Digital Projectors Create a True Cinema Experience

You don't need an expensive big-screen TV to create your own home theater. Affordable digital projectors with great image quality are now more plentiful than ever.

Seán Captain

Seán Captain is a freelance writer based in San Francisco.

Have you decided to upgrade from a simple TV room to a home theater? If you're a film fanatic, why simply watch movies on a big TV when you can view them in an actual theater, on a giant screen?

Thanks to a new crop of small, relatively inexpensive digital projectors, the private screening room is no longer reserved for only the rich and famous. And a projector isn't simply for film buffs. It's also a great tool for entertaining friends--be it in your home or anywhere you choose to carry it. (Try lugging a plasma TV out to the backyard or putting it in the car and driving over to a friend's house!)

The best part is that projectors provide the most bang for the buck. The largest rear-projection TVs on the market today measure about 70 inches diagonally and sell for at least $5000, while plasmas of 60 to 70 inches cost two to four times as much. But digital projectors starting around $1000 commonly provide images of 100 inches or more. That turns even Monday night sitcoms into theatrical events and your home into the destination for the Super Bowl, Olympics, or World Series. Video games also become more intense when your virtual opponents are life-size. And because projectors accept computer input, they liberate digital photos from your laptop, allowing you to display them in giant slide shows.

On the downside, you'll need an at least somewhat darkened room in which to use your projector, as it's otherwise difficult to see the image. Also, projectors require replacement bulbs every few years, and the bulbs aren't cheap.

Nevertheless, if you want to watch movies on a big screen at home without spending lots of cash, a projector could be the way to go. To help you choose the right one for your home, we'll look at the different types currently available, as well as how best to set up a projector to create an optimal home theater experience.

Projector Types

Long gone are the film-reel projectors that families once used to show off home movies. But also fading from the scene are bulky CRT-based models that weigh over 100 pounds and that had separate tubes for projecting the red, green, and blue components of video onto the screen.

Instead of heavy tubes, today's projectors employ compact digital image chips, which enable them to achieve weights generally between about 5 and 15 pounds, and to range in size from a little purse to a small carry-on bag. They're also far brighter than their CRT predecessors, allowing you to use them in settings other than pitch-black rooms.

Digital projectors control the light output to the screen using LCDs, mirrors, or a combination of the two. Those using an LCD pass light from the bulb through a small LCD panel; these models are typically less expensive than the others. The second type of projector uses Texas Instruments' Digital Light Processing (DLP), which shines light onto an array of microscopic, pivoting mirrors. The third, and still rare, projector type--called Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS)--sends light onto an LCD-like panel with a mirror backing. All three technologies can provide crisp, brilliant images. And generally, only aficionados notice the subtle differences among projector types.

A more important distinction among models is whether they are intended for office or home theater use. Office projectors tend to be less expensive than home theater models, with less impressive image quality. Because they often operate in well-lit meeting rooms, office projectors must provide very high brightness to overcome the ambient light. In doing so, they usually compromise on color saturation. Plus, a brighter bulb may require a noisier fan to keep it cool.

Home theater models, instead, operate in dark or dimly lit rooms, allowing them to create richer colors with less light. This is important to remember when looking at projector specs. Brightness ratings, measured in lumens, are typically lower for home theater models than for office models. But in this case, a lower number isn't a sign of an inferior product, just a different kind of product.

The line between home theater and office models isn't always a clear one. Some projectors, such as the $1199 InFocus X3, can perform double duty by offering the ability to switch from office to home theater modes. So a well-priced office projector may be an option for your home. But finding one that's suitable often requires knowing a lot about how projectors work and doing some tweaking to optimize performance.

Standard Definition vs. High Definition

The easier route for most people is to buy a dedicated home theater projector. These products fall into two main groups based on the level of resolution, or detail, that they achieve in images. The less-expensive models provide a resolution of 480 picture lines--commonly known as standard definition. They match the resolution in traditional television broadcasts and in current DVD movies, but they will not show the full detail in high-definition TV programs. If you are mainly interested in movies, a standard-definition model will serve you well. Two good products in this category are the InFocus ScreenPlay 4805 and the Optoma H31; each of these DLP projectors costs around $1300.

