Home Theater Projector

My goal isn't to select the best or make a recommendation, just to explain what I did and what I found important.

I buy most Home Automation gear through Amazon. I've learned to:

    • never buy used equipment from Amazon or its resellers (always click the New button)

    • check the device and packaging, if it looks used, then it is - return it

    • add an in-line surge protector for expensive equipment, I use:

        • Tripp Lite Isobar 2 Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip, Direct Plug In, Metal Housing

I wanted my home theater to be significantly larger than a large 65 or 75 inch TV. I wanted a movie theater experience. So, I decided on a 16 foot by 9 foot screen, which has a 220 inch diagonal screen size.

Projector History

My first projector was great and I stumbled upon it without makling any mistakes. Except the replacement lights cost $300+.

And then I had so much trouble finding a bulb that actually worked. When a bulb costs $300+, there is great incentive to resell bulbs that are past their prime, or to return a bulb that no longer works.

I finally gave up on this projector after my fourth try at getting a light bulb that worked.

Projector Screen

For the screen, I got a sample of the traditional screen material (rough white), a silver / grey material (considered the best), a pint of screen paint, and flat-white ceiling paint Sherwin-Williams.

I put 6x6 inch patches of each on the wall at the same height. And then asked several people to tell me which one they liked best. Everyone liked the flat-white paint the best.

The "screen" is 16 feet wide by 9 feet high (or 220 inch display). I was relieved that everyone liked flat-white the best, because it was the lowest cost option.

The ceiling mount is 20.5 feet from the screen.

Projector Selection

Price is the number one factor. Determine your budget.

My home theater can be made almost pitch black in the day time. However, the grandkids like to play with the lights on and still see the projector's image.

So, one of the most important specifications is the lumens. 3,000 lumens seems to be the bottom end. Also, contrast plays into whether or not the image can be seen with the lights on. Contrast of 1,000,000 is needed.

The size of your screen needs to be determined before buying a projector. Also, the approximate distance of the projector from the screen and how it will be mounted.

The first projector I mounted upside down on the ceiling. Luckily, projectors can easliy invert the image, and the projector must have trapezoid correction. When an image is project from a low or high depth the top or bottom will be larger. Trapezoid correction allows you to adjust it until it is equal.

With the first projector, I bought a mount and followed the directions to get the screen size I wanted. When I bought the next projector, the mount was already in place. The new projector would not work from that distance. So, I returned it. The aspect ratio (16:9) and the distance are important. My mount is ~22ft from the screen.

Look up the price of a replacement bulb. The first projector's bulbs were $300+, and the new projector's bulbs are only $89. You might even want to buy a few bulbs. With the first projector, I used about one a year. After 8 years, I couldn't find a new bulb any where.

Check the resolution. There is much misleading information. For example, a 4K projector might have no better resolution than a 1080i. 4K should be at least 3840x2160

Setup

Your projector's directions and mounting bracket should be sufficient and unique.

My only recommendation is to download an electronic copy of all needed manuals

1st Projector's Specifications:

Sharp PG-D3750 Projector

Brightness: 3,700 Lumens

Power: 330 Watts

Contrast: 2,200

Resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800)

Replacement Bulbs: $300+

Maximum Image Size: 40.2in x 500in

Video Mode: 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels, more is better)

Input: HDMI 1.4 (HDMI2 or 3 is better)

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Current Projector Specifications

Optoma UHD60

Amazon Price: $1,670

Brightness: 3,000 Lumens (worse)

Power: 240 Watts (lower is better)

Contrast: 1,000,000 (higher is better)

Resolution: 4K (3840x2160, more is better)

Replacement Bulbs: $89 better

Image Size: 26.45” - 302.2” (26.45” to 140” optimal image size) (worse)

Input: HDMI 2.0 - must use HDMI2 port

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Distance: 4.2 - 30.5 feet