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Key features

Every specific application will have its unique projector requirements. That said, here's our list of key features which you should take a closer look at, particularly brightness and throw distance for determining possible screen sizes and contrast for vivid pictures. This does not count the beamer's native resolution to resolve fine details (refer to "Types of projectors"), plus other extras to facilitate ease of installation and more.

Contrast

Contrary to popular belief, contrast tops resolution and is crucial for home theater beamers, especially for smaller sub-100-inch screens. It's frequently used as a yardstick to gauge picture saturation and depth, as well as shadow details and black levels. You'll find it rated in native and dynamic (or full on/off) contrast, with the latter is usually presented in inflated theoretical numbers.

This "dynamic" performance is measured on individual black (off) and white (on) screens, often with the assistance of up to two dynamic irises as discussed earlier. This works out fine on paper, except that in reality most movie scenes have dark and bright components concurrently that are more accurately represented by native contrast. Refer to the following table for a brief overview.

Dynamic Contrast	General classification	Remarks
<= 1,000:1	Multimedia projectors	Can be higher for selected models
> 1,000:1 to 2,000:1	480p	Good enough for causal movie playback
> 2,000:1 to 10,000:1	720p, entry 1080p	Entry point for movie buffs and enthusiasts for respectable blacks
> 10,000:1 to 20,000:1	Midrange 1080p	Improved blacks, saturation and depth
>20,000:1	High-end 1080p	Inky blacks and revealing shadow details

Brightness

This is another important consideration, but is more relevant for multimedia projectors commonly deployed in lit environments. Measured in ANSI lumens, brightness is usually governed by the onboard lamp power. Some of the higher-end installation models have more than one bulb, too, used for redundancy as well as boosting higher combined luminance.

There's no hard and fast formula to calculate the required brightness, though a basic rule of thumb is to peg it against room lighting conditions and intended screen size. The brighter it gets or the larger the projection, the more lumens a multimedia projector has to offer to prevent washed-out images and to maintain a sufficiently bright picture. Refer to the following table for a rough guide.

Brightness (ANSI lumens)	General classification	Remarks
<= 1,000	LCoS-based and budget home theater projectors	Strictly for dark and light-controlled environments
> 1,000 to 2,000	LCD/DLP home theater and budget multimedia projectors	Suitable for mildly lit entertainment and meeting rooms
> 2,000 to 3,000	Entry multimedia	Suitable for conference and classrooms
> 3,000 to 4,000	Midrange multimedia	Suitable for board and training rooms
> 4,000	High-end multimedia	Suitable for large venues such as auditoriums and churches