LED Projectors: manufacturer reviews and review of the best models

Since the appearance of household appliances, projectors have changed a lot. This is not the expensive devices with no less expensive maintenance, which could only be used in the dark. Today, the projector allows you to view photos and videos, easily replace the TV or screen of a personal computer. And the price of models supporting Full HD resolution equaled the cost of 40-inch television receivers. It's time to take advantage of this technology and become a happy owner of a home theater with a truly gigantic screen with a 300-inch diagonal, which is about 7.62 m.

Picture

The main parameter of the projector selection is image quality. But how can this be done if the much needed evaluation of several expensive models is not possible due to the lack of a viewing room?

You can estimate the quality of the projector images by the following parameters:

• Technology of image formation;
• Size and resolution of the matrix;
• contrast;
• brightness;
• focal length.

First of all, the quality of the image depends on the technology of projection. Now three technologies are used: DLP, LCD and LCOS.

DLP

DLP (English Digital Light Processing) uses a matrix of angle-shifting micromirrors that direct light into the focusing lens. The coloration of the light beam occurs in different ways. Some manufacturers use a fast rotating three-color wheel. In this case, the eye sees alternating monochrome images, which can affect some people, and also creates a rainbow effect that interferes with viewing. Others apply three matrixes of micromirrors for each color separately (3DLP technology). Projectors using 3DLP technology are among the best, but also the most expensive projectors.

LCD

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) technology uses three liquid crystal matrixes to form a red, green and blue video signal component. The flow of light from a metal halide lamp, passing through a prism or a sequence of dichroic filters that pass one part of the spectrum and reflect the other, is divided into three components. Each is guided through its LCD-matrix, which by changing the stream of light passing through each pixel creates a one-color image. The combination of the three components produces a multi-color projection. Among the shortcomings of this technology is called low contrast of the image (due to the fact that the crystal in a closed state transmits light, and the bandwidth of the matrix does not exceed 7%).

LCOS

LCOS (English Liquid Crystal on Silicon) is based on the two previous ones. But the light does not pass through the liquid crystal matrix, but is reflected by liquid crystals on the silicone. Thanks to this, a high-quality image is obtained without the drawbacks of DLP and LCD technologies. In addition, it becomes possible to increase the density of pixels and achieve high resolution images. But the price of LCOS-projectors is quite high, which limits their use by cinemas and large presentation halls.

LED

The LED technology (English Light-Emitting Diode, LED) uses one of the above technologies to create the image, with the difference that the light source is the LED matrix. At the same time there is no need to replace lamps, energy consumption is reduced. The guaranteed lifetime of the LED matrix is 25 thousand hours. The disadvantage is a small light flux not exceeding 2000 lumens.

The laser projector is equipped with a group of primary color laser diodes . Less expensive are hybrid laser-LED projectors, in which a blue diode laser, a green fluorescent element and red LEDs are combined to achieve high brightness.

Resolution

The resolution is determined by the number of pixels. For a high-quality image, these parameters of the video projector and the source must match. You can play back a signal with a different resolution, but the image will be distorted by compression algorithms.

Popular resolutions are 1280 x 768 WXGA, 1280 x 720 HD, 1920 x 1080 Full HD, 1920 x 1200 WUXGA.

Brightness

The luminous flux is measured in lumens. Projectors with a brightness of 2000-3000 lumens are used in classrooms and small conference rooms. The luminous flux of 3000-4500 lumens is suitable for large conference halls. The brightness of the image in this case is sufficient to not obscure the room. Ultra-bright projectors over 4,500 lumens are used at concerts, nightclubs, churches, etc. The cheapest and the smallest portable projectors with a light flux of less than 2000 lumens require a complete or partial darkening of the room.

Contrast

The ratio of the greatest and smallest illumination of the screen is called the contrast of the projector. For example, a contrast ratio of 10,000: 1 means that the brightness of a white color exceeds the brightness of black by 10,000 times. In an unoccupied room, the contrast is leveled by external light sources and inferior in importance to the light flux of the projector.

Lens

Video projectors can be equipped with lenses with the ability to manually or automatically change the focal length. This is necessary to change the image size without moving the projector itself.

