How Smart Projectors Are Redefining Home Entertainment
By XGIMI Tech - 2022-02
Introduction
Going to the movies used to mean strolling to the cinemas in the evenings; now, cinemas are coming home to us in the form of home theaters brought to life by home projectors. Seeing movies, playing games, or watching our favorite shows on widescreen displays feels different, as we can appreciate the colors and details better.
The ideal home theater is a premium source of entertainment. The widescreen display and picture quality of today's projectors will leave you immersed, and the sound quality will ensure you do not miss any piece of the action. Beyond sights and sounds, smart home projectors are an all-in-one source of home entertainment.
Some smart home theater projectors pack several features like auto focus and intelligent screen alignment, and multiple streaming alternatives (Android TV™, USB port, Bluetooth, HDMI port, WiFi) that make building your home cinema cheaper and more stress-free. Setup, screen alignment, and viewing content can be challenging to get around sometimes.
Smart home theater projectors eliminate these problems efficiently. Companies like XGIMI have home projectors that come with the Intelligent Screen Adaptation technology, making setting up fairly easy for users. When your projector aligns its display to your screen automatically and focuses the image without any input from you, then you have saved time and effort. Since some LED and laser light sources have a lifespan of over 30,000 hours, smart projectors save you money as you can use them for a long time and watch your favorite movies or shows without any extra cost, except internet or streaming subscriptions.
Home entertainment goes beyond seeing movies with the family. You can enjoy your favorite TV shows, sports, YouTube videos, and video games on widescreen if you so desire. Smart projectors give you an all-in-one package (sound, resolution, and built-in entertainment) that puts your favorite content within your reach at all times. XGIMI projectors run on Android TV™, which gives you access to thousands of apps like YouTube, where you can stream videos.
Also, some smart projectors have motion compensation technology (MEMC) which eliminates image blurs when displaying fast-moving pictures, making sure you never miss any piece of the action. With high sound quality, clear displays, an entertainment hub, and video game support, smart home projectors are the ultimate entertainment device.
Everything You Need To Build A Home Theater
A home projector is the most important factor in the ideal home theater setting. You need a device with excellent display resolutions— 1080p or 4K resolution are sufficient, and ultra short throw or long-throw projections. A screen or a white wall that is big enough to meet your projecting needs is also needed.
A typical home theater thrives on space. So, setting up the home theater in a relatively spacious room slightly isolated from the rest of the house is advisable. Also, a comfortable seating arrangement is key, as you do not want to be too close or too far away from a widescreen display. In regular theaters, the front row is hardly close to the screen, yet, people mostly avoid it, as they also do to the rows at the rear.
A projector with excellent display capabilities, a relatively large room, and theater-style seating arrangements are the most important home theater components.
Features To Look Out For When Buying A Home Projector
Here's a list of the most important features to consider when buying a movie theater projector for your home cinema needs.
- Resolution: No matter how great a movie is, you would not enjoy it if you saw it in less-than-impressive resolution. A projector with 4K resolution should be perfect for your home theater needs. 1080p resolution is also fair enough, but anything less may not be ideal.
- Brightness (ISO Lumens): Darker displays can easily be lost in cases of ambient light interference, so a brightness of over 1500 ISO Lumens is ideal so you can use the projector at any time of day.
- Image Quality Enhancers: With HDR10, projectors can produce images with high contrast ratios and exceptional color depth for a more realistic display. MEMC (60Hz refresh rate) is another innovative tech that delivers super low image blur and latency rates to keep images sharp and clear even in the heat of the action.
- HiFi Sound Quality: Nothing beats good sound, which is why you need a projector with excellent sound quality and a variety of sound options. However, if you have high requirements for sound quality and are not satisfied with the built-in sound, external speakers are also available.
- Built-in Entertainment: Projectors that run on Android TV™ are a full entertainment hub. You can access your favorite streaming apps and watch content from them directly on your projector.
- Easy Setup: XGIMI smart projectors come with Intelligent Screen Adaptation technology which features autofocus, auto keystone correction, auto screen alignment, and obstacle avoidance. Screen alignment and keystone correction happen automatically within seconds, without any input from the user, thus reducing setup time and effort.
