By Tim Gorman
When you are setting up your home theater you need to decide on what is the best way for you to watch. Many people would not have anything other than a projector as it adds to the cinema theme as well as giving you a very good image as big as you want. But many others do not want to deal with projectors and screens and would rather have the convenience of a TV style screen that you just turn on and play the DVD in as you would in any other room but on a bigger screen.
If you are using a projector then it is a good idea to make sure that your room has good thick curtains so that you can block the light from the room. As the image is produced through a projected light then it is best to use a projector in a fairly dark room. With some of the latest projectors they have a light sensor so that if the light is too bright for the image then it brightens the light to make it stronger. You also have to set up a projector for the movie and put up the screen. But it does give you a really good sense of being at the cinema as well as a really good, large picture that is very high quality.
There are some really good plasma screens around now and the cost is dropping. But you still get the sense that you are watching TV. Although if you put it on the wall then it is a lot more like a real screen. Plasmas have an advantage over projectors if you have a small room, as they did not need any space to project an image. Although plasma TV does not have the same movie theater aspect to it as a projector does it is very easy to use and does give you a very good image.
If you want ease of use and a great quality picture and are happy either to have a smaller screen, or you are able to pay for a very big one, then plasma might be best for you. But a projector can give you a really good quality image that is as big as you want and there are some very good projectors that are very cheap. But you also have to set up the screen as well as the projector whenever you want to see a movie. But whatever you choose it is always worth trying it out in the store so that you can see which is the best for you.
For additional money saving information regarding home theater projectors, home theater components and home theater systems visit ShoppingForHomeTheaterSystems.com located at http://www.shoppingforhometheatersystems.com
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Projection TV Shopping Guide
by xpGadgets
More information in our Television shopping guide
* Pros and Cons of Projection TV
* How Projection TV works
* Things to consider when buying a Projection TV
Pros and Cons of Projection TV
Projection TVs (including front projectors) may not have the striking stylish appearance, but they are still among the best of TVs because:
1) They offer big screen size with reasonable price. Till now, projection TVs still offers the biggest screeen and the best screen size to cost ratio.
2) Relatively thin and light comparing tradional CRT sets.
3) Achieves deeper, more realistic shadows and blacks than direct-view Plasma and LCD TVs
4) No burn-in effect, relatively long life.
But it also have some shortcomings (newer models have made some improvements)
1) Not-so-bright colors, uneven brightness throughout the screen (darker corners, brighter center)
2) Takes a lot of space comparing with Plamsa TVs or LCD TVs.
How Projection TV works
In contrast to conventional TVs, projection TVs form a small image on a device inside the projector -- either a CRT, LCD or LCoS -- and then shine that image onto a large screen located elsewhere.
In Rear (reflective) Projection TVs (RPTV), the screen is located within the TV box itself and light reflects off the projection display panel and is then projected onto the screen. While in Front (transmissive) Projection TVs (Front Projectors), the screen is located across the room, light passes through the image-forming display panel and is then projected onto a screen. Most Projection TVs we saw are rear projection TVs.
Projection TVs can be divided into 3 categories according to the techology they use to form the image
DLP Projection TVs: DLP TVs use a small chip called DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) to reflect light from a lamp onto screen. Cheaper models use a color wheel to produce color, while more advanced models dedicate one chip each to the red, green and blue.
* Pros: The cheapest projection TV. It also offers the best blacks and shadows among all projection TVs (actually only next to traditional CRT TVs among all TVs)
* Cons: usually more prone to the rainbow effect.
LCD Projection TVs: It uses the same technology as direct-view LCD TVs and monitors. A matrix of TFTs (Thin-Film Transistors) supplies various voltage to liquid crystal-filled cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass to filter light passing though them.
* Pros: Brighter image and more accurate colors than DLP TVs
* Cons: The worst blacks and shadows among all TVs, prone to pixelation and screen-door effects ( i.e. dark grid on screen. Select 1024x768+ resolution for LCD front projectors to reduce the effects)
LCoS Projection TVs: A pretty new one. LCoS also use liquid crystals (applied to a silicon chip instead of sandwiched in 2 glass panels) to filter light, then the light is reflected off the chip to the screen. Like DLP TVs, it can either use a color wheel to produce color or use 3 chips for the primary colors.
* Pros: Offers the highest resolution among all projection TVs, hence produces smoother, more detailed image.
* Cons: Only a few models using this techology are available, very expensive.
Things to consider when buying a Projection TV
RPTVs or Front Projectors: Usually RPTV offers better image quality and has less limitation on rooms while front projectors are more flexible and cheaper.
Hot Projection TV deals and Projection TV shopping guide brought to you by xpGadgets.
More information in our Television shopping guide
* Pros and Cons of Projection TV
* How Projection TV works
* Things to consider when buying a Projection TV
Pros and Cons of Projection TV
Projection TVs (including front projectors) may not have the striking stylish appearance, but they are still among the best of TVs because:
1) They offer big screen size with reasonable price. Till now, projection TVs still offers the biggest screeen and the best screen size to cost ratio.
2) Relatively thin and light comparing tradional CRT sets.
3) Achieves deeper, more realistic shadows and blacks than direct-view Plasma and LCD TVs
4) No burn-in effect, relatively long life.
But it also have some shortcomings (newer models have made some improvements)
1) Not-so-bright colors, uneven brightness throughout the screen (darker corners, brighter center)
2) Takes a lot of space comparing with Plamsa TVs or LCD TVs.
How Projection TV works
In contrast to conventional TVs, projection TVs form a small image on a device inside the projector -- either a CRT, LCD or LCoS -- and then shine that image onto a large screen located elsewhere.
In Rear (reflective) Projection TVs (RPTV), the screen is located within the TV box itself and light reflects off the projection display panel and is then projected onto the screen. While in Front (transmissive) Projection TVs (Front Projectors), the screen is located across the room, light passes through the image-forming display panel and is then projected onto a screen. Most Projection TVs we saw are rear projection TVs.
Projection TVs can be divided into 3 categories according to the techology they use to form the image
DLP Projection TVs: DLP TVs use a small chip called DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) to reflect light from a lamp onto screen. Cheaper models use a color wheel to produce color, while more advanced models dedicate one chip each to the red, green and blue.
* Pros: The cheapest projection TV. It also offers the best blacks and shadows among all projection TVs (actually only next to traditional CRT TVs among all TVs)
* Cons: usually more prone to the rainbow effect.
LCD Projection TVs: It uses the same technology as direct-view LCD TVs and monitors. A matrix of TFTs (Thin-Film Transistors) supplies various voltage to liquid crystal-filled cells sandwiched between two sheets of glass to filter light passing though them.
* Pros: Brighter image and more accurate colors than DLP TVs
* Cons: The worst blacks and shadows among all TVs, prone to pixelation and screen-door effects ( i.e. dark grid on screen. Select 1024x768+ resolution for LCD front projectors to reduce the effects)
LCoS Projection TVs: A pretty new one. LCoS also use liquid crystals (applied to a silicon chip instead of sandwiched in 2 glass panels) to filter light, then the light is reflected off the chip to the screen. Like DLP TVs, it can either use a color wheel to produce color or use 3 chips for the primary colors.
* Pros: Offers the highest resolution among all projection TVs, hence produces smoother, more detailed image.
* Cons: Only a few models using this techology are available, very expensive.
Things to consider when buying a Projection TV
RPTVs or Front Projectors: Usually RPTV offers better image quality and has less limitation on rooms while front projectors are more flexible and cheaper.
Hot Projection TV deals and Projection TV shopping guide brought to you by xpGadgets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)