High-definition projectors provide at least 720 lines of resolution and can sell for up to a quarter million dollars. But thankfully, entry-level models start at far lower prices. The InFocus ScreenPlay 5000, for instance, is a high-def LCD projector selling for $1799. Epson's PowerLite Cinema 200+ LCD projector sells for $2999, and Panasonic's PT-AE700U costs $2200. Moving up the price scale are well-rated DLP models such as the SharpVision XV-Z2000 ($3250), the BenQ PE8700 ($3500), and the InFocus ScreenPlay 7210 ($7000).

If you want to learn more about particular models, visit Projector Central. With a passion for home theater and no qualms about offending projector manufacturers, the user reviewers provide plenty of detail and opinion about virtually every model on the market.

Using Your Projector to Build a Home Theater

Purchasing a home theater is like ordering in a restaurant. Regular televisions are prix-fixe dinners, with the entire "meal" in one package. The projector setup, in contrast, is the a la carte option. The projector itself is the main course, but you must add several components to complete the package. These extras can easily match the cost of the projector, but the entire setup can still provide a bigger picture for less money than you would spend on other digital television technologies.

For instance, a front projector is the only TV that doesn't include a screen. But if your budget is tight, don't underestimate the virtue of simply using a blank wall, because the image quality can actually be quite nice. It helps, of course, if the wall is a neutral shade such as white, beige, or light gray. If you decide that you want to paint one of your walls, take a look first at the Screens discussion group on the AVS forum. It includes a do-it-yourself section that provides information on the best brands of paint to use, and directions on making screens from materials such as canvas and Formica.

If you aren't excited about a do-it-yourself project, you can instead purchase a screen. Various types are available--there are fixed models set in frames, similar to paintings, that you can mount either on the wall or on a stand, as well as roll-up screens that pull down from the ceiling for movie time. Da-Lite Screen Company offers a good assortment of entry-level screens, including the Insta-Theater line of handy portables. Da-Lite also offers many high-end models, as does Stewart Filmscreen Corporation.

Most projectors also lack a sound system, and the tiny speakers that are integrated into some models can't match the visual impact of the projector's image. So you must either purchase a new setup or rely on your current stereo or surround sound system. For advice on audio setups, see "Home Entertainment Your Way."

Like other types of TV, a front projector naturally requires video sources to feed it, such as a DVD player, a VCR, or a game console. However, it may also need additional equipment for receiving television feeds. If you use a cable or satellite box, you can simply hook its digital or analog video outputs into the projector, as you do with any other TV. But if you receive television via antenna, you'll need to provide a tuner, since very few projectors include them. For HD (as well as SD) television, you can use a stand-alone tuner, such as the $250 Samsung SIR-T451. For standard-definition programming only, you may be able to recruit an old VCR, as many have built-in TV tuners.

Setting Up and Maintaining Your Projector

Ideally, you should set up your projector by placing it in a ceiling mount, with the power and video cables hidden inside the ceiling and behind the walls. But this means spending at least a few hundred dollars for the mount and the services of a contractor to install it and the cabling. As with using a plain wall for a screen, many projector owners cut costs by substituting a bookcase or a wall-mounted shelf for a ceiling installation.

In any case, the placement of your other components, such as the DVD player, audio receiver, and TV tuner, cable box, or satellite receiver is equally as important. It might be easier (and cheaper) to place your A/V components toward the back of the room, near the projector, to minimize the length and bulk of video cables. Of course, you will then need to run longer wires to the front speakers located by the screen. So however you arrange it, a projector will require more cabling than other types of TVs.

Along with the up-front costs of a setup, also add $300 to $400 for replacement bulbs about every two years. (You would, of course, have similar expenses with a rear-projection TV.) The one upside about changing bulbs is that it should return an old projector to like-new performance. (You don't have a similar capability with phosphor-based TVs such as plasma panels or traditional CRTs, which gradually but irrevocably dim over time.)

One of the factors that varies most among projector setups is the ability to use them in the daytime. While no TV image looks good in a sun-drenched room, a projector image would likely look far worse, if it's even visible. But depending on your projector's brightness, your screen, and your window treatments, you may get an acceptable image during the day. However, to keep your options open--especially for casual daytime viewing--you may want to hold onto that old tube TV.

Indeed, a projector is perhaps not the best option for run of-the-mill TV watching. But of course, that's not what people buy them for.