Buying Your First Projector? Please Read

**wbassett** · **01-01-09, 07:48 PM**

Below is a post I made in the screen forum sometime back, but it is equally applicable here, probably even moreso.

As will be explained below, probably the number one biggest mistake that people make when setting up a Home Theater Room or Media Room is to buy the projector first and then worry about the screen and room setting.

Over in the screen forum we tend to deal with helping people after the fact and try to get them the best screen for their setting and projector, but sometimes that can be difficult if the person bought the wrong projector for their room or viewing habits. Hopefully this will help those looking to get into the projector world and arm them with some knowledge prior to spending their money on a projector that may or may not be ideal for their particular setting.

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Before anyone can help make a recommendation, there first must be some preliminary information obtained. This isn't just a DIY thing, even professional installers, screen companies, and projector sales staff need to know some information before they can make any kind of useful comments.

Before getting into the list, sometimes things go backwards. Usually the first thing a person gets is the projector and then they worry about the screen, and lastly the room. Dedicated theater rooms are really much easier to assist people with. More and more people though are incorporating projectors in their living rooms or other multi-purpose rooms, such as myself until I can build an addition on the house that is a proper true 'theater'. These rooms take much more thought and planning. Granted a dedicated theater room will cost much more and yes there is plenty of design and planning that goes into it, but typically they do not have to deal with some of the problems that a multi-purpose room has, primarily light issues.

When it comes to this, there will always be disagreements by some on how to go about things. As mentioned, a professional HT Integrator will do an on-site assessment before recommended anything, especially the projector.

Stewart Screens says this:

Most enthusiasts believe a great custom installation begins with the projector. Why should consumers radically change this view? "At Stewart we believe our 'screen-centric' approach ensures the perfect match between the screen, the room, and the projector. The key parameters in the screen selection are size, type, material, and lighting conditions.

Now I know... what would we expect a screen company to say? Except if you apply this to any screen and room setup and not just Stewart, it is really good advice.

The room determines the size and type of screen as well as the projector. Many try to force a screen that is way too large for the setting. It is always 'cool' to have a monster size screen that is absolutely as big as possible for the wall. At first it feels 'immersed' and impressive, but once the coolness factor wears off and practicality and optimal viewing starts to be considered, many times people actually reduce their screen sizes. If you feel like you are at the centerline at Wimbledon- your head and eyes constantly turning and darting back and forth to take in the action, the screen is too large for the setting.

What are the room dimensions, how many rows of seats are planned? Height is calculated based on the distance from the prime seating position. Based on the desired aspect ratios and room dimensions we can help pick a screen. Also the type of screen, shade, size, seating distance... it really does depend on that.

If someone were to come to me with a room like I have and say they haven't started and are just looking for advice, this is where I do agree with what Stewart said- I would first recommend a screen that handles ambient lighting well, and then recommend a projector that can handle the screen and room setting.

Many times though a person buys the projector first, and then learns about its limits. That's no fault of their own, this is a tad more difficult than buying an HDTV and just plugging it in.

With that said, 99% of the time we are asked for recommendations after the projector is already purchased. In some cases the projector is very versatile and a wide range of options can be given. Sometimes though the projector now dictates what is needed, and that may not always be optimal for the actual room conditions, but we still try to help.

So when researching a screen option or asking for assistance in making a decision (never let anyone tell you what to use unless it's options of several screens). A Home Theater, whether it is a dedicated room or a multi-purpose room is not only impressive, but has to look good. Listen to the advice, but also do your own research. The best advice I can give anyone is not to trust anyone blindly. Read what they are saying, educate yourself, and you decide. Anyone that pushes something on you most likely doesn't know your setting and isn't looking out for your best interests.

Now for the list:
When helping to chose a screen we need the following-

Room dimensions
Seating distance, and if multiple rows of seating, where is the prime seating distance going to be.
Lighting conditions. This really is an important factor.
Viewing habits. Do you do most viewing with lights off? Do you only watch movies on the big screen? Will there be lighting on from time to time, and where is the lighting located in reference to the screen? Will there be any daytime viewing where sunlight is a concern? These are all very important when determining a screen and making a recommendation.
What projector you have (if you already purchased one), and the exact brand and model.

From there we can start looking at options, but also an important factor is talking to the person and listening to what they want and expect. Only then can a recommendation be made with some faith the person will be happy with it.

The truth is, without really seeing the setup, all we can do is recommend. The final decision is up to you, and the better educated you are on both screens and projectors, the better you are to make a decision.

Maybe that sounded a bit wishy washy, but really this does come down to what you are expecting and looking for.

Calibration- After all that, please don't over look calibrating your projector. Even if it is just using the THX calibrator that comes with any THX cerified movie. It is a basic calibration, but still... it covers the fundamentals. Avia and DVD Essentials also have calibration discs, as does the ISF organization. Most are well under $30 and are definitely well worth it.

I always recommend calibrating to a unity gain white screen before making any screen decision. The reason is because this is what the company that made your projector set it up to be calibrated to as a standard. This will tell you any strengths and weaknesses that your projector has, and from there you can decide on how to improve things. Without doing this, it is difficult if not impossible to tell if you actually did improve things or not, or perhaps even made them worse. A baseline calibration is very important when setting up a projector system.

Also remeber this, and this is critical too... when you change screen to a darker gray, or even if you go from gray to white, recalibration to the new screen is a must.

**tonyvdb** · **01-01-09, 08:04 PM**

Great post Bill,

I also think that being able to control ambient lighting is a must. As far as I am concerned if you cant make the room almost completely dark a projector is not the way to go at all. Ambient light will affect the blacks and contrast from even the best projectors.

**wbassett** · **01-01-09, 09:11 PM**

Quote:

tonyvdb wrote:

Great post Bill,

I also think that being able to control ambient lighting is a must. As far as I am concerned if you cant make the room almost completely dark a projector is not the way to go at all. Ambient light will affect the blacks and contrast from even the best projectors.

Tony I totally agree. The real solution, and every installer I know will agree with this is to kill the ambient light problems at the source and not depend on the projector and screen to do that work.

I tend to disagree that a room does not have to be totally dark in order to set up a projector system. It may not be optimal as compared to a totally dedicated room, but it can be done and provide a more than acceptable image.

The point is people really need to know and accept what their actual viewing conditions will be and then work from there.

Ambient light will always be a screen killer, but with the right setup a person can still have amazing results... but that same setup may not be what a person with a dedicated room and total light control would want or even like and that was my point.

Before anyone buys their first projector they really need to do a total room survey and evaluate what it is they want and expect. Otherwise they have a high probability of being disappointed on a some level.

Education is the key, and that's what we're here for.

**wbassett** · **01-01-09, 09:15 PM**

One thing I want to make perfectly clear is this forum and the screen forum should and does work hand in hand. Both are very important aspects of building your media room or dedicated HT room.

It's always better to ask before spending your money than regretting it after the fact.

Those that want a truly big screen experience don't have to sacrifice performance. Just ask if in doubt.

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