Business Projectors vs Regular Projectors – What’s The Difference

If you are in the market for a projector, you likely notice that there are different brands, price ranges, and quality projectors available on the market. At the end of the day, a projector’s job is to transmit an image onto a wall or a screen. Understandably, a person could ask why there are so many options. For example, what is the difference between a projector that’s used in business and a projector that is used at home?

Breaking Down the Differences between Home and Business Projectors

Several features are going to differentiate a business projector from a projector that’s used in a home theater. A business projector is going to have a higher lumen rating. This is because a business projector is going to be used in an area where there is ambient light. Since the focus is on business, a business projector is going to have several media options. This means that it should have the ability to connect wirelessly, via Bluetooth, using HDMI inputs, VGA inputs