How do you choose the best HD projector right for your professional needs? Choose a projector that suits your needs, such as Projecting documents, watching movies, watching football, choosing a cafe, or practical use for a professional home cinema room.
I want to share my projector knowledge and expertise to give you a general overview and help you select the best projector line for your requirements.
What are the basic specifications to know when choosing a projector?
After considering these, you can further limit your options by considering additional factors like contrast ratio, warranty, lamp life, and more.
Projectors are often compared using four key factors:
- Brightness
- Resolution
- Aspect Ratio
- Weight
1. Projector brightness
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) uses lumens to measure brightness; the higher the number, the brighter the projector.
What brightness should your projector have then? You must first take into account the following elements:
Can you change the room’s lighting?
The best results are obtained in a dark room, regardless of projector brightness; however, controlling the light is not always possible.
You should choose a projector if you plan to use the projector in a well-lit room or where there are no natural light curtains.
To enjoy the home theater experience, it is recommended for users to operate their projector in a dimly lit room.
The projector will need to be brighter to compete if the room is brighter.
How many people…
are expected to be present?
The image will be more significant to ensure that everyone in the space can see it as there are more people.
Increasing the image size will often require the projector to be located further away from the screen to reduce the image’s brightness as light is spread and passed through a larger area.
The projector is brighter, the image is more significant, and more people are in the room.
What is your application?
A brighter projector will be needed to project text, graphs, or any other detailed document from a computer, laptop, or phone due to the need to see and read the projected content’s finer details. These apps will also need some ambient light for notes and communications.
Videos and TVs do not need such projectors as they are less visually demanding and often projected in darker rooms; if the projector is too bright for a home cinema, this can reduce the picture’s contrast image.
Less than 1000 Lumens
Most projectors in this category are intended for home cinema applications because they are used in dark rooms to ensure optimal image quality (contrast levels).
Business projectors in this category will be used in dark rooms so that images are not washed out by ambient light.
1000 to 2000 Lumens
Most projectors in this category are intended for education, for example, in a classroom or training room, or for home, cinema use when users want to watch television during the day or prefer to keep the lights on while watching a movie.
While projectors between 1500 and 2000 lumens don’t necessarily need a completely dark or dimly lit room to produce good images, projectors between 1000 and 1500 lumens may benefit from being dimmed for better results.
2000 to 3000 Lumens
These projectors are appropriate for use in classrooms, large conference rooms, and on the go.
This brightness range is occupied by most projectors sold to users in business and education. They will be able to adapt to larger screens and more ambient and natural light.
3000 to 4000 lumens
These projectors are used in more extensive and brighter rooms where the detailed data to be projected requires the highest level of image clarity.
More than 4000 lumens
More than 4000 lumens projectors are commonly used in large venues such as auditoriums, churches, concerts, etc., where large screens are required or in very bright environments.
It would help to determine whether the light flow is high or low. The ratio of ambient light is always inversely proportional to the projector’s brightness.
EXAMPLE: If installing for a suitable room, you should choose a projector with a brightness of about 2500 ANSI, with a brighter environment, with many windows such as a classroom, family living room … then you should choose about 3000 ANSI to 3500 ANSI.
As for low-light environments such as in the evening, in closed theaters, and isolated cinema rooms, you should choose products with a light intensity of 5000 ANSI or more to ensure a clear image.
2. Projector resolution
Resolution is the number of pixels that make up an image. For instance, an image with a resolution of 800 x 600 has 480,000 pixels total (800 x 600) and is composed of 800 columns of pixels and 600 rows of pixels.
The resolution, sharpness, and detail of an image increase with the pixel size.
When comparing projectors, I am comparing their native resolutions: most projectors are compatible with higher source resolutions through compression technology, but the native resolution is the number of pixels in reality.
Which solution is best for you?
The projector is compatible with different resolutions, converting different input resolutions to native output resolutions. This process is called “scaling.”
However, scaling often degrades image quality: it’s not sharp and detailed. This happens not only when the projector has a lower resolution than the source but also when the projector has a higher resolution.
Therefore, it is always advisable to match the projector’s resolution with the resolution of the source (For instance, if you have access to one, use an XGA projector if you are using an XGA laptop.) This will guarantee that the image you receive is the sharpest possible.
Another factor in choosing the suitable resolution for your projector is the typical application:
- If you use the projector for `Powerpoint` type applications, you do not need very high resolution; SVGA is enough.
- If you are using the projector to present numerical data, `Excel` spreadsheets, etc., where the image needs to be more explicit, XGA is recommended.
- If you project very detailed technical data such as technical drawings or high-end photography, SXGA or UXGA resolutions will be best.
- If you’re using a widescreen computer or are buying a projector for your home theater, choose a widescreen projector that matches your computer’s resolution or the video quality you want.
3. Projector Aspect Ratio
Aspect ratio is the ratio of the image’s width to its height.
The projectors are split between a 4:3 aspect ratio (computer monitor shape), 16:10 (commercial widescreen format), and 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen TV shape).
4:3 projectors are primarily intended for business use for use with computers.
Home theater or DVD projectionuses 16:9 projectors.
Business projectors that are widescreen use the 16:10 aspect ratio. Although some home users also use these projectors because they can be brighter and less expensive than “cinema” models, they were designed for widescreen computers.
Most projectors can accommodate other aspect ratios, whether they are 4:3, 16:10, or 16:9. The projector’s menu has a straightforward option for switching image formats.
The projector should not be used in a format other than its native aspect ratio because doing so will cause it to stretch, compress, or miss some portions of the image.
