Home Theater Projection Equipment

The projector you choose for your home theater is one of the most important elements of your home theater package. The wrong projector will not give you enough light and the images may not be as sharp to give eye popping clarity.

Here are a few considerations in helping to decide on the right projector for your home theater:

• Contrast Ratio and Iris
• Color
• Noise
• Stretch Mode

CONTRAST RATIO
Basically, this is the difference between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks. However, this can be somewhat confusing and misleading unless you understand "full on/full off" and "ANSI" forms of testing. The reason is that different manufacturers will use different test methods to "boost" their numbers so they will appear as good as their competitors. One major consideration on you projector will be is, "how do they achieve the blacks?"

Many projectors will use an Iris lens to help control the blacks in a projector. However, there are drawbacks to this method. They reduce light output during darker scenes. This means that the colors will get "grayed out". An example of this would be a "space themed" scene. In order to make space seem dark, the iris will close to lessen the light output. However, because the light output has been reduced, suddenly the stars are night as bright as they should be. They can even become lost in the background.   return to top

COLOR
We're not talking about the color of your projector, but rather the colors it produces. Projectors use many different forms for projecting color onto your screen. There are color wheels, 3 chip LCD's, and others.

The current LCD technology is for what we opt. This mode of projection allows for clearer imagery. Linked with the use of a projector that does not use an Iris to control contrast, the images appear sharper and crisper as well.  return to top

NOISE
This can be very easily overlooked when thinking about a projector for your home theater. However, imagine watching a quite or even romantic scene in your theater. In the background, you hear this whirring sound. It's not in the movie, yet it is ever present. Then you realize, it's the cooling fans on your projector.

The lamps used on all projectors create an enormous amount of heat. To keep them cool and from causing damage to your projector, all projectors must have a fan for cooling. However, some are louder than others. Your home theater professional should have their projector set up so you can determine  yourself if that is the projector you want to use. The lesser expensive projectors usually have more noise than a higher end product.  return to top

STRETCH MODE
While you may think of this as the time you get up and walk around at the end of your movie, this is actually a form of projection.

Aspect ratio's are different for different movies. Depending on the aspect ratio of the screen you choose for your home theater will determine what your projector will need to do to fill the screen. For full cinemascope projection, you will need the stretch mode with an anamorphic lens to fill your entire screen. If your projector does not have this stretch mode, you may not end up with the image you were wanting.  return to top

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These are just a few considerations to help you in making your decision for a projector for your home theater. You home theater designer/installer should be able to give you many different options and explain the difference in products, as well as cost. Then you can make your final decision as to what you feel will best fit your home theater needs.

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