Comparison UNIC UC-46 vs UNIC UC-40

The brightness of the image produced by the projector at maximum backlight brightness. Usually, the average brightness of the screen, derived from a special formula, is indicated. The higher it is, the less the image depends on ambient light: a bright projector can provide a clearly visible image even in daylight, but a dim one will require dimming. On the other hand, increasing brightness reduces contrast and accuracy of colour reproduction.

Accordingly, when choosing this parameter, you need to consider the conditions in which you plan to use the projector. So, for office or school/university use, a brightness of at least 3000 lm is desirable — this allows you to get normal visibility without obscuring the room. In turn, among the top models a very low brightness can be found, because. such projectors are usually installed in rooms specially designed for them with good darkness level. And in ultra-compact devices it is impossible to achieve high brightness for technical reasons.

Detailed recommendations on the optimal brightness for certain conditions can be found in special sources. Here we note that anyway, it is worth choosing according to this indicator with some margin. As mentioned above, as brightness increases, contrast and colour quality decrease, and you may need to use the projector at a reduced brightness to achieve the desired picture quality.

The technology by which the projector sensor is built.

— DLP. This technology is based on a chip with thousands of rotary micromirrors. Each such mirror corresponds to one pixel and has two fixed positions — “lit” and “darkened”. In most DLP projectors, there is only one sensor, and the output of a colour image is provided by the colour wheel, thanks to which the projector alternately displays the red, green and blue image; they are replaced so quickly that the viewer perceives not individual frames, but a whole colour picture. Compared to LCD models (see related section), these single-sensor projectors are more compact and offer better image contrast with deep black levels (which improves black and white image quality). However, the brightness of the colour image in DLP devices is relatively low, in addition, they are subject to the "rainbow effect": in dynamic scenes, colour artifacts may be noticeable due to the mismatch of red, green and blue image components. Three-sensor DLP projectors don`t have these shortcomings; however, such a design is very expensive, so it is found rarely, mainly among premium devices.

— 3LCD. Technology based on the use of translucent LCD sensors. There are three such sensors, each of them is translucent with its base colour (red, green or blue), and the final colour “picture” is formed from three images simultaneously superimposed on each other. Thanks to...this format of operation, you can achieve brighter, more saturated colours than in single-sensor DLP projectors (see the relevant paragraph); in addition, this technology is completely devoid of the "rainbow effect". Among its shortcomings are the relatively low contrast ratio (in particular, due to the low black depth) and the larger size of the projectors.

— LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) — a colour rendering technology based on the modulation of light by liquid crystals. Do not confuse LCD and 3LCD sensors. 3LCD technology forms an image from three separate light streams, and in an LCD sensor, the image follows immediately from a single light beam. Sensors of this type provide a stable, contrasting and colour-rich image. Among the shortcomings of the technology, one can note the glimpse of the light grating, if you look at the picture from a close distance. Additionally, the substrate of LCD sensors is prone to fading, due to which the blue colour may begin to turn yellow over time (note that this can happen after a long time of active operation). LCD sensors require periodic maintenance, the service comes down to cleaning the air filter. LCD-sensor projectors are usually compact in size and light in weight, such models are prone to heat, and the noise threshold is above average.

— LCoS. A technology that combines the properties of DLP and LCD. Like LCD, it provides three separate sensors for the three primary colours (red, green, blue), and the final colour image is formed by the simultaneous superposition of these three components. The difference lies in the fact that in LCoS projectors the sensors are not translucent, but reflective. Thanks to this, you can achieve excellent contrast (as in DLP) combined with bright, high-quality colours without the "rainbow effect" (as in LCD). The main drawback of this technology is the impressive cost, which is why it is used mainly in premium projectors.

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 closest distance to the screen that the projector can be used on. Typically, this is the minimum distance at which the image from the projector remains in focus.

This parameter is especially important if the device is to be placed at a small distance from the screen (for example, in a cramped room). Some modern projectors are able to work normally at a distance of 10 – 20 cm. Also note that the throw distances are determined primarily by the lens, and if the initial range of these distances does not suit you, perhaps the situation can be solved by replacing the optics.

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.

Vertical keystone correction allows you to align the image when the projection ray is shifted from the centre of the screen in a vertical plane. If the projector is suspended from the ceiling and shines from top to bottom, a vertical keystone occurs. And the function of vertical keystone correction allows you to align the picture.

In most cases, projectors can only correct vertical keystone. But the keystone can also be horizontal if the projection ray is offset from the centre of the screen in the horizontal plane. Advanced models are often equipped with an auto keystone correction feature (see the relevant paragraph). In this case, the keystone is aligned in a fully automatic mode, without user participation.

