Posted by QuickReadAbout.com Staff in Selecting home theater projectors requires that you consider a variety of factors which will affect your buying decision and eventually your viewing pleasure.
One such factor to be considered is the viewing environment where the home theater projector will be placed. If the room has controlled lighting, the projector need not be one with a high lumen output. Home theater projectors with at least a 700 lumen output would suffice for this case. But if there is a high ambient light in the area, one would need a projector with around 2,500 lumen output.
Another consideration would be the number of pixels of home theater projectors. A projector has a finite number of pixels. But one should remember, that the more pixels, the better the quality of the image or the video projected onto the screen..
Connectivity is also very important for home theater projectors. Most projector people would recommend that one buys a home theater projector which has at least one component video input. This is the most common type of high quality signal available for home theater use.
One should take note though of the availability of DVI and HDMI cables – which provides high definition connectivity. More manufactures of DVD and HDTV prefer to use the DVI & HDMI technologies on their recent models, thus home theater projectors with such connectivity will not have problems in the future.
The lamp life is another consideration. On an average use of 8 hrs per week, the lamp will last around 4 to 5 years. Replacement lamps range from 200 to 400 dollars.
Consider also a user-friendly menu feature of home theater projectors, with easy switching of video sources, and easy manipulation of the zoom feature. Also a full-function remote control is a must for the home viewer’s convenience.
Home theater projectors should preferably have a 16:9 native aspect ratio, as this is the format for the DVD and HDTV signals. This 16:9 ratio is close to the 35mm film format, though a 4:3 native aspect ratio can also display widescreen images, and can be a good choice as well for home theater use.
Other aspects to look for in home theater projectors are the cinema mode feature, multiple aspect feature, back lit remote control and internal scalers. Many features are now available today for home theater projector technology which will make our viewing experience parallel to that of big time cinema theaters.