How to Buy Your First Projector

ISo you've purchased a home with a theatre room. Now you need to decide what projector to purchase, but you don't know where to start. Don't panic. Actually, there are only a few decisions you will need to make. It will be easier than you think to choose which projector is right for you.

Before you start, you will want to determine how you will be using your new projector. Will you be using it to watch movies, play video games, or give presentations? Your purpose for the projector will affect how bright or dark your theatre room is and what resolutions you will need. This decision will also affect connection options. You will also need to determine where you will place the projector in relationship to its screen.

The next step is to consider brightness and contrast. The brightness level of almost all projectors is stated in one of two ways; Lumens and Lamberts. Unfortunately, the Lumen rating is not the best measurement of brightness because it often does not consider the final image's viewing size. Your dedicated home theatre room presents a dark condition, so look for a brightness rating of around 40 fL. You may increase it if your home theatre will have extra ambient lighting.

Next you need to consider the supported resolutions to display. The very best is 1080p, called "full HD". This will enable you to display Blu-Rays and other high-definition content. Most video games and presentations only need a resolution of 1024x768. So if your new theatre room will be used primarily to play video games, save yourself money and purchase a lower-spec projector. If you will be watching movies more than playing video games, go for the higher-spec projector. Get full use of the screen by making sure its resolution matches the resolution of your projector.

Contrast is often a better way than brightness to determine which projector to purchase. Choose a projector that has a contrast ratio of 5,000:1 or more. One of the best measures is ANSI contrast because it uses a chequered test pattern, which measures differences between light and dark squares.

Finally, you must consider the projector's "throw distance". A "short throw" projector is meant to be placed close to the screen and still produce a large image. Of course, a "long throw" projector is designed to do just the opposite. Also check out how much zoom is available. This will allow you to increase or decrease the image when you need to. Another feature you may want to consider is a lens-shift. This feature will allow more flexibility in where the projector is placed relative to the screen. You will be able to move the image up and down or left and right to a certain degree without causing distortion of the image.

This article has given you the basics of how to choose the right projector for your new home theatre. We have tried to define some technical terms that you will hear when you go to purchase your projector without completely confusing the matter. Now you should be able to determine what to look for in your new projector.

How to Buy Your First Projector

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