Comparison Optoma DH350 vs Optoma HD144X

The dynamic image contrast provided by the projector.

Dynamic contrast ratio is the ratio between the brightest white and darkest black colour that a projector can produce. Recall that the quality of colour reproduction and detailing depend on contrast, the higher this indicator, the lower the likelihood that details will be indistinguishable in bright or dark areas. However, dynamic contrast is a rather specific parameter. The fact is that when it is calculated, the brightest white at the maximum brightness settings and the darkest black at the minimum are taken into account. As a result, the figures in this column can be very impressive, but it is impossible to achieve such a contrast within one frame.

By introducing this parameter, the manufacturers went to a certain trick. However, this is not to say that dynamic contrast has nothing to do with image quality at all. Projectors can use automatic brightness control, in which the overall brightness, depending on the "picture" on the screen, can increase or decrease. This format of work is based on the fact that the human eye does not need too bright areas on a general dark background and very dark areas on a bright one, the image is normally perceived even without it. The maximum brightness difference achievable in this mode of operation is exactly what described by dynamic contrast.

The number of individual colour shades that the projector is capable of displaying.

The minimum indicator for modern projection technology is actually 16 million colours (more precisely, 16.7 million is a standard number associated with the features of digital image processing). In the most advanced models, this value can exceed 1 billion. However, two nuances should be taken into account here: firstly, the human eye is able to recognize only about 10 million colour shades, and secondly, not a single modern image output device (projectors, monitors, etc.) cannot cover the entire spectrum of colours visible to the human eye. Therefore, impressive colour performance is more of a marketing ploy than a real indicator of image quality, and in fact it makes sense to pay attention to other characteristics — primarily brightness and contrast (see above), as well as specific data like a colour gamut chart.

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.

Size of the image projected by the projector. Usually, it is indicated as a range — from the smallest, at the minimum throw distance, to the largest, at the maximum. About throw distances, see above; here it is worth saying that the choice of diagonal size depends both on the distance between the screen and the audience, and on the format of the projector. For example, to watch a video, the best option is the situation when the distance from the viewer to the image corresponds to 3-4 diagonals, and a relatively large picture can be useful for working with presentations. More detailed recommendations for different situations can be found in special sources; here we only recall that the image must fit on the screen used with the projector.

The magnification range of optical zoom that the projector can provide.

Optical magnification of the image is carried out due to the operation of the lenses in the projector lens. With such an magnification, the size of the entire image changes; this can be useful both for adjusting the “picture” to the screen size, and for detailed viewing of individual details (the main thing is that these details do not crawl out of the screen when enlarged). In general, optical zoom is considered more advanced than digital one, because it allows user to adjust the diagonal without moving the projector, and maintains the original resolution of the "picture" regardless of the magnification. However lenses with such an possibility ("zoom lenses") are more complicated and more expensive than fixed optics, but the difference in price is almost imperceptible compared to the cost of the projectors themselves.

The number of USB 2.0 ports provided by the projector.

Do not confuse these connectors with USB slave (see "Management ports") — in this case we are talking about USB ports for various peripherals. Most often, these ports are used for direct playback of content from flash drives and other storages (for example, external HDDs). At the same time, we note that video viewing is not available in some projectors (only photos), in others a very limited set of formats may be supported. However, a direct connection is often more convenient than viewing through a computer or other device. The USB ports can also be used for other purposes, such as updating firmware, transferring files between a flash drive and the projector's built-in storage, or even for keyboards/mouses (in Android devices, see above).

The USB 2.0 standard itself is considered obsolete, but it is quite enough for projectors, and newer peripherals are fully compatible with such connectors. At the same time, you rarely have to connect more than one external device to the projector at a time, so there are few models with more than one USB 2.0.

Service connectors for connecting control equipment, provided in the design of the projector. Specific control options in each case may be different, they should be specified separately.

— COM(RS-232). A specialized connector, originally used in computer technology. In general, it is considered obsolete, it is relatively rare among computers, but it is very popular in various specialized equipment.

— USB (slave). Connector for connecting to the USB port of a PC or laptop. With this connection, the projector acts as a peripheral device and can be controlled from a computer. In addition, relatively recently, portable projectors have appeared that are designed for wired connection to mobile gadgets such as smartphones or tablets; they also indicate the USB port (slave), although the specific connection may be different (for example, 8-pin in Apple devices).

— LAN (RJ45). Standard connector for wired connection to computer networks. A projector connected in this way works as a network device, it can be accessed (with appropriate settings) from any local computer. This can be more convenient than using only one control computer. In addition, other features can be implemented through the LAN — for example, DLNA (see the relevant paragraph).

— HDBaseT. A complex interface used mainly in professional equipme...nt (see "Main purpose"). In fact, it is an extended version of the LAN described above, it uses the same connectors and cables, but it has more extensive functionality. In addition to LAN and Internet access, HDBaseT provides dedicated control signals, audio and video streaming, and even power up to 100 W.

— 3D Sync. This port allows you to connect a 3D emitter to the projector, which is necessary for the formation of a volumetric image using active 3D technology (see the relevant paragraph). Accordingly, in order to view a stereo image, it is necessary to use active-type 3D glasses. The glasses are synchronized with the 3D emitter, which makes it possible to achieve a clear and understandable stereo image.