Projector buying advice at visunext

We have summarised the most important information on the subject of projectors for you!

DLP or LCD, LED or laser, 4K or Full HD, ANSI lumen, contrast ratio, lens shift - in the world of projectors, you first have to find your way around to make the right choice!

We have compiled the most important information about projectors for you as a buying guide based on the latest technological developments.

Area of application: What do you want to use the projector for?

The first question you should ask yourself before buying is what you want to use your projector for. The different areas of application result in very different criteria such as resolution, brightness, contrast and volume, which you should pay attention to when buying a projector. A basic distinction is made between projectors for home use and projectors for business use.

Projector use in the home cinema or living room

For your private home cinema or living room, we recommend a projector with 16:9 resolution, as most films are available in 16:9 format. Full HD projectors (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) and 4K projectors (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) offer this format and have established themselves as the standard for home cinema applications.

3D visualisation

A good home cinema projector today is 3D-capable. A very good home cinema projector offers another important function: intermediate image calculation in both 2D and 3D. This ensures a smooth picture during fast movements. In order to be able to play high-resolution Blu-ray films, the projector also needs an HDMI connection or an HDCP-capable DVI connection.

Luminosity and contrasts

Your home cinema projector should have a contrast ratio of at least 10,000:1 so that the colours and gradients can be displayed optimally.

the brightness you need for your projector depends on the ambient brightness. If your home cinema can be completely darkened, a brightness of approx. 1,500 ANSI lumens is sufficient. If there is a lot of ambient light in your room, you will need at least 5,000 ANSI lumens.

Sound

The volume of the projector is an important criterion, especially in the home cinema. If you want to enjoy films in peace, a quiet projector under 30dB is the right choice for you. In the living room, on the other hand, the volume is less important, as factors such as light output play a more important role. Only the right sound makes the home cinema experience perfect. However, the internal speakers of a projector are not sufficient for this, which is why we recommend using an AV receiver with surround speakers and Dolby Digital or DTS sound.

If you want to prepare for the high-resolution future, a 4K projector (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) is the right choice, provided you have a generous budget. High-quality Full HD home cinema projectors also offer 4K upscaling, such as 4K enhancement technology. This doubles the resolution by shifting each pixel diagonally by 0.5 pixels. This produces a recognisably better picture quality.

Discover all home cinema projectors

Projector use in business for presentations

Basically, we differentiate between business projectors for ceiling mounting and portable presentation projectors for mobile use or as table projectors. For ceiling mounting, the projector should have an appropriate mounting hole. A projector with automatic keystone correction is also very helpful to compensate for distortions in the projection.

Discover business projectors now

Loudspeaker

Mobile devices should not weigh more than 3 kg for easy transport and should ideally have internal speakers so that presentations can be given at any location. If the sound is not sufficient, you can use an external speaker that can be connected directly to your notebook via Bluetooth or a 3.5 mm jack, for example.

Discover speakers

Connectivity

Also look out for USB or SD card slots if you want to play presentations directly from a stick without a PC. To achieve maximum flexibility, WLAN capability is a helpful feature for your projector. If you have an MHL-capable smartphone or tablet, an MHL-capable projector is of interest to you. You can connect this directly to the mobile device via cable.

Find cables and adapters

Luminosity

As business projectors are usually used in a bright environment, a high brightness of at least 3,000 ANSI lumens is important for displaying good contrasts. A contrast ratio of approx. 5,000:1 is sufficient for use in daylight.

Bright projectors

Resolution

In terms of resolution, at least a WXGA resolution (1,280 x 800 pixels) is required for an easily legible display of fonts and graphics . WXGA is particularly popular with customers who own a laptop with a widescreen format. Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) or WUXGA projectors (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) are an even better choice, as these resolutions enable a higher quality display of graphics and videos.

find a 4K projector

Brightness: How bright should your projector be?

The brightness of a projector, also known as luminous intensity or luminance, is measured and specified in ANSI lumens. It describes how much light a projector can project onto a certain surface.

To determine how high the light intensity should be, you need to consider the conditions in the room. Can your room be darkened? The brighter the ambient light, for example, the brighter the projection needs to be. The image size and the projection distance are also important factors for the required brightness of the projector, as the light intensity naturally decreases as the distance increases.

The illustration shows the optimum brightness for LCD projectors in various scenarios such as living rooms or meeting rooms. For DLP projectors, approx. 1,000 lumens must be added to the values given below, as these are somewhat darker due to the technology used, provided that predominantly coloured content is projected.

Contrast: What are the lighting conditions at the location?

The contrast ratio describes the maximum difference in the brightness of black and white. With a contrast value of 1,000:1, the brightest point is therefore one thousand times brighter than the darkest point. The higher the contrast of a projector, the sharper and more natural the projected image appears.