- Multiple Ports: Smart projectors should give you various options for streaming content with multiple connection ports/options like USB, HDMI, LAN, Audio, Bluetooth, etc.
Product Recommendations
If you are looking to buy XGIMI home projectors, here are some recommended products with features that meet the requirements listed in the buying guide above:
XGIMI AURA - The 4K Ultra Short Throw Laser (UST) Projector
XGIMI AURA, a laser projector equipped with ultra short throw technology (UST), gives you a display of up to 120" when placed 11.7" away from the screen or wall. XGIMI AURA also comes with 4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) resolution and a brightness of 1800 ISO Lumens.
The XGIMI AURA utilizes the X-VUE 2.0 Image Engine to give you clearer displays and more realistic colors and MEMC for low latency rates that eliminate image blurs in fast-moving pictures so that you can see every detail clearly in the heat of the action. MEMC comes in handy with content like high-intensity action movies, sports, or gaming.
For sound, XGIMI AURA sports dual 15W Harman Kardon speakers for excellent sound quality. Also, the 4K laser projector supports multiple ports [3x HDMI, 3x USB, 1x LAN, 1x Headphones (3.5mm)], Chromecast built-in with Bluetooth and WiFi compatibility, and runs on Android TV ™.
XGIMI HORIZON Pro (4K Home Projector)
First on the list is the XGIMI HORIZON Pro, a home projector that sports numerous features. HORIZON Pro supports 4K resolution, with Ultra High Definition display. For brightness, the projector comes with 1500 ISO Lumens, giving you a bright output even during the day.
HORIZON Pro is equipped with XGIMI's ISA (Intelligent Screen Adaptation) technology, which gives you a hassle-free setup with intelligent screen alignment, obstacle avoidance, auto keystone correction, and autofocus. With ISA technology, simply turn on your projector and the display fits your screen and becomes clearer automatically, even if you do not get the angles right, auto keystone correction gives you a well-positioned display regardless. MEMC is also available for super low image blur, with HDR10 for remarkable color depth and higher contrast ratios.
HORIZON Pro also uses XGIMI's X-VUE Image Engine for more realistic colors.
HORIZON Pro sports several ports (2x HDMI, 2x USB, 1X LAN, and 1x Headphones) along with Chromecast built-in for screen mirroring from smartphones and computers, and is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi. Dual 8W Harman Kardon speakers supply excellent surround sound that fills the room and gives you an immersive viewing experience. The projector runs on Android TV ™, giving you access to over 5,000 apps, including HBO Max and Disney+, for unlimited entertainment.
XGIMI HORIZON (1080p Home Projector)
The third and final recommendation, XGIMI HORIZON, comes with 1080p Full HD resolution and a brightness of 1500 ISO Lumens. The home projector supports XGIMI's ISA technology (autofocus, auto keystone correction, obstacle avoidance, and intelligent screen alignment) for a quick and stress-free setup.
Like its counterparts, XGIMI HORIZON has XGIMI's X-VUE 2.0 Image Engine, and MEMC (motion compensation technology) for a realistic display and super low image blurs. HORIZON also utilizes HDR10 to give you more detailed images and a high contrast ratio and has the same ports as XGIMI HORIZON Pro.
XGIMI HORIZON is like a Smart TV as it runs on the Android TV ™ system, giving you access to over 5,000 apps, including apps for streaming your favorite movies and shows. The home theater projector also features a Chromecast built-in and supports Bluetooth and WiFi to give you various options for content and sound.
Conclusion
Smart projectors are the ultimate home entertainment source, with innovative technology and features that help you save time and money when building your home theater. They are like Smart TVs as they run on an Android TV™ system and save you time on the setup with features like intelligent screen alignment.
If you want to buy a home projector that meets the general requirements for the ideal home cinema setting, the XGIMI HORIZON Pro, HORIZON, and AURA are recommended options you can consider. They sport a brightness of over 1500+ ISO Lumenss, 4K/1080p resolution, and other features to give you an immersive and entertaining viewing experience.
You may be interested in: smart projector vs. traditional projector.
Product Recommendations
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With 2300 ISO lumens, you get the best of both worlds—ultra-high brightness plus realistic color both night and day.
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