Which projector should I buy?
Over the past few years, we’ve seen many new laser and LED projectors pop up. With all these new laser projectors popping up all over the place, it was a good time to talk about LED projectors, traditional lamp-based projectors, and laser projectors.
So today, let’s compare the LED vs lamp vs laser projectors and give you the pros and cons of each of these technologies. This can be a bit complicated since there are low and high-end projectors in all three categories, but we are going to try to stick with some of the most popular models to keep it simple.
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What are LED Projectors
So first, let’s start with LED projectors. LED-based projectors are usually pretty small, and they have similar characteristics to laser projectors. Some of these benefits include a long lifespan of between 20,000 and 30,000 hours, less heat, less fan noise, better portability, and lower cost.
Considering the long lifespan of LED projectors compared to the typical 3,000 to 4,000 hours of lamp life that you get from a traditional lamp, you don’t have to buy a replacement bulb every few years, which can cost you anywhere from $100 to $1000.
LED projectors are a great way to get into the home theater without spending a ton of money. But one of the significant limitations is that LED is the least bright light source, and as you know, a brighter light source allows you to get a bigger and less washed out image.
So because manufacturers know that consumers want bright projectors, you’ll usually see some insane brightness claims out there. Now not all inexpensive led projector manufacturers lie about their brightness, but the market is flooded with brands making insane claims like 6,000 or more lumens, and they’re not anywhere close to that.
One thing to look out for is ANSI lumens, an industry-standard that gives us a more accurate measurement of projector brightness. So most of the led projectors that cost less than $300 are usually somewhere between the realm of 300 to 400 ANSI lumens. So if you’re expecting a movie theater-like experience, you have to go with a slightly more expensive projector.
ANSI Lumen Recommendations
Any projector with less than 1000 ANSI lumens works best with a small screen like 80-inches or 90-inches in complete darkness. 1000 to 2400 lumens allows you to go with an even bigger screen (upto 150-inch) in a dark room, and projectors with 2400 lumens or more will enable you to use them in a room with some ambient light possibly.
A great option if you’re looking for the benefits of LED is the LGHU70LA. It has an led light source that produces 1500 ANSI lumens. It has excellent color accuracy, supports HDR10 with TruMotion, and comes with LG’s WebOS, so you don’t have to buy a ROKU or any other streaming device.
So if you’re looking for a projector that has a long-lasting light source, but you don’t want to spend several thousands on a laser projector, then this is a fantastic option.
What are Lamp-based Projectors
The next light source is lamp-based projectors. Chances are if you’ve seen a projector in someone’s house, it was probably lamp-based. Lamps are the most common light source found in the long throw and standard throw projectors. They have a lifespan of around 3,000 to 4,000 hours.
As far as cost, these projectors are all over the place, but most budget units cost less than their laser counterparts. Some people might think that lamp projectors are inferior to laser, but they have a few benefits over laser in some instances, They’re often used in high-end home theaters.
Depending on the projector, lamp projectors sometimes have better black levels, better color accuracy, and lower cost than laser projectors. For example, the Epson 5050UB, which is a $3000 mid-range lamp-based projector. This projector is super bright and has fantastic color accuracy and black levels difficult for most mid-range laser projectors to match.
The downside is that the cost is pretty much right up there with 4k laser projectors, and it’s not true 4k. If you have the budget, you can go out and grab something like the JVC DLA-NX7, a fantastic lamp projector. It has excellent image quality, but it only produces 1900 lumens, which works best in a dark room.
On top of that, it has an average lamp life of 4,000 hours like most lamp projectors, but the replacement lamp costs around $800. So if you’re the type of person who watches TV for several hours a day, you could be replacing the ball fairly often, which tends to add up over time, and if you go too long on the same bulb, it can turn yellow, even possibly explode.
What are Laser Projectors
So this is where laser projectors come in. There are two major types of laser projectors:
- Ultra-short throw laser projector, also known as a laser TV
- Long throw laser projector
Even though they’re not perfect, laser projectors do have a few benefits. The first benefit is one mentioned earlier, which is lamp life. Like LED projectors, laser projectors usually have a lamp life ranging from 20,000 hours to 30,000 hours.
Aside from lamp life, other laser projector benefits include a brighter image considering it’s using laser as a light source, ultra-short-throw also known as Laser TV, and much faster startup time, since a bulb doesn’t have to warm up.
As I mentioned earlier, there are two types of laser projectors, so first, let’s talk about the latest option: the ultra-short throw laser projectors, also known as laser TVs. Laser TVs are super bright and easy for the average person to set up since they sit on a TV stand and don’t usually require professional installation.
When you pair one of these with an ambient light rejecting screen, you can get a fantastic image even in a room with some sunlight. Suppose you have a dedicated home theater, and you still want the advantages of a laser light source.
In that case, you can purchase a long throw laser projector like the LGHU810P, which is a dual laser projector that produces 2700 lumens with excellent color accuracy. This brings us to one of the downsides of laser projectors which is cost.
The LGHU85LA laser TV usually costs around $5000, the LGHU810P retails for $3000, and high-end laser projectors go for even more. Again the cost of bulb replacement from lamp projectors does offset this cost a little bit, but upfront costs are always a harder pill to swallow.
Another downside that comes along with laser projectors is black levels. This is more of an issue with bright laser projectors, but bright lamp-based projectors sometimes have better black levels than bright laser projectors.
Which Projector should I buy?
To sum everything up, the main thing to keep in mind is to determine which one of these types of projectors fits your needs. If you’re on a super tight budget and you don’t plan on using it daily, then an inexpensive LED projector might be the right fit for you.
If you have a slightly higher budget, and you don’t mind replacing a lamp every few years, and you don’t need an ultra-short throw, then you can step up to a lamp-based projector.
If you plan to watch several hours of TV or movies daily or want the simplicity of a Laser TV, then a laser projector might be a better fit for you.