One question that is cropping up a lot these days in the home theater install world is whether flat screen televisions are the only way to go or if there are other, better options for viewing the latest movies or shows. There have been amazing strides in the television world in the last several years, and with the costs getting lower and lower, the options for the everyday man are amazing.
One option for your home theater install is the flat screen television. The options between plasma and LCD screens, however, make a difference in your viewing experience. The plasma television has the advantage in terms of being able to show movement on television, making it an ideal choice for the action movie enthusiast or big game watcher. The cost is greater for a plasma screen, but is going down every day for this newer consumer technology. At the same time, the LCD technology is improving everyday, and the plasma advantage is going down.
The projector option is also an extremely popular option for a home theater install. Screen size can go up to 300 inches, much larger than any commercially available television set. And since the light is projected from the front, instead of a television with a backlit screen, you can see the screen from any angle. With the right wall, the image can be projected directly on the wall without a screen. When the lights go up, it’s a regular room without a large television dominating the room. This means the room could become a multipurpose room and not just a theater.
The biggest disadvantage of the projector is that a room needs to be very or completely dark in order to get a good image. Any ambient light, even from a window or a neighboring room, can interfere with the image. This means that light needs to be extremely controlled in order to get a good viewing experience. If you are creating a home theater from the ground up, this should not be an issue, but if you are converting an existing room into a theater, then you must take that into consideration.
A projector does have a shorter life than plasma or LCD televisions. A projector bulb lasts about 5,000 hours and costs roughly $400 to replace. Plasma and LCD televisions, by contrast, last 30,000 to 60,000 hours. That will take your television way into the future and ready for the next wave of technology to change the way you view television.
