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Buying Guides For TV & Projector + (Their Types Explained)

Ayaan Khan

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To discuss each type of projector and TV display before we must briefly describe each. At the end of this article, you can download the buying guide checklist for both the TV and the projector.

Download the checklist either for the TV or the Projector. Print it and get yourself the display you deserve.

Options available for Home Theater Displays

First Option # TV

There are many types of TV available for a home theatre like LCD, LED, QLED, OLED, and plasma TVs. And there are new technologies emerging day by day,  like AI and smart TVs, and 4k-8k picture quality.

We will discuss this jargon in detail with pros and cons in the upcoming comparison part. Just understand it here and Stay glued to the article for a later explanation. 

This kind of display can range from 44-49 inches, 55-59 inches, or even 75-216 inches.

Yes, you read it right.  Samsung has developed a new TV with new Micro-LED Technology that is whooping 292 inches by the name of the wall.

As the name suggests, that literally covers the whole wall.

But we won’t discuss those sizes of screens that are very expensive. We will look into each size of the display in the buying guide of this article.

Know which is the sweet spot to sit in your theater room for the best viewing experience. Know the viewing distance for a variety of display sizes. I have put so much hard work into this guide.

Second Option # Projector

Projector mainly comes in three types LCD, DLP, and LCoS. And yes 4K picture resolution quality is available here. Here the actual size is limitless but the larger the screen the poorer the quality will become. But don’t get scared here and wait for the pros.

You can read my these guides about the best Short throw projectors and Ultra short throw projectors. You will know much more about projectors’ qualities, characteristics, and types and choose which one.

Types Of TVs & Projectors With Their Pros & Cons

TV Types

LCDs and LEDs TV

LCD stands for liquid crystal display and LED stands for light-emitting diodes. Light-emitting diodes fire up the LCD screen.

They are equipped with a special technology named local dimmer. In local dimming,  the diode brightens one side of the screen and darker the other side of the screen. In this way, they present a perfect difference among the colors.

Pros of LCDs and LEDs TV

1. Their overall composition is very thin.  This property makes it best for those who love Wall mounting theater experience.
2. No need to switch off the lights in the room to watch a  movie on this type of screen.  You will witness no difference in the picture quality in a brighter room.
3. They are not only thin in composition but they are also thin on your electric bill. They consume less electric energy.
4.  They come in a variety of resolutions like 4K, 8k, and UHD.

Cons of LCDs and LEDs TV

1.  The most head-scratching con is that LCDs are more expensive.
2. Fixed eyesight angle for this device is fixed for better picture quality. if you tend to watch it from another angle, you will experience poorer picture quality
3. The black portion of the screen never looks good, but Samsung and other companies are claiming that they have overcome this problem through QLED Technology.

Plasma TV

Small cells of neon and Xenon gases light up in this type of display. In this technology, Phosphorus forms an image on the screen. This process gives the most vibrant picture quality.

Pros of Plasma TV

1. They are much better than the most of other Technology screens.
2.  Their colors and brightness evenly distributed across the entire surface of the screen
3. You don’t have one eyesight angle problem here like in LCD or LED.  it will give good quality from much more angles.

Cons of Plasma TV

1. Most plasma TVs are limited to only 1080p and 720p. Some of them provide UHD as well.
2. They won’t last long because their lifespan is really short. 
3. They are more expensive than LCD and LED.  You can buy a 1080p quality LCD at the price of a 720p Plasma TV.

OLED TV

OLED stands for Organic light-emitting diode but to better understand the whole process we can call it an Electroluminescent diode.

The OLED display pixels are made up of organic compounds that light off when hit by electricity. Due to this technology, they offer a better picture quality than LCD. but you should know;  the better the quality the higher the price is in this world. it is usually a little more pricey than LCD.

Pros of OLED TV

1. OLED provides sharp image quality
2. Its refresh rate is blazingly fast
3. Image quality is better than LCD and provides a better viewing angle like 180 degrees. It means that you can watch it from the corners of the room without seeing a drop in image quality
4. They are good for our ecosystem.

Cons of OLED TV

1. As I told you before due to their electroluminescent technology. They are pricey
2. They offer half of the lifespan than that of LCD and LED

Projector Types

There is not that much to go into detail about LCD and DLP types of projectors. 

DLP Projectors

DLP projectors can be used for playing video games and watching movies.  These types of projectors are not suitable for home theaters. Some viewers will ex[perience rainbow effects on the screen thrown by DLP projectors but if you want to erase this rainbow effect. Then you must go for the faster color wheel of the DLP projector which will be more expensive.

When you get a faster color wheel DLP, it will also be suitable for home theaters.

