Flat Panel HDTV
One very popular choice for starting a home theater is the flat panel display. Smaller size options and reasonable prices make this home theater display an appealing choice for budget conscious and space constrained home movie enthusiasts.
Some of the benefits of LCD/Plasma Flat Panels include:
- Flicker Free Higher Contrast Display
- Better backlighting with newer LED creates enhanced black levels
- Smaller options for media rooms that cannot accommodate a large projection TV or projector
- There is a wide variety of display options for almost any budget or room size. Plasma TV’s have come down significantly in price and there are many affordable LCD options that are very comparable with plasma displays
- Flat panel home theater displays are easier to setup and configure
Some of the disadvantages for home theater designs include:
- To get a home theater display size as great as a home theater projector is significant
- Lacks the true movie theater feel of a quality projector
- LCD home theater displays can show some blurring on fast action scenes. Advances in refresh rates and panel response can help.
DLP Projector
The best way to bring the theater experience home is with an HD projector. The most common type used in a media room design is a DLP projector. Due to recent drops in prices, DLP projectors have gained significantly in home theater design popularity. There are many 1080p DLP projector options available for under $1000. When shopping for a projector pay attention to the lumens rating. The higher the lumens rating, the more ambient light the projector can absorb without compromising picture quality too much. I suggest starting with at least a 1700 lumen rating on a projector and going up from there. Ideally, a DLP projector will be in a room without any ambient light.
Some of the advantages of DLP projectors include:
- Quality on par with Hollywood
- Faster video performance... no blurring on fast moving scenes
- Image consistency and reliability... no degradation of color over time
Some disadvantages of DLP projectors:
- You will need a big room. Watching a 100 inch screen from a few feet away be a challenge.
- May be difficult to configure... Wiring the display may be a challenge.
- Ambient light can cause a washed out picture
- Research cost of replacement lamps
Some other options for your home theater room display include rear projection DLP HDTV’s. These TV’s are very affordable big screen home theater display options and are often 3D ready without the additional 3D price tag. For example, the Mitsubishi DLP projectors have been 3D ready for years now and a new 3D ready 1080p 65 inch display can be purchased for about $1000.
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