How high the contrast values should be always depends on the area of application and the ambient brightness. High contrast is particularly important for home cinema projectors in order to produce deep blacks. Even in darker rooms, high-contrast projectors can display vivid and realistic colours.

If you want to use your projector mainly in daylight or artificial lighting, contrast therefore plays a very subordinate role. However, every projector should have a contrast ratio of at least 5,000:1 .

Resolution and format: How many pixels does your projector need?

The resolution describes the number of pixels that create the image. The higher the pixel density, the sharper the image. The resolution you need for your projector depends on the intended use and the image source.

As we are used to high-resolution picture quality from televisions and monitors these days, you should at least start with a Full HD resolution when purchasing a projector.

With an HD Ready projector (1,280 x 720 pixels), you can experience DVDs on the big screen, but if you expect a razor-sharp picture for Blu-ray or modern streaming services, you should opt for a Full HD projector (1,920 x 1,080 pixels). A Full HD projector is also the right choice for gamers with PS4 or XBox 360.

Full HD is by no means the end of the story - more and more projectors are focussing on 4K resolution with 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. Thanks to streaming portals, high-quality Blu-rays and next-gen games consoles such as PS5 and XBox Series X, more and more content can be enjoyed in 4K. However, with a good upscaler (e.g. in the AV receiver), you can also enjoy Full HD content in 4K.

Beamer resolutions at a glance

Resolution	Format	Advantages	Disadvantages	Classification
SVGA (800x600)	4:3	Very favourable, just enough for simple presentations in 4:3 format	Limited detail display, not ideal for videos or complex graphics	lower entry-level class
XGA (1.024x768)	4:3	Sufficient for occasional business presentations, still very affordable	Not ideal for videos	Entry-level class
HD ready (1.280x720)	16:9	Supports HD content, sufficient detail for many applications, suitable for occasional video viewing	Not as detailed as Full HD	Mid-range
WXGA (1.280x800)	16:10	Supports HDready content, better detail display, good for videos and presentations in offices and schools	Slightly more expensive than SVGA and XGA	Mid-range
Full HD (1.920x1.080)	16:9	Excellent picture quality, ideal for films in home cinema and detailed graphics in business	Inexpensive, requires more bandwidth for streaming	Professional class
WUXGA (1.920x1.200)	16:10	High resolution for detailed graphics, ideal for business and school presentations	Can be more expensive, not all content supports this resolution	Professional class
4K UHD (3.840x2.160)	16:9	Extremely high level of detail, incredible picture quality, ideal for 4K films	Requires high-quality media sources and a lot of bandwidth	High-end professional class

Operating noise: How many decibels are quiet, how many loud?

Depending on the area of application, the noise development of a projector plays a more or less central role.

So that you can enjoy the film at a home cinema evening or are not disturbed by loud background noise during a presentation, the operating noise of the projector should not exceed 30 dB. The larger a projector is, the quieter it is generally, as larger fans can be installed in a large housing, which can rotate much more slowly than small fans for the same amount of air.

Brightness also plays a decisive role. The brighter the projector, the louder it is. This is because brighter lamps need to be cooled more. In addition to the volume, the frequency of the fan also plays a role in whether the noise is perceived as disturbing. The dB value is therefore not always directly comparable.

Tip: To be able to enjoy the film during a home cinema evening, the operating noise of the projector should be below 30 dB. We also recommend external speakers, as these drown out the operating noise of the projector.

Technology: Which process is suitable for your projector?

What different technologies are there and how do they differ? We will introduce you to the most important projector technologies and show you the advantages and disadvantages.

DLP technology

The DLP process (Digital Light Processing) generates images using millions of small mirrors that project light onto the screen. Each mirror controls a point of light (pixel) and can create different shades of colour by tilting or remain completely black, which enables a good contrast ratio. Thanks to the fine mirror structure, the images are sharp and without visible grids. DLP projectors require less space in the housing and are therefore suitable for smaller devices. They also operate in a closed system that remains dust-free, making them low-maintenance .

Here to the DLP projectors:

LCD technology

In the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) process, the white light from the projector lamp is broken down into RGB colours and passed through LCD chips to create a colour image. Liquid crystal elements control the projected image, which enables strong, natural colours and high-quality colour gradients. However, slight weaknesses in the black level and a fine raster formation can occur, whereas home cinema projectors can digitally optimise the black level.

Browse through our LCD projectors:

D-ILA, LCoS and SXRD

This process is known by different names among manufacturers. JVC calls it D-ILA (Direct-Drive Image Light Amplification), Canon calls it LCos (Liquid Crystal on silicon) and Sony refers to it as SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display). All three are based on the same mode of operation. This works in a similar way to LCD technology, but the panels reflect the light instead of letting it through (as with DLP technology). D-ILA / LCoS / SXRD thus combines the advantages of DLP and LCD technology.

