Home Theater Projectors

Buying home theater projectors is not as easy as you think or at least finding the right home theater projectors for you, your family and the space that you want to use for your entertainment room. There are some important questions that you need to ask yourself about home theater projectors before you even step into a store to talk to a salesperson to make sure that you get the products that are right for you. Remember, the more knowledgeable you are the more likely that you will find theater projectors that suit your needs.

What is the ideal brightness for theater projectors?

Firstly you need to know that brightness for theater projectors is measured in lumens and the low end of the theater projectors market starts at about 1000 lumens, 2500 lumens is generally the top of the range though you will find that the larger theater projectors may well have more.

The key to choosing the home theater projectors for you is to have a look at the area where you will be using it. If it is a dedicated space with very little ambient light you will only need one with lower lumens. For areas that have quite a bit or a lot of ambient light look at a high number of lumens so that you will be able to view the picture properly.

Image quality for home theater projectors

The things that affect the quality of the image that you will view through the home theater projectors are:

• Native resolution;
• Source material;
• The contrast ratio of the projector – the difference between the white and the black in any image that you are projecting.

A HD projector will give you a clearer picture because it has a higher density or about twice the number of pixels of some other home theater projectors so more pixels means better image quality.

A tip for native resolution is to match the native resolution with the source material – this becomes more important depending on the size of the image that you are projecting.

Do connections affect image quality with home theater projectors?

HDMI inputs are what you want on your home theater projectors, they are standard on most units these days but it is always worth checking. Ethernet capable is advisable or necessary if you want to also project the Internet through the same cable.

How long do home theater projector lamps last?

The average life of a lamp is generally between 2000 to 4000 viewing hours and is what is referred to as the lamp half-life, which means that after this time that while it still works the brightness will be approximately half of what it was when it was new. Lamps average between $200 and $400 each to replace.

How well does it zoom?

How well home theater projectors zoom will define how flexible it is. The zoom will allow the projector to adjust the image size to fit the room that you wish to project in. It is ideal, for maximum flexibility, to purchase a projector that has a maximum image size that is twice that of the minimum size.

What is the lens shift?

Lens shift means that the home theater projectors have the capacity to either move the image up, down, left or right. Having this capacity in the projector that you choose makes the location where you need to install the unit much more flexible.

Tips for setting up home theater projectors:

• The darker the room the better, rooms with lots of windows are going to mean a reduced image quality for home theater projectors. Also, a tip is not to place your screen on a wall opposite lots of windows;

• There is nothing more disappointing that watching a great image on a screen but experiencing poor sound. Test speakers in the store before you buy them to ensure that you are buying quality – including a subwoofer;

• You can balance the sound of your speakers generally through the home theater projectors setup system, don’t feel that you are stuck with unbalanced sound when your turn everything on for the first time and it doesn’t sound right;

• Neat cables are not just for looks but also for safety. If they are all tangled it also makes it very difficult to track what goes where. Don’t have cables that are way too long and a good idea is to label your cables with some tape so you know what they are later when you need to;

• Buy good quality cables for your home theater projectors, players and speakers even if they cost you more to start off with. Replacing faulty cables that break easily can cost you more in the long run than buying quality in the first place;

• Don’t forget when buying home theater projectors to purchase one with not only a warranty but also a support plan as well. You want to be able to call them for assistance if you run into difficulty especially considering that home theater projectors are a considerable investment;

• If your home theater projectors installation is not standard it may be worth allowing in your budget and amount to pay for a professional to help you set it all up for you. This may save you some headaches in the long run and will ensure that you are getting the best out of your purchases.