What is the best movie projector for a home theatre?

Question

I am looking at getting my husband a movie projector for our anniversary. I have no idea what I'm looking for. Any ideas? What exactly do I need to get along with the projector? Do they sell screens? What brand is best? Any suggestions would be very helpful! Thank you!

Answer 1

See the sites at the first 2 links. Excellent reviews, informative articles, etc.



Briefly, projectors can be from several hundred $ to multiple thousands, however a good projector can be had for under $1000.



However, every one is a bit different re advantages and disadvantages so you need to consider YOUR needs so you can "zero in". That's why it's not a good idea to just accept someone else's recommendation. They may suggest a good model, but one that isn't best for you.



You need a screen to get the best picture (although a blank white wall can work). You can buy for about $200 (or up to thousands), or make one for under $100 (See the DIY screen section at the last link)

Answer 2

Unless you have a dedicated room and large enough for a projector then go to Home theater Magazine or pick up a copy of March issue. It list just about every projector in the market for home theater. You also need a projector screen, depending on size and brand will also determine the cost. A receiver is a must with either a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound and a set of speakers, a blu ray disc player. Buy a projector could cost you more than buying a 65" Plasma tv, which you can now buy at best buy for $2,000 (Panasonic S14 model). Projector lamp only last about 2,000 hours and will cost you $200 - $500 (depending of the make and model of the projector). Read all the reviews at Home Theater Magazine for any electronic you might be interested in. I use a Panasonic projector and it was $3,495, I only use it for blu ray disc movies. Hope this will help you out.

Answer 3

Best Projector For Movies

Answer 4

The distinction between a multimedia and HT projector is largely artificial. That said, multimedia projectors tend to be brighter and put less emphasis on contrast performance. When choosing a projector for movies you (probably) don't need high brightness levels (since it's assumed you have the ability to control ambient light), therefore you can benefit from high contrast capability (e.g. 20,000;1 or more). Many multimedia projectors have rated contrast ratios less than 1000:1. As to resolution, the higher the native resolution the better. For movies ... given that most modern movies are 1.78:1 or more (i.e. widescreen) a projector with a widescreen (e.g. 16:9) aspect ratio is preferable since it will use more of the vertical pixels of the display for widescreen movies than a squarer (i.e. 4:3 ratio) display. Finally, question of connection type. HDMI > Component > S-video > Composite. So ... the choice between your two options (although there are many others) is clearly the Epson.

Answer 5

You can try this Optoma BL-FS180A Projector Lamp for DV11 Movie Time Home Theater Projector

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TIY1E4?ie=UTF8&tag=digitsy-marina-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000TIY1E4

Answer 6

I would suggest Optoma HD20 High Definition 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector

True High Def 1080p Resolution

1700 Lumens Brightness

4000:1 Contrast Ratio

Up to 300-Inch Screen size

Gloss-white finish. Low-noise fan on normal-bulb mode. 4000 hours lamp life on econo is greater then most projectors! Good enough to use in bright mode to use with lights turned on in the room. In the dark, it looks simply amazing. You can use it with white wall or if you can afford then buy screen

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002G0CWSU?ie=UTF8&tag=computer0bd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002G0CWSU



or if you can afford another good choice is Sanyo PLV-1080HD High Definition 1080p LCD Home Theater Projector, a great HD LCD projector.

Full 1920 x 1080 HD resolution with TopazReal technology

10,000:1 contrast ratio for rich colors and deep blacks

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GCUIK8?ie=UTF8&tag=computer0bd-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001GCUIK8

Answer 7

MTS' response is right on especially the recommendation of the Optoma HD20 which is highly rated in the current March issue of Consumer Reports.



Good luck!