Our Projector Buyer’s Guide will help you understand the really important specifications so that you make the right choice for your projector. These important specs are Projector Resolution, Projector Brightness, Contrast Ratio, Aspect Ratio, Throw Ratio, Zoom, Keystone Correction, and Connectivity Features. Your final choice of projector also depends upon the settings, ambiance, and scenarios in which you plan to use it.
A Projector Buying Guide for You
You’re in the market to buy a projector.
But as soon as you start looking around you are bombarded with a load full of terminologies. There are so many units of measurement, you can’t decide what combination of specs is right for you.
Are you going to make a projector purchase that costs you an arm and a leg and then regret what you bought for the rest of your life? Or are you going to buckle down to a cheaper option… and then regret what you bought for the rest of your life?
So, to be well versed in all projector features, let’s take a detailed dive into each of the specifications.
1) Projector Resolution — 1080p vs 4K vs 8K
Resolution indicates how sharp the projected image is.
At higher resolution numbers, there will be more pixels in the length and width of a picture (or the screen) and the image will be sharper. Lower resolution results in fewer pixels in the same length and width (or same screen) and the image is comparatively blurry or pixelated.
Resolution Numbers
So what do the resolution specification numbers mean? A 1080p resolution will have 1080 pixels in the “height” of the image. 4K resolutions crank up the number of pixels to 4096 in the “width” of the same image.
Reread the previous two sentences!
For 1080p specification, I referred to the height of the image, while for 4K specification I related the number to the width.
Yes, everybody is out there to confuse you! But to “un-confuse” you (the dictionary says that isn’t even a word.. but we know you understand what we mean), we’ve put down a table below listing resolution terminologies and how they translate into the number of pixels.
As you move down the table, the resolution improves. Also, we’ve restricted ourselves to HD projector resolutions (High-Definition projectors) and higher. In this day and age, the lower resolutions are not worth it for choosing the right projector.
Resolution Image Width x height (in pixels)
- HD 720p (or HD ready) 1280 x 720 pixels.
- WXGA 1280 x 800 pixels.
- SXGA 1280 x 1024 pixels.
- HD 1080p (or Full HD) 1920 x 1080 pixels.
- WUXGA 1980 x 1200 pixels.
- UHD 3840 x 2160 pixels.
- 4K: 4096 x 2160 pixels.
- 8K: 7680 × 4320 pixels.
(What!!? … Are there 8K projectors? Yes…and very expensive too!)
Expense
Well.. while high resolution is a desirable feature due to the reasons mentioned above, in some cases lower resolution may not really be a bad thing. It may be the case that they serve your use well…. and save you money in more ways than one. One is the expense of the higher resolution projector itself. Additionally, in situations where you are streaming content, a higher resolution will require high data usage and higher internet charges.
Spacing and Screen Size
Also, do you have enough room and spacing to make your viewing experience enjoyable? If you are sitting at a distance from the screen, you won’t notice the pixelation with the lower resolutions. But sitting too close to a low-resolution image, the pixilation will be annoying. For that, you need to get higher resolution projectors.
The room and spacing also tie in with the size of the screen. Larger images or larger screens will need higher picture resolutions if you want to enjoy picture quality. You can sit closer to the screen without noticing any pixelation.
There is a rule of thumb for viewing distance. For 1080 resolutions you need to sit a minimum distance away from the screen equivalent to “3 times the height of the image”. For 4K you can reduce the multiple to 1.5 times. (As a side note, while these are minimum seating distances, maximum seating distances for good viewability are normally recommended as 5 times the height of the image).
Projector Use
Finally, how do you want to use your projector? Below are our recommendations based on the “Resolution spec” vs “Use” scenarios. Nothing is written in stone, but these recommendations will give you a good guide for your final selection.
HD 720p, WXGA & SXGA Business/education use— cable tv
HD 1080p Business/education use (pushing it to the extent that one should carefully consider whether the intended office/education use really requires this resolution)—-, cable tv—–, Home theater—-Sports—– Gaming
WUXGA Home theater—-Sports—– Gaming
UHD & 4K: Home theater—-Gaming. Blu-ray Movies. Slowly with time, more 4K content is now available and whatever is available is awesome. It is at this resolution that projectors beat TVs in image wow-ness
8K: Not really for home or office use. Probably better catered for large screen advertisers. In the future certainly, but currently, you won’t find much video content at all at this resolution for your personal or office needs, certainly not for the price.
So finally, is the decision going to revolve around 1080 vs 4k projectors for you? You should consider how you want to use your projector, your room, screen size, and budget, and then finalize the required resolution spec.
