With the popularity of home theater systems, more people are using projectors as opposed to TVs. But when it comes to choosing, why should you choose a projector over a TV? After all, TVs are now much cheaper, bigger and with a better resolution than a few years ago.
The benefit of a projector is that it somehow immerses you into the viewing experience. It is notably better if you have a dedicated theater room. There’s something special and natural when the light bounces off a screen in a way that a TV cannot. In the majority of cases, televisions are too bright to give you such an experience.
Furthermore, you get a better experience with a projector where it is easy to control lighting in a room. You have more options to reduce lighting to a comfortable level and enjoy the movie or TV program.
Also, the new projectors on the market come with an advanced feature to zoom in and out correctly and in a way that you cannot achieve with a TV.
Projector vs. TV Gaming
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Not long ago, projectors were the holy grail of gaming. You could not get a TV big enough to match what projectors provide. Things have changed for the better. You can quickly get a big TV to satisfy your needs.
And even though the quality and size of the TV have gotten better, there are advantages and disadvantages of using a projector over a TV for gaming.
One of the most critical reasons is the massive screen, and if you get a projector with a “>short-throw,’ even better. That means the projector can display an enormous image without having to place it too far away from the screen. Other features such as the split-screen work very well in such a massive display offered by projectors.
On the downside, such technologies as HDR and 4K that you can find with current TVs are yet to trickle down to projectors. As a result, TVs look better than projectors.
Projectors are space-saving in comparison to TVs. You are going to need a massive cabinet to place the 55-inch TV, and that in itself is imposing. The fixtures that you will also require to mount the big TV are also significant.
With the projectors, you only need a screen, and if you choose, you can use a blank wall. The device itself does not take a lot of space, and you can mount it on the ceiling. You may not even notice it when gaming or watching a movie. Projectors provide a truly immersive experience.
And while the internal speakers in your TV may not match a dedicated set of speakers, they are not so bad, and you get to enjoy the gaming experience. On the other hand, the internal speakers that come with projectors are not what you can consider good quality (Also read: types of projectors). No doubt you are going to need a good set of external speakers.
Projector vs. LED Screen
LED screens or LED walls are slowly becoming the standard when it comes to business presentations and lecture rooms. But what are the benefits of each over the other?
One of the shortcomings of projectors is ambient light. Ambient lighting affects the quality of the image or video. On the other hand, LED walls do not have such problems with ambient lighting. It means that you can get good quality images even in daylight conditions. You do not have to be in a dark room.
You may need some space to house both the screen and the projector device. LED screens do not use a lot of space as they are inches thick. And if you choose, you can quickly move them to a location that you prefer. You may not need to do a lot of installation compared to a projector.
Once you “>set up the screens and projectors, moving them is not an easy feat. It is not the same case with led wall or screen. At any time, you can tear down the LED wall and set it up somewhere else without so much hassle. Furthermore, you can customize the led wall according to your needs and preferences after moving. We cannot say the same with projectors (read: how does a projector work)
The maintenance needs between projectors and LED screens are significantly different. If something is wrong with the projector, you may need to call a professional to check it up. On the other hand, LED screens our low maintenance and if something is wrong, it is easy to figure it out or use some particular software to solve the issue. The issue with LED screens may sometimes only require a change of the bulb, and everything goes back to normal.
Projector Zoom Ratio
The zoom functionality in a projector allows you to change the size of the image conveniently without having to move the device. However, you do not get a digital zoom with projectors. What you get is an optical zoom.
The zoom ratio measures the zoom capability of a particular device. For example, if the zoom ratio of your projector is 2, then it can magnify the image up to 2 times the smallest image. Therefore, the zoom ratio is the ratio of the largest image of the smallest image.
And even though a high zoom ratio can seem attractive to some people, the feature can affect the contrast ratio and the brightness of the image. The overall quality of the image in a high zoom ratio projector may not be the best.
Projector vs. OLED
In a comparison between a projector and OLED, the latter has better picture quality by far. It would be better to choose OLED if your goal is to get the best viewing experience based on the image quality. However, projectors are much better if you are going to sit far away from the screen.
Other benefits associated with OLED include low latency and improved refresh rates. These are some of the qualities that enhance your gaming experience.
The sitting arrangement and the number of viewers is an essential factor to consider. OLED has a better viewing angle than LCD, but the picture quality will start to diminish when you go farther than 30 degrees. If your sitting arrangement is wide and the viewers are many, then it would be best to choose a projector.