If you want the big screen to be higher
Watch Super Bowl, Olympic Games or regular TV shows and movies, please consider your options.
In my previous column, I wrote about plasma and LCD film
Panel and not too expensive rear-
Screen projection TV, but this time I'm testing devices that are smaller, usually cheaper, and larger at the same time than any TV on the market.
A front screen projector can create a theater-
Just like the atmosphere in your home, the screen is almost any size you want.
Even the cheapest projector can give you the equivalent of 50-, 60-or even a 70-
Inch screen, high matching
Defined units starting at $1,000.
After trying out three projectors, I'm sure this is a viable option for some, although not for everyone.
The projector is not a good choice as your only TV.
If you're going to spend about half an hour watching sitcom or news, it might be better to watch regular TV.
The projector must be preheated and cooled.
When you press the power button for the first time, the fan starts to rotate and direct the cold air to the light.
The light itself does not turn on for at least a minute or two.
When you're done, the process is reversed.
The lights are dim, but the fan is on until it cools down.
Cooling is not allowed to cause the light to go out before the time.
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Click here to view Larry Magid's podcast interview with Jennifer Andrews of project torpeople.
Com, he has tips for big screen options.
When it comes to lights, the projector has a cost of use.
The rated time of the lamp is generally between 2,000 and 5,000 hours, and the replacement fee ranges from 200 to 500 dollars, so if you plan to watch TV for a few hours a day, you have to spend a lot of money on replacement lights.
Ideally, the projector should be in a room with dim light.
While some people can handle a certain amount of ambient light, in bright rooms you don't get a clear picture like a TV, where the light source flashes on the screen.
Even Jennifer Andrews, who works for the project staff.
Com-a website that doesn't sell anything but projectors-admits that they're not for everyone: "people who shouldn't consider positive projection are those who have always wanted to use it as the main TV.
"Of course, she thinks it's great to watch movies or sports events.
With most High
Def TV, projector with no tuner, so you need a source of the show.
This is not a problem if you have satellite antennas or cable services as they provide the necessary hardware to get the signal, but that means you can't plug the antenna into the projector and watch the TV.
There is also no audio or weak audio on the projector TV, so you also need an audio system.
On the positive side, the projector is much more portable than the TV.
They are easy to walk around, although it may take some time to locate properly (
Or hanging on the ceiling)
For the best viewing.
I tested three units: Dell 5100MP for $2,999, Panasonic PT-AE900U (
About $1,650 after rebate and $1,299 for Optoma DV10 movies.
I connect each one to a high
Define the disc network adapter and connect the DVD player to Dell and Panasonic.
Optoma has his own buildingin DVD player.
Like digital cameras, PCs, and all other technical products, some specifications, while important, do not state the whole picture.
The main rating system for projectors is the number of "lumens", that is, how much light they can emit.
This is especially important in rooms with plenty of ambient light, as the more lumens, the less imagesthan-
Lighting conditions.
Speaker using projector in well
The bright meeting room is very concerned about lumens because it is high
The lumens projector makes it unnecessary for them to dim the lights.
If you turn on the lights or watch TV during the day in a room that can't be darkened, you may need some extra lumens.
Lumens are also important when you are dealing with larger images or "throwing.
"If you plan to watch your video on a relatively small website (
70 inch said below)
Screen, you can escape below 1,000 lumens.
If you want your screen to be 10 feet wide, you need to literally cast more light on the subject.
When it comes to the screen, you can get away with a white wall, but for the best results, it's better to buy a bead-shaped screen that ranges from $100 to $500 depending on the size. Project leader
Com recommends "dedicated home theater" with at least 700 lumens, at least 900 lumens for some ambient light rooms, and at least 2500 lumens for high ambient light.
My "Media Room "(
Actually a spare bedroom)
Only 12 feet deep, so the biggest "throw" I can get is an image of about 84 inch diagonal lines.
Still, it's bigger than any plasma hd TV I can afford. 84-
Inch plasma TV starts at about $7,000way)up from there. A 70-
The JVC back-projection TV costs about $6,000.
I found that all the units I tested sent out enough light to be used at night in my media room or even my living room, and the living room was larger.
But as the tone of the day decreases, the room is far away from the darkness, and that is where lumens start to make a difference.
Dell launched $2,999 lumens, worth $3,300, which is excellent in this environment.
1,100 lumens Panasonic did a great job-I could easily accept what I got.
1,000 lumens Optoma is also acceptable, although significantly weaker than the other two units.
Another important number is the local resolution of the projector.
All that I see is acceptable.
Def 720 p signal, but local resolution helps create clearer images from high definition
Define the source.
Dell is rated 1400 by 1050.
Panasonic has a native resolution of 1280x720, while Optomo has a much lower native resolution of 854x480.
There are two basic technologies commonly used for projectors: LCD and DLP.
Projector enthusiasts are constantly debating which one is better.
Everyone has followers and critics.
If you search for "DLP vs LCD" online, you will find a lot of arguments on both sides.
What I'm going to report is that everyone has their own trade-offs and there is no clear consensus that one person is better than the other. Both the Dell (which is DLP)
And Panasonic (LCD)
It looks good to me.
Another problem is input.
Any projector capable of hd TV must have at least three components (RGB)cable inputs.
High-end (
Including Panasonic and Dell)have HDMI (
HD multimedia interface)and some (
Like Dell)also have DVI (
Digital video interface).
Since these projectors are also connected to a pc, they usually also have VGA inputs.
Dell or other premium products
If the environment Light is a problem with the image you want to project very large, the lumen projector is a good choice.
At the end of last summer, I used it for outdoor movie nights with a very large screen on the garage door.
Its super light and high native resolution guarantee excellent image quality.
Having said that, I was also impressed with Panasonic, especially given its low price.
This is a solid machine with very good image quality and very good contrast.
As you would expect, it's not as bright as Dell, Dell is basically irrelevant in a dark room, however, when the lights are on, dell's additional flow and slightly higher resolution do differ.
There are some nice places in Panasonic.
Like a great joystick-
Like the mechanism for moving the position of the lens, this makes you less picky about where the projector is placed.
It also has a 2x zoom lens that allows you to increase the image size in a small room like me.
Optomo itself is in a class.
Yes, the quality of the image is not as good as two higher-
Terminal system, it does not have a lot of input (
Although it does have VGA, components, and S-video).
Still, it looks good, especially compared to standard TV sets.
What's more, it's a pretty good package.
Not only does it have a built-in
Built-in DVD player
The same is true in speakers.
It is very portable and ideal for going to Grandma's or even hotel rooms. My mother-in-
Law lives in an assisted living center and I would love to take it there and have her and her companions on a "movie night ".
"You can buy a projector from Amazon.
Com and many online merchants, but you may start shopping from a professional website like project torpeople. com.
I found their website very helpful and competitive in price.
I also got great advice from Crutchfield.
It can handle a wide range of audio and video products.
Larry Magid, a co-technical columnist for more than 20 years, is an aviation technology analyst at CBS Radio News.
His technical report can be heard several times a week on the CBS radio network.
Magid is the author of several books including The Little PC book.