As the world closed on a lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic and movie theaters began to feel like distant memories for many, the time spent watching movies at home skyrocketed. But people have never been in the best position to be able to have a home theater system that allows you to view almost any movie in the world via streaming, disc, or any other medium in your library. Today, almost everyone in the world is able to watch hundreds of thousands of hours of HD and even 4K content at the touch of a button.

Projectors vs TV screens

TV screens, even large ones, are no match for big cinema screens. And nowadays you can easily enjoy watching a movie on the big screen at home. Even the simplest projector models are capable of projecting images with a diagonal of up to two meters, and top-class models are raising it up to 5 meters. A TV with the same screen size will cost ten times more expensive than a projector, not to mention its overwhelming weight.

With a projector, you can choose where to watch movies. It is enough to buy a projector and create a cinema at home or even in the yard. Yes, home theater can even be done outdoors if you find yourself a good projector that’s suitable for this stuff. Thus you can enjoy the benefits of cinematography in a comfortable environment: sit on your favorite couch, grab some popcorn, and press the remote to watch what you want with the company of people you want to spend your time with.

And almost all of the projectors are very compact. Thanks to this, your home theater will fit even in a small apartment. Some models of projectors can be carried in a special bag and connected to a computer via Wi-Fi. Moreover, with the help of a projector, you can change the diagonal of the image. Thus, one device allows you to enjoy watching a movie at home a few meters from the screen, or watching it outdoors on a large wall-sized panel.

Is it possible to use a projector in a living room?

A common misbelief is that you can't have a projector in your living room, but times have changed and that is now as possible as ever. Usually people think that projectors are only used in home theaters or basements converted into human caves. However, projection technology has improved steadily over time, and even budget-class projectors are capable of providing enough light for an open living room. 

Nowadays there are even plenty of very small devices that can provide plenty of light to be used even in a well-lit living room. This is a great way to transform an ordinary living room into a spectacular masterpiece. It’s really better to watch some newly released action-packed movie or even play AAA-class games not on  a 55" television but on a beautiful 100+ inch projector screen. 

It’s not easy to choose one though, but you can find some more about the projectors that fit your needs in Jack Herer's article for ProjectorExpo, for example. Meanwhile, we will show a short list of some of the very best projectors which can do the job without any troubles.

LG HF85LA

If image quality is your top concern, you can't go wrong with a laser projector. This device is quite expensive, but costs less than its TV counterpart - it boasts a screen diagonal of up to 120 inches, and its 1,500 lumens (which is very bright) brightness makes images look sharp even in ambient light. It also has a wireless screen sharing option that lets you control it from your phone or tablet, and also gives you access to all of your streaming apps.

Optoma UHD51ALV

A voice-controlled IoT projector can be very useful and can be easily integrated into your smart home, so it's worth the money. It projects a 4k quality image on screens up to 140 inches. While you can view in low light, it will look best in a dark room. It also supports 3D movies, although you'll obviously need 3D glasses to watch it anyway. And according to users and reviewers, it has decent built-in speakers.

AAXA Technologies P300

An inexpensive and surprisingly compact portable projector, it's both affordable and efficient. With an hour of battery life, that's not enough for most movies, but you can keep it turned on while watching if needed. The real advantage here is that it is portable and wireless. Despite its small size, it can project up to 120 inches. Although the battery can last longer, the LED lamp can last up to 30,000 hours, which will last for years of streaming without having to replace it.