Big TVs For The Big Game

CBS' Larry Magid On How To Get More Screen For Your Buck

(CBS)  Lumens also matter as you deal with larger images or "throws." If you plan to watch your video on a relatively small (say under 70 inch) screen, you can get away with under 1,000 lumens. If you want your screen to be 10 feet wide, you'll need to, literally, throw more light on the subject.

Speaking of screens, you can get away with a white wall but for best results it's a good idea to get a beaded screen which, depending on the size, can cost anywhere from $100 to $500.

ProjectorPeople.com recommends at least 700 lumens for "dedicated home theaters," at least 900 lumens for rooms with some ambient light and 2500 lumens or more for spaces with high ambient light.

My "media room" (actually a spare bedroom) is only 12 feet deep so the maximum "throw" I can get is an image that's about 84 inches diagonal. Still, that's bigger than any plasma HDTV that I could reasonably afford. 84-inch plasma TVs start at about $7,000 and go (way) up from there. A 70-inch JVC rear projection TV costs about $6,000.

What I discovered is that all of the units I tested put out more than enough light for nighttime use in my media room or even in my living room, which is larger. But with the shades down during the day, the room is far from dark and that's where the lumens started to make a difference. The $2,999 Dell which puts out 3,300 lumens, literally shone in this environment. The 1,100 lumen Panasonic did well – I could easily live with what I got. The 1,000 lumen Optoma was also acceptable, though noticeably weaker than the other two units.

Another important number is the projector's native resolution. All of the ones I looked at can accept a high-def 720p signal but the native resolution helps create a sharper looking image from high-definition sources. The Dell is rated at up to 1400 by 1050. The Panasonic's native resolution is 1280 x 720 while the native resolution of the Optomo is a much lower 854 x 480.

There are two basic technologies that are commonly used in projectors: LCD and DLP. Projector enthusiasts argue incessantly about which is better. Each has its adherents and detractors.

If you do a web search for "DLP vs LCD" you'll get plenty of arguments on both sides. All I'm going to report is that each has its tradeoffs and that there is no clear consensus that one is better than the other. Both the Dell (which is DLP) and the Panasonic (LCD) looked very good to me.

Another issue is inputs. Any projector capable of HDTV must have at least three component (RGB) cable inputs. The higher end ones (including both the Panasonic and Dell) have HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) and some (such as the Dell) also have DVI (digital video interface). Since these projectors also connect to PCs, they generally have VGA inputs as well.

The Dell or another high-lumen projector is a good choice if ambient light is an issue of if you want to project a very large image. I used it late last summer for an outdoor movie night with a very large screen on my garage door. Its extra strong lamp and high native resolution assures an excellent quality image.

Having said that, I was also quite impressed by the Panasonic, especially considering its lower price. It's a solid machine with very good image quality and exceptionally good contrast. As you'd expect, it's not as bright as the Dell which is largely irrelevant in a darkened room, but the Dell's extra lumens and slightly higher resolution does make a difference when the lights are on.

The Panasonic has some nice touches. like a large joy-stick-like mechanism for shifting the lens position, which makes it less picky about where you place the projector. It also has a 2x zoom lens, which allows you to increase the image size in a small room like mine.

The Optomo is in a class by itself. Yes, the quality of the image is not as great as the two higher-end systems and it doesn't have many inputs (though it does have VGA, component and S-video). Still, it looked very good, especially compared to a standard TV set.

What's more, it's quite a nice package. It not only has a built-in DVD player but built-in speakers as well. It's extremely portable and would be ideal for taking to "grandma's" house or even to a hotel room. My mother-in-law lives in an assisted living center and I'm very tempted to bring it over there to treat her and her fellow residents to a "movie night."

You can buy projectors from Amazon.com and many online merchants but you might start by shopping at a specialty site like ProjectorPeople.com. I found their site very helpful and their prices competitive. I also got good advice from Crutchfield.com, which handles a wide array of audio and video products.

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A syndicated technology columnist for more than two decades, Larry Magid serves as on air Technology Analyst for CBS Radio News. His technology reports can be heard several times a week on the CBS Radio Network. Magid is the author of several books including "The Little PC Book."