Know what to consider when choosing the right image projector for your home or office needs.
Previously, the use of projectors was restricted to some companies and schools. Equipment like this was expensive and it didn’t make much sense to have one at home. Portable models then, no way. Fortunately, these concepts are in the past and today it is much easier and more affordable to buy a projector.
However, how to choose a projector is still a question that haunts many consumers. There are models aimed at indoor and outdoor environments, with more or less power. Plus, there’s the issue of portability and compatibility with your other devices. It may seem like a lot to remember, but you’ll see how simple it is to acquire a model that meets your needs.
In this article, we’ve listed everything you need to know before you buy a projector.
Internal or External: Where are you going to use the projector?
This is the first question you should answer yourself before choosing a template. Will the projector be used internally or externally? This is important because it concerns the brightness of the environment. Less powerful devices will only work well in small environments, while outdoor areas will require brighter machines.
The luminosity power measurement is made in lumens. Thus, the more lumens, the more powerful the accessory. Appliances whose power is 1,000 lumens or less are suitable for small indoor environments only. That is, small rooms and rooms where they can work with the light off. For those rooms a little bigger, models with 2,000 lumens or 4,000 lumens should be enough to ensure good light.
Now, if your idea is to place the projector outside the house or in environments where the light cannot be easily controlled, the ideal is to use the most powerful devices. In this case, we are talking about those whose brightness rate is greater than 4,000 lumens. Still, you may need to tweak the contrast settings to compensate for too-bright environments.
Home or work: different uses require specific models
The second thing to note is what the projector’s final destination will be. Will you be using the projector at work or at home? The difference is due to the type of image that will be projected most often. Office-oriented models, for example, assume more frequent projection of still images, such as slides. In this case, models with SVGA (800 x 600 pixels) or XGA (1024 x 768 pixels) resolution do the job satisfactorily.
For home use, it is assumed that the highest incidence of content shown will be movies and games, which requires devices with higher resolutions. Therefore, opt for the Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) or WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixels) models. If you want something more affordable, the HD models (1280 x 720 pixels) can also be a good thing.
Finally, you may still find projectors whose resolution is 4K. However, there is still not that much content available to justify the investment in these models, which are among the most expensive. In this case, they are more suitable for large outdoor projections, concerts or large events.
Brightness, technology and connections
The two items we mentioned in the previous topics are without a doubt the most important. However, that doesn’t mean they are the only ones. There are more details to note such as the outputs and connections it has. Connectivity with VGA and HDMI ports are the traditional standard, but newer models can be connected to smartphones, especially via wireless.
As for the construction technology, there are projectors of the DLP (Digital Light Processing) type or with LCD panels or LCoS (liquid crystal in silicon). The last two types ensure better image resolution quality, but the DLP type models are more common and cheaper.
Finally, also look at the lumen ratios in white brightness and colour brightness. These two values indicate white brightness and colour brightness respectively. The closer the number to both, the more vivid and sharp the images will be. Ideally, the lumens index should be the same for both specs.
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