Also, the lens is characterized by the ratio of the distance to the screen to its size. Projectors are long-focus (2-8: 1), standard (1-2) and short-focus (less than 1).

Features of LED projectors

• Use indoors requires darkening for maximum clarity and brightness of the image.
• Devices with a light flux of up to 300 lumens are calculated for a screen width of 0.2 m, and more than 500 lumens for up to 3 m.
• Suitable for mobile home theater. They are not a full replacement for projectors with metal halide lamps.
• Portability is achieved by the presence of an external power supply, the possibility of wireless connection.
• Models with high luminous flux have a high noise level, so they are suitable for use in public places.
• Energy consumption is minimal.

LED projector: overview of popular models

Every day, new models of projectors appear on the market, the light source in which the LEDs serve. Below are considered only those LED-projectors, the reviews of which were positive. So, let's begin.

Mini LED-projector ViewSonic PLED-W800 - a pocket device designed for business presentations, they say, "on the go." But, according to consumers, the power of the light flux allows it to be used at home.

The California company ViewSonic specializes in projection equipment since the late 80's. A few years ago, she became the pioneer of a new line of mini LED projectors with the PLED-W500. Now available models W200, W600 and W800.

The numbers in the model name correspond to the luminous flux in lumens. On paper, a comparison with the power of metal halide lamps, which exceeds 2000 lumens, does not speak in favor of the LED projector, but in practice, judging by the feedback from customers, the device illuminates the screen brighter than one would expect. The portable device is capable of holding PowerPoint presentations, giving an 80-inch HD 1280 x 720 image at a distance of 2.5 m with a brightness that does not require darkening of the room. However, to watch movies you need to pull the curtains and turn on the Movie mode, which will give the image a more natural color. The compactness of the device required sacrificing the change in the focal length. But there is a mount for mounting on a tripod. If the projector is tilted with respect to the screen, the image will be automatically adjusted.

ViewSonic Pro9000 is a hybrid laser-LED projector, which is ideal for home theater. The beautiful colors provided by the DarkChip3 chip, the high definition of the Full HD image, 16,000 lumens of light and the contrast of 100,000: 1 - that's what the consumer really likes. The design of the projector does not use lamps and filters, which reduces the cost of operating the device to almost zero.

LG PH550, PW1000, PW1500 - LED projectors for the home, presented in January 2016. Luminous flux in lumens and resolution (H for 1280 x 720 and W for 1280 x 800) are indicated in the name of the device. Model PH550 is equipped with a battery, designed for 2.5 hours of battery life, Bluetooth-audio, wireless communication with devices OS "Android". The PW1000, in addition, is equipped with a digital TV tuner and is 3D compatible, and the PW1500 speaks for its brightness.

Vivitek Qumi Q5 is a portable mini-LED projector with a resolution of 1600 x 1200, 500 lumens brightness and 3D support. The screen size is 30-90 inches (0,76-2,3 m) at a distance of 1-3 m. There is also a built-in player, 4 GB memory, USB port, wireless connection, Internet browser and battery. Users note excellent color reproduction, contrast, image quality, design and compactness, but some are dissatisfied with the fan noise and insufficient volume of the device.

The Qumi range also includes LED projectors Q4, Q6, Q7 Lite, Q7 Plus. With increasing numbers, the brightness also increases, which in the latest model reaches 1000 lumens. The contrast is equal to 30 000: 1, the resolution is 1280 x 800. It is possible to control the projector using mobile devices running OS "Android" or iOS. There is a correction of trapezium, lens shifts in the horizontal and vertical direction, optical zoom.

Produces the projectors Vivitek Qumi Taiwan Corporation Delta Electronics.

Optoma products

Optoma offers the following LED projectors.

ML750e - compact and light (less than 400 grams) device. This is a portable LED projector, designed for games, watching movies and presentations without using a PC; There is a built-in memory and a slot for connecting a micro SD card. The resolution is 1280 x 800, the contrast is 15 000: 1, the screen size is 17-100 inches, the projection distance is 0.5-3.2 m. It consumes 65 watts in the working and 0.5 watts in the standby mode. Users are very satisfied with ultra mobility and multifunctionality.

