In the 1950s, portable home video projectors became popular in the United States, which transmitted images without sound onto a small screen or white canvas. An expensive, not very convenient portable projector designed for 35 mm film has become a frequent attribute of American family holidays. In the evening, families got together and watched a silent movie, dubbing it in their own way.

By the end of the 1970s, VHS video recorders with extremely low picture and sound quality took the place of projectors. But the true history of home theater begins later, in the 1987s, when the first two movies with multi-channel Dolby Surround were released. The system got its name in honor of its inventor, Briton Ray Dolby. 

But until the end of the 1990s. home theaters were not widely adopted because all of their components were quite expensive. Over the past few years, home theater manufacturers have succeeded in many things that previously seemed impossible. It was possible not only to improve the quality and expand the capabilities of equipment, but also to significantly reduce its cost.

Modern home cinemas with powerful projectors

Nowadays many people like to watch movies in high quality on the big screen. And streaming services like Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and others are providing a lot of content to do the stuff. For many people today it is convenient to watch their favorite movies or TV shows anytime, paying for a not too expensive subscription. And it is enough to buy a projector and create your own cinema at home or even in the yard. There are even projectors with 5,000 lumens or more, suitable for use even in brightly lit rooms or outdoors during a bright day. You can find more info on various projectors for watching movies at home in an article written by Jack Herer on ProjectorEXPO. 

Rules for choosing a projector for home cinema

Using a projector, you can get a very large image in your own home cinema and enjoy the masterpieces of the movie industry in a specifically designed room or even in your courtyard, depending on the model you have chosen. Depending on this, some characteristics should also be highlighted.

• Brightness. When measured in lumens, it ranges from 2500 to 3500 lm for small screens, 3500 to 4000 lm for medium, and 4000 lm and above for the largest ones. You need to add 1000 lumens per size to get a good image with a daylight projector.
• Contrast. The higher it is, the more detailed image you will get. High contrast ratio allows you to distinguish the smallest shades of colors.
• Projection type. There are two types - front and rear projection. The latter is utilizing the light gray backside of the screen and is designed to be used in a well-lit environment.
• Projection size. This is the main thing you should think about when choosing where you will place your projector. Keeping in mind that screen sizes are varying from 1.5 to 3 m and above.
• Throw distance. There are 3 of those - Long (less than 1.5 m), Short (up to to 3 m) and Ultra-short (more than 3 m) varying in placement distance away from the screen.
• Resolution. Should be at least 1080p for small screens and gradually increased for large screens up to 2160p (4K) for larger screens.

Once you have selected the projector that suits your needs, it is important to place it correctly and connect to the source device. If you've bought yourself a Wi-Fi-enabled device, you can source just about anything - from a wired computer to a laptop, tablet, or even a smartphone.

Is it vital to buy a screen for a projector?

Many people start creating their home theater by choosing a projector model, and then they adjust everything else to the chosen projector. But a more correct decision would be to first decide on the size and type of screen, as well as the place for creating a home cinema theater, and only then select a projector for it, because choosing the right projection screen is essential. Perhaps projecting onto a simple wall will provide the image, but it will never be able to convey the bright and uniform image that only a projection screen guarantees.

Is watching movies with friends a copyright infringement?

It is generally forbidden to show movies or TV series without special permission or license, even if you paid for them. But if you watch it with family and friends in your home or yard, there is no problem with copyright law. It is important to remember, however, that if your event is open to people outside of your small group, screening the film may be considered a “public performance” and would be a copyright infringement.