Short throw projector review

Ultra-short-throw UST projectors are often marketed as TV replacements because they can deliver a massive image from a very short distance and have a footprint smaller than any TV.

By Diane Jones. A typical ultra-short-throw projector can display a " to " from less than a foot away from the screen. Since an ultra-short-throw projector sits in front of the viewer and close to the screen, you don't have to worry about someone interrupting projected content by walking in front of and breaking the protector light path, casting shadows on the screen. When UST projectors are combined with an ambient light rejecting screen, they are an excellent solution for an environment with a large amount of ambient light. Due to the complex optics required to project a non-distorted image at an extreme angle, UST projectors are generally more expensive than standard throw projectors with the same performance. While you don't have to deal with mounting the projector above your head or in the back of the room, installation of an ultra-short-throw projector tends to be quick and easy. When a bright UST projector is combined with a ceiling light rejecting screen, they are an excellent solution for an environment with a large amount of ambient light.

Short throw projector review

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. How we test projectors. With impressive specs and compelling designs, are UST projectors better than traditional models at replacing a TV? Let's look at the numbers. The projector market doesn't move particularly quickly. Most companies replace their models every few years and overall innovation is fairly slow. While there is certainly improvement over projectors from 10 to 20 years ago, that improvement is mild compared to the rapidly evolving TV market. That is, with one exception. The last few years has seen the rise in UST, or ultrashort throw, projectors. These short boxes don't even look like projectors, nor do they install like one.

Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more from the TechRadar team. You can read more about this projector and others in our full guide to portable mini projectors. Best 4K projector for a home theater.

The list in brief 2. Best overall 3. Best budget 4. Best for picture quality 5. Best for sound quality 6. Best for sports 7. Best for streaming 8.

If you subscribe to a service from a link on this page, Omnicore may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. We have spent countless hours sifting through the short throw projectors on the market to ensure we find only the best the industry has to offer. Below you will find the perfect short throw projector for your budget and use case without any of the hassle of looking through Amazon reviews and model specifications. However, when it comes to visual technology, there often is a sizable leap as well. We found this projector gives you the best picture quality for the lowest price.

Short throw projector review

Deciding on which home theater projector to put in your house can come down to one little word: "throw. And while different manufacturers and screen makers vary on the distances needed for each, generally speaking, for a inch image diagonal , a long- or standard-throw projector could need anywhere from around 8 to 10 feet or more, a short-throw sits around the 3- to 5-foot range, and UST projectors require the least at anywhere between 3 to 20 inches. Short-throw and UST projectors are often powered by advanced laser lighting technology that offer beautiful 4K resolution and features such as HDR contrast and even some decent built-in sound so you don't necessarily have to fork over even more cash for a soundbar or sound system. These projectors are changing the game for people who don't have big rooms for their home theater setups, and they are becoming much more common and reasonably priced, giving buyers a greater amount of choice than ever. With that in mind, we've rounded up the best short throw and ultra short throw projectors on the market right now, hitting a variety of price points. It also provides a 4K image at up to inches. We love to see a projector supporting the Dolby Atmos sound format as well. Add in the HDMI eARC support for easy passthrough connections for modern speakers, and this is one of the best projectors for sound quality you can find. Those features include support for up to a 4K image, a lamp that can reach 1, lumens of brightness, and capable watt Harmon Kardon speakers. This is another projector that supports the Android TV platform , which should make managing your streaming services even easier.

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In the second, we connect a next-generation gaming console and test both motion handling and input lag. So you're losing out on some of that promised brightness by scattering the light throughout your room. So, a 3,lumen projector is almost certainly not 3x brighter than a 1,lumen projector. We discuss the importance of the screen below. Flaws but not dealbreakers. Adrienne Maxwell. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. They are easier, but not exactly easy. For a home theater projector that you will use mostly in a dark room, we recommend at least 1, ANSI lumens for a inch screen. The last few years has seen the rise in UST, or ultrashort throw, projectors. The potential difference could also be partially due to marketing: an attempt to make the new "thing" seem more luxury. Below is an overview of the top picks from our various projector guides. Projection size: 90 to inches. When a bright UST projector is combined with a ceiling light rejecting screen, they are an excellent solution for an environment with a large amount of ambient light.

Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.

This feature will be helpful if you plan to use a screen smaller than inches, or plan to use the projector in multiple locations. Figuring out the best screen to go with a UST projector is beyond the scope of this guide, as there are dozens of varieties. Despite taking up just a small space on a shelf or media center, the Hisense PX1 Pro can beam a toinch picture using a triple laser light source. In terms of performance, in our testing it was brighter than the Vava, almost as bright as the Hisense L9G, and a little less bright than the Epson LS Not everyone has a coffee table, after all. An avowed movie fanatic, he spends much of his free time holed up in his home theater, which is his preferred place. Sure, there are some situations in which a UST projector would work better. This or inch varies depending on the model selected screen will appeal to those who are fussy about image quality, as it will reduce the impact of ambient room lighting on the picture. In summary, you have three important questions to ask at the start: What do you plan to use the projector for? So UST projectors can have an impressive spec list -- most notably in terms of lumens, which are a measurement of brightness. Its motion smoothing can also be trouble as it helps reduce panning judder sometimes but introduces some glaring motion artifacts for everything else on screen.