Home Theatre Projectors

Choosing a Home Theatre Projector.

Is a brighter home theatre projector better?
What resolution is best for home theatre?
What contrast ratio is best for home theatre?
Where does a home theatre projector need to be installed?
What inputs/connections should I use?
How do I set up my Audio?
What is an LED or Laser Projector?
What is an Ultra Short Throw Projector?
What projectors do you recommend for home theatre?

Is a brighter projector better?

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A brighter projector is not necessarily better, particularly for traditional home theatre use. Very bright projectors may not be able to produce the same level of colour reproduction or contrast levels. Bright projectors may also be louder due to the additional cooling requirements they have.

Brightness with most digital projectors is measured in ANSI Lumens or ISO Lumens. Both methods require the manufacturer to test their unit in regulated conditions to obtain a comparable rating. Be aware that some (particularly smaller brands advertised via online marketplaces) may not use a regulated brightness measurement. We have seen some projectors with an advertised ‘8000 lumen’ rating measure lower than 500 ANSI Lumens!

The best brightness level for your use will depend on the room conditions and the image size you wish to project.

Under 2000 ANSI Lumens – This brightness level is common in the lifestyle entertainment projector range. These are great for dark rooms and smaller images sizes (usually up to 120” but make sure to check the specifications of the projector).
2000-3000 ANSI Lumens – Dark ‘theatre’ rooms. These projectors can offer amazing colour reproduction but need a darker room to get the best result.
3000-4000 ANSI Lumens – These are recommended if the room cannot be fully darkened. They are great for loungerooms or open plan areas, or even in traditional home theatre rooms if you want the flexibility to use the projector with some lights on nearby. Projectors in this brightness range are also popular for golf sim and gaming.

A rooms ambient brightness level will determine how bright a projector should be. Traditional theatre rooms won't require as many 'lumens' as a brighter lounge room.

What resolution is best for home theatre?

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The resolution of a home theatre projector is the measurement of the number of pixels being projected and therefore the detail level that you will see. Resolution is represented by its name (ie FULL HD), or by the number of pixels wide vs high (ie 1920 x 1080). A higher resolution will provide a more detailed image. Some smaller (and often much cheaper) projector brands advertise their maximum resolution, rather than the real (native) resolution. The ‘Maximum Resolution’ specification represents the highest resolution of signal the projector can receive and has no bearing on picture quality, which is determined by the Native resolution specification.

The 2 best projector resolutions for home theatre are::

Full HD 1920x1080 - This is the same resolution as a typical bluray disk and what many films are streamed in when viewing on streaming apps.
4K 3840x2160 - This 4K resolution equals 4 Full HD displays and therefore offers a significant increase in image detail. The 4K resolution is common on new gaming consoles, such as the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, and is also available on 4K Blu-ray disks and on some streaming apps. 4K Projectors can cost more than a Full HD projector however are worth considering to get the best detail possible.
Also worth noting is the '4K Enhanced' resolution. You may see this 4Ke resoluiton mentioned on many Epson projectors. This resolution is still considered 4K and offers great detail, however due to the way the projector produces this resolution (by means of pixel shifting), the level of detail is slightly less than a true 4K projector.

What contrast ratio is best for home theatre?

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Contrast Ratio is another important specification of a home theatre projector. Contrast defines the difference between the whitest whites and the blackest blacks. If the peak white value is significantly different than the peak black value, the signal is said to have high contrast resulting in well defined & detailed shading. A contrast of 10,000:1 means that the blackest black on the image will be 10,000 times blacker than the whitest white.

For a dedicated home theatre projector, that will be used in a darkened room, a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 or more is best. In rooms that regularly have some ambient light, a high contrast projector is not required as ambient light in the room reduces any ill-effect that a low contrast rating may cause. If you plan to use your projector mainly in a lit or even semi-lit room, the contrast ratio is not of vital significance.

Unlike with ANSI Lumens, there is no standard method of measuring contrast. This means it can be difficult to compare models as different brands may use different methods that give higher figures. Laser projectors in particular tend to advertise contrast figures in the millions. Whilst laser projectors can offer better black levels the figure can sometimes be deceiving.

A high contrast image vs a lower contrast image.

Where does a home theatre projector need to be installed?

