Projectors

Buying a projector: what matters

A projector brings a cinema-sized picture into your living room, but it has different demands from a TV. What matters most is your room, how dark you can make it and how far from the screen the projector can sit.

Technology and light source

DLP projectors produce a sharp image with good contrast; with models that use a colour wheel, some people occasionally notice a rainbow effect. LCD projectors show rich colours without that effect, while LCoS models are known for particularly strong contrast but cost more. Traditional lamps are cheap to buy, lose brightness over time and need replacing after a few thousand hours. LED and laser light sources last much longer, switch on instantly and have no lamp costs.

Brightness and the room

Brightness is best stated in ANSI lumens; other figures such as “LED lumens” are not directly comparable and are often much higher. In a darkened room fewer lumens are enough, but with ambient light or during the day you need considerably more. Contrast depends heavily on the room: light walls and ceilings reflect light back and make black look grey. A proper screen usually gives a visibly better picture than a white wall.

Resolution and placement

Full HD is a good baseline, and 4K pays off with large images. Many 4K projectors reach that resolution through pixel shifting rather than a native 4K chip. The throw ratio tells you how large the image will be at a given distance; short-throw projectors sit right in front of the wall. Optical zoom and lens shift make placement easier, whereas digital keystone correction costs picture quality. For gaming, low input lag is important, and in a living room a quiet fan matters too.

Features and price

Built-in streaming apps save you an extra stick, but built-in speakers rarely sound as good as a soundbar. Check the HDMI ports and, for lamp models, the price of a replacement lamp. Projectors are regularly discounted – on every product page at Pricuro you can compare all shops including delivery costs and see how the price has moved over the last 90 days.