Most Important Features of a Home Theatre Projector

Your home entertainment room has a soundbar and a high definition big screen television.

14:00 29 July 2020

As the home electronics specialists at Selby say, you cannot call your room dedicated for entertainment a home theatre until you add a state-of-the-art home theatre projector. A real home theatre includes a projector and a projector screen to present the highest quality videos.

 

With numerous technologies such as DLP and LCD, as well as different types of lamps, what are the features you should look for when shopping for the advanced technology component that truly turns your entertainment room into a home theatre?

 

We present the eight most important features of a home theatre projector.

 

Be Resolute with Resolution

 

As one of the “Big Three” specifications for a home theatre projector, resolution determines the clarity of the videos presented from a home theatre projector. A vast majority of projectors come with 1080p resolutions, which translates into 1920 by 1080 pixels. Settling for anything less than 1080p is a recipe for presenting inferior quality videos. A growing number of manufacturers have devoted resources to developing 4,000p resolution projectors, which should be the standard you follow for selecting the best home theatre projector.

 

Accurate Display of Colors

 

Although choosing the right projector screen and the color of the room matters, buying a home theatre projector that offers detailed color adjustments delivers the most accurate display of colors. Home theatre projectors that come with Imaging Science Foundation (IMF) and THX certifications include the most detailed color adjustment settings. A THX certification represents the hi-fidelity audio/visual reproduction standards established by George Lucas Studios.

 

Image Contrasts

 

Video contrast measures in a ratio, such as 1,000 to 1 and 10,000 to 1. The easiest way to describe video contrast is seeing the difference between the brightest white and darkest black areas of an image. Think snow white field on a moonless night. The best contrast ratios sit between 1,000 to 1 and 3,000 to 1. Your goal when shopping for a home theatre projector should find one that possesses a video contrast of at least 1,000 to 1.

 

Power of the Lens Zoom

 

Besides a projector used for business presentations, every other type of projector includes a zoom lens to provide users with flexibility on where to set up the projector. The larger the zoom ratio, the more leeway you have as to where to place a home theatre projector. However, too much zoom power can magnify the chromatic mistakes that display in images. Picking a home theatre projector with a large lens and high lens zoom ratio should help you strike a balance for the throw distance, which the manufacturer should recommend by presenting a chart in the instruction manual.

 

Shifting the Lens

 

After you find a home theatre projector that delivers the optimal zoom ratio, the next step for ensuring the highest video quality is an often forgotten feature called the lens shift. You might not find the perfect mounting position for the projector, which means you need to make minor adjustments to the lens to account for vertical and/or horizontal screen projection issues. A finely calibrated lens shift should allow you to make the slightest adjustments to the lens up and down, as well as from left to right.

 

Achieving Perfect Brightness

 

If you set up a home theatre that includes an average size screen, you should consider a projector that delivers brightness in the range between 1,000 and 2,500 lumens. Although brightness is an important feature of a home theatre projector, it should not be a deal breaker when it comes time to rating the projectors on your short list. You do not want to invest in a home theatre projector that projects brightness that overwhelms the room and the projector screen.

 

Minimal Noise

 

Every feature discussed until now focused on the visual elements of a home theatre projector. You also have to consider the noise generated by a projector. Not the quality of the audio, but the extraneous noises caused by the color wheels, cooling fan, and motorized iris. Every one of the closely connected parts can turn a heart-thumping moment of movie suspense into a visual disappointment. When you shop for a home theatre projector, you should have the opportunity to test run different models, which gives you insight into the noise level of each projector.

 

Dynamic Iris

 

Similar to how the human iris operates, a projector’s iris opens and closes at intervals that regulates how much light passes. Unlike the iris of the human eye, a home theatre projector’s iris regulates how much light goes out of the machine. For example, when a television show moves to a scene in a dark alley, the iris narrows to diminish the impact of light. Not every home theatre projector contains a dynamic iris that regulates the output of light.