2) Projector Brightness – How Many Lumens for a Projector?
Projector brightness refers to the light intensity that the projector throws out.
It should be high enough so that the projector beams sufficient light for it to travel the distance to the projector screen, fight off ambient light on the way and provide enough light intensity on the screen. Too little light intensity on the projector screen and the image will appear washed out.
Brands use various units to quantify projector brightness. Most use Lumens as a measure while some quote brightness in ANSI Lumens. ANSI lumens are a standardized brightness measure. If quoted by manufacturers, they would be an excellent brightness comparison gauge.
The Lumens figures, however, are not determined through a standard methodology. But, unfortunately, almost all manufacturers provide the lumens figures only. So there is not much choice for customers when comparing various projectors.
ANSI lumens vs lumens – what do you do when you have different measurement units? A rule of thumb for estimating ANSI lumens is to divide the lumens figure by 25. This is by no means accurate but gives you some idea.
How bright should a projector be? To help you make the right choice, here’s a useful guide presented in lumens units (simply because this is what you’ll find in the market):
- Indoor use with low (lights out and windows covered) to normal ambient light – minimum 1500 Lumens
- Indoor use with normal to high ambient light – minimum 3000 Lumens
- Outdoor use in daylight – minimum 4000 Lumens. However, the minimum number will increase the greater the distance between projector and screen, as in very large outdoor venues.
Be cautioned! We’ve spoken about how good higher brightness is. But very high levels of brightness will reduce color accuracy. And the glare will give you a headache. At the same time, lower lumen levels improve the contrast ratio of the projected image. Life is always a balancing act.
3) Projector Contrast Ratio – Is it a black & white matter?
The contrast ratio measures how black the blacks are and how white the whites are.
High contrast ratios are more important as the blacks need to be deeper making the image sharper. This is opposed to how much the black is tending toward gray.
In the dark, contrast ratios are more noticeable as part of the viewing experience. For outdoor use, in the daylight, the contrast ratio specs are no longer helpful. There is just too much interference by ambient light.
Unfortunately, manufacturers declare unrealistic numbers which you cannot verify before buying. So it is not a number you can pre-decide or evaluate a projector upon.
For information completeness, you will still need to know what is a good contrast ratio in projectors. Dark rooms will need a contrast ratio of 2,000:1 for good performance. Normal-lit rooms having a contrast ratio of 8,000:1 are good enough. The higher the contrast ratio, the better. As far as manufacturer statements go, you will be able to find contrast ratio claims of 50,000:1.
4) Aspect Ratio – the Long and Short of it
Aspect ratio is the ratio of the width of the projected image to its length.
It doesn’t change with screen distance from the projector. HD resolution and higher projectors provide a 16:9 aspect ratio which is suitable as an all-purpose aspect ratio for cable, movies, sports, and gaming.
Movies, however, are generally filmed in a wider format of 2.4:1 so that you will have black boxes above and below the image when you use a 16:9 projector. Projectors with a 2.4:1 aspect ratio are also available.
Nowadays, you can find multi-aspect ratio projectors on the market, but remember the maximum width of the image will be restricted by your screen dimensions.
5) Throw Ratio, Zoom, and Projector Screen Size
A projector needs to be placed some distance from the screen so that a large enough image is projected. The closer the projector is to the screen, the smaller the image will be.
Inversely, if you already have, for example, a home theatre screen size in mind, you need to know whether the projector you are considering will give you the full image size with the spacing available to you.
Because you may be restricted in how far away you can place the projector, you need to determine the projector throw ratio which is the ratio of “the distance of the projector from the screen (throw distance)” to “the width of the image projected”.
With a projector throw ratio of 2:1, the projected image width will be half the length of the distance between projector and screen. The higher the throw ratio, the farther the projector needs to be placed away from the screen to fill the screen.
Standard projectors, also referred to as long throw projectors, have a throw ratio of around 1.2:1 down to around 1:1.
In case your room is too small, you will need to consider short-throw or ultra-short throw projectors (with throw ratio going down to 0.3:1). The lower throw ratio, however, comes at a price.
Based on the projector’s throw ratio, room available, and the screen size you desire, you can easily determine whether a projector is suitable for your needs.
For a projector fixed in location, some correction for increasing image size can also be achieved if the projector lens has zoom capability.
Lens zoom capabilities are usually available in projectors available in the market or you can purchase an additional lens. With such capabilities, you can double the size of the image compared to default without having to move your projector farther away from the screen.