LCD Projectors

LCD projectors are used in corporate offices and in universities for presentations and lectures. LCD projectors are suitable for home theater.

 And yes whether a projector is LCD or DLP they require a separate screen to project the image on. Projector screens are mainly made up of fiberglass and are not as expensive as LCD TVs.  

But if you want to go even more economical, You can paint the wall white and project the image on it.  This method is not recommended if you want a good movie experience but is economical.

Pros of Projector

1. As I told you before, the best thing about a projector is that you can project its image on any white wall. Villagers in Africa project it on a white cow. LOL
2. But if you want to use the screen then its screen is very storage-friendly. First, it is thin, and second, it can be folded to save space. The screen is portable if you want to store it or move it with yourself to another room or lawn.
3. Not only it’s the screen but all the components related to the projector and the projector itself are portable
4. The screen image size can be very large. As you only have to move the projector away from the screen and the image will grow larger no need of buying another larger screen TV you liked.
5. Guests and your whole family will enjoy the gaming and movie experience. 

Cons of Projector

1. The image quality will decrease if you want to make the image size larger than recommended.
2. The projector’s lamp has specific hours of lamplight. After that, you have to buy a new one.  so It is expensive.
3. The darkroom is a must for a good movie experience 
4. It will put all other TVs in your house to shame.  this means you will no longer enjoy watching a movie on all of them

If you are planning on second-row seating in the room, then follow my this guide to build a seating platform for the best viewing angle. Don’t forget to check my easy formula for that.

Which one is good for you?

Well, that is your personal decision to choose between all the types of TVs and between the TV and projector. I have discussed those for you with pros and cons. But if you are still not convinced then read a brief data from a table in my this guide. Projector Vs TV. You will exactly know what you need.

TV Buying Guide In A Nutshell

1. The resolution must be in 4K, don’t settle for less than that. Don’t get trapped by the terminologies like High Definition and 1080 pixels.
2. Big companies advertising the new form of resolution like 8k. There is one why you should go and one why you should not with 8k. (Why should you not?) Because there are no movies and TV shows that are available in 8k by now. (why should you?) 8k Technology makes the pixels thinner. This means that the image will not be looking of low quality on larger screen sizes. The TV screen size is more than 75 inch is will look good with 8k.  If you want a screen size less than 75 inches then avoid it otherwise if you want more than 75 inches then go with it.
3. For a 4k TV of 55 inches, your good budget should be 500 Dollars and for 65 inches your budget should be $900. But remember many good features come to the market day by day and those features will definitely cost more. like picture quality, a new model with new technology like micro-led, and a good sound system like Dolby.
4. Consider a 60 to 120 Hz refresh rate.  60 Hz is just fine but if you want better video quality for those types of videos that change their frames very fast then better go with 120 Hz. Fast frame-changing videos like sports,  video gaming, and movies like Fast and Furious in which there is a lot of car racing and Swift action. In these types of videos, the frames change so fast.
5.  To watch the more realistic side of daily life with true colors you must go for HDR.
6. LCD is widely used but OLED is better than them. 
7. For more stunning pixels on the screen, you must spend a little extra $30 for the HDMI port and also see for latest HDMI versions
8. HD TVs are going thinner and thinner day by day and this is why their speakers are going thinner and worse day by day.  That’s why you must consider a high-quality soundbar.
9. Check first if your credit card company is providing purchase protection then you can turn down the standard warranty with the tv. 

Download This Checklist in Print ready High-Quality PDF from Google Drive

Projector Buying Guide In a Nutshell

1. The higher the lumens the better the projector. It will be brighter and you can make the image larger without losing the quality.  Go at least for 30000 to 30100. There is no Universal measurement for lumens but it still helps. It can’t be ignored. 
2. The higher the lifespan in hours of the lamp the better it is. Because it will last longer and you will not have to buy a new one. The new lamp can come for at least $152- $350. 
3. First, go for LCoS and then for LCD, and avoid DLP. DLP provides average image quality. It is not recommended for home theater.
4. Go for a higher contrast ratio.  The higher the contrast ratio the sharper the image. A 1000:1 ratio Is good but if you find more than that then it is even better.
5. 4K is better but if you are tight with your budget then full HD will work too.
6. The noise level of a projector higher than 30 dB is not suitable for a nice home theater experience.
7. Pick that one projector which is having keystone correction, lens shift, and optical zoom. For home theatre, 2x zoom will be good
8. Check lamp Replacement Cost as well for your future budget planning.
9. Consider optical HDMI cables for better image quality 

Download This Checklist in Print ready High-Quality PDF from Google Drive

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