A Short Guide to Video Projectors: Business vs Home Theater Projectors

A Short Guide to Video Projectors: Business vs Home Theater Projectors
By Andrew Ghigo

Today's multimedia video projectors represent a versatile, practical, and affordable tool that can serve different purposes both in the business as well as in the home entertainment arena.

The fall in price and the developments in video projection technology we have experienced during these last few years, have made the digital projector even more accessible to a larger group of home users.

Demand has increased to such an extent that manufactures are not only producing what are referred to as 'cross-over' models - i.e. projectors that can handle both PowerPoint presentations in the office as well as DVD movies at home, but they have also started to target the home entertainment domain by producing models specifically designed for home theater use. ...why?

It is true that 'cross-over' projectors can handle both worlds, but this does not mean that a video projector that can deliver a great presentation in the boardroom is also capable of delivering a great cinematic experience in the home theater.

Home theater projectors and business projectors have to fulfill distinct requirements in their use which can only be met if the video projector is specifically designed for the purpose.

What characteristics differentiate Business Video Projectors from Home Theater Projectors?

It is no surprise that video projectors are becoming a popular choice with many home theater enthusiasts. The digital projector can deliver the largest image for your dollar. Simply hook up your DVD and there you have the most cinema-like image in the home theater. Or connect a HDTV source such as a cable set-top box or satellite receiver, and there you have a huge 100 HDTV for the cost of a 50 plasma TV.

And in the boardroom, today's powerful digital multimedia projectors are proving to be more than ideal for business presentations; they are capable of delivering bright huge images under normal ambient room lighting - something only dreamt of in the days of the overhead projector. Simply plug in your laptop, and there you have the most fantastic business presentation in the world!

However, it is important to keep in mind that the boardroom and the home theater are two different arenas that require different beasts. The distinct requirements between the two are important; the discussion that follows explains what video projector attributes should apply in these two cases.

Important Projector Attributes

Brightness:

The brightness level (measured in lumens or ANSI-Lumens) is an indication of the level of light thrown out by the projector. Brightness is a lot more important for business use - this in view that many presentations are given in conference rooms with standard office lighting rather than in reduced ambient light. This means that the image needs to be bright enough to be seen, otherwise the projection would look washed out.

For small boardrooms and presentations with a lot of ambient light, a brightness of around 1000 to 1500 lumens should normally be fine. However, keep in mind that the projector brightness required depends on the projected screen size, the level of ambient light, and the projection screen gain (more on this in our projector screen guide).

For home theater applications, a high brightness level is not important. Some video projectors intended for home theater use come with bulb setting to enable the user to dim the light source for improved viewing and deeper blacks when viewing takes place in a darkened room.

Contrast:

As discussed in our Contrast Ratio article, even a minimal level of ambient light may render a high contrast image of say 5000:1 similar to one with a contrast ratio of 500:1. This means that though a minimum level of contrast is important for the eye to perceive a sufficient bright image, yet contrast is not an important attribute in business applications, nor it is in home use if one will be using the projector in the living room with the lights turned on.

In reality, anything above 400:1 for the contrast ratio would not be perceived by the eye if viewing does not take place in a completely darkened environment. In addition, due to the eye's contrast sensitivity function, a contrast ratio of say 2000:1 would not be perceived as five times better than one with a contrast ratio of 400:1. Therefore, pay more and go for a high contrast ratio only in the case of a home theater projector and as long as viewing takes place under controlled lighting.

Color, Gray-Scale Performance, and Smooth Video Playback:

These are all attributes that are more critical in home theater applications. In fact, color accuracy with natural-looking skin tones and capability to present subtle detail in bright and dark areas of the image matter more to the home user.

Similarly, the projector's ability to present smooth, video playback with no added motion artifacts, when presenting fast action sports and movie scenes, is of prime importance in any home theater application.

LCD or DLP:

It all depends. Strictly speaking, both technologies can do a good job in either of these applications in that advancement in technology has closed the gap between the two. Yet LCD projectors are normally the primary choice with business projectors in view that these still have a brightness edge over DLP.

On the other hand, DLP is still the favored technology when it comes to home theater use due to their improved black level performance and smoother looking projections that resembles more closely those at the movie theater.

