Quick guide to buying a projector
From conference room to living room, digital projectors are quickly coming to the fore as prices fall and acceptance grows. Whatever your needs, our quick guide helps you identify the key features that matter most when shopping for a projector.
Projectors are at last becoming more affordable. With entry-level units dipping below the S$1,700 (US$1,251.63) threshold, these machines are finding their way into homes, school rooms and small offices. But with this growing market comes the increasing problem of what to buy. With hundreds of models to choose out there from some 20 brands, and more vendors expected to jump onto this lucrative bandwagon, getting a projector can be daunting even for the savvy shopper.
To simplify the buying process, this guide profiles four different user types and
highlights some of the key considerations in each. Simply identify the personality closest to yours to find the projector that will best suit your lifestyle needs.
LCD vs DLP
You'll hear these two terms bandied around most in projectorspeak. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and DLP (Digital Light Processing) are the two main display technologies currently available in the market.
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LCD projectors
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DLP projectors |
Older of the two technologies |
The more popular of the two formats |
Generally found in entry-level models |
Proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments |
Utilizes three color panels instead of one, resulting in images with better brightness and color saturation |
Employs thousands of tiny mirrors to reflect light that is used to produce an image |
Generally more "light efficient" with greater color accuracy, which is preferred for PowerPoint and Excel presentations |
Ability to project images with less pixelation and better contrast, making DLP the preferred choice for home theaters |
Most LCD projectors are bigger and bulkier |
Tend to be more compact and portable |
Improved version known as Polysilicon (PolySi) LCD used in high-end projectors |
Some high-end models come with three DLP chips for even image reproduction |
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Disclaimer: This projector buying guide is meant to be used only as a reference.
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