A question that is not asked as often as it should be while planning man caves is whether one should go with a projector or a flatscreen TV.
The answer is not as simple as I first thought. Both can have awesome picture quality, TVs are much easier to set up than projectors, but projectors are more flexible when it comes to the space needed, and have more affordable options. Anytime you want to use the projector, you would need to turn off the lights. For some man caves or entertainment rooms, this may not work, so when choosing, think of how you want to use your room, what will be happening in it, and see which makes more sense.
In the past, projectors honestly looked pretty awful. In order to get a decent projector, you would need to shell out major bucks. Well, with the advancements in technology, this gap between TVs and projectors has narrowed. This article will answer the that are important when deciding which is best for your room.
A question that is asked a lot is, should I go with a projector or a TV? I was curious if I wanted a projector too, so I started to do a little digging. Before we can get into answering this question, we need to define a few important measurements.
What Are Lumens?
Lumens are a measurement that describes how bright something is. It looks at how much light is being put off, and… well… projected. This is an important measurement to consider when looking at projectors.
The higher the number, the brighter the projector is. We can sometimes fall into the trap that more is always better. With projectors and Lumens, that isn’t always the case. It is more important that you make a choice with your room in mind. If your room is always going to be dark, you probably don’t need that stupidly bright projector.
What Is Contrast Ratio?
The other number that gets thrown around a lot when dealing with projectors is the contrast ratio. Projector Central wrote an awesome article on this that gets into the nitty-gritty of what the numbers are. I’ll try to give you the condensed version.
The contrast ratio is a ratio between the brightness of a white image (full on) and a black image (full off). As consumers, we kind of need to rely on these numbers to know how good the picture will be that is projected. After all, it’s the contrast that lets us get the most out of our viewing experience!
But be wary, these numbers aren’t exactly the most trustworthy things in the world… As you can imagine, the difference in output for black images (full off), which are already small numbers, to begin with, can drastically change the ratio. So the yes, higher ratios are better, but take it all with a grain of salt!
How Is the Picture Quality and Viewing Experience?
In the past 5 to 10 years, both TV’s and projectors have made massive technological leaps. Nowadays, it seems like everything is ultra-super-mega 4k HD. That’s all well and good, but how does that help us compare TVs and projectors?
Just like anything in life, the quality of TVs and projectors falls on a spectrum. For both, you can find some high-end stuff that is really incredible and some low-end stuff that isn’t worth your time. For the purpose of looking at picture quality, we are going to assume that you are looking in the mid to high range. For the sake of fairness, we will also be looking at 85-inch TVs, because let’s face it if you are looking at projectors the 65 inches is way too small of a TV.
Size Matters!
Speaking of size, how do TVs and projectors compare? Because of recent advances in technology, you can get a TV that is as big as 85 inches. That is a pretty beefy TV…
The projector, on the other hand, can fit all kinds of screens. If for some reason you want to just use a projector for an 85-inch screen, you can do that. Most projectors worth their salt can easily project screen from 100 to 120 inches big. Now that’s a screen.
What Does Size Have To Do With Picture Quality?
When I first started digging around to find out if I wanted a projector, I found myself asking this very question. Why does size matter in picture quality? Isn’t he only thing that matters the resolution, contrast, and brightness?
You would think so. But screen size actually plays a crucial role here. Like I mentioned earlier, because of the advancements in technology, it is pretty easy to find great affordable TVs and projectors with 4k ultra HD picture capabilities.
I am going to assume that most of the people reading this are human. If you are a part of that club, your eyes can only take in so much information. The smaller the screen, the less of our visual field it takes up, and the less information we are able to process. So what am I getting at?
You may have heard about Frames Per Second (fps)? The Human eye can accurately guess framerates up to something silly like 155fps. Let’s say you spend a bunch of money on some insane gaming setup and get your Tetris game running at 200fps. That’s cool, but you probably won’t be able to see much of a difference, there is a lot of information that goes unnoticed.
4k Ultra HD on a smaller screen is a lot like this. There is a lot more information to take in, but the eyes really don’t notice it. But, if you take that same 4k ultra HD and put it onto a 120-inch screen, the eyes are able to take in much more of that information. So, if you truly want to experience 4k ultra HD, a higher-end projector is definitely the way to go.