Portability:

This is a major issue with the business video projector. Smaller and lighter is better, especially if you travel frequently. Weight is more of an issue for the business user. Business mobile professionals will want to hook up a lightweight projector to a computer or laptop, projecting an image on a large screen or wall for presentations.

Most business-oriented projectors weigh just a few pounds - some very light business models weigh no more than three pounds! These video projectors usually come with carrying cases and wireless remote controls that enable the user to control not only the projector, but also to send commands to the PC through appropriate connectivity. Some remotes include an integrated laser pointer.

Most multimedia projectors under this category come with a small integrated speaker for the sound; more expensive projectors have security features such as locking cables, etc.

Portability issue is of no concern in the home theater. One would normally setup a fixed place for the projector. For home theater projectors, the best installation spot is on the ceiling. This means that some planning has to go into how it is best to run cables into the ceiling to connect your projector with the rest of your home theater gear.

Video Projector Connectivity

It is critical that your video projector comes equipped with the appropriate inputs to enable you to connect with your PC or laptop in the case of a business projector, and home theater gear, DVD, or HDTV set-top-box in the case of a home theater projector.

It is clear that connectivity requirements between these two video projector categories vary.

Most - but not all - models support component, composite, S-video, and RGB connectivity. Home theater projectors normally also include a DVI or an HDMI port; this is very useful when it comes to interconnecting with a compatible DVD player or HDTV set-top boxes.

One standard that is starting to show up more on video projectors, and that is most appropriate in the business arena, is the M1, EVC, or P&D standard; this is most commonly referred to as M1 or M1-DA.

The M1 connector allows for the same connectivity as DVI digital single or dual link or analog transmissions in the case of DVI-I. But the added advantage of the M1 over DVI is that the M1 also provides connectivity to the USB or FireWire port on your PC. The USB/FireWire connection is used to supply commands from the projector's remote control to the computer - thus allowing you to scroll through PowerPoint presentations, etc.

Our advice: Always check before you buy to be sure that the projector has the inputs you need.

Projector Resolution: SVGA, XGA or Widescreen (WVGA or WXGA)?

This refers to the native or optical resolution and measures the level of picture detail that the projector can handle without compressing (down-scaling) the number of pixels in the original video content. Downscaling degrades picture quality and leads to picture content loss.

This is probably by far the most important video projector attribute that differentiate business from home theater projectors. In reality, it is not the number of pixels but rather how these are arranged on the screen in terms of width vs height i.e. the native aspect ratio of the projector.SXGA (1280x1024) is currently the highest resolution available for portable projectors; these video projectors are relatively very expensive. Most common video projector resolutions in the 4:3 aspect ratio are XGA (1024x768 pixels) and SVGA (800x600 pixels).

Widescreen versions of SVGA (WVGA: 854x480) and XGA (WXGA: 1280x720) have also started to emerge. These enable better projections of widescreen 16:9 content.

Business Video Projectors: SVGA and XGA projectors are more suited for business presentations, with the higher resolution XGA projectors being more capable of showing fine detail in your slide show.

Many may thing that the higher the resolution the better - but this does not necessary apply in the case of the business projector. A word of caution here arise out of the fact that if the text on a PowerPoint slide makes use of a too small a font to show using an SVGA projector (and therefore it necessitates the need of an XGA projector), it means that probably, the audience at the very back would still not be able to read it. Surely, you do not want that. In these circumstances, the cheaper SVGA projector would - in most circumstances - be able to do more than a good job.

On the other hand, the XGA projector is the best option for presentations that include graphics, software demonstrations, or full Web pages; this resolution also represents a better match for laptop computer displays.

Home Theater Projectors: If you want to use a video projector to project a huge image on a screen in your home theater, then the higher the resolution, the better since you will be less likely to suffer from pixelation issues. It is true that pixelation disappears as one moves further away from the screen but in the home theater, many would prefer to move a little bit closer for a wider angle of view and a more immersing movie experience.

Although most SVGA projectors can display HD images from your HD cable tuner or satellite, they don't have enough resolution to do it justice. The two main HD resolution formats are 1080i (1920 x 1080 pixels) and 720p (1280 x 720 pixels). SVGA projectors, with 800 x 600 pixels of resolution, don't have the ability to display either format without downscaling.