Discover D-ILA/ LCoS/ SXRD projectors:

The advantages and disadvantages of the technologies in direct comparison:

	DLP technology	LCD technology	D-ILA, LCoS and SXRD technology
Advantages	fine lettering and line drawing high contrast long-life DMD chips	true colour images fine pixel delineation slightly brighter in direct comparison with DLP technology	high quality and true colour images fine pixel definition slightly brighter in direct comparison with DLP technology
Disadvantages	Rainbow effect (slight colour flashes visible) audible colour wheel under certain circumstances lower colour fidelity	Fly screen effect possible at low resolution more maintenance-intensive (filter change necessary)	lower lumen output relatively more expensive
Tips	DLP projectors are particularly suitable for the business / home cinema sector.	LCD projectors are particularly suitable for the high-end home cinema sector.	Projectors with D-ILA, LCoS and SXRD technology are particularly suitable for the home cinema sector.

Features: What functions should your projector have?

Depending on the application, there are various functions that make using the projector easier. We have compiled the most important functions for you, which are generally very useful!

Keystone correction

also known as keystone correction
corrects the trapezoidal distortion that occurs when the projector is tilted
the image is compressed at the top or bottom edge of the image until the trapezoidal distortion is equalised
helpful for levelling out slanted projections and straightening the image

Optical zoom

2x zoom for great flexibility with home cinema projectors
helpful when an optimal distance to the screen cannot be guaranteed

Lens shift

Image can be moved horizontally and vertically without distortion and without tilting the projector
helpful if the projector cannot be positioned in the centre in front of the screen

HDR (High Dynamic Rage)

improves image quality through increased contrast ratios and an extended colour palette
HDR tone mapping makes it possible to adjust the maximum brightness of an HDR signal to the limited brightness of the projector

Connections: Analogue or digital interfaces?

In terms of connection options, you should consider which devices you want to connect your projector to.

A general distinction is made between analogue and digital interfaces. Analogue connections include inputs for VGA, S-Video, Composite Video or Component Video. Where analogue connections are still required today, the VGA connection is most likely to be used. Digital connections - now standard - are HDMI and DisplayPort, which are considered to be the highest quality.

One of the two connections should be considered for every purchase in order to fulfil current requirements. Today, a DVI connection is usually only used for installation projectors, as HDMI and DisplayPort have become the standard for displaying HD and 4K content. If your source and your projector offer a digital interface, you should always use the digital connection, e.g. HDMI or DisplayPort, forbetter image quality . You can find out more about all connections, what they mean and how they work on our"Connecting your projector" page!

Tip: The HDMI and DVI digital connections are considered to be the highest quality.

Positioning: How do you position your projector correctly?

Seat pitch

The optimum seating distance from the screen depends on the resolution of the projector. For HD Ready (1,280 x 720px), the distance should be at least 1.8 times the screen width , for Full HD (1,920 x 1,080px) 1.5 times. For larger images, a 4K projector (3,840 x 2,160px) is suitable, where the distance can be reduced to 1 times the screen width without affecting the image quality or pixel structure.

Placement

When installing LCD projectors, the projector should be parallel to the bottom edge of the screen or, if ceiling-mounted, to the top edge, as they project the image straight. DLP projectors work with an offset, which means that the image starts higher, which is why they should be mounted below the bottom edge of the screen or above the top edge. Corrections can be made using keystone correction . The projection ratio must also be taken into account in order to determine the correct distance to the screen. A long HDMI cable may be required depending on the installation location.

Operating costs: How expensive are replacement lamps?

When buying a projector, pay attention to the possible follow-up costs forreplacement lamps. The price is usually between approx. 35 and 350 euros, depending on the lamp.

As a rule, the service life of a lamp is between 2,000 and 4,000 hours. With mobile projectors, the lamp life is considerably shorter due to the different design and is around 1,000 to 1,500 hours.

If you use the projector every day and want to keep the maintenance costs as low as possible, an LED or laser-LED hybrid projector, which can last up to 20,000 hours without changing the lamp, is an interesting option. In addition to the cost of the lamps, there are also no replacement costs if you are not allowed to change the lamp yourself (e.g. in a school).

Incidentally, the cost of a replacement lamp varies between 35 and 350 euros, LED projectors have a longer service life.

To the projector lamps

Let's search for a projector!

Have we been able to give you a better understanding of the most important selection options and purchase criteria? If you now know which features your projector should have, try out our buying guide! You can use it to filter the diverse range according to your requirements and find the ideal projector for your projecton plans!

Of course, our contacts will also be happy toadvise you personally.

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