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Our Favorite Home Theater Projectors

The seating, lights, sound, and design are all major aspects of your home theater. But, the screen is just as important and a major focal point when walking into your home theater room. Framed by red home theater curtains with all luxury seating facing in its direction, the projector and screen are the main attraction. Sure, you could buy a big screen TV, but the best way to watch the game or dive into the movie is to have a large screen and projector. Projectors give you control over the size of the screen– whether that is the size of the entire wall or something on the smaller side. We’ve rounded up our top 5 favorite home theater projectors.

Best for Smaller Rooms:

Viewsonic PJD7828HDL

 

Image courtesy of Viewsonic

Image courtesy of Viewsonic

The short-throw lens on this projector achieves a huge projected image in a small space.

The upside: The unique cable management system offers a way to hide cables. At 3200 lumens, the brightness of this projector makes it a great choice for a room with some ambient light.

The downside: Has lighter black levels and less-accurate colors than other less expensive projectors. Some reviewers also reported trouble with the remote.

Highlights:

– Full HD 1080p
– 3200 Lumens
– Built-in 10W speaker
– 1.5:1 throw ratio; 4.2-46.9 ft throw distance

 

Best 4K Projector:

Sony VPL-VW365ES

Image courtesy of Sony

Image courtesy of Sony

Often costing upwards of $8,000, 4K projectors are quite an investment. This projector from Sony offers great picture and other features.

The upside: This projector upscales 1080p content to 4K with ease. The 300,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio makes colors display vividly.

The downside: Like most 4K projectors, this does not have a short-throw lens, so make sure you have the space. Images are hard to see in daylight at 1,500 lumens.

Highlights:

– Full 4K resolution
– Screen size range: 42-85 inches from 8 feet, 83-167 inches from 16 feet
– 6,000 hour lamp life
– Color brightness: 1500 Lumens, white brightness: 1500 Lumens

 

Best Connectivity and Features:

Viewsonic PRO7827HD

Image courtesy of Amazon

Image courtesy of Amazon

This projector offers a number of HDMI inputs as well as best in class connectivity.

The upside: There are 3 HDMI inputs, a plus for a user with a higher number of connected devices. One of these inputs is in a hidden nook, designed to be the perfect size for streaming sticks. The audio goes through the Viewsonic’s audio input as well.

The downside: There are other projectors that offer better video processing speed and picture quality at this $800 price point.

Highlights:

– Full HD 1080p
– Compatible with Mac, Windows, DVD players, Blu-ray players, Amazon FireTV, AppleTV and Chromecast
– 1.5 throw ratio, 4.2-46.9 ft throw distance
– Screen size range: 130 inches at 12 feet, 220 inches at 20 feet

 

Best Budget-Friendly Projector:

Optoma HD142X

Image courtesy of Optoma

Image courtesy of Optoma

Coming in at under $550, the Optoma HD142X is the ideal purchase for the budget-conscious buyer.

The upside: This full HD projector has good image quality, with generally accurate color and contrast. You can get 5,000 hours out of its bulb at its brightest mode, or up to 8,000 on a less-brighter setting. This projector is long-throw, meaning it can cast a big picture in a small room.

The downside: Its colors are less sharp and accurate than some more expensive competitors. It also does not have an AV input (just 2 HDMI inputs), so you can’t connect older devices.

Highlights:

– Screen size range: 66 inches from 8 feet, 107 inches from 12 feet
– Brightness: 3000 Lumens
– Contrast ratio: 23,000:1

 

Best for Gamers:

Viewsonic PJD7720HD

Image courtesy of Viewsonic

Image courtesy of Viewsonic

With little lag time and an intuitive, user-friendly design, this projector is a gamer’s dream. With Viewsonic’s most advanced color technology, plan to enjoy a fully immersive movie experience.

The upside: This projector has very little lag time, making it perfect for the avid gamer. It also experiences little to no performance deterioration over time. Complete with a short throw lens, this projector works great in modest-sized rooms as well.

The downside: It only has one HDMI input. This can be problematic considering the number of devices an owner may want to connect.

Highlights:

– Full HD 1080p, 3200 Lumens
– Screen size ratio: 101 inches at 12 feet, 277 inches at 30 feet
– 22,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
– 1.49~1.64:1 throw ratio, 3.25-35.73 ft throw distance

A good projector is a must for a large and high quality picture. Choose one that best suits your needs– be that for gaming, ultra-high definition, or much flexibility. There is a projector for every need and every budget. Whether you’re just building your home theater or looking to upgrade, investing in a projector is a great choice.