Even with DVD content - which at 852x480, comes with a lower resolution than HDTV - the lower-priced SVGA projectors cannot do a good job with DVD movies. XGA, on the other hand, gets much closer but...

Both standard SVGA and XGA projectors have a native aspect ratio of 4:3, so the image corresponds to a standard computer screen or regular television. Widescreen content - such as that available from DVDs and HDTV programming - have an aspect ratio of 16:9. The best way to match this is to use a home theater projector with a widescreen native resolution; it is only in this way that you can avoid the letterboxing, image stretching, or image cropping, or other aspect ratio management techniques that are often used to present a 16:9 content on a 4:3 screen.

Widescreen projectors come in either WVGA or WXGA. Opting for the cheaper WVGA projector makes sense if you will be watching only DVD movies. For HDTV content, a WXGA projector is necessary. This will enable you to display all HDTV content up to 720p without re-scaling. You still will be able to see 1080i HDTV material on a WXGA projector but the projected image will have to be compressed to fit the 1920x1080 pixels in a 1080i or 1080p HDTV, in the available pixel field of a WXGA video projector.

(c) 2004/2005 www.practical-home-theater-guide.com. All rights reserved.

Andrew Ghigo A Telecoms/Electronics engineer by profession. Editor and publisher of http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com - a comprehensive home theater guide to home theater systems, product reviews and home theater design.

This article is an excerpt from a series of informative guides appearing under the Projection Television section of the site.

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Choose the Correct Home Theater Projector

Choose the Correct Home Theater Projector
By Steve Faber

How to Pick the Correct Projector for Your Home Theater

You're finally making the jump to the holy grail of home theater video displays; the front projection system. There's nothing else that delivers that really big, impressive video image like a front projection system. It's how you get that real cinema experience in your home theater. Home theater projector prices have plummeted in recent years, and the size of the units have shrunk right along with the prices. No more do have to live with a coffin sized box on your ceiling. As sizes have decreased, the image quality and brightness have actually improved dramatically. You'll notice image quality and brightness are two separate issues.

How do choose the correct home theater projector for your application from the myriad of projectors on the market today? There are so many different units, each with their strengths and weaknesses. First of all, there are two main projection technology categories, analog and digital. Analog projectors are based on CRTs, a mature technology that's been around for decades. Those are the projectors with the separate red, green and blue picture tubes and three lenses on the front. The other projectors use one of the newer digital technologies. These projectors have a single lens on the front. There are three major types of digital projectors on the market today; LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), DLP (Digital Light Processing) and LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon). Each type of digital projector has it's advantages too.

You need to evaluate your specific requirements in order to make the proper decision. First of all, look at the room. Is it a dedicated home theater or a multi use room? Do you have complete control of the light? What aesthetic concerns are you dealing with? What is your projector budget? How large of an image do you want? Do you watch primarily DVD movies, TV movies, sports, or other TV programming? What specific source components will you be using with your projector now or in the future? Is picture quality the most important thing, or are other concerns, such as noise, size or brightness more important? Are you installing the projector yourself, or are you hiring a custom installer to do the installation for you? Where must the projector be placed? Can you get the required video and control cables to that location? These questions must be answered to ensure you get the proper projector for your home theater. If you are using a custom installer, they will take into account these factors and specify the appropriate unit for you.

Dramatic improvements in the picture quality of digital projectors notwithstanding, CRT projectors still deliver the most film like image. They have no pixel structure and deliver rich, deep blacks. Properly set up and calibrated, with a good video processor, and with the proper size screen, a CRT projector will deliver simply stunning picture quality. You'll need to use a good quality projection screen, typically with 1.3 2.5 gain depending upon the size, viewing angel and ambient light in the room. Prices on really great CRT projectors have fallen like a rock in the last year or two. You can get a 9 CRT projector that used to cost $35,000 to $50,000, for less than a third of that figure now. Many firms no longer make CRT projectors due to the decreased demand for projectors using this technology. In addition, the required video processors have decreased dramatically as well. Ten years ago a great video processor used to cost $10,000 to $20,000. Now you can get one for well under $5,000 and as little as $2,000, brand new. They also easily last 8,000 10,000 hours when properly set up.

