Selecting the Right Digital Projector For You

!±8± Selecting the Right Digital Projector For You

Projectors, especially the high end home theatre models represent a significant purchase including the replacement cost of the projector lamp, which will eventually need replacement. For the novice, selecting the right projector for themselves is a journey which in many cases results in a wrong decision.

It is best to become at least a little bit educated about what the options are and the strengths and weaknesses of the different types of projectors on the market. High Definition projectors are now available and the standard choice, given the future of high definition broadcasts. There are basically three types of high definition projectors: LCD (liquid crystal display) HDTV projector, DLP (digital light processing) HDTV projector, and the newest technology, the LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) HDTV projector.

An LCD projector produces a brighter sharper image but at certain resolutions and size of the image, pixilation may occur. A DLP projector will give better black levels (provides a better image when the image is a night seen or of an indoor scene in an dim room), although the image details are usually less sharp.

While price is a very important factor in selecting a projector, it is important to make sure the model selected will meet you picture viewing and other needs.

Other considerations include: 1. what will be the room light conditions, as rooms with un-shaded windows will require a higher lumens rating; 2. if the unit will be ceiling mounted, will air conditioning be available as hot air rises and excessive heat may lessen the projector fan's ability to cool the lamp; 3. type of bulb may vary between UHP - Ultra High Performance, UHE - Ultra High Efficiency (most common), or metal halide lamps; 4. how many and what type of connection ports there are; and 5. what size projector do you need (if portability is involved).

While the cost of a DLP HDTV projector ranges around ,000 or more, an LCD HDTV projector generally is less than ,000. Recently LCOS HDTV display has become popular given its higher resolution of 1920x1080 internal resolutions, although the cost of ,000 to ,000 may be prohibitive.

Finally, note that the cost of replacement lamps range from 0 to 0 so inquire what that cost would be for your model.