Projector vs TV in India
I use a 63 inch tv - which is fairly large and becomes the focal point of a room. I’ve always wondered what if I get rid of that and get a projector instead - will it change the decor of the room?
So in pursuit of that - I’ve started investigating projectors and the pros and cons of it - so in this video - let’s understand which is better for YOUR usecase. I’ve always mentioned - there is no one answer that fits all. So I will call out the pros and cons as well as call out where projectors work best and where TVs work best. Based on that and based on your environment, you can take a judgement call. I’ve also linked to my recommended tvs and projectors below - if you would consider purchasing.
WATCH INSTEAD OF READ?
I’m going to minimize the jargon used as much as possible to make it easier to understand for laymen (and women) like me. Drop me a comment if you have questions.
PROJECTOR VS TV - SIZE COMPARISON
Let’s get to the first thing that people think about when thinking about projectors out of the way - the size. TVs obviously have a limitation in how big they can become. If you need a cinematic large theatre screen type of experience - you would want to go with a projector. For that ofcourse you need to have a wall or screen large enough to project on. So if you have a large room with a large wall - you can go for this. But one little known fact is - projectors can project even as small as 25” - they are called pico projectors. So if you have a smaller room and don’t want to clutter that room with a TV, projector can be an option there too! Pico projectors can project from a shorter distance compared to most other projectors that need to be atleast 10-15 ft away from the wall / screen that you are projecting on.
PROJECTOR VS TV - RESOLUTION COMPARISON
Next is resolution - if you are looking at 4K videos on a small screen, you probably will not make out much of a difference. But as screens become larger, the real power of 4K videos come out and this is where a projector becomes comparable or in some cases better than a TV even though most projectors these days still offer a max resolution of 1080P. HOWEVER, if most of the content you watch is of lower resolution - then a projector may not give you the best picture quality. You also need to remember that while projectors claim to go to a really large size like 200-300” for a cinematic experience, the more you increase the size, the resolution drops and the image gets pixelated a bit.
PROJECTOR VS TV - FRAME RATE COMPARISON
Most projectors also have a lower frame rate compared to TV. So what does this mean? When you are watching high motion or movement shows - it starts to drag or get blurred. This may be OK for regular TV shows or movies, but if you are considering using the projector for fast paced sports or gaming, you could see a delay in refresh.
PROJECTOR VS TV - BRIGHTNESS COMPARISON
Next let’s talk about brightness - in general projectors don’t do so well when there is ambient lighting. I.e., if you are watching during the day with light streaming through your windows, projectors are not an option. Yes there are a few projectors in the market that increase the brightness and can be used in setups with some ambient lighting. So unless you are willing to invest in blackout curtains, a TV is the way forward for you. If you have a dedicated home theatre room or perhaps you want to use it in your bedroom where you can ensure that you can maintain dark light, then a projector works well. TVs are more adaptable to light that way.
PROJECTOR VS TV - SPACE COMPARISON
Next is space - yes TVs occupy a lot of space and many times become the central part of your living space. You do get framed tvs these days which you can use to project an image or screensaver but they still are quite intrusive. As opposed to that - a projector can be non intrusive. If you get a portable projector, you can keep it away when you are not using it (a hassle in my opinion if you are a huge tv watcher like me).
Portability - you obviously cannot lug around a TV wherever you go. But a portable projector - which is the rage these days - can be taken anywhere - not that we are able to go anywhere due to covid. While this is highlighted as a big positive - i find that this is a lame positive - where would you take it? On a holiday? Why?
PROJECTOR VS TV - CONNECTIVITY & AUDIO COMPARISON
Next is connectivity & audio - some projectors these days come with smart tv like options - like connecting to apps like netflix, amazon prime, hotstar and so on. But many don't, in which case you would still need an external streaming stick. Built-in audio in TVs these days is bad, it’s worse in projectors. You can make do with built in TV audio, but not with projector audio. You would hence need a home theatre system anyway. For a TV, you can make do with a sound bar for the TV as it will be non intrusive around the TV, but you cannot do that with a projector and the connectivity can be messy as they are placed at two opposite ends of the room. So you will need to use a longish cable or bluetooth in which case audio quality may go down. A home theatre system would be a better option for a projector.
PROJECTOR VS TV - PRICING COMPARISON
The last is the pricing - based on what type you want, what resolution, what size you want to project, distance from the screen, frame rate etc, the pricing varies from Rs. 1000 to even over Rs. 1,00,000. For larger sizes, they can tend to be cheaper than buying a large screen TV.
WHEN TO BUY A PROJECTOR INSTEAD OF TV?
So - when is it better to go for a projector. If you meet all of the below conditions - a projector is an option for you.
When you want a cinematic experience within your home - as obviously we arent able to go to theatres now
When you are able to control the amount of light in the room - i.e., have a dedicated home theatre room or a separate room where you can make it dark for best quality
When your main use case is not sports or gaming
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