If they are so fantastic, why doesn't everybody still use CRT projectors? Well, there are many detriments to a CRT projector as well. The best ones, with the 9 tubes, are simply huge. It's like hanging an upside down bathtub on your ceiling. If you want to put one under a coffee table, it'll be one large table. They are also very heavy, around 150 200lbs, so you need the proper structure to support them. CRT projectors also require precise placement. They must be perfectly square with the screen, at the correct elevation for good picture quality. In addition, while many digital projectors have zoom lenses, allowing the projector to be placed at a range of distance from the screen, CRT projectors must be at a very precise distance for a specific screen size. These factors severely limit placement options. While the larger CRT projectors put out more light than their smaller counterparts, they have pretty dim images compared to even the least expensive digital projectors. Finally, CRT projectors require specialized setup in order to get a watchable, much less an optimum image. Every 6 months to a year, they must be re-calibrated to ensure you are still getting optimum picture quality.

There are some very good reasons why most people are using digital projectors in their home theaters today. Many are small and light, require minimal setup and calibration (compared to a CRT), are quiet and have a bright, sharp image. But, there are many different digital projectors, ranging in price from around $700.00 to over $100,000.00. Which one is the best for your specific application? Thankfully, the situation is changing, but many of the digital projectors marketed for home theater use are really just re-badged presentation units. Presentation projectors sacrifice good video quality for brightness. Brightness is much more important when giving a Powerpoint presentation in a lit room than the correct color palate or the black level. The red on the pie chart looks great, no matter what, as long as you can see it from the back row.

You want to choose one of the newer units that has been truly designed for home theater applications. The actual technology used for the imaging chip is not all that important, there are great examples using all three of the digital technologies. Companies such as Sony, Runco, InFocus, Vidikron, Marantz, Benq, Panasonic, Sharp, Optima and Sanyo and some others all make great home theater projectors. The projector will have great black levels, to accurately reproduce detail in the darker areas of the picture and give great contrast. Absolute brightness is not extremely important, unless you have a multi-use room without complete light control or you have a lot of people over for sporting events. If you are entertaining many people for sports, it's nice to have some light on in the room, so a brighter projector is advantageous.

Projectors come in a number of different resolutions. The lower the resolution, the smaller the screen you can use before you can see pixel structure. Also, the lower resolutions will not support true HDTV. Most will display HD, but at a decreased resolution. The lowest end projectors typically have resolutions of 800 x 600. The Texas Instruments Matterhorn chip is popular on budget priced wide screen projectors, and has a resolution of 1024 x 576. Anything over a resolution of 720 will allow for true HDTV. The TI series of HD-2 DLP chips has a resolution of 1280 x 720. In April of 2005, TI announced new DLP chips with 1920 x 1080 was ready for production, allowing for true 1080p resolutions. Projectors with this chip will begin shipping in Q1 of 2006. Blu-Ray Disc has stated they will support 1080p, so by late 2006 there will be commercially available 1080p content besides Microsoft's WMHD discs.

Another very important aspect of home theater projectors is the internal video processing. This is one of the primary differences between good home theater projectors and presentation projectors. Digital projectors must display progressive scan images at the native resolution of the chip, so any interlaced signal, such as 1080i HDTV, must be de-interlaced and then scaled to the native chip resolution. Poor quality video processors, weather in the projector or external units, cause all sorts of video artifacts that can get in the way of a satisfying video presentation. This subject alone is too in depth for this article, as entire texts have been written on the subject. However, one common video artifact is jaggies where diagonal lines are jagged instead of straight. Another annoying artifact caused by poor video processing is moire'. This is a pattern seen as alternating light and dark lines that change position as the image moves.

You'll want to be sure your projector supports the HDMI or DVI with HDCP copy protection to allow you to connect a HD-DVD, scaling DVD player or Blu-Ray Disc player. These devices will only allow maximum resolution on a display that has a digital video input with HDCP copy protection. In the future, cable TV and satellite providers may restrict the maximum resolution to their digital outputs too.

When choosing your new home theater projector, make sure it has the video quality, brightness, size, auditory and budget characteristics that you need. Projectors are a large investment, choose carefully and you will be rewarded with years of thrilling video in your home theater.

