Home Theatre Projector Review

Projectors produce the biggest pictures

While high-end home-theater projectors can still cost in the thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars, the prices on mainstream high-definition digital projectors have fallen to the point where they are now a practical alternative to other types of big-screen TVs. Quality mainstream high-definition (HD) digital projectors cost about as much as good plasma or LCD HD sets. (See our reports on plasma TVs and LCD TVs for more on those technologies.) However, since digital projectors are capable of producing images of more than 100 inches (measured diagonally), they deliver far more picture for the money. Of course, to complete a home theater you'll need an audio system and a screen (a white wall can work in a pinch).

This report focuses on widescreen projectors with enough resolution to display high-definition signals from a cable box, satellite receiver or high-definition DVD player. Lower-resolution projectors are also available. These are best for business presentations and watching the occasional DVD because their resolution is too low to do justice to HDTV. Those projectors are covered in our separate report on business projectors.

For this update, we found lots of helpful projector reviews. ProjectorCentral.com posts a great multi-projector faceoff that outlines positives and negatives, and names top choices for different situations and needs. ProjectorReviews.com is similarly worthwhile. Though its roundup of top projectors has fallen a little out of date, its reviews of individual projectors go on for pages and are packed with tons of technical information. The reports posted at PCMag.com are also very good. AVGuide.com, Audioholics.com and Britain's TrustedReviews.com are other destinations for projector reviews, but these sites don't cover as many models. While ConsumerReports.org does cover a good number of models, discussion is limited. User reviews can be found at Amazon.com, Newegg.com and AVSForum.com

Compared to other types of television displays, including LCD TVs and plasma TVs, home-theater projectors produce the largest image at the lowest cost, but they require good control over room lighting as well as an external tuner or other video source (such as a Blu-ray player, DVD player or cable box), and most require a separate audio system. While a white wall will do in a pinch, you'll need to budget extra for a screen. Projectors can throw an image that's 100 inches or more (measured diagonally), much bigger than the typical -- or even very large -- LCD or plasma TV -- although screen sizes up to 75 inches are becoming available, at least for those who can afford them. Rear projection TVs are another alternative. However those sets are big and bulky and only one maker -- Mitsubishi -- is still producing them. If that's of interest, screen sizes up to 92 inches are available.

Of course, you'll need a pretty big room, and there are other setup issues if you want a home theater projector. For a permanent installation, it's best to place the projector on a high shelf or drop a shelf from the ceiling. You can place it on a coffee table, but consider that people and pets might sometimes block the image. Some technologies have limits on where a projector can be located relative to the screen. Plus, you'll need to run cords to your audio system and cable box or satellite receiver. You'll also need to replace the projector's lamp in about 3,000 hours at a cost of $250 or more.