If you're shopping for an HDTV, you've probably noticed that the news stories and Sunday circulars all seem to focus either on expensive flat-panel plasma and LCD sets or on more affordable LCD or DLP rear-projection TVs. It's no wonder, since these sets combine cutting-edge technology and standard one-box versatility in a package that looks way sexier than tried-and-true tube-based TVs.
But before you settle on one of these HDTV options, I'd like to propose an alternative that you — and the sales kid at Best Buy — might not have considered: a front projector. They're not for everyone, but the reasons for not getting a projector are fading fast as the models get smaller, the prices go lower, and they get easier to set up and maintain. If the ten reasons below suggest that a projector is a good fit for your lifestyle, you might be ripe to convert.
1. Super-sized picture
Here's the single best reason to get a projector: even a typical budget-priced ($1,000 to $3,000) home theater model can easily deliver an image from 70 to 120 inches or more (measured diagonally). As anyone who's graduated from a 27-inch to a 36-inch TV can tell you, the more picture, the better. This is particularly true with HDTV, which delivers movie theaterlike impact with a high-resolution projector. Go ahead and try to find an affordable 70-inch HDTV, let alone one that fits in your living room. (Al Griffin looks at three budget-price projectors in Big-Screen Megabargains and checks out four higher-end models in Super-Size HDTV.)
2. Look, ma — no gear
Compared with a traditional tube TV or a rear-projection set, a front projector takes up almost no space. Permanently mount it on the ceiling or temporarily set it on a coffee table, and it's effectively out of the way. Likewise, you can make the projection screen disappear when you're not using it by having it retract into the wall or ceiling. Or you can make your house look like a real movie theater and hide a standard framed and wall-mounted screen behind curtains, to be revealed only when it's time to watch a flick. Even if you decide to keep the screen in plain sight, it's still a lot less objectionable to look at, and takes up a lot less space, than a bulky big-screen TV.
3. A screen is optional
Projecting the image onto a white wall can give you an acceptable picture as long as the wall is actually white — flat latex paint is best — and relatively smooth. Adding a black frame around this area, even if you just paint it on, also helps increase apparent contrast. Companies like Goo Systems (goosystems.com) and JDL Industries (305-599-2022) even sell paint-on screen substitutes. But, unless you absolutely can't afford one, a screen is always the best way to go. A regular white wall robs the image of brightness, contrast, and color saturation, and it can also affect resolution, depending on the texture of the wall. HDTV-worthy screens cost less than you think — Da-Lite (da-lite.com), for instance, sells its pull-down 92-inch High Contrast Matte White Model B for $256 — and you can bring your picture close to perfection with higher-end ($500 to $5,000) models from companies like Da-Lite, Stewart (stewartfilm.com), and Draper (www.draperinc.com).
4. Projectors are PC-friendly
Many HDTVs don't have computer-compatible inputs, but nearly every home theater projector can display computer images straight out of the box. Along with a full selection of standard jacks, most projectors have VGA inputs as well as DVI or the newer HDMI jacks, so they can display just about everything. Even if the idea of a wall-sized Web page or digital-camera slideshow doesn't appeal to you, you can connect your Xbox or PlayStation 2 console for big-time gaming — as if games aren't addictive enough already!
5. See every detail
HDTV is made for big screens, and nothing shows off the amazing detail of 1080i (interlaced) or 720p (progressive-scan) high-def programs like a projector spitting out 28 square feet of picture. Smaller direct-view and even rear-projection HDTVs often truncate the resolution of high-def sources to as little as 500 lines of resolution, resulting in softer images. But many new projectors can show every line of resolution in a 720p high-def image. Naturally, the 1080i HDTV format looks great too, but with projectors capable of displaying full 1080i selling for $30,000 and up, affordable models are still a ways off.
6. No more black bars
A projector makes the complex waters of aspect ratio — you know, the 4:3 shape of a standard TV screen vs. HDTV's widescreen 16:9 ratio vs. a movie theater's super-wide 2.35:1 ratio, and all the many variations in between — a little easier to navigate. Since most HDTV sets have 16:9 screens, you're stuck with black or gray bars on either side of the picture for 4:3 shows, or on the top and bottom of the picture when you're watching super-wide (2.35:1) DVDs. But a projector can adapt to any aspect-ratio screen or program. If you have a standard 16:9 screen, for example, you can use curtains to crop it for 4:3 shows. More complex — and expensive — installations use motorized masking to crop the screen to any aspect ratio.
7. Create a movie theater
Yes, to enjoy a projector's picture you have to dim the lights, and you have to turn them all the way off if you want a really good image, but that can be a good thing. Nothing gets you and your friends in the mood for a movie like settling down to watch a DVD on a huge screen in a darkened room. Many projector owners reserve their light cannons for showing movies and cinematic TV and HDTV shows, and keep a smaller standard set on hand for watching the news, reality TV, and kids' shows.
8. A great way to make friends
Anybody who's invested in a home theater knows it's an irresistible draw for visitors, especially during special events — inevitably broadcast in HDTV — like the Super Bowl or the Oscars. Get a projector, and you'll feel like you're the kid with the pool — suddenly, you'll have even more friends. Another great thing about a projector compared with a big-screen rear-projection TV is that there won't be a bad seat in the house. Viewing angles for projectors are typically very wide, especially if you choose the right screen. In other words, the image remains bright no matter where you are in the room or whether you're sitting on the floor or standing up. Also, bigger images are easier to see from just about everywhere. And if you have to make room for more people, a table-mounted projector can be moved without much hassle.
9. You can take it with you
Speaking of hassle, have you ever moved your big-screen TV to a new house? They're among the biggest and bulkiest boxes any mover has to deal with — one reason why they're often damaged in transit. The days of ottoman-sized three-tube projectors are gone. Today's compact models are easy to tote, and you can even use them on the road. Taking a projector to your vacation home or over to your friend's house is a lot easier than lugging a TV, and a projector can give you that immersive experience wherever you want. Many models make the job even simpler by including carrying cases and road kits, and upcoming micro versions like Mistubishi's paperback-sized LED-powered PocketProjector (see “CES Showstoppers”) will open up new possibilities for road warriors.
10. Cheaper than you think
Projectors have a reputation for being more expensive than other kinds of video displays, but thanks to the relentless march of technology, that's becoming less and less true. You can get home theater-worthy lower-resolution models for less than $1,500, while LCD projectors with HDTV resolution start around $2,000. Even some high-def DLP models sell for around $3,500 — which is a bit more than you'd expect to pay for a 50- or 52-inch DLP-based rear-projection HDTV, but not by much.
Before you rush off and buy a projector instead of a standard TV, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, you do need to dim the lights when watching a projector. That means either closing the blinds during daytime viewing (and good, opaque window coverings are essential) or only using the projector at night with all the lights turned off.
Second, to take full advantage of a projector, you need a good-size room. In a smaller room, it's hard to get the image big enough to make the investment worthwhile. Also, if you don't mount the projector on the ceiling, ensuring a clear path between the lens and the screen is harder to do in a smaller room.
If these issues are no big deal for you, and if you're looking for the largest high-def image possible, then you're primed and ready for a front projector. Mate it with a good surround sound system and a cable or satellite receiver, and you'll never miss a TV's built-in speakers and tuner. I had a projector set up for a few months in the kitchen (the largest room) of my Brooklyn apartment, and yes, I always seemed to have more friends, and friends of friends, coming over to watch something.
Most of the home theater aficionados I know have front projectors, and even the ones who can't afford a projector want one. Home theater has always been about matching — or even exceeding — the experience of watching a movie at the local cineplex, and projectors do this better than anything.