Steve has 15 yrs in custom electronics. He is a CEDIA certified designer with ISF and THX certificates. His experience includes: installer and programmer; system designer; business unit director for an a/v importer; sales rep for a CE distributor; and principal of a $1.5M+ CEDIA firm. He's now senior sales engineer for Digital Cinema Design in Redmond, WA. Get more great home theater and home automation information here:Home Theater Projectors

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What You Should Know About Buying Projector From Ebay Or Online Auction

What You Should Know About Buying Projector From Ebay Or Online Auction
By Clifford Tan

Many people wish to purchase a home projection theater system but still have to work within the constraints of a budget. Can a budget projector be a viable alternative? While a thousand dollars is still a lot of money, it really is not so much to pay for a good home theater projection system. A good home theater will provide years of entertainment from movies, to video and computer games to vacation picture slideshows. How though, can someone find a projector for less than one thousand dollars? How can anybody find a quality projector that also fits the category of a cheap projector? How can they make sure it is going to suit their needs?

One of the most obvious options is through auctions. This is a very difficult way to purchase a projector. The main reason is that all you can do is asking questions of someone who has already proven that they are a motivated seller, proven by the very fact that they have posted the projector on an online auction. Bidding online can be done with some level of confidence though. It is very easy to conceive of getting a very good multimedia projector for less than a thousand dollars in this manner.

Making sure you ask the questions you want answered is the first challenge in finding a home theater projector online. While this may sound easy enough, it really is not when you think about it. For example:

Buyer: Why are you selling your projector?
Seller: Because I am thinking about buying a new projection system. (Thinking, looking, considering all are terms to make the buyer beware)

Why would this simple question and answer dissuade someone from actively bidding on this projector? Take a moment to look at it more closely. The seller obviously wants to sell the projection unit that they currently own. But why do they want to sell it is the relevant question. The answer states that they are looking, considering, thinking about, or otherwise contemplating the purchase of a new system, this is not to say that they are actively in the process of purchasing a new system. This in turn, should lead the prospective purchaser of the online auction projector to ask themselves, and the seller, a series of other questions. Why are they selling the projector without having found a new one they are sure of?

While there are literally thousands of different combinations of this simple question and answer red flag, the key is the same in all of them. If the seller will not give specifics then buyer beware. It is better to lose a bid on a high quality projection theater system than it is to win even with a low bid for a damaged projection unit. The cost of repairs, while relevant in the long term of projector life is important; it should not have to be a factor when purchasing a new projector, no matter where it is bought.

Things to look for that will indicate it may in fact be a quality cheap projector usually are some type of upgrade on the part of the seller. While they may still be very happy with the unit they are selling, somehow or another they have managed to put together the money for a new home theater projector display and setup. Another factor may very well be that they were uninformed when they made the purchase.

One key to making a new projector purchase is making sure the store where it is purchased has a good return policy. Ambient lighting, (while the most common factor, is not the only one) will cause many projector displays that look great in the store display to function less than ideally in the purchasers home. It may well be that the seller did not ask the right questions when they bought the projector and they cannot return it. This happens more than most people want to admit with any number of products, not just with projection units. Asking the correct questions can make it easier to figure out if the projector will be right for your needs or not.

Ask the seller about the picture quality of the projection unit they are selling. If the seller is specific and gives you an answer saying that it is not what they expected, there could be other mitigating factors that will make this ideal for you to get a great deal on a great projection system for well under one thousand dollars.

Find out what kind of projection screen they are using. If the projection screen is not ideally suited to the home theater projector they purchased, that could be a point in favor of the buyer. Sometimes a person will spend a great deal of money on a projector and use the blank space on the wall to project the multimedia displays. If the projector shuts off or flickers. This could be an indication that the projector is fine (For the moment) but has been set up somewhere that is either too dusty for the projection unit filters to keep up or it has been set up somewhere that there is not sufficient airflow and the projection unit is overheating. Find out specific details about where the projector is. Do not be afraid to ask questions. The worst that can happen is that they will refuse your bid and save you money. Not a bad deal really, and certainly better than ending up with a home projector that will not work at all or that needs substantive repairs.

