Buy a projector - you should pay attention to these tips
Related Videos: Everything you need to know when buying a new television (April 2024).
When buying a projector, the large amount of data and names can be very confusing. Our tips will help you decide on the right home cinema system and large professional devices.
Area of application: What do you need the projector for?
Which criteria are decisive when buying depends on the planned use of the projector. The projector is particularly popular for two areas of application and, depending on the application, focuses on various functions:
- Use as a home cinema: The focus here is on resolution, HDCP compatibility, 3D capability, operating volume and contrast ratio.
- Use for presentations and demonstration purposes: Particular attention is paid to the luminosity, ability to mount on the ceiling, video and media connections and, of course, the weight for portable devices.
1. Beamer as a home cinema
Home theaters are usually set up in smaller rooms with little light. Dynamic, broadband sound and a sharp and high-contrast image are more important here than many connections.
- Resolution: An HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels is an absolute must for cinema enjoyment in the living room. With many projectors, this resolution is identified by the inscription "1080p".
- Connections: Although VGA is in principle capable of this resolution, a digital, HDCP-compatible connection is necessary for the display of BluRay films. That is why the projector requires an HDMI connection or an HDCP-compatible DVI-I / DVI-D connection. We explain both connection types and the copy protection HDCP in this article. With the right adapters, you can also retrofit the projector, as we show in the picture gallery.
- Additional features: Projector manufacturers usually identify 3D-capable projectors with the addition "DLP 3D", "DLP 3D Ready" or "Full HD 3D projector". Pay attention to this information if you insist on 3D.
- Volume: For small rooms, like the living room at home, a quiet projector is important. The noise level should be as low as possible so that there is no distracting noise from the projector in quiet scenes, ideally below 40dB. Do not be fooled by the information: If the noise level is specified in ECO mode, you can add 6 to 8dB, because the projector hisses a little louder during film playback. Tip: Values over 1 sone are comparable to 40dB or more, so usually too loud.
- Sound: Internal loudspeakers are usually not sufficient for a rich cinema sound: they neither provide the spectral bandwidth nor the spatial sound that Dolby Digital or DTS sound promise.
- Contrast: To be able to reproduce sharp contrasts from deep black to bright white, your home theater projector should have a contrast ratio of at least 10, 000: 1
- Luminosity: Since a darkened room is part of the cinema atmosphere, the luminosity is not a very important criterion for home cinema projectors. From about 500 lumens you are on the safe side.
2. Beamer for presentations
Whether for meetings, conferences or meetings - projectors for presentations are generally used in bright, large rooms and with various devices. You should note this:
- Luminosity: A high luminosity ensures good contrasts even in bright surroundings. The brightness is specified in "ANSI lumens". From approximately 2000 ANSI lumens, the projector can be used in daylight without any problems.
- Installation: Before buying, consider whether your projector should be mounted on the ceiling or should be portable. The ability to mount on the ceiling is unfortunately not available for every projector, since the bracket and keystone correction are missing here. Portable projectors should weigh less than 3kg and ideally have internal speakers.
- Connections: Since the projector is to be connected to different computers, a large number of connections make sense. The most common are VGA, DVI and DHMI for computers as well as mini display and Thunderbolt for MAC. Note: Sometimes the 15-pin VGA connector is labeled "D-Sub" - there is no difference. Cameras often have a composite output, newer analog devices have a component output (YUV or YPbPr). You can find out more about the connections in our picture gallery.
- Sound: Jack and RCA inputs only make sense if the projector is connected to a sound system or the projector has its own speakers. However, internal loudspeakers are usually not sufficient for music playback or the sound reinforcement of a medium to large room.
- Extras: Many projectors have USB or SD card slots. Presentations can be played directly from a USB stick without a laptop, smartphone or Macbook. Pay attention to compatibility with common formats such as PDF, AVI and PPT.
- Contrast: Due to the ambient brightness, the contrast ratio of the projector is less important. However, around 3, 000: 1 is sufficient for normal display.
- Resolution: A high resolution is usually not necessary for presentations and the execution of standard programs.
- In this article we explain what follow-up costs you can expect with beamers.
By the way, you can also connect your iPad to the projector. Instructions can be found here. Tip: You can also find all products at the Voelkner online shop, although you can also save a lot of money with our vouchers.
HKB in the test
1
Acer VL7860
final grade
1.4
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.3)
- Facilities (1.3)
- Ergonomics (1.4)
- Energy efficiency (2.6)
price
from € 3, 144.00
price estimate
Expensive (4.2)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Beamer Discount)
TO THE SHOP
(Beamer Discount)
2
Optoma UHZ65
final grade
1.4
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.3)
- Facilities (1.7)
- Ergonomics (1.1)
- Energy efficiency (3.1)
price
from € 2, 999.00
price estimate
Expensive (3.8)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Beamer Discount)
TO THE SHOP
(Beamer Discount)
3
$config[ads_text5] not foundEpson EH-TW9300W
final grade
1.4
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.6)
- Facilities (1.0)
- Ergonomics (1, 2)
- Energy efficiency (1.8)
price
from € 3, 485.00
price estimate
Very expensive (4.6)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Amazon Marketplace)
TO THE SHOP
(Amazon Marketplace)
4
Sony VPL-VW270ES
final grade
1.5
Very good
Review
- Image quality (1.0)
- Facilities (2.8)
- Ergonomics (1.7)
- Energy efficiency (4.3)
price
from € 4, 699.00
price estimate
Very expensive (4.5)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(HiFi Klubben)
TO THE SHOP
(HiFi Klubben)
5
Optoma UHD550X
final grade
1.7
Good
Review
- Image quality (1.6)
- Facilities (2.1)
- Ergonomics (1.0)
- Energy efficiency (2.6)
price
from € 2, 349.00
price estimate
Expensive (3.5)
price comparison
price comparison
TO THE SHOP
(Amazon Marketplace)
TO THE SHOP
(Amazon Marketplace)
To the complete leaderboard
Latest videos
Older projectors only have analog connections, such as VGA S-Video, composite / cinch and jack. Newer models (as shown here) also support digital DVI-D and DVI-I.
Many projectors have an overwhelming number of connections. Think carefully beforehand which one you need and
which connections you can do without because there are cheap adapters. For example YPbPr on S-Video (top), Cinch on jack (right), DVI on HDMI (bottom left) and DVI on VGA (middle).
For a home cinema system in particular, HDMI can be sufficient for BluRays and USB and LAN for additional sound and image sources.
Menu buttons on the device (if the projector is accessible) and a remote control should not be underestimated.
For small conference rooms, internal loudspeakers are ideal for speech reproduction. Internal speakers are only of limited use for music and film sound. The volume is also not sufficient for halls.
