility to switch between the 4:3 aspect ratio for computer presentations and 16:9 display for letterbox movies.

Other nice-to-have features

• Onboard stereo speakers
• Relatively portable
• Ease of use
• Wireless connectivity
• Remote control
• Vertical and horizontal keystone correction

 


Epson's EMP-TWD1 comes with an onboard DVD player and speakers. Read the review.

Cinema paradisos

Profile: Movie buffs and avid gamers
Type: Home theatre projectors
Est. Price: AU$2999 and above

Increasingly, movie buffs are turning to projectors when setting up a home theatre system because they are an affordable large-screen alternative to plasma and LCD TVs. Compared with some of the large size flat panel sets, a movie projector can be had for half the price and is capable of projecting an image more than twice the size. Typically, it also supports widescreen projection, a high contrast ratio and a wide selection of video input ports.

Shopping specs

Brightness
Contrary to popular belief, the optimum amount of brightness required for home theatre projectors is usually lower compared with those designed for presentations in the office. The reason is simply that most people watch movies in a darkened room environment where good images up to 2.5 meters across can be produced with just a 1,000 lumen projector. However, home theatre projectors with a brightness up to 2,000 lumens are now available.

Resolution
Most movie projectors in the market today are SVGA and XGA models, which should provide more than sufficient resolution for the mainstream crowd to use for DVD movies, regular TV broadcasts and the occasional console game. However, with the release of HD consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and blue-laser disk formats, it makes sense to future proof your home cinema setup now with a higher-resolution projector.

DLP over LCD
DLP technology is usually preferred for movie projectors because of its high contrast ratios which produce images with richer blacks. In addition, DLP projectors are widely recognised for their smooth video quality and less visible pixilation over their LCD counterparts. However, several companies have made significant progress with the 3LCD format which makes the "flywire effect" a thing of the past. In the end, it's picture quality which matters, and what you, the buyer, finds most agreeable. Definitely try as many different projectors as you can, in an environment which resembles your own space, before you buy.

Aspect ratio
The majority of home theatre projectors offer 16:9 aspect ratio, as most movie buffs buy a projector in order as to watch widescreen DVD movies in their full 16:9 cinematic glory. Look for a native 16:9 mode in this case, but if you're using the projector mainly to catch TV broadcasts and movies in the standard 4:3 aspect ratio, it may be worth looking at non-widescreen projectors.

Other useful features


• HDMI/DVI digital interface
• High-Definition ready/compatible
• Multiple video connectivity options
• Lens shift capability
• Low noise rating
• Enhanced video processing chip
 

For further information on specific projectors available on the Australian market click here.