Buying guides
Buying guides: which one, for the job you actually have
A hub compares everything in a family. A guide answers one question — a budget, a first projector for someone who has only ever owned a television, the three things that turn a bright living room into a room you can watch a film in — with a ranked shortlist and a reason for the order.
In brief
10 guides, each answering one question with a ranked shortlist: first home theater setup, step by step; the best projector for a bright living room; a first home theater projector on a budget, and more. Each gives a ranked shortlist and the reason for its order.
- Getting started
A first home theater, in the order it earns its place
Four purchases cover a first home theater, and the order matters more than the brands — sound first, then the projector, the screen and a source.
- Bright rooms
A projector for a room you cannot make dark
Brightness alone will not do it: the screen decides as much as the machine, and must match where the projector sits. Two projectors, two screens sold in the US.
- Budget
A first projector without the fantasy numbers
At the budget end, the brightness claim is the least reliable figure on the box. Two projectors sold in the US, two screens, and what to expect from them.
- Screens
Which screen, and why the mechanism decides first
Fixed frame, motorized, pull-down or portable — the room chooses the mechanism, the projector's position chooses the surface. Five screens sold in the US.
- Dialogue
A soundbar for hearing what people say
A center channel, not more power. The specification that answers the complaint is the third number in "3.1" — or a tweeter and a voice mode built for speech.
- Surround
Building a surround system, one speaker at a time
The order in which channels earn their place — and why a "5.1 package" usually needs an amplifier you have not bought. A receiver and speakers sold in the US.
- Accessories
What to buy with the projector
The four purchases that turn a projector into a working installation — a screen, a mount or a shelf, sound and a source — and the one that is not optional.
- Mounting
Mounting a television, and what the rating does not cover
Pick the mount by screen size, VESA pattern and how far it has to swing; the stated load describes the bracket, never the wall behind it. Four mounts compared.
- Budget
Better TV sound for very little
How to upgrade TV sound cheaply: three soundbars under $100 and a pair of wireless TV headphones sold on Amazon.com, plus two settings that cost nothing at all.
- Sources
A streaming box that will not soften the picture
DRM certification decides resolution more than the processor does, and audio passthrough decides whether a receiver gets what it needs. Three boxes compared.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.