Comparison Epson EH-LS650 vs Epson EH‑LS300

— Smart TV (proprietary system). The operating system of the projector is represented by the proprietary software shell of the manufacturer. Usually such operating systems have an attractive and convenient menu, similar to a traditional Smart TV. A proprietary operating system is developed by the manufacturer for the hardware resources of a particular projector model or a whole line. But, as practice shows, compared to the classic Smart TV, the functionality of proprietary system often has significant limitations, and the system itself, in fact, is a stripped-down version of a full-fledged Smart TV.

— Smart TV (Android AOSP). This type of operating system is a modification of the popular Android OS, mainly notable for being open source. It is a versatile operating system that gives the user much more freedom to create changes and customizations within the system. At the same time, the installation and work stability of certain applications on this platform are not guaranteed, and the overall system management was not specially “tailored” for large screens, which may cause some inconvenience. First of all, such solutions will will generate interest among users who understand the features of the Android OS, like to customize and control everything, and have time for this.

— Android TV. This type of projector has full-fledged Android TV software, spec...ially adapted to work on large screens. In accordance with the name, it is a type of Android OS, specially designed for projectors/TVs, etc. In addition to the common features of all “Androids” (such as the ability to install additional applications, including even games), it has a number of special features: optimized interface, integration with smartphones (including the ability to use them as a remote control), voice search, etc. Thanks to this, TVs with this feature are significantly superior in functionality to models with a Smart TV. Of course, a dedicated processor, graphics subsystem and memory are provided for the operation of a multifunctional OS, and the presence of such hardware resources is reflected in the total cost of the projector. Given the same optical design, models with Android TV will cost more than classic projectors with a simple multi-line menu.

The number of lamps provided in the design of the projector.

Most modern projectors have one lamp, but there are also multi-lamp models. More lamps increase the light flow and, accordingly, the brightness of the image provided by the projector. In addition, in models with 4 lamps, it may be possible to continue working even if one of the lamps burns out — the brightness of the remaining ones is enough to provide the desired brightness. In two-lamp versions, most often you have to change a burned-out lamp.

The power consumption of the backlight lamp installed in the projector.

Theoretically, the more powerful the lamp, the brighter it is. However, this is only true when comparing lamps of the same type (see above); and even in this case, the brightness may also depend on the nuances of the design. Therefore, when evaluating the capabilities of a lamp, it is worth focus not so much on power, but on the directly claimed brightness in lumens (see below).

But what this parameter directly affects is the total power consumption of the projector: the lamp is the most “greedy” component of the device, compared to it, the power consumption of the rest of the electronics is very small. Also note that many powerful lamps have high heat dissipation and require cooling systems, which affects the size and weight of the projector.

Frame rate, simply put, is the frame rate supported by the projector.

For normal playback, it is highly desirable that the frame rate of the projector match the original frame rate of the video signal. However, most modern models do not support a specific frame rate, but a whole range of frequencies, and quite an extensive one at that.

Note that for viewing most video materials, the range from 24 to 60 fps is quite enough. The exception is 3D content, which may require double the frame rate, up to 120Hz (see " 3D Support " for details).

The size of the panel/chip affects the depth and final quality of the image. The larger the panel/chip, the more light it is able to process, which means the picture will be clearer and more structured. The average projector has a sensor of 0.5-0.7″, advanced projectors use sensors of 1.2-1.5″ and more.

The native resolution of the image produced by the projector matrix.

The minimum for modern projectors is actually the VGA standard, which assumes a resolution of 800x600 or close to it. The most limited of modern high-definition standards is HD (720); the classic size of such a frame is 1280x720, but projectors also have other options (up to 1920x720). A more advanced HD format is Full HD (1080), which also has several variations (the most popular is 1920x1080). And among high-end projectors there are models of Quad HD, Ultra HD (4K) and even Ultra HD (8K) standards.

In general, the higher the resolution, the clearer and more detailed image the projector can produce. On the other hand, this indicator directly affects the cost, and all the benefits of high resolution can only be appreciated if the reproduced content also corresponds to it. Note that modern projectors can work with higher resolutions than the “native” ones – for more details, see “Maximum video resolution”.

The actual maximum frame resolution that the projector is capable of processing and displaying.

Many models allow project images at a higher resolution than the actual resolution of the projector matrix (see above). For example, a 1920x1080 video can be displayed on a device with a frame size of 1024x768. However, the quality of such an image will be noticeably lower than on a projector, which initially has a resolution of 1920x1080.

The maximum resolution is closely related to both the overall picture quality and the size of the projection screen. The higher the resolution, the sharper the image details become. Of course, the screen size itself should be taken into account. The fact is that on a 40-50″ projection surface there will not be much difference between the Quad HD and 4K formats. A high-resolution picture will be able to show itself on a truly large screen.

Image formats supported by the projector.

In this case, format means the aspect ratio of the image. The general rule in this case is that the projector must support the same format in which the original content is recorded. Otherwise, the image will either be stretched in height or width, or with black stripes on the sides or top-bottom. Specifically, the formats can be divided into three main categories:

— Traditional, or rectangular. Classic formats in which the height of the picture is not much less than the width. The most popular options are 4:3, widely used in analogue TV, and 5:4, common in computer technology. Traditional formats are well suited for presentations, working with documents and graphics, and other similar tasks.

— Widescreen — formats in which the frame width is significantly (more than 1.5 times) greater than the height. The most popular of these standards are 16:9 and 16:10. These aspect ratios are well suited for games and movies; in particular, most high-definition content (HD 720p and above) is recorded in widescreen format.

— Extra wide. The formats are even wider than the widescreen ones described above — for example, 21:9. Mainly used in cinematography.

It is worth noting that many modern projectors are able to work with several types of formats at once — for example, with classic 4:3 and...wide-angle 16:9.

The projector supports HDR technology — high dynamic range.

This technology allows to expand the range of brightness displayed within a single frame — in other words, to display both very bright and very dark colours on the screen at the same time. Due to this, colour reproduction is noticeably improved; in addition, in very bright or very dark areas of the frame, small details remain visible that would not be visible in a normal image. At the same time, it is worth noting that all the benefits of HDR become noticeable only on a high-end screen with maximum dimming. In addition, this function significantly affects the cost of the projector, and the content must initially be recorded in HDR — and using exactly the technology that the projector supports (this point can be clarified in the instructions). Because of this HDR support is found predominantly among high-end home theater models (see "Main purpose").