Ultimate Home Entertainment Is A Home Theater Projector

The latest home theater rage is the projector.  The ever increasing popularity of technological advances in viewing components have led consumers from televisions with picture tubes to flat screens...to wide screen high def and plasma versions.  Though the viewing quality has been much enhanced, these systems have one thing in common - you are sitting outside the unit just looking at it.  Nothing wrong with that, but now there's an alternative.

Projection TVs have been around for quite a while.  Though the screen size was good, the picture was often not as crisp and clear as you would want.  Added to that, the units required a large amount of floor space, were not at all attractive and used a lot of wattage to operate.   Add to those problems the very high cost and you had a system that was out of reach of most families.

Some experts predicted that type of television would evolve into a more stylish version with better optics and sound but what did happen was the separation of projector and screen into two separate products.    There are projector screens available for every type of space and a wide variety of projectors to choose from.

The choice of video projector can seem a daunting task but is made much simpler if you will educate yourself just a bit before making your purchase.  Working with a knowledgable salesperson, you can then ask the right questions.

The projectors come in two basic models.  The first, and most elegant, is ceiling mounted.  The other very popular version is a table mount and these are often located in attractive cabinets built for the purpose.  There are common features that affect the quality of your picture, such as resolution, distance from the screen, brightness and contrast, warranty, etc.  When you think about it, these are not much different from the features of older standard televisions.

There are, of course, additional features you may want and as expected, more features equal higher cost.  At the low end are $800-1200 basic projection units and these will serve you for a while if cost is a major factor for you.  There is a life span for projectors but most often it is the advances in technology that is given as the reason for replacing the unit with a new one.  In the average price range, you will see $1800-3000 and it is possible to pay up to (and beyond) $8-10,000 for a high end model.

One thing to remember is that while the years of use of a projector is limited, the projection screen can last a lifetime.  Thus, if cost is a consideration, it is wise to invest in a high end screen and compromise a bit on the home theater projector itself.