Home LCD Video Projectors
Home LCD video projectors use small translucent LCD light gates. This is the simplest and most common type of projector, making it one of the most affordable for both home theaters and business applications.
However, it doesn’t perform as well in ambient light and can have the noticeable “screen-door effect.” It also uses more energy than other types of projectors.
Image Quality
A projector’s image quality can make or break your viewing experience. Look for a model with incredible lens quality to avoid screen distortion and a high resolution to immerse you completely in the movie or game. Other aspects that affect image quality include contrast and color accuracy.
A high contrast ratio delivers whiter whites and blacker blacks, so you can see crisp images even in low-light conditions. A low contrast ratio produces washed-out images in dim lighting.
While LCD TVs and monitors have been around for a while, the technology was only recently adapted for use in video projectors. The technology relies on a matrix of tiny liquid crystals between layers of glass that can either block or allow light to pass through them. This allows for a wide range of colors and video resolutions. The downside is that it can produce a greyish image and the dreaded “screen-door effect” where you can see small spaces between pixels. However, it is less expensive to manufacture than DLP and has good enough color saturation for photorealistic images.
Colors
Accurate colors can make a profound difference in visual performance. A movie’s blue sky and ocean, lush greens of trees and bushes, subtle pink of cherry blossoms, and the sun-baked yellow of sunflowers all require brilliant, vibrant colors to deliver their spectacular impressions. This is why color-related specifications are some of the most important when selecting a projector.
Projectors with LCoS technology use a white light source with red, green, and blue phosphors to generate beams of color that pass through three LCD screens, each of which displays a different image or video clip. Each screen has thousands of tiny pixels that either block or allow the colored light to pass through them. The resulting three images are combined to create one composite image that’s projected onto the screen via the main lens.
Some projectors feature a black screen that maximizes brightness for a vivid and richly cinematic picture in a dark projector for daylight room, while others have a white screen that preserves color accuracy and enhances contrast in moderate ambient light conditions. Some also offer a gray screen that lets the user customize the projection to suit their preferences and environment.
Brightness
When it comes to home video projectors brightness is one of the most important aspects for great image quality. A projector that doesn’t produce enough lumens will be difficult to use and will not have the contrast needed for bright and sharp images.
The luminosity of a projector is measured in ANSI lumens. However, you must know that ANSI lumens don’t tell the whole story when it comes to the brightness of a projector. The luminosity of a projector depends outdoor theater projector on the screen size, ambient light and what kind of image is being projected.
For example, the lumen output of a projector in a dark room is significantly higher than in a well lit room. The reason for this is that ambient light can reduce the brightness of a projector’s image. For this reason, you should always test a projector’s brightness in your home environment before buying it. This is the only way to be sure that the projector can give you a good picture without ambient lighting. Using a high gain screen will also increase the brightness of a projector’s images by reflecting light back into the viewer’s eyes instead of allowing it to escape from the projection surface.
Contrast Ratio
A higher contrast ratio delivers whiter whites and blacker blacks, which enhances image quality. Contrast can also be impacted by the screen material and viewing angle. The ANSI contrast rating is a good indicator of the projector’s ability to deliver high brightness and deep colors, but is not the only factor to consider when evaluating home theater projectors.
A low contrast ratio will make the image look washed out, regardless of the lumen rating. It is important to rely on objective measurements of contrast ratios, especially by 3rd parties, as manufacturers can do all sorts of tricks to inflate these numbers.
Oftentimes these metrics are misconstrued by marketing departments and the industry as a whole. For example, a manufacturer might advertise a native contrast of 40,000:1, which is an extremely high number that doesn’t reflect what the actual image would look like in any normal environment. In many cases this is done by using a dynamic contrast setting that uses a white bias light to bias the eyes into thinking the contrast is higher than it really is.
Size
When it comes to choosing the right projector screen size, there are many factors to consider. The projector-to-screen distance, aspect ratio, and viewing angle are all important considerations for ensuring an optimal viewing experience. Additionally, it is essential to take into account the intended use for the projector as this will influence all other decision-making processes.
In general, larger screens are preferred, but they should not be too large for the room. This is because when an image is enlarged, the pixels are spread out over a greater area, and this can result in a loss of clarity.
To determine the correct screen size, you should first calculate the screen height ratio based on the purpose of your display. For example, if you will be using the projector for 4:3 video in a conference room or classroom, it is recommended to set the screen height to 1/6th of the distance from the furthest chair. For widescreen 16:9 or 2.35:1 videos, a screen height of 1/4th of the distance from the farthest chair is appropriate. Fortunately, most home projectors come equipped with zoom and lens shift features that allow you to adjust the image to fit the screen without losing quality.