7) Projector Mounting, Lens Shift, and Keystone Correction
You will not place your projector at a position identically parallel to the center of the screen.
The projector, if placed on a projector stand on the floor, will be positioned at a height approximately corresponding to the bottom of the screen. The image is projected upwards to the screen.
Alternatively, you might want to install the projector on the ceiling with a projector ceiling mount. The image is projected downwards.
It is also possible that the projector is mounted on a side wall. The image is projected sideways.
In all cases, after mounting the projector, the image will have to be adjusted in two ways,
- The projection image may fall partially outside the screen. To solve this, you should have a projector with horizontal and vertical lens shift capability. This will allow you to move the image onto the projector screen digitally without moving the projector itself.
- Because the projector is throwing the image at an angle, the image falling on the screen will not be rectangular but will be trapezoidal. This means the side of the image nearer the projector will be smaller in length than the side of the image farther away from the projector. Keystone correction in projectors, that have the capability, adjusts the image digitally so that it is a perfect rectangle.
In summary, while most projectors will have lens shift and keystone correction, check the availability of these features before finalizing your choice. Also, make sure they have both horizontal and vertical lens shift features. sometimes manufacturers only provide one.
Keep in mind, that ceiling and wall-mounted projectors are fixed projectors making throw ratio, zoom capability and lens shift important features to have. Projectors placed on a stand or tabletop have the advantage that they can be conveniently moved when required to adjust the image or to other locations.
8) Connectivity Features
For wired connections, use a projector with HDMI connection capability as opposed to older connection options like VGA.
You will also find that USB connection ports on a projector. This will provide convenience for use with USB drives which may contain video, pictures, or presentations for business use.
You might also want capabilities for Wi-Fi or other wireless connection from laptop or iPhone. So look out for these options if you believe this is the desired specification.
9) Projector Speakers
You will need to purchase separate speakers for your projector if you want any sort of sound volume or quality. Very important in most uses, especially with home cinema. The case for built-in speakers may only be made for portable projectors used in small rooms.
10) Projector Technology
Projector Imaging Chip
Projectors are designed with different types of technologies based on the chips that digitally produce the image.
Most popular are DLP (Digital Light Processing) and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) projectors. Each one has advantages over the other. But the difference in advantages is not too great. At the end of the day, don’t spend too much time choosing between DLP or LCD projector.
Light Emitting Source
The light emitting source is another part of the projector that can be based on various technologies.
Projectors using lamps are dominant in the market because they are relatively cheap. At the same time, they provide all image qualities up to the highest level. However, their brightness performance reduces with time and, generally, after 4,000 hours of use, the lamp will need to be replaced. That’s another expense. Because of the lamp, they heat up more than the other options mentioned below.
Projectors that use laser technology provide better color accuracy and, because the beam is concentrated and less diffused, they have better brightness performance. Laser projectors are comparatively energy efficient. Their lifespan is another advantage averaging up to 20,000 hours – very high compared to lamps – and with little brightness decline with time.
LED light sources are used where the lumens required are low, such as with pocket projectors. They are the most energy efficient and longest-lasting compared to other light emitting types.
Which is better LED or laser or lamp? LED projectors are for smaller devices. For normal usage, while we would recommend laser projectors over a lamp, for somewhat better image quality at lower energy and maintenance cost, either way is not a deal-breaker.
10) Types of Projectors
A particular type of projector may have some functionality that is useful for your scenario. We have already mentioned some throughout this article. But it may be helpful to list them together,
- Home Theater Projectors: Projectors for home entertainment are best used in low light conditions where image quality is enhanced. These are long throw projectors so they can serve larger screens.
- Short Throw and Ultra Short Throw projectors: Their use is important when there is not enough room available for the projector to produce a large enough image.
- Portable Projectors: You want to go camping? Or do you travel a lot for office purposes and need to give presentations to clients? Portable projectors are the best solution here. They have internal batteries which can last for three hours or even slightly more. Image quality can be pretty good.
- Pocket projectors: Also called Pico projectors. These are small enough to be held in the palm of your hand. Projector features are limited. They will not give you very good image quality. They won’t have sound and they’re not at all suitable for videos. They do have use because of their ease of portability and in art.
Conclusion
We’ve done a comprehensive and easy-to-understand overview of important or best projector specifications and functionalities. We are sure that this Projector Buyer Guide will save you time in deciding what to look for in projectors and will give you peace of mind that you’ll be making the right choice – whether you are looking for a projector for your home or office use, movies or gaming.