If you know that the projector is functioning well but the picture quality is not what it should be, there could well be another frequently encountered problem. This is known as the keystone effect. Most projection units come with keystone adjustment features. The concept is to allow the optic lenses to be adjusted horizontally and vertically. While this can be a great benefit in some projectors, some home theater systems will become quickly inundated with the keystone effect. To make a long story short, the screen and the projector have pixels. The pixels are little concave shaped areas where light is projected and displayed. The keystone effect occurs when the pixels on the screen are not correctly aligned with the pixels being projected from the projection unit. This will greatly detract from the viewing pleasure and often causes unpleasant sensations such as headaches to the viewer.

If a buyer is willing (And well informed enough) to ask specific questions they should get specific answers. If the seller refuses to be specific or to discuss details, than do not bid. Ever! The well-informed buyer will never end up with a seriously damaged projector, and just may, if they ask the right questions, end up with a high quality home theater projection system for well under a thousand dollars.

Note: This article may be republish for use in websites as long as the author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact.

Clifford Tan, a Home Theater enthusiast and owner of the website Home Projector Advisor offering projector reviews, advice and many useful tips and hints to business and home consumers looking to purchase a home projectors. To find out alot more information about home projection system, visit the site http://www.home-projector-advisor.com.

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An Introduction To Projectors

An Introduction To Projectors
By Elizabeth Morgan

A projector is an apparatus for presenting an enlarged image on a screen from a transparency such as a photographic slide or a film. In a motion picture projector, each frame is held stationary at an illuminated aperture for a brief period, and then advanced by an intermittent sprocket or reciprocating claw, the light being cut off by a rotating shutter during the movement. The soundtrack on the film is reproduced at a separate sound head where the film is moved continuously at a constant speed.

An average projector usually has a picture resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. Most of the projectors weigh four to six pounds and come with a carrying case. All of the projectors have varied brightness and contrast levels usually the brightness varies from 1300 lumens to 1500 lumens. A projector with a brightness of 1400 lumens proves to be a good choice for small to medium-sized, well-lit rooms.

Some of the indispensable parts of a projector are the feed spool, xenon arc lamp, projection lens, optical sound head, take up spool, an aperture, normal lens and rotating shutter. But with the advancement of science, new technologies have come into play. The projectors have become much more advanced in terms of clarity of picture and quality of the pixels. Also, the projectors have found use in everyday households, as new versions of domestic projectors have arrived on the market. The abundance of LCD projectors, DLP projectors and video projectors has enabled the common man to enjoy the experience of a big theater hall in his living room.

Projectors provides detailed information on Projectors, LCD Projectors, DLP Projectors, Video Projectors and more. Projectors is affiliated with DVD Projector Rentals.

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The Home Theater Projector Are They Worth the Money?

The Home Theater Projector Are They Worth the Money?
By Nick Crane

When considering the visual component of your home theater system you are certain to look into the prospect of purchasing a home theater projector. A high quality home theater projector is a great way to start or improve on your in-home movie theater. A home theater projector works almost the same as a rear projection television. The only difference being, you guessed it, the location of the projector.

A rear projection television, as the name suggests, has the projector situated behind the television screen and projects an image onto the backside of it. A front projection television is most similar to the projector in a real theater, where images are projected from the back of the room to the front onto a large fabric screen.

The best feature, and reason that most people choose to buy a home theater projector, is the fact they can easily produce an image thats 200 measured diagonally. No other type of screen can do this. In fact, a standard CRT television can only reach a screen size of 40. Clearly, an image of this magnitude can only add to the true theater experience.

With a properly installed home theater projector, you can expect the images produced to be very near the highest quality of anything else on the market. Of course, the room must be darkened enough so that the image appears bright and vibrant, but this can be easily managed through the use of heavy drapes for large windows.

Certain types of projectors must be set up by trained professionals in order for a calibrated, clear image to be achieved. The type that you can easily set up yourself will initially cost less than one that has to be professionally installed. Having said that, professional installation is well worth the extra expense to achieve the clarity and create the ambiance of a night at the movie theater.

A home theater projector is always an expensive piece of equipment, but you can save money by only buying one powerful enough for the room that its going to be put in. One home theater projector varies in output strength to the next, so measuring the distance from the projector to the screen is essential to making an informed purchase.