Types of TVs:
Because TVs are more common, most people are familiar with how they work. Nearly all higher-end TVs today use some type of LED (light-emitting diode) technology. There are different versions of this technology that you will find in higher-end TVs. Examples of this are QLED (quantum dot light-emitting diode) and OLED (organic light-emitting diode).
From my deep dive into this stuff, it looks like QLED is usually cheaper for the manufacturer and more efficient. That being said, OLED hurts eyes less because there is less blue light… So if you plan on spending a lot of time in your man cave watching TV, you may want to go with the OLED technology. Food for thought.
Types of Projectors:
There are many more types of projectors than TVs. The two types of technology that usually produce the best quality are DLP and LCD projectors.
DLP stands for digital light processing. From what I can find, these can be ultra-high end. If you really want to go crazy, you can spend a whole bunch of money and get pretty near the same DLP projectors that are in your local movie theater. One of the better DLP options you can go with is the Optoma UHD50 True 4K Ultra High Definition DLP Home Theater Projector. It is a solid 2400 lumens and has a contrast ratio of 500,000(Remember how I said take this with a grain of salt???).
The other type of projector that is pretty popular is LCD technology. LCD stands for liquid crystal display. When I first saw this, I had to do a double take… I thought I accidentally looked up TVs again. Sure enough, projectors can utilize this same technology. LCD tends to be the middle road for quality. From what I can find, Epson is one of the more reliable brands for projectors using this technology. The best options in this category are the Epson Home Cinema 2150 Wireless 1080p Miracast, 3LCD projector. This thing has 2500 lumens, and a contrast ratio of 60,000 to 1.
Final Thoughts On Picture Quality:
After reading this, you can probably tell that the comparison isn’t an easy one. I definitely found myself going down some crazy rabbit holes while doing my own research. But from what I found, comparing the high-end versions of each, I think projectors take this one for the quality of the picture, their size, and their overall viewing experience.
Which Will Work Best Space-Wise in My Entertainment Room/Man Cave?
Apparently like every other question having to do with TVs and projectors, there is a lot to this question. To figure it out, I went back to the internet to research. I found that there are a few specific questions we need to answer. These questions are
- What is the Optimum Viewing Angle For Each?
- How Much Space Is Needed?
- Is Any Extra Equipment Needed?
What Is the Optimal Viewing Angle?
This is something that I thought I should mention. From what I can see, there is not set in stone rule for this. Also, as technology improves, so does the visibility of TV screens from odd angles. Regardless, I think it is important o be aware of this.
The viewing angle is… well… the angle you are viewing the TV at. If your eyes are at the exact center of the screen, there you are at a viewing angle of 0. As you start moving to the left or right, you are starting to look at the TV from, you guessed it, and angle. As you start moving outside of the viewing angle, the screen’s colors may look off, it won’t look like it should.
TVs Versus Projectors:
For TVs, the optimal viewing angle used to be as low as 15 degrees. This means you really needed to be in front of the TV, or else colors would start to look different. Because of the advancements in technology, the optimal viewing angle for TVs is on average 25 degrees.
From what I can find about the viewing angles of projectors, it seems to be between 30 and 40 degrees. This means that if you have a larger room, your will be able to spread out the seating out a little more to either side of the screen without having to worry about that person’s view looking off.
Viewing Angle Takeaway:
Your takeaway from this should be this. If you have a smaller room widthwise and you wouldn’t be able to spread out seating, this viewing angle stuff doesn’t impact you. If you have an open room and want to spread stuff out, you will be able to spread things out more with a projector.
How Much Space Is Needed?
This brings us to the second question, how much space do you need in your room? When looking at TVs, there is a pretty straight forward way to find how much space you need.
Like I wrote is a previous article, there are two things to consider. First is how high up the wall you want to mount your TV. So you will need wall space, but that’s pretty easy. The more important thing you will need is space to sit back from your TV.
The calculation you need to do is 2.75 inches multiplied by the diagonal size (which is usually the number we use anyways) of your TV. So for an example, if you wanted that 85-inch TV, you would need to set your couch back 233.75 inches(85in*2.75in), or a laughable 19.48 feet (233.75in/12in). I think it goes without saying that you can fudge with these numbers a bit…
For projectors, because the lights are not as bright, and the screens are usually bigger, the measurement is different. For projectors, take the diagonal size of the screen and multiply it by .84. So for an 85in projector screen, you would need to have the seating back 71.5 inches (85in*.84in) or 6ft. But let’s be honest, 85 inches is an incredibly small projector screen. For a 120-inch screen, couches would need to be sitting back 100.8 inches (120in*.84in), or 8.4 feet.
