You have two options when it comes to viewing
technology in your home theater. If you decide to skip the big screen
television and go with home theater projection, you’ll of
course need a projector and a screen.
Choosing a projection system in
lieu of a television gives your home that much more of a theater
feeling. It immerses the viewer in a true theater experience. (And,
hey, if you can add some heavy velvet drapes in front of the screen,
all the better!)
In the past, projectors have been bulky and
noisy… not at all conducive to a comfortable home viewing
experience. However, as in every other part of the electronics
industry, projector technology has boomed, and that is no longer the
case.
There are three basic kinds of projector
technology available these days. The CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) Projector
uses the same technology as original televisions. Cathode ray tubes
(three – one for each primary color) project through a light
magnifying lens to reveal the image.
Because of its technology, the CRT
projector is not limited to a specific pixel field and has more
flexibility in displaying variable resolutions. CRT projectors give the
most true black image, and it has a very long projection life. Its
limitations include its bulky size, the necessity of having a very dark
room for best viewing, and cost.
The next technology available in home
theater projection is the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Video Projector.
The LCD uses a pixilated transparent LCD chip to magnify the video onto
the screen. It is compact, so it’s very portable, and it uses
less power than other kinds of projectors.
In addition, it has a high
contrast and brightness capability, so the room needn’t be as
dark as with a CRT projector. It’s also much less expensive.
A major downside to the LCD projector is that it might not give a
really clear picture on a large screen.
The DLP (Digital Light Processing) Video
Projector is becoming more and more popular. It uses digital images and
micromirrors, and although it’s limited by its pixel count,
it won’t give the same effect as the LCD (when it feels like
you’re looking through a screen door). Both the LCD and
DLP’s light sources need to be changed every 1,000 to 2,000
viewing hours.