A home theatre projector is the best way to super-size your home entertainment experience. It will provide the biggest bang for your buck as it is the most economic way to get over a 100” jaw-dropping picture at home. The projector isn’t the only thing you will need to make your home entertainment system hum – here’s what else you need.
Of course you could project onto any white wall but this will not provide the best picture. Even a white painted wall will likely have some colour in it that will distort the colour of the images projected, and the paint will reflect some light so the image isn’t as clear as it could be. Plus you will tend to see any texture that might be on your wall as I guarantee it will not be perfectly smooth. Get a projector screen for the best experience.
You need to figure out the size screen you need, which will depend on the projector and size of the room or distance away from the screen. Then if you want it to be retractable or fixed. Fixed is slightly better since it is permanently there and will not ever have any ripples in it from a slight breeze or from rolling up and down. Retractable screens can be pull-down or motorized, and unstructured (i.e. gravity keeps the screen down), or tab-tensioned with a series of tabs that provide stiffness to the screen.
All these screens will do a good job, so figure out your size and budget and mounting preference and I am sure you will find a good screen that does the job.
Your projector needs good stability at exactly the right distance from the screen, and a mount is the best way to do that, although you could build a shelf for it as well. A mount will be less obtrusive and give you more flexibility in terms of adjusting the position of the image. Ceiling or wall mount are the way to go. A ceiling mount is the most out of the way and unobtrusive, but a wall mount is better for easier access for cleaning, adding connections, etc. I particularly like the BenQ 5J.J4R10.011 as it looks great and is not very expensive.
Cables
One of the trickiest things with setting up a projector is all the cabling because the projector you need to connect to usually is a distance away from the other components like your cable box, streaming device, or sound system. Take extra care in measuring the distance you need and get a cable that will do the trick – not too much extra length and definitely not too short. A better quality HDMI and Optical Cable are in order because of the extra length
Sound
Although a lot of projectors come with sound, I would highly recommend a surround sound system or at least a soundbar. The speakers in projectors are usually not as good as you will find in flat panel TVs, which aren’t great either so for that truly immersive experience get a sound system. I mean, if you have a giant screen, then a surround sound will top it off very nicely. The Denon 5.1 Home Theatre System (DHT1513BA) is a complete kit that sounds great and won’t break the bank.
Surge Protection
One thing to definitely consider is a surge protector to make sure your equipment is safe, plus it will take out irregularities in the electrical supplies that might cause any distortion. I wouldn’t focus on getting a smart protector because likely your equipment is separated and can’t all be plugged into the same protector.
If you were to break away from the pack and get a Home Theatre Projector I can almost assure you that you will be the envy of all your friends and neighbours as the theatre experience is that much more exhilarating, but don’t forgot these extras that will provide you years of enjoyment and will max out the experience.