Home theater projector manufacturers are plentiful, but its wise to stick with a well-known brand. Doing this ensures youll be getting a quality home theater projector and if ever your home theater projector should malfunction or otherwise need servicing, you'll be covered. Less-known or start-up companies may seem like a bargain at first blush, but typically can't offer the type of warranties or service you may want or need.

Nick Crane is a successful Webmaster and publisher of MyHomeTheaterZone.com Visit his site at http://www.myhometheaterzone.com for tips on selecting the right home theater seating.

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3 Types Of Home Theater Projector Screen

3 Types Of Home Theater Projector Screen
By Ricky Lim

Nowadays, the types of home theater projector screen is mind-boggling. The terms used for home theater projection screen is also technical and many people do not actually understand what they are buying.

If you are looking to buy a home theater projector screen, you need to first know the different types of home theater projector screens available on the market. There are 3 types.

1) Fixed Home Theater Projector Screen

These are the most common and the simplest projector screens. They are usually permanently mounted on the wall once the home theater room design and performance is settled. One advantage is you can hide those ugly wires and cables quite easily with this type of installation.

The home theater screen fabric is stretched onto a wooden or aluminum framework and is held into place with fasteners. This creates the smooth and wrinkle free white surface. Its important that the home theater projection screen surface is smooth and tightly held together to prevent any creases over time.

Typically, the home theater speakers are then placed either behind or at the sides of the home theater projector screen. This will provides a better movie watching experience comparable to your local cinemas.

If you decide to place the speakers behind the home theater screen, you might want to consider using a transparent home theater screen fabric. The main advantage is it allows the sound to pass through the transparent fabric maintaining the acoustic sound of the home theater speakers.

2) Tripod Home Theater Projector Screens

These types of screen are portable and suitable for temporary meeting, outdoor movie screening and conducting training. They can be transported easily since they can be folded and slip inside a luggage for easy carrying.

It is cheaper than a standard home theater projector screen and is smaller so it is not suitable for use if you want to watch movies.

3) Wall Mounted Retractable Home Theater Projector Screen

These types are installed on the wall or even to the ceiling. They can allow the projector screen to be retracted when not watching. Its available in both manual and electronic versions and can be quite expensive. Unless your home is short in space or you do not have a dedicated home theater room, it is not necessary to have it.

They are probably other hybrid models of home theater projector screens available but these 3 are the most common and widely used at the moment.

Ricky Lim runs a home theater review site. Visit his website today for more home theater info such as home theater furniture and home theater lighting.

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Home Theater Projector They Aren't Built The Same

Home Theater Projector - They Aren't Built The Same
By Mike Singh

Televisions are changing rapidly all the time, with consumers having a wide assortment of choices for "outside the box" viewing. But once we enter a darkened room, with a wide screen and high quality movie theater, we become part of the cinema atmosphere or "inside the box" once we go to the theater downtown. When it comes to a home theater projector, we need to carefully think and consider our options. A video projector is like a slide or film projector, because they project an image onto a screen. If we are setting up a projector in our basement, for example, we would need to carefully think about things like the ceiling height, the screen level, and the seating positions. While we need to consider all of these elements, we should take the time to work with a skilled professional to help us in selecting the right projector for our specific needs. If we do not really know a lot about this area of entertainment, it would be hard for us to do it on our own, especially if we do not have the necessary information available. We need to do our homework efficiently when it comes to purchasing a projector.

Quality is one of the most fundamentally important aspects of installing a home theater in our home more than anything else. Each element that we put into the home theater entertainment room needs to be part of the "visual aspect of the cinema". It needs to be purchased with the highest level of quality in mind so that it will be able to give you your money's worth in picture and sound quality, completely imitating every visual part of the actual cinema downtown. The project that you select for your home theater should be the best suited for your specific needs, cost the right amount for your theater budget and it should provide you with the overall best quality picture for your money.

A home theater creates one of the best rooms in the home for entertainment or relaxation. It will be welcoming to the family and friends for an atmosphere that is different, a place to completely get away from things. There should not be a good amount of money installing a home theater system only to find that you have selected a poor quality projector for it, so be careful and shop around. Sometimes we can purchase these with the home theater system as a group package. Other times it pays to select the projector based on its specific qualifications for your needs. In any case, a projector is an important element to carefully consider.

Check out http://www.hometheaterreviews.net/ for more articles on home theater room design and wireless home theater systems.

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