To sign up for our daily email newsletter, CLICK HERE
It wasn’t too long ago when projectors were classified merely by their weight class, meaning deciding on one simply came down to portability. These days, it’s a bit of a different story, with the addition of several other useful categories for classifying projectors. To name a few, there’s the light source, imaging technology, and purpose.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” projector if that’s what you’re looking for. Generally, finding the best projector for you would depend on a few key considerations, the majority of which we’ll be discussing today. Before you read on, you may want to take a peek at the best projector under 500 for a more budget-friendly option.
Key Considerations for Choosing a Projector
The following factors should help you select a projector that performs according to your specific needs:
1. Images
A projector typically projects two types of images: photorealistic and data. The former concerns itself with videos and photos, while the latter deals with graphics and text. If you’re looking for a projector for video games, consider getting one that holds certain aspects of both.
A projector that shows one kind of image well won’t necessarily do a good job with another. That’s why it’s crucial to choose a projector that’s optimal for the types of images you plan on putting on display often.
Images such as graphs, PDF files, and related presentations are showcased most favorably using data projectors. These projectors have made a home in thousands of conference rooms, projecting images brightly enough that they pop out even against a large screen’s surrounding light.
Data projectors should also have you covered where short video clips are concerned. However, if you plan on showing a full-length film, it may not be the best choice. That’s because they are particularly weak in terms of contrast, which is a huge contributory factor in the production of realistic images.
Then, we have projectors for home use. These models address home entertainment needs, which include gaming and home theater. They are known for features that sharpen images, fine-tune color, and reduce noise.
2. Portability
In most cases, projectors are meant to be brought around. You want to consider a model’s portability, especially if you plan on carrying it from one room to another on a regular basis. This Wemax portable projector is perfect to carry with you and this might be your go-to projector for all your business needs. Thankfully, there’s no need to search far and wide because portable projectors exist. Some can even be light and compact enough to fit into your pant pocket.
Then again, if people come to you, instead of the other way around, a mountable projector might be more suitable. Nevertheless, you should consider the size and weight of a projector, regardless if you need it for business presentations, home entertainment, or educational purposes.
3. Widescreen Format
Widescreen formats come in several types, so you may want to consider if a particular model offers the one you need before making a choice. You especially want to pay attention to the projector’s aspect ratio or the image width and height ratio of its resolution. These figures need to match the images you’ll be showing most often.
Ideally, a projector for home use should offer multiple wide and narrow formats. It should also be able to add the appropriate letterbox bars for each format.
4. Brightness
There is no particular level of brightness that’s best for a projector. Besides, brighter is not always better. Brightness measured at 1,000 lumens or lower should be good enough for a dark room screening using your home entertainment projector. Dialing up the brightness to almost 2,000 lumens could be too harsh on the eyes, in this case.
Conversely, 2,000 lumens should be just about right for locations that are well-lit. You can even go above 3,000 if you’re showing on a large outdoor field.
5. Technology
As far as imaging technology goes, there are four to choose from. There’s LCD (liquid-crystal display), DLP (digital light processing), LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon), and laser raster.
With pocket-size LCOS and DLP projectors, primary colors are usually projected in sequence rather than in one go. Rainbow artifacts tend to result from this, and you get bright patches on the screen that break apart into flashes of green, blue, or red when movement occurs. This can be particularly annoying during long-viewing sessions.
On the other hand, while LCD projectors don’t subject you to rainbow artifacts, they are often on the heavier and bulkier side. Then, we have standard LCOS projectors, offering images of the best quality but are also bigger than standard DLPs and LCDs. Plus, they are a lot more expensive.
So, Which Projector Suits You Best?
Unless you plan on only showing simple text images, it’s important to consider the factors mentioned earlier when choosing your projector. Granted, there are other areas that might require your scrutiny depending on your needs.
Nevertheless, all these factors tie into your intended use for the projector. Hence, when you focus on that, you should have no problem selecting the best projector for you.
