Tech News: What’s Happening in Home Theater Projection?
Thursday, March 23rd, 2006Twice a year we at ProjectorPeople.com take a moment to share with you our perspective on what’s new in the projection industry. In this article we will look at some of the current trends, from features to pricing, in home theater video projection.
Home Theater front projection is more popular than ever before. Our business has grown significantly in this area, even in just one year. Most likely this can be attributed mostly to the consistent price erosion over the past two years, and an improvement in video display quality. As you would expect, cheaper and better usually gets attention.
A Brief History of Home Theater and Projectors.
Three or four years ago portable projectors were used primarily for business presenting. People liked the big images and eventually took them home on the weekends to watch video, even though the quality was far from ideal. Manufacturers started making business/home theater hybrids that were sometimes called “crossover” products. These portable units were thousands of dollars less than the home theater systems of the time, and those more complex systems also had to be installed by professionals and often required calibration maintenance after installation.
These were great for people who weren’t picky about their images, but there was definitely room for improvement. For one, high-definition compatibility is supposed to become government mandated by 2009. The standard requires a 16:9 aspect ratio and a minimum 480 lines of resolution with progressive scanning, called 480p, and up to as high as 1080p resolution. Crossover products were typically 4:3 aspect ratios, and did not specify video resolution. Contrast ratios were also lower on these products, since business presentations look just fine with as little contrast as 300:1.
High-Definition Resolution
Today’s resolution ’sweet spot’ seems to be WXGA-H. You might see WXGA-H referred to as 1280 x 720 pixels, or 720p (for 720 lines with progressive scan rather than interlaced video). There are now a number of products in this category with very reasonable price points. Some start as low as $999.00 after rebates and incentives, but typically these projectors cost closer to $2,000. Brightness and contrast ratios are the primary factors that differentiate the models and prices in the WXGA-H category.
Feel the Need for More Resolution?
You can expect to see some 1080p projectors released by the end of the year, but it’s not clear what manufacturers will charge for these units. However, we suspect that they will be significantly more than (WXGA-H) 720p projectors. 480p products appear to be slowly phasing out, but remain today as a great ultra-cheap option for first-time buyers.
Sometimes it is Black and White.
One of the biggest “buzzwords” in home theater projection is contrast. Contrast is essentially the difference between the brightest white, and darkest black in an image. It’s measured as a ratio of one to the other (eg. 2000:1).
Last year the sweet spot for contrast ratio hovered somewhere between 1000:1 - 2000:1. But popular LCD products like the Panasonic AE900U and Sanyo PLV-Z4 have pushed that number closer to 5000:1 and higher. DLP® projectors had been the reigning champions in early 2005 with strong 2000:1 for the whole of 2005, and increased to 2500:1 - 4000:1 later in the year. There are new DLP® products that are slated to come to market in early to mid 2006 which report contrast ratios as high as 10,000:1.
Quick Tip: It has been said that the human eye can not differentiate beyond 800:1 contrast in real world situations. Manufacturer contrast ratio specifications are often measured in ‘full on/full off’ modes which inflate their numbers. Projectors designed for business purposes measure the contrast in data mode, but when displaying video, their effective contrast decreases. [ Click here for an example of measured vs. specified contrast in a review of the Panasonic PT-AE900U. [ Measured between 757:1 and 2246:1 - which is very good, but manufacturer specifies 5500:1]
Little Things Mean A Lot
One important recent improvement in home theater projectors is the addition of more features that make projectors easier to use and install. Features like lens shift (for easier installation) and shorter throw distances (for bigger images from shorter distances) have been around, but were not as widely adopted as they are today. HDMI and DVI connections are also now available on most 720p home theater projectors, which means easier migration to high-definition. HDMI seems to be becoming the standard for consumer home theater while DVI remains popular for business projection.
Quick Tip: Component video cables carry high-definition signals in analog rather than digital format. It is often alongside DVI or HDMI, and is a common output from video sources. Here is a reference with some images of the different connection types.
Note: Remember that people must have a high-definition source (DVD player, cable box, receiver, etc.) to have a true high-definition picture as mentioned in our February Tech News.
Battle of the Projector Technologies
DLP® and LCD are the two dueling technologies in home theater projection. These two technologies have remained very competitive over the past few years, and now seem to be nearing even.
DLP® technology has many fans, and has become a popular buzzword in home theater, from front projectors to rear projection television sets. DLP® images still sometimes suffer from the ‘rainbow’ effect, but increased color wheel speeds with 8 color segments have reduced the visible issues. LCD projectors still have a noticeable ’screen door’ effect, but this has also improved significantly. DLP® color accuracy has improved with a new chip which was available exclusively in Mitsubishi projectors for several months, and is now available in new Optoma models. LCD color is still very accurate and higher contrast ratios have added depth to the picture. LCD projectors have also caught up in the battle for contrast, with the Panasonic PT-AE900U having a 5500:1 contrast ratio, as we mentioned earlier.
Projector Prices and Specs
Today there are a bevy of options in true home theater front projection. Manufacturers like Optoma, Panasonic, Sanyo, Mitsubishi, and BenQ are among the biggest players in the market.
Consumer choices today can be broken down into two primary categories: WVGA (480p) and WXGA-H (720p) resolution. Both choices are widescreen native, have improved scaling, and higher contrast ratios for better looking video. HD (1080p) projectors are on the horizon, and can be expected to hit the streets this year.
Projector Popularity Contest
There is no king and queen crowned, and no dance, but anytime you want to know what our most popular home theater projectors are here at ProjectorPeople.com, you can take a look at our most popular projectors page. This page gives you a look at our most popular projectors from the last seven days of business.
| WVGA | 848 x 480 | $999* - $1,299* |
| WXGA-H | 1280 x 720 | $1,299 - $4,000* |
| HD | 1920 x 1080 | $10,000 (list) |
| Contrast & brightness are biggest price differentiators after resolution. * Prices ranges as of March 2006. | ||
| 1000:1 - 2000:1 | WXGA-H | $1,299* |
| 2000:1 and higher | WXGA-H | $1,299 - $3,699* |
| * Prices ranges as of March 2006. | ||
- Popular Home Theater Projectors
- Panasonic PT-AE900U
- Sanyo PLV-Z4
- Optoma HD72
These are all 720p resolution products, and the street price on each is below $2,000. See our “Top Five” list below for up-to-date pricing on these popular models.
Have more questions? Call a Projector Expert today for the best advice and the best price on projectors for work and home.