The ML1500e is equipped with a built-in media player, document viewers, stereo sound, a wireless connection and a memory card. The resolution is 1280 x 800, the contrast is 20 000: 1, the screen size is 17-100 inches, the projection distance is 0.5-3 m. It consumes 145 watts.

HD91 + - used second generation LEDs, Full 3D 1080 p image, optical zoom. The contrast is 600,000: 1, the screen size is 30-300 inches, the projection distance is 1.5-19 meters. It consumes 245 watts in bright mode and 150 watts in the movie mode. No complaints from users.

The global corporation Optoma, headquartered in the US, Europe and Asia, produces projection and audio devices for business, education and home use. It was founded in 2002 in Shanghai, China.

Projectors from BenQ

Company BenQ produces portable projectors LED GP30, GP3, GP20.

GP30 - short-focus (40-inch screen at a distance of 1 m) multimedia projector LED with a brightness of 900 lumens. According to the manufacturer, the presence of stereo sound with SRS HD, support for wireless content transmission technology MHL and WiDi. The GP3 and GP20 models have a brightness of 300 and 700 lumens, respectively. Resolution 1280 x 800, contrast 100 000: 1, tilt correction +/- 40 °. In 2014, the Taiwanese company BenQ became the world leader in sales of high-definition projectors, and the total number of models sold exceeded 1 million.

NEC NP-L102W - 1000 lumens LED projector with 1 GB of internal memory and an SD card slot with a capacity of up to 32 GB, which will leave the laptop at home and conduct presentations from a flash drive. The built-in office viewer allows you to open MS Office files and documents in PDF format. The design does not use rotary filters, which, according to reviews, reduces noise and eliminates the need to care for them. The resolution is 1280 x 800, the contrast is 10 000: 1. The Japanese company NEC Display Solutions, the manufacturer of this projector, has been working for more than 20 years.

Panasonic

In the professional projector Panasonic PT-RZ470U the lamp is replaced by a LED-laser system with a light flux of 3500 lumens. The resolution is 1920 x 1200, the contrast is 20 000: 1, the screen size is 40-300 inches, the distance to the screen is 2.6-10 m. The hybrid light source, according to users' feedback, has a higher color purity, and the Digital Link system will allow the transfer of HDMI , Uncompressed HD video, sound and commands via a single Cat5 cable for a distance of up to 100 m. Panasonic was at the source of the projector industry, starting production in 1975. And continues to occupy the leading position to this day, having a record brightness of the projector of 9000 lumens and the first to introduce wireless technologies into devices of this type. Users are very pleased with the overall quality of the image of the new type of projector, but the level of contrast and color rendition, they say, are still at an average level.

New from Casio

Japanese company Casio, which was the first to launch hybrid laser-LED projectors, offers the available models XJ-V110W, XJ-V10X, XJ-V110W, XJ-F210WN, XJ-F100W, XJ-F20XN, XJ-F10X, brightness of which reaches 3500 lumens. The contrast of new projectors is 20000: 1, tilt correction, wired or wireless connection to the network.

Acer

Acer also manufactures portable projectors LED K137i, K138ST, K335 with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and a light flux of 700, 800 and 1000 lumens respectively. Contrast 10 000: 1, the screen size is 17-100 / 25-100 / 30-100 inches, the distance to the screen is 0.6-3.2 / 0.4-1.7 / 0.9-3.0 m, the correction of the tilt + / -40 °, support for PDF, MS Office, power consumption 75/80/135 W. The feedback of the owners is mostly positive.

Chinese lanterns

One can not fail to mention here that the market was flooded with cheap Chinese LED projectors, the reviews of which are extremely unpleasant. An example is the Digital Galaxy DG-757 and Fugetek FG-637. According to consumers, with the declared brightness of 2800 and 2000 lumens, the real number was less than 140 and 90 lumens, respectively. This, as well as the huge unevenness of brightness and sharpness, the technology of 20 years ago once again confirms the proverb "miser pays twice".