Home Theater Projector Guide

One of the main reasons people buy a home theater projector is for the cost per image area. While buying a projector has the benefit of giving a huge viewing area, there are some limitations that effect the image quality. Some things to compare are resolution, brightness, contrast ratio, weight, and optional features when shopping for a home theater projector. At HTmarket we carry a variety of home theater projectors from popular brands like JVC, Optoma, Sony, Panasonic, and Ben Q.

Types of Home Theater Projectors

1. LCD Projector
   Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) create bight images by passing light through three small LCD panels that are vibrant in color and sharp. LCD projectors are appropriate for home theater as new technology has enhanced the contrast and brightness.
2. DLP Projector
   Digital Light Processing (DLP) use a single digital chip that makes them weigh less than LCD projectors. They offer smooth video performance, high contrast ratios, and little pixilation. Recently LCD technology has become more advanced and LCD projectors now out sell DLP for home theater use.
3. D-ILA Projector
   D-ILA projectors by JVC are the best projectors for smooth filmlike images. In years past, D-ILA technology was only for the high end home theaters recently JVC introduced a sub $3000 projector for home theater in this technology. D-ILA, or Direct-Drive Image Light Amplification, is JVC developed technology that delivers unmatched performance, with natural color reproduction, an image so smooth that it rivals film, and contrast that does justice to the most demanding program material. Since our first D-ILA projector was launched in 1997, the technology has been employed where nothing but the cleanest, sharpest, most accurate image would suffice. Today, some of the industries most sophisticated projectors from the most respected manufacturers use D-ILA technology licensed from JVC. D-ILA is liquid crystal technology, but its very different from the liquid crystal display (LCD) technology found in many products today. D-ILA is called liquid crystal on silicon, or LCOS, but JVC made several improvements to basic LCOS technology to develop D-ILA. At its heart is the D-ILA device, or chip, designed and manufactured by JVC. Every JVC D-ILA projector uses three D-ILA devices, one each for red, green and blue the three colors that are combined to create the full color palette. Recently JVC launched 3d and 4K technology into it's award winning projectors. These have become a very popular alternative to 2d projectors.
4. 3D Home Theater Projectors
   In 2011 many new 3d home theater projectors are being released including the JVC, Optoma and the Ben Q. HTmarket.com believes that this technology is sure to be a hit for new home theaters and upgrades to existing theaters in the home. It is definitely a big reason to upgrade existing projector technology.
5. 4K Projectors
   In 2013, many manufacturers introduced 4k resolution projectors. This is double the resolution of a typical HD projector 1080p. The resolution is 4096 x 2160 known as Ultra HD or UHD. This increases the pixel count and the picture is very sharp and vivid. New 4k content is on the horizon with announcements from Netflix and others. HTmarket.com can provide information on JVC and Sony. Call us for a quote on the popular JVC and Sony models.

Projector Characteristics

• Projector Resolution
  The resolution of a home theater projector is the sharpness and clarity of the picture produced. It measured by the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. Resolution is expressed by two numbers. The first number indicates the horizontal pixels and the second number represents the vertical pixels. For example a 720p (1280 x 720 progressive scan) or 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution progressive scan). The higher the resolution, the sharper the image. Now there is 4k resolution. The resolution is 4096 x 2160 known as Ultra HD or UHD.
• Throw Distance
  Throw Distance is a measure of the size of image a projector can produce from a given distance. You can find the throw distance of your projector usually by visiting the manufactures website and using their throw distance calculators.
• Keystone Correction
  Keystone Correction is a feature that allows a projector image to be adjusted when the projector is at an odd angle from the screen.
• Contrast Ratio
  Home Theater projectors will give the give the contrast ratio, the difference between the White Level (Brightest) and Black Level (Darkest) sections of an image with a ratio. Projectors with a higher contrast ratios produce the most well-defined pictures.
• Lumens
  Lumens are a measurement unit of total illumination. Projector light output is measured in ANSI(American National Standards Institute) lumens. A projector with a higher lumen number will produce a brighter image for a given image size.
  
  Typical Lumens Ranges
  • Less than 1000 lumens
    Least expensive. Low light output means that you will want to make your presentations in a dark or dimly lit room so the image on the screen is not washed out by ambient room light
  • 1000 to 2000 lumens
    Typical range for cinema projectors. Presentations should be done with the room lighting reduced somewhat for best screen viewing.
  • 2000 to 3000 lumens
    Offer flexibility in terms of ambient room light, a reasonable amount of room light can be tolerated without washing out the image. Can illuminate a larger screen without much loss of image quality.
  • 3000 lumens and up
    Ultra bright and most expensive projectors.
• Lamp Life
  The typical lamp life for a projector on average is between 1500-3000 hours. A replacement lamp can cost between $200-$400. Only exception is the new led technology that can last up to 20000 hours.