Why would you need a projector?
The need to use a projector has increased especially in light of the emergence of COVID-19 and its effects. Projectors perform a very helpful role in our professional, social, and educational life phases. This best projectors buying guide will teach you all you need to know about buying projectors.
What are the main features you should look out for in your projector?
If you're purchasing your projector for the first time or as a replacement, you should seek to get the very best one that your purse can afford. That is one with the best mix of features and capacities within your budget range. There are several things you should consider when purchasing a projector. However, in this best projectors buying guide, we've tried to simplify them for you as much as possible. Here are the main features you should look out for when buying your new projector or replacing an old one.
Throw ratio
This determines the distance-clarity relationship between the size of the image you're projecting and the surface on which you're projecting it. To get the best-suited projector for your need, you might need to measure the distance between where you'll have to place your projector and the area of the room to get the best results. Throw ratio (T) is calculated by Distance (D) divided by required Image size (I).
Contrast ratio
A significant factor that determines the image quality of your projector is the contrast ratio. The contrast ratio describes the relationship between the proportion of the whitest parts of the image and the darkest parts that the projector projects onscreen. A high-quality contrast ratio is needed to produce a high-quality image. It cannot be compensated for.
Resolution
These simply tell us how detailed the quality of pictures we are seeing are. The higher the resolution, the sharper the picture projected. Go for a projector with high-resolution specifications. Some of the different resolution types for projectors are WVGA, SVGA, XGA, HD Ready, and Full HD.
Brightness
The brightness of a projector is measured in lumens. Traditionally used as a unit of measuring candlelight such that one lumen equals one candlelight, they are typically used to measure brightness in lamps now. The higher the lumens of your projector lamp, the brighter its images would be.
What are the best options of projectors for you?
You should not be surprised that like kids and pets, projectors are also made in different sizes and models. For a variety of needs and subsequently, at different prices. Some of the most popular option you might be looking at to choose from the array include:
Office projector
These are projectors that are primarily designed with work in mind. They are suited to educational and professional environments. They are perfect for presentations, meetings, and teamwork. They also feature several ports that allow external devices to be attached to them such as laptops and speakers. They come fitted with a bright lamp for projecting and are capable of projecting high definition images in various visibility conditions.
Home cinema projector
A home cinema projector just like the name depicts is designed to project large, crisp, and high-resolution images on a screen or some other flat surface designed for projection. They can display full high-definition pictures and images similar to a home TV. They are also capable of being fitted to speakers or other audio devices.
Portable projector
A portable projector, just like the name depicts is designed to be of a small, hand-held size. They are lightweight enough to be carried on a hand and have in-built batteries to keep them running so that you can always use them on the go. They completely eradicate the stress of worrying about the logistics of moving large-sized projectors such as a home cinema projector or an All-in-One projector. They offer highly crisp regardless of the screen surface.
Compact projectors
You ever think of a hybrid piece of technology that combines two good parts of different pieces of tech to form an even better tech. best of both worlds. A compact projector simply does that. It combines the best feature of the Home Cinema projector and the lightweight feature of the portable projector and forms something more magnificent. You really should try this one out before you earn the right to make comments.
All in One projector
this is an integration mechanic at its best. This projector is fully fitted with speakers and comes with the capability of shooting 3d images giving you the feeling of augmented reality. It integrates the features of the Home Cinema projector and the Office projector which makes it project at greater light efficiency and automatically regulates contrast to suit the lighting conditions of the environment. It is most suited for indoor use but will perform wonderfully outdoors as a result of its short-throw projection capacity.
How expensive can the projectors be?
The price of a projector is largely determined by the highest resolution and contrast ratio of the projector. Some laser light projectors can range from $530 to $3000 but that's because they are literally laser-edge tech. You can get a decent one between $200 and $500 and if you want higher specifications, you might be looking at the $2000 range.
Best Projector FAQs
Would my projector come with a warranty?
More often than not, if you’re buying your new projector from a registered store, it would come with a warranty. The more expensive your warranty is, the longer the warranty period. So, costlier projectors can have up to a 5-year warranty and cheaper ones lower than that. The services covered by the warranties also differ. Some might include an on-site maintenance checkup or that it could be sent back to the store for another.
What connection types work best?
Usually, you would want to connect your projector to a laptop or CPU made in the last 5 years. 9 out of 10 times, they would only come with an HDMI slot. They are the standard connection slots for projection in modern times. If the projector you want does not have an HDMI slot, do not buy it and go for one with an HDMI slot instead. You will be saving yourself a lot of time, stress, and money.
How expensive are the replacement lamps?
Projector lamps used to sell for over $320 and had a lifespan of around 1500 hours. Nowadays, after lots of breakthroughs, it is common to have lamps with a high as 10,000 hours of lamp life and cost less than $180 on average. More so, newly developed LED lamps offer over 30,000 hours of lamp life and cost about $200. You won't need to break any bank to get yourself long-lasting replacement lamps for your projector.