ST236

FEATURE TECH

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A HOME THEATRE PROJECTOR

Big TVs tend to dominate a room, whereas home theatre projectors are designed to be quite compact, stylish and discreet. Enjoy a stadium like atmosphere during sports matches, and level up your gaming on a huge screen. An enclosed, dedicated home theatre room will deliver better acoustics – a Dolby Atmos soundbar can bounce directional audio off the ceiling and walls for a truly immersive effect. HOME THEATRE PERKS

Home theatre projectors are generally larger than portable models, but can still be easily moved to wherever you need them. If the projector isn’t staying put, look for a smaller, more portable unit. Screen size is, again, a key consideration. Some home theatre projectors can beam a picture up to a massive 200 or 300 inches, which sounds great, but only if you’ve got the wall space to match. And if your home theatre room has a wall mounted 120”

ambient light rejecting (ALR) screen, that’s as big as you can go. If you have a dedicated home theatre room, you want the best possible picture quality, and the good news is that many home theatre projectors support 4K UHD resolution and HDR/Dolby Vision for compatible content. For convenient positioning up close to a wall/screen, or if space is limited, look for an ultra-short throw projector. Home theatre projectors generally have more ANSI lumens of brightness than a portable projector. 1500-2000 is recommended for a 100”-120” screen in a dark room, but go higher if your home theatre is a lounge room with ambient light. Check the number of HDMI ports if you intend to connect external devices and a soundbar – home theatre projectors tend to have more inputs than portables.

Add some authentic cinema ambience to your home theatre setup – use smart lighting to dim the lights while you pop the popcorn, and watch a couple of trailers prior to the feature presentation. Go the whole shebang and fit out your home theatre room with red curtains, framed movie posters, and comfy recliner seats with cup holders.

See page 12 for more buying tips

Big movies for big screens Test drive your projector with four films that demand to be seen on the biggest screen possible – and pump up the volume!

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Demo scene: The Battle of the Pelennor Fields

Avengers: Endgame Demo scene: The final battle with Thanos

Dune (2021) Demo scene: All of it!

Star Wars: A New Hope Demo scene: The opening Star Destroyer pursuit

27