Best Projectors of 2024
Last Updated on March 24, 2024 by Darron Dennis
Have you had the problem of showing an important video to a large crowd, but you need a bigger screen to show it on, cause your phone or laptop screen won’t suffice, for a large number crowd, and having a projector handy would have made the job a lot easier.
Well if you’ve had that challenge, you should consider getting a projector, and we are here to guide you on the steps to take in your path of securing a projector for yourself. This post is aimed at showing you the top best projectors to go for.
There’s nothing like watching your favorite films in a dark room on a massive screen. For that authentic movie theater experience, you’ll need a projector (a chilled drink, and a popcorn maker).
It’s a fantastic time to be considering this classic viewing tech. You used to have to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to get an excellent projected experience, but you can now get a massive, beautiful picture for less than the cost of a flagship TV.
Projectors are also much more portable and easier to set up than they were before. There are excellent pocket-sized and short-throw models that make presentations and lawn-side movie nights as easy as finding an extension cord and a level chair to set them on
What is a projector?
A projector is an output device that can take images generated by a computer or Blu-ray player and reproduce them by projection onto a screen, wall, or another surface. In most cases, the surface projected onto is large, flat, and lightly colored.
For example, you could use a projector to show a presentation on a large screen so that everyone in the room can see it. Projectors can produce either still (slides) or moving images (videos). A projector is often about the size of a toaster and weighs only a few pounds.
Also, a projector may be best thought of as an inverted camera, spitting light out of a lens rather than receiving it. For the sake of this buying guide, we will be considering digital projectors—that is, projectors with video inputs that serve a similar function to a TV or computer monitor while offering several benefits, which may include:
- Larger image sizes
- Increased portability
- Flexible installation possibilities
The principles I will outline below apply to all types of projectors. However, it will help to start by dividing digital projectors into four categories:
- Pocket also called “pico”
- Home theater
- Multimedia
- Large venue and fixed installation (a subset of multimedia)
Obviously, there will be overlap, and not all models will fit easily into a particular category. For example, home theater and multimedia projectors are very similar. In most cases, it will be clear from your application which type you need. Boardroom presentations: this will be multimedia. In a living room: home theater. For a lecture hall, seating 500 people: large venue. Ultra-portable, where small screen size is acceptable: pocket or pico projector.
Table of Contents
How is a projector used today?
Below is a list of all the different ways a projector can be used today.
- Project a PowerPoint presentation at a business meeting.
- Project a computer screen to teach a class in school.
- Project a TV or computer with a movie playing on a large screen.
- Demo a product or service at a convention center.
- Transform a wall, house, or another object to give it a different appearance.
BUYER’S GUIDE
As with so many consumer products, these days, selecting a projector can be a walk in the park when you are armed with the correct information—there are just so many options. Choosing the right projector is a simple process if you are familiar with these prerequisites.
- The screen size (width, most importantly)
- Distance between the projector and the screen (throw distance)
- An estimate of the amount of ambient light present in the room in which the projector will be used
| NAME | FEATURES | WHERE TO BUY |
AAXA P7 Mini HD Projector
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GET IT NOW |
BenQ HT3550
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GET IT NOW |
Sony VPL-VW695ES
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GET IT NOW |
EPSON
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GET IT NOW |
Pocket also called “pico”
Pico or pocket projectors are a little larger than smartphones. Because they can accommodate videos and photos for on-the-go entertainment, in addition to slides and charts for business or classroom presentations, these models can be thought of, essentially, as multimedia display systems. Though convenient and snazzy, they tend to be of low brightness and relatively expensive for their performance.
Pico or pocket projectors are a little larger than smartphones. Because they can accommodate videos and photos for on-the-go entertainment, in addition to slides and charts for business or classroom presentations, these models can be thought of, essentially, as multimedia display systems. Though convenient and snazzy, they tend to be of low brightness and relatively expensive for their performance.
The best projector in this category is:
AAXA P7 Mini HD Projector
The AAXA P7 Mini HD Projector ($519), which fits comfortably in your palm, is easily the smallest projector with native 1080p resolution that PC Labs has tested, beating out AAXA’s own M6 by more than two inches in both width and depth. Like the AAXA M6, the AAXA P7 does well at displaying small types and intricate designs, and it can function as a portable media player for video and photos, as well as playing music. Although not as bright as the AAXA M6, the P7 has slightly better video-image quality, and it costs less. It earns our Editors’ Choice for a palmtop data projector, complementing the more entertainment-focused LG Minibeam LED Projector (PH550) in that role
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· Only so-so video quality |
Home theater
There are two kinds of projectors for the home. One is the classic home theater projector. This is for people who want to spend the time and money to reproduce the dark viewing experience of a commercial movie theater in their home. And if you love the pure, super high quality film and video experience, nothing can beat it.