Throw Ratio:
One last space requirement that needs to be considered is the throw ratio for your projector. This determines how far back your projector needs to be from the screen to get the correct screen size. This is different for each projector. But if you have enough room for seating, you should be okay with the projector’s throw ratio.
A typical ratio is 2:1. This means for each 1 foot of the screen’s width; the projector will need to be 2 feet back. When setting up this will want to be a carefully measured distance.
Needed Space Takeaway:
I have to admit, I was a little surprised by how much room is needed for such a large TV. I was also surprised to learn that projectors have a more flexible viewing angle than TVs.
Are Any Extra Supplies/Equipment Needed?
If you decide to go with a TV, you are going to want to mount it. A TV wall mount is pretty affordable. But other than that, you do not need any other equipment. But who am I kidding, you already knew that. This is definitely one of the draws to buying a TV. Sure a soundbar would be nice, but it is not needed.
Projectors are another beast. Firstly, projectors are a two-part system. You have the projector itself which we have been talking about, and there is the actual screen that the picture is projected on to. For screens, they sell automated ones and manual ones. Personally, if you are going to be going all out with a home theater, just go get the automated one for an extra cool factor. These screens can range anywhere from $100 to $200.
Next, is something that honestly slipped my mind at first. Although some projectors come with internal speakers, most do not. You are going to have to buy some type of audio/speaker system. Definitely don’t be that guy with a 100-inch screen and a little speaker.
You will also need to mount your projector onto the ceiling and get the needed connection so you have something to project. This could be a cable box, or you could connect a gaming system to it, or you could hook a computer up to it with an HDMI cord.
Other than these considerations, there is nothing else you will need!
Extra Supplies/Equipment Takeaway:
I was not surprised at all to see just how much extra work needs to go into a projector. There had to be a catch, right? Honestly, most entertainment rooms and man caves are going to want a sound system anyway, so it’s probably not as bad as I thought at first glance. What do you think?
How Much Do They Cost?
I saved this question to the very end because I think it is one of the most important questions. As a reminder, we are looking at high end here. One of the more popular 85 inch TVs I could find is the Sony XBR85X950G X950G 85 Inch TV: 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR and Alexa Compatibility. It is a good representation of TVs of its size and quality. You can expect to spend somewhere in the ballpark of $3,500 to $4,500 for a good quality 85-inch TV.
Now if you were looking at high-end projectors, I don’t think you should look any further than the Sony VPLVW285ES 4K HDR Home Theater Video Projector. This thing is very close to the projectors that are used in the full-fledged movie theaters. As you can see, the higher-end projectors can also go for up to $3500 to $4500, but there are also decent cheaper options. One budget consideration is the Optoma HD143X Affordable High-Performance 1080p Home Theater Projector.
Whatever the price of the projector is, remember to add in the cost of the screen and whatever sound system you are planning on using.
Cost Takeaway:
Although the high end of TVs and projectors are comparable in price, I think my biggest takeaway is the value for your money you can get is you look for the middle of the road/budget options with good reviews. Man, I am starting to think I went the wrong direction when I bought that TV…
Overall Final Takeaway:
During my research, I learned a lot about TVs and projectors. At the end of the day, I think they are both awesome options, that have their own benefits and drawbacks.
Pros:
The pros of going with a large TV is the ease of setting up, no sound system needed, it’s familiarity, ability to watch TV with the light on, great to have on in the background while doing other things in the room.
The pros of going with a projector are the wow factor, better viewing angle, better viewing experience, and there are some very affordable options.
Cons:
Cons for going with a TV are the bright screen can hurt your eyes after watching for a long time, in a perfect world, one would want to sit far back from it, and the larger they are, the more expensive they are.
Cons for going with a projector are the extensive setup, requires a few extra things to be used (sound system and screen), people can’t walk in front of the projector without being scolded, and lights always need to be off if you are watching it.
Final Takeaway:
If I knew all of this information before I bought my TV, I am not sure what I would have done. I think my biggest takeaway from doing this research is the two are much closer than I thought. Everyone’s space is different and is used in a different way. My hope is that this article helps you make your own decision on which to go with.
By looking at what you think you will be doing in your entertainment room or man cave, you can use this information to figure out which is best for you.
Until next time,