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Whilst a typical home theatre projector can be placed on a table or shelf, ceiling mounting is the most common method of installation. Ceiling mounting your home theatre projector keeps the unit out of the way and, with professional installation, can be much neater with cabling hidden away.

The required installation distance from the screen varies between projector models. We use the advertised throw ratio figure to calculate the required distance of each model. You can read up on this calculation on our blog. A common installation distance for a 100” image would be approximately 3 metres back. Short Throw projectors are models that are placed closer to the image and Ultra Short Throw projectors would sit even closer (sometimes only centimetres from the screen).

Projectors usually would be installed horizontally centered to the image, however there are times you need to place the projector off-centre (for example you need to have the projector to the side to avoid a ceiling fan). In this case you will need to select a projector with horizontal lens shift (ideally) or horizontal keystone correction.

Home Theatre Projectors with lens shift allow for off-center installation to avoid objects (such as a ceiling fan).

What Inputs/Connections should I use?

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Some older projectors have connections like VGA, Component, Composite, and S-video on the back. These connections are all analogue and lower quality. Almost all modern projectors will solely utilise a HDMI connection, this is a digital connection that can provide a significant improvement in detail. Home theatre projectors should always be connected via a high quality HDMI cable. If you purchase a 4K resolution projector we recommend using a Active High Speed HDMI cable to ensure the signal remains strong enough, and reduce the risk of drop out.

How do I set up my Audio?

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Many home projectors will have a small speaker inbuilt; this can be handy for movies on the go and for small rooms. These speakers are normally 5-10 watts power, like that of a small TV. For larger rooms, or if you simply want some good quality audio, we recommend the use of separate speakers.

A 5.1 or 7.1 home audio solution is best way to experience amazing surround sound at home. Just Projectors offers a range of bundles of speakers and receivers, or you can build your own. A good quality Receiver (also called an Amplifier) will let you connect multiple sources/players at once, decode your surround sound audio signals, send audio to the individual speakers, and connect the video up to the projector through a HDMI cable. This type of system does take more work to install but the audio quality is amazing. Please visit our speakers page to see our bundles.

Another option, that is far easier and cheaper to install, is a Sound Bar. You can view our range of projector compatible Sound Bars on our Sound Bars page. A Sound Bar can sit on a shelf or TV unit under your screen, or even mount to the wall. Basic sound bars can cost around $250-300 with higher quality options over the $1K mark. Projectors work a little differently to a TV, so when choosing a Sound Bar be sure to select one that features both a HDMI and a separate HDMI OUT port. Often the Sound Bar’s that feature a single HDMI eARC port will not work with a projector.

What is an LED or Laser Projector?

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The majority of home theatre projectors will feature an inbuilt lamp that, at some point in the projectors life, will need to be replaced. Most modern projectors feature a very long lamp life so you may only need to replace the lamp once every 2-3 years depending on the use. Lamp-Free projectors, such as LED and Laser, have existed for quite a long time but more recently have become better value, higher quality, and more suitable for home theatre applications.

A projector using a laser or LED does not have a replaceable lamp so has much lower ongoing costs. Projectors with a laser light tend to be brighter than the LED versions although this will change as the technology evolves so always check the advertised ANSI Lumens rating on the projector. Whilst a projector with one of these lamp-free technologies is cheaper to run it does not always mean the projector is better in every way; Features, Colour Reproduction, Brightness, Contrast, and Image Processing will vary between each home theatre projector. Lamp based projectors are still the most common type for home theatre use and, for many clients, could still be the best option. There are also UST projectors also known as Laser TV's which are a new comer to the projector market.

What is an Ultra Short Throw Projector?

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Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors create large images from incredibly short distances. Using specialised lenses and mirrors, these projectors can produce images over 2.5 meters wide from less than 40 centimeters away. Ideally placed on a TV uni , UST projectors require a steep projection angle. For optimal image quality, we recommend using a fixed frame screen and avoiding roll-up or motorised options.

What projectors do you recommend for home theatre?

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It can sometimes be difficult to select the perfect home theatre projector sight unseen, which is why we throughly test new releases so we can offer the best possible advice and recommendations to our customers. The below list is updated regularly with projectors our experts believe are the best home theatre projectors available today. Our team are always happy to offer their advice and recommendation to suit your requirements, please contact us.