Assessing the big picture
With low prices these days, there's little drama to be had in buying home theater equipment
You love going to the movies: the salty scent of buttery popcorn, the flickering sound of rotating wheels, the all-encompassing gigantic screen. But you're sick of the overpriced tickets and the rug rats in the seats behind you talking over all the dialogue. If only you could have a movie theater in your home without taking out a second mortgage.
Now you can. (Sort of.)
During the past decade, the cost of putting together a passable home theater has plummeted while technology has improved. Digital projectors - based on roughly the same technology corporate America uses to blow up PowerPoint slide decks - are now within financial reach for many buyers. The highest of the high-end projectors still cost as much as $100,000, but several manufacturers offer much cheaper models producing picture quality comparable to that of flat-screen televisions - only they stretch 8 feet across.
"You can spend as little as a few grand and get a projector that is outrageous, performance-wise," said Frank Roshinski, vice president, general merchandising manager for video and furniture at Canton-based consumer electronics chain Tweeter Opco.
Some that cost even less may please all but the most ardent videophiles. Better yet, when you're not watching TV or movies, you don't have to deal with an eyesore of a television hanging on the living room wall.
The Globe tested four projectors using a recent American classic, Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums," a 2001 film filled with rich, vibrant colors. From the low-end Optoma EP749 ($899.95) to Sony's VPL-VW40 ($2,999.99), each produced a picture to rival many televisions in the same price range.
Roshinkski's favorite was the Sony, which projected some of the best-looking images, but took several minutes to adjust the colors and contrast to achieve a top-quality image. We picked the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UB ($2,999.90), which was brighter and had better contrast in its pictures. Meanwhile, the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 ($2,995.99) offered a bevy of controls, but was frustrating to configure. And the Optoma model proved that low cost doesn't necessarily mean poor quality.
Sites such as ProjectorReviews.com and ProjectorCentral.com will give more information than you ever wanted about every model out there. But the only way to know which is best for you is to visit a store and look at the images.
Make sure the projector does what you need it to do: If you're considering upgrading from DVD to a Blu-ray Disc player or subscribing to high-definition cable, look only at projectors that offer high-resolution, 1080p displays.
Also be aware that projectors work best in very dark rooms - such as basements - or rooms with thick curtains to block out light. A white wall works fine for some, but Roshinski recommends buying a screen and testing it out, too. And be sure to save a little cash for audio equipment and speakers. No matter how great the image looks, no one wants to watch a silent film.
Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UB
$2,999.90
Pros: It produces an extremely bright, high-contrast picture for a high-definition projector. The colors are great, and the intuitive lens shift and zoom are easily adjustable.
Cons:At larger sizes, the contrast isn't quite as sharp and the picture becomes grainy. While showing films, the picture also blurs a little when the camera moves quickly.
Final word: For a movie-theater-like experience at less than the cost of a car, this is your best bet. Epson also offers a slightly cheaper, non-UB (UltraBlack) model.
Optoma EP749
$899.95
Pros: It's tiny and portable, weighing just 4.4 pounds, about one-fifth as big as some of the others the Globe tested. But the EP749 projects a very bright image, after very few adjustments.
Cons: It doesn't zoom very much, and it gets pretty hot when playing for more than a few minutes.
Final word: It's designed more for data projection than home theater, but it's great for watching high-quality Internet video or a DVD playing on a laptop.
Sanyo PLV-Z2000
$2,995.99
Pros: Horizontal and vertical shift lenses make it easy to direct the image to the proper location. It also boasts an easy-to-use nine-button setup on top of the machine.
Cons: The image was very red, even after making several adjustments, and it felt too dark. It also crashed our test computer's DVD-playing software.
Final word: With so many control options, and 216 billion color combinations, an expert could probably make this projector show some beautiful images. But the Globe tester couldn't do it.
Sony
VPL-VW40 Bravia SXRD 1080P Home Theater Front Projector
$2,999.99
Pros: This well-designed, sleek unit puts out a great looking picture - even its projection of an all-black screen was nearly pleasing to the eye. Despite an array of modes, gamma corrections, black levels, and the like, it took just a few moments to get it to produce a stellar image.
Cons: At more than 24 pounds, lifting it onto the table was akin to transporting a toddler. Some of the functions, such as switching between input modes, weren't very intuitive.
Final word: Once you get it set up and working, this projector is excellent. Just make sure you have a partner on hand to help out. 