To add the cherry on top, ensure your home theater seating is comfortable and relaxing with luxury seats from Seatcraft. Accompany the seats with entertaining accessories such as the wine glass caddy, SoundShaker seat vibration kit, or the adjustable tablet holder.

Man Cave to Media Room: 5 Simple Ideas to Turn Down the Bro

How to Turn Down the Bro in Your Media Room

Maybe you have a legendary man cave that all your buds love, but your lady isn’t sold. It’s time to turn your man cave into a media room everyone can enjoy by taking our advice on how to turn down the bro, bro. Let’s start with the basics: clean it up. No woman likes a dirty room or the game, “guess that scent”, so get organized and consider investing in a plug-in wall freshener. Or, just clean regularly, the choice is yours.  These tips will help sophisticate your media room quicker than you can kick your bros out in favor of some quality time with that special lady.

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Upgrade your bean bag chairs to Seatcraft chairs

The single most important way to turn your man cave into a sophisticated media room is swapping out those old bean bag chairs from college for luxury Seatcraft home theater seating. These exquisitely tailored seats are both comfortable and innovative. Seatcraft knows how to upgrade any media room with add on accessories that will take your entertainment experience to prime time. Adding a SoundShaker to your seat will surely change the way you watch movies. With easy wireless setup, your seat will shake and vibrate in sync with the action on-screen.

Let’s talk decor

Step 1: Take down the Natty Ice poster.

We’re kidding. But really, if this is still in your man cave, it’s time for an upgrade. These  Seatcraft LED Reading Lights are a nice touch to your media room.

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These help with decor and setting the mood with dim lighting. As for those walls, try adding movie posters consistent with a theme. Just don’t lead with Sharknado and you should be good! Bonus: head over to our friends at 4Seating.com to check out a huge selection of media room decor options. 

Drink and be merry

How else can you turn down the bro in your man cave? Add a wine caddy to your luxury seats from Seatcraft.

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Your lady will love the attention to detail and your home theater will gain instant sophistication. These wine caddies sport a stainless steel finish and no-spill technology that gives the luxurious look you want- and need- in your modernized media room. This wine caddy goes with any Seatcraft chair like cold beer goes with a good burger. Add a wine caddy to your seat and thank us later.

If you’re not drinking alcohol or are in the market for more kid-friendly beverages, craft sodas are making a comeback and are a great touch for any beverage bar. Impress your friends (and significant others) with lesser known flavors that they won’t find at their local grocery store, like these Goose Island Craft Sodas.

Get closer

What better way to watch a movie than sharing a seat with your significant other? A love seat is the way to go if you want to stay close during those thriller movies. We all know it’s better to hold onto someone when Hannibal Lector makes an appearance. This Seatcraft Loveseat Slide Arm slides into any loveseat to create a shared arm.

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Just as easily as it slides into your loveseat, it can be removed to create a standard row where you can cozy up to your significant other. With both brown and black leather options, this luxury slide arm will go with any Seatcraft seat you decide to upgrade your media room with.

Eat up

Everyone loves snacks to go with their movies, so be sure to stock up! We recommend buying individually-wrapped snacks in bulk so that large portions don’t go to waste in between movies. Just remember to keep your media room relatively cool at all times if you elect to stock it with chocolate!

Go the extra mile and add a Seatcraft Swivel Tray Table to your seat to go along with your LED reading light. It is a great addition to your luxury seats and will allow you to make dinner and a movie easier to accomplish and more romantic than ever. They come in brown burlwood and black to match your Seatcraft seats. Swiveling at 360 degrees makes everything accessible and easy to reach during your movie.

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Comfort is key

A sure fire way to make your man cave more inviting is to add some decorative throw pillows and blankets to your home theater. This will make your media room cozy and enjoyable for both you and your significant other. It is also a great way to lighten up your dark man cave by adding color! If you want to keep the walls simple and sans artwork, then definitely add some colorful pillows and blankets. This also doubles as a good excuse to get cozy and share a blanket.

Ready to turn down the bro and convince that special someone to spend more time in your man cave media room? Feel free to contact the pros at Seatcraft and we’ll be happy to help you figure out the best options for your room!