Because home theater projectors are meant to be viewed in the dark, they are designed to give you absolute maximum black levels and contrast. Meanwhile, the picture quality is optimized with not too much brightness since an overly bright picture in a dark room will give you eyestrain and a headache before too long.
The other kind of projector is the home video projector. This is for folks who want the excitement of a very big screen picture in the living room or family room, but don’t want to bother with making the room totally dark. You want a home video projector for video gaming, a big screen TV for sports and other programming, Internet surfing, as well as for movies of course.
Since most people want to watch in a room that is not darkened like a commercial theater, the home video projector is designed to put out a lot of light so the picture looks bright and vibrant even in ambient light. On the other hand, the home video projector does not go for maximum black levels and contrast since that doesn’t do you any good in a room with ambient light anyway.
The best projector for this category is:
BenQ HT3550
The BenQ HT3550 is the top of the line for BenQ’s low-cost 4K UHD projectors, a step up from last year’s HT2550, and one step down from the HT5550, Compared to the HT5550, the HT3550 has a smaller zoom range, much smaller vertical lens shift, and no horizontal lens shift, all of which help keep the cost down.
It also offers a somewhat lower claimed DCI-P3 coverage, at 95% instead of 100%, and a lower dynamic contrast ratio, at 30,000:1 instead of 100,000:1. However, it includes essentially the same video processing and color management capability, and it delivers an impressively gorgeous picture. So while it’s well below the HT5550 in features as well as price, it easily matches it in bang per buck.
The BenQ HT3550 offers good image quality for both 1080p and HDR and an awful lot for its price.
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Multimedia
A multimedia projector is a compact, high resolution, full-color projector capable of projecting text, images, video, and audio content. Typically the projector will feature inputs for a computer, DVD player, VCR, CD player, and storage device. Multimedia projectors are used frequently in classrooms, offices, and gatherings at which multimedia presentations are made. In a film class, for example, the teacher can integrate select video sequences into a slide show of note pages.
In a marketing meeting, a presenter could alternate seamlessly between spreadsheets, animated ad content, and live feeds from social media sites. Multimedia projectors are also referred to as data projectors, digital projectors and data/video projectors. These names can apply to both portable and ceiling-mounted units provided that they can project computer output.
The best projector for this category is the:
Sony VPL-VW695ES
This really is true 4K. That is, the same resolution defined as 4K for the Digital Cinema projectors at your local Cineplex. True, the standard for Blu-ray UHD is the lower 3940×2160 (exactly 2X the height and width of 1080p), so a little lower.
That means, when watching a blu-ray UHD movie, there will be a little letterboxing on the left and right, nothing to be concerned with. If you do encounter true 4K content in the future, including computer-oriented 4K, this Sony has that extra width on its 3 SXRD panels to do that 4196 wide without having to compress the data, and lower the overall sharpness.
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Large venue and fixed installation (a subset of multimedia)
Fixed-installation and large-venue projectors are often included together with multimedia projectors. They are the brightest type available in the consumer market, starting at around 4500 lumens and going up to 20,000 or more. Installation projectors are generally not considered portable and take time to set up. In most cases, they feature interchangeable-lens systems, making them the most adaptable in terms of throw distance.
They are normally used in lecture halls, movie theaters, houses of worship, stadiums, and other similar settings that require screening for large groups. In addition to large screen sizes, they are used in settings where ambient light can’t be controlled. Many also support “stacking,” meaning the output from two or more projectors can be aggregated to increase the brightness beyond what a single projector can achieve. Alternatively, “edge blending”-the projection equivalent of a video wall can be used to increase the total resolution or create custom aspect ratios.
The projector for this category is the:
EPSON
Epson large-venue projectors feature built-in tools such as Edge Blending and image warping for projection on curved walls and corners and help minimize the need for external video servers and tools. The projectors also include software such as EPPT to simplify setup and control of networked projectors. Built in-cameras enable calibrating and adjusting color, uniformity, and white balance to facilitate seamless multi-screen images and high image quality over time.
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Conclusion
So we have come to the end of this review, there is no winner here, as you know, it depends on the purpose of the projector you are going for.