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The last time my friends came over for movie night pre-pandemic, we decided to take the entertainment outdoors. Blankets and lawn chairs were hastily arranged to form a makeshift viewing area around a king-size sheet, that had been pulled tightly against a fence. Flames licked marshmallows roasting over our outdoor fire pit while we passed around hot toddies and black coffee until we were all delighted and settled in for the film.
We had gathered to watch Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but on this night, a star attraction threatened to steal Tarantino’s thunder: the elegant home theater projector we mounted on a stool had thrown up a 100-foot screen against the fence, casting the Oscar-nominated film in full, 4K glory.
Not all projectors are created equal. While there are a number of companies making decent portable projectors these days, some are better served for Powerpoint than motion pictures. With the ability to transmit images from your computer, tablet or media player onto a screen or wall, the best 4K projectors eliminate the need to crowd around your device or connect to a TV, while offering up a wider, more versatile viewing experience.
But a projector is only as good as its capabilities, and while any basic model can be used for your conference, church service or office presentation, to get the most out of your TV shows, movies and gaming, you’ll want to upgrade to a 4K home theater projector.
What Are the Best 4K Projectors?
There are many factors to think about when choosing the best 4K projector for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.
Image Quality: As the name suggests, the best 4K projectors display 4K content with better clarity, contrasts and detail than HD projectors. Images are sharper and more vivid, with the projectors capable of reproducing more shades and tones along the color gamut. The best 4K projectors also feature powerful processors that faithfully reproduce the source material the way it was created, letting you see a show or film the way the creator intended, with more accurate and life-like images.
The newest 4K projectors are packed with performance-minded upgrades, like different viewing modes that enhance and adapt images based on what you’re watching (say, fast-moving sports versus a nature documentary), HDR capabilities, and new technologies that help eliminate banding, blocking, and the dreaded “rainbow effect.”
Brightness: Designed for indoor and outdoor use, these projectors also offer adjustable brightness settings and enhanced tone mapping in the dark, so you always get a clear picture no matter the time of day — or where you’re sitting in the room. Whites are bright without being blurry, and darks are crisp and clean, without blending into the background.
Versatility: The best 4K projectors are great for gaming too, especially where players need to see and discern every last detail. By casting a larger screen, a projector provides a larger, more immersive viewing area for gamers to make their moves.
Keep in mind, a 4K projector will only display content in 4K if that’s how the source material was created. Still, everything from the Super Bowl to The Simpsons airs in 4K these days, so this is a home entertainment component worth picking up.
Screen Size: We’ve found 4K projectors that can throw a screen size up to 300 inches. You’ll want to start by casting a smaller screen (around 100 inches), as the picture quality may change the more you extend the projection.
These aren’t exactly short-throw projectors either, so they’re best-suited for larger spaces rather than small studios. Most brands recommend sitting at least 10-12 feet away from the image, to get the best view of all the 4K pixels working together to create your immersive home theater experience.