— Light sensor. A sensor that detects the level of ambient light. Most commonly used to automatically adjust the brightness of the projector to suit current conditions. So, in a darkened room, high brightness is not needed, but in daylight, on the contrary, you cannot do without it. You can also adjust the operating mode manually, but it is more convenient when the projector does it automatically.

— DLNA support. DLNA technology is designed to connect home electronics into a single network and exchange content in real time. One of its advantages is that DLNA devices are guaranteed to be compatible with each other regardless of model and manufacturer. In a projector, this feature can be used, for example, to view a movie on a large screen from a computer hard drive, or to display an Internet broadcast on this screen that was originally opened on a tablet. DLNA works on the basis of a standard local network, with a connection via LAN (see "Management ports") or Wi-Fi (see below).

— MHL support. The projector has HDMI inputs that support the MHL standard. This standard is used to transfer video and audio from mobile gadgets (via microUSB) to external devices. Accordingly, this feature is useful for those who plan to connect smartphones and other portable equipment to the projector. At the same time, an MHL gadget connected t...o a compatible HDMI port can also be charged in the process. Note that you can also output the MHL signal to a regular HDMI port, but this will require an adapter, and the charging function will not be available.

— Picture-in-picture. Ability to play two channels simultaneously on one screen: main and additional (in a separate small window). The sound is played only for the main channel. This mode allows, for example, to skip a break in a football match and not be late for the second half. Note that for this function to work, images must come from different sources — for example, from two different tuners, or from a tuner and an external device (DVD player, media centre, etc.).

— PJ-Link protocol. The projector supports the PJ-Link protocol. This is a service standard designed to control projectors over local networks (usually LAN or HDBaseT, see "Management port"). All PJ-Link-enabled equipment (projectors, controllers) is fully interoperable regardless of brand and manufacturer, making it much easier to build networks of multiple projectors and replace individual components in such networks.

— 3D support. Support for 3D implies the ability to reproduce three-dimensional stereoscopic images. A 3D image can be based on various technologies. Traditionally, active (see the relevant paragraph), passive (see the relevant paragraph) and hybrid 3D technologies are distinguished. Special glasses are required to view the three-dimensional image. In the case of active 3D, special shutters are built into the glasses, which operate from an independent power source. For passive and hybrid 3D, regular 3D glasses without battery power are sufficient.

— Active 3D. Active 3D technology is based on the principle of alternating flickering of the image. The flickering of the image on the screen is synchronized with the flickering of the lenses in the glasses, as a result, each eye receives a separate image, which makes the picture three-dimensional. The main advantage of active 3D is the ability to view images without reducing the original picture quality. You can look at the screen from any angle and from any position, while the image will still be three-dimensional. Among the shortcomings, there is the presence of some discomfort for the eyes, which occurs due to the regular flickering of lenses in glasses. Also, active 3D glasses may darken the original brightness of the image somewhat. Additionally, glasses of this type are very expensive.

— Passive 3D. Passive 3D provides the display of a double image. Passive 3D glasses use special lenses that cut off the duplicate image in such a way that each eye sees only the image intended for it, which creates the illusion of a three-dimensional image. The main advantage of passive 3D is that it does not tyre the eyes, which is typical for active flickering 3D. Passive 3D glasses are inexpensive.

— Interactive pen. The projector supports interactive pen technology. This technology allows you to actually turn the projected image into an interactive whiteboard: with a pen, you can draw, write and make notes directly on the projected image, which is especially useful during presentations and educational events. It is worth taking into account that the pens themselves and additional equipment for their work may not be included in the set.

— Multimedia (air mouse remote). Air mouse remote are devices that have a gyroscope, which allows you not only to switch menu items with the “↑”, “↓” buttons, but to use the remote control as a mouse. By directing it to the screen, a cursor will appear that moves in the direction of the remote control. This makes management easier and faster.

— Voice control. The projector's support for voice control allows you to dictate certain commands through the remote control. However, voice control does not cover all functions and recognition accuracy may require re-entering the command. If you need a more extensive range of functions, then pay attention to the voice assistant.

— Voice assistant. For a long time now, device control has been shifting to voice commands. For this, certain interfaces and systems are used. The most popular are Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. For "apple" devices, this is Apple Siri, but this technique is not presented in projectors. At the same time, unlike the voice control function, the voice assistant does not just turn on this or that function, mode, makes it louder, quieter, but allows you to perform certain operations in applications, whether it is to launch the desired clip on Youtube or display the weather in the browser.

Bluetooth version supported by the projector.

By itself, Bluetooth technology is designed for direct wireless connection between different devices. In projectors, this connection is most often used to broadcast sound to wireless headphones or speakers; Other uses of Bluetooth are possible (for example, connecting a remote control), but they are rare. Thus, you can not pay much attention to the specific version of Bluetooth supported by the projector — all versions are compatible with each other at least in basic functionality (including sound transmission).