The application determines the ideal aspect ratio:
A 4:3 projector is the best option
- if you use the device primarily for business presentations, training sessions, classroom applications, etc., with a standard computer.
- A 16:10 projector
- is advised if you plan to use the device with a widescreen computer.
- You should pick a 16:9 projector i
- f you plan to use the device for home theater or public DVD screenings.
4. Projected weight
The projector gets heavier as it gets more sophisticated and potent.
- You might need to consider the projector’s weight if you intend to use it while traveling. A machine that is 1-2 kg lighter and more portable will be more appropriate.
- You can look at projectors between 2 and 5 kg if you don’t plan to move the projector around much but still want the option or, more importantly, a more powerful projector.
- If your projector is about to be installed, weight should not be an issue, and you should ignore it and focus on other cost or performance factors.
Once you’ve answered these four questions (brightness, resolution, aspect ratio, and weight), you should be able to shortlist a few projectors.
Other important projector buying factors include:
To choose which projector is the best to buy, you can also narrow down your choice even further by considering the following factors:
- Technology
- Contrast
- Input and output
- Guarantee
- Sound noise
- The age of the light
Technology
Several types of technology are used in projectors, but the main types of technology are LCD and DLP.
Both can be used for any application and give good results; however, DLP projectors are generally preferred for video applications as they give smoother/softer images, while LCD projectors are ideal for data/computer applications, sharper and generally brighter.
Contrast
This is the proportion of white to black. The greater the contrast ratio, the greater the projector can show subtle color details and withstand outside room lighting.
Input and output
Ensure the projector has the proper inputs to work with the source if you use it with specific equipment. For example, it may need an HDMI input to work with a Blu-ray player.
If you plan to use multiple computer or video inputs, you should also choose a dual input projector.
This will save you from switching inputs every time you want to change sources which can be difficult if your projector is installed off-road or can cause inconvenience during presentations.
Guarantee
Each manufacturer has a different warranty policy. Knowing how much warranty you expect if your projector fails is essential.
Paying a little bit more might be worthwhile if it means that, in the event of a problem, the manufacturer will show up within 24 hours to pick up your projector and give you a loaner while your machine is being fixed.
Repair instead of having to send the unit yourself and wait a few weeks with no replacement
Sound noise
Projectors make noise because of their fans. Most projectors are no louder than a regular computer, but some are quiet, producing a low level of 25dB.
This is essential for home users as fan noise can distract from the movie.
The age of the light
Due to continuous use instead of TVs, choosing projectors with an average lifespan of 5,000 hours or more is necessary. Currently, there are products with a lifespan of up to 10,000 hours.
Note:
- Pay attention to lamp life and bulb cost. A projector that costs $200 can be cheaper in the long run. LED projectors are also available, with a typical lifespan of 50,000 – 100,000 hours compared to bulb projectors ranging from 2,000 – 10,000.
- Most projectors have an “ECO Mode,” which reduces brightness and can extend lamp life in darker rooms to increase lamp life.
The top best office projector for your needs
- ViewSonic PX701-4K
- BenQ TK700
- LG Electronics HU715QW
Image | Name | Price Link |
 | ViewSonic PX701-4K | You can view the price here on amazon |
 | BenQ TK700 | You can view the price here on amazon. |
 | LG Electronics HU715QW | You can view the price here on amazon. |
ViewSonic PX701-4K
Whether for watching videos and movies or playing games, the ViewSonic PX701-4K is made for ambient light.
Most people will find its out-of-the-box color fidelity to be more than satisfactory for casual viewing with the lights on. After calibration, it may also function as a low-cost 4K projector for a home theater.
Pros | Cons |
TI’s XPR fast-switch pixel is shifting in 4K UHD (3840×2160) resolution. HLG and HDR10 support have a 3,200 ANSI lumen rating measured at 80% of the rating and intended for ambient light. Five colors presets plus two SDR user modes, two HDR10 user modes, and three HLG user modes are included. Rated at 4.2 ms for 1080p At 240Hz input lag | The design prioritizes brightness above standard color accuracy and black level. Moving some controls, such as those for brightness and contrast, away from the exact center of the screen makes it challenging to make the necessary adjustments. No 3D |
BenQ TK700
The BenQ TK700 is a high-lumen gaming projector with excellent input lag that is reasonably priced and ideal for today’s fast-paced gaming. Users will be able to game on the big screen affordably thanks to its performance.
Pros | Cons |
Picture modes with increased brightness Fantastic input lag Multi-channel audio can be returned via the built-in speaker (eARC) to an external audio system. | Vertical lens shift is absent. The highest point at coverage of R.709Extra-long HDMI sync Black levels that are marginally below average |
LG Electronics HU715QW
The company’s second 4K laser UST, the LG CineBeam HU715Q, is an advanced, refined product that highlights LG’s design and engineering prowess.
It has a competitive $2,999 MSRP at launch and comes with various features, such as audio and streaming capabilities, that set it apart from competing models. It also offers a bright, appealing image right out of the box.
Pros | Cons |
Impressive picture quality Allows for wireless speakers countless picture and sound options HDMI 2.0 with eARC and HDMI 2.1Dependable streaming and clever features | Mediocre input lag in game mode and complicated game menus No support for 3DDoes not fully cover the DCI-P3 range.Occasionally perplexing remote |
Final Thoughts
Above is the information you need to know to choose the best HD projector that suits your and your family’s needs.
Some of the projectors I mentioned above can be your choice; you can consider and review them to make the best choice for yourself.
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