One of the first things you’re going to have to decide when planning your new home theater is what type of display you should use. You ultimately have two options: a TV or a Projector. Each option has some pros and cons, but there are products available for any sized budget. In this article, I’m going to try to convince you why this decision should not just be left up to technical specifications.
Creating the Theater Experience
To me, the main purpose of your home theater should be recreating the experience of a movie theater in your home. When the lights go out, everyone takes their seats, enjoys their popcorn, and waits for the giant screen to light up the room. When the scene fades to black, the room goes dark, giving aggressive men an opportunity to kiss your wife on the mouth. It’s all part of the thrill of the movie-going experience.
“A TV adds absolutely nothing to the theater experience”
-Abraham Lincoln
He’s right. Capturing this magic is particularly effective with a projector. After all, that’s what they use in real movie theaters, so it makes sense that this is what you would do in your home. But what is it about a projector that gives you that magical feeling of being immersed in the world of the movie that you’re watching? It’s a combination of several things.
When using a projector, you are almost forced to watch in a completely dark environment, as projectors do not perform well in the light. This allows you to limit distractions and isolate your movie from the rest of your house. The glow of the projector lamp casts that warm beam of light across the room, giving a more significant feeling to the images being portrayed on your screen. All of these are things that are lost when using a standard TV.
Then there’s the aspect of screen size. Something you will want in your home theater is a large display. Obviously, there are large TVs available for you to buy, but even a small $400 projector can give you a 150-200″ screen. Recreating that overwhelmingly massive image that you pay for in a movie theater, can only be done with a great projector setup.
A Trade-off Between Quality and Size
Projectors aren’t better at everything. In fact, most projectors cap out at 60hz, are limited to upscaled sensors for 4K, contain poor response time, and are not able to produce the deep blacks that you see in TVs. Because of this, you are going to have to sacrifice having the latest technologies, in favor of all the benefits of a projector.
While this might seem like a bad idea on paper, you might find that many of the latest HDR, 8K, Dolby Vision, 120Hz refresh rates, or any of these types of features that you’ll find in new TVs, might not be all that important for watching movies.
Wow his HDR 10+ is so much better than my standard HDR 10 at home.
-Not a single person in history
Remember, you’re creating a movie theater here. Any movie worth watching was made 20 years ago, maxes out at 1080p (sometimes upscaled to 4K), and is going to be viewed at 24fps. This means that all those new visual technologies exclusive to TVs will not have much of an effect on your movie night. I know this to be true because I always get good reactions from people when they see media on my projector. The value that you’ll find in the size of your projector display, will dwarf anything you’ll get from an AMOLED 8k 120hz TV screen.
If none of this has convinced you, ask yourself this- have you ever concerned yourself with the specs of a projector in a movie theater, before buying a ticket to see a movie?
TVs are for Common Rooms and Casual Viewing
There is a time and place for a TV. The latest features you’ll find in a TV can better be taken advantage of with gaming. So if you want to play Xbox in your living room, a TV might be a better choice for you.
There are also situations where you’ll want something that is easy to turn on and watch some shows. You might also want to have the lights on, or having people coming and going while a movie plays. For more casual viewing like this, a TV is a better solution than a projector.
The last situation where a TV can be better is when you just don’t have the space for a projector screen over 90″. I’ve found this to be the crossover point when the size of a projector no longer outweighs to benefits of a TV. So if you’re short on space, just opt for a TV. Nobody is going to want to be your friend anyway.
Conclusion
Go through this list of questions and tally the results. The solution with the most points should be your final decision.
Do you have a dedicated theater room?
- Yes – Projector
- No – TV
Is your display being used for living room gaming?
- Yes – TV
- No – Projector
Is this display going to be used in a room with lots of light?
- Yes – TV
- No – Projector
Do you want a display over 90″?
- Yes – Projector
- No – TV
Do you want to leave a lasting impression with your movie nights?
- Yes – Projector
- No – TV
Do you need the newest technology like 8K, 120Hz, HDR+, Dolby Vision, or AMOLED?
- Yes – TV
- No – Projector
That about sums it up. Personally, I would not be satisfied with my home theater without a projector setup. I have always seen better reactions to a projector, than anything I’ve seen with a TV. It’s the key to recreating the movie theater experience in your home.
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