Projector or television for the home cinema? Lumens, screen, Laser TV

The question comes up in every home cinema consultation: projector or big television? The honest answer depends on the room – on light, space, seating distance and whether the cinema is a dedicated room or the living room. Here are the criteria we decide by.

Lumens: ANSI, ISO and the marketing numbers

A projector's brightness is stated in lumens, but not every figure is comparable. Reliable are ANSI lumens or values according to ISO 21118, measured as an average over nine picture zones. "LED lumens" or "light source lumens" describe the lamp, not the picture on the screen, and are often double. As a guide: for 100 to 120 inches in a darkened room, 1,500 to 2,500 ANSI lumens are enough; with residual light in the living room it should be 3,000 and more, combined with a suitable screen. A television with 1,000 nits reaches around ten times what a projector manages on the screen – for HDR highlights the television wins, for picture size the projector.

Screen: gain, ALR and CLR

The screen is not an accessory but half the picture quality.

Ultra short throw and Laser TV

A Laser TV sits like a sideboard device 20 to 40 centimetres in front of the wall and throws 100 to 120 inches upwards. With a rigid CLR screen that works in daylight too. Advantages: no ceiling projector, no cables across the room, speakers and Smart TV functions built in. Drawbacks: the screen has to be absolutely flat, a glass of water on the furniture must not stand in the beam, and the screen is part of the calculation. For living rooms that cannot be darkened it is currently the strongest projector solution.

Room light, walls and fans

A projector's contrast is made in the room: light walls and ceilings reflect stray light back onto the screen. A dark paint around the screen and a dark carpet bring more than the next projector up. On noise: projectors have fans at 22 to 30 dB(A), depending on the lamp mode. In eco mode good devices are barely audible in quiet film scenes; a device directly above your head still is. Mounting further back or in a ventilated recess solves that.

Lifespan: laser or lamp

A UHP lamp lasts 3,000 to 5,000 hours and loses noticeable brightness even before it fails; a lamp change is part of operation. Laser and LED light sources are rated at 20,000 to 30,000 hours, start immediately and age more evenly. Televisions, at around 60,000 to 100,000 hours, are higher still.

Which solution when

Conclusion

A projector does not replace a television, and a television does not replace a cinema. Anyone who wants both often combines: television for everyday use, projector with motorised screen for film night. What works in your room we clarify at your home – with a measurement by day and in the evening.