Stiftung Warentest
Home cinema on a large scale: Warentest checks 15 projectors – only one has a “very good” picture
A projector can create a cinema feeling – if the picture is good enough.
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Huge TVs cost huge sums of money. Projectors also offer gigantic screen diagonals for significantly less money. But not every projector also delivers a sharp image – as Warentest had to find out in comparison.
Sometimes a television is just not enough – or the finances to hang a screen larger than 80 inches in the living room. In order to conjure up the largest possible picture on the wall, UHD and Full HD projectors are still a great solution. But which one should it be? And what needs to be considered? Stiftung Warentest put 15 current models to the test and reveals which device has the best picture. First of all: “Very good” is just one thing.
In the test, Warentest divided the overall grade into three areas. Image quality was weighted at 60 percent in the overall rating, handling contributed 20 percent and environmental properties also accounted for 20 percent of the overall rating. There are 10 UHD projectors and 5 Full HD models in the test field. But: The UHD devices do not support native 4K resolution, but upscale content to a higher resolution. This is mainly due to the costs, the testers explain. A projector with “real UHD” costs around 5000 euros and up – an insignificant niche market.
Just a “very good picture”
Of all the candidates in the test, only one projector was rated “very good” (1.5). This is also the test winner Epson EH-TW7000 with the overall grade “good” (1.9) for 1200 euros. In addition to the best picture in the test, the device also impressed with its “very good” (1.5) handling. In terms of environmental properties, the projector landed in the lower midfield.
The best short-throw projector is the Benq TK700STi with the grade “good” (2.2). It costs 1300 euros. The testers gave the picture a “good” (2.1) and attested the device the best handling in the entire test field. Rating “very good” (1.3). The environmental properties are comparable to those of the test winner.
So-called ultra-short-distance projectors also competed in the comparison test. But: Neither of the two devices managed a “good” grade, the worst was the one Samsung The Premiere LSP7T for around 2300 euros. Warentest gave the chic design box the grade “satisfactory” (2.8) and criticized the picture and handling in particular. After all: When it comes to environmental properties, the device is one of the top three.
If you want to invest as little money as possible, you will be happy that the cheapest projector in the test, the Full HD model H6542ABDi from Acer got the grade “good” (2.4) for 530 euros. The testers rated the picture and handling as “good” and the environmental properties are “satisfactory”.
Don’t rely on the sound
It will be noticed that the sound was not judged. Stiftung Warentest justified this with a consistently bad sound from all devices, which “usually only corresponds to that of cell phones”. The testers therefore recommend external boxes, such as a soundbar, for the appropriate sound in the home cinema.
As far as the screen is concerned, which is often considered when buying a projector, there is a financial all-clear: Warentest writes that a smooth, white wall is usually enough.
You can find the complete test and a comparison of other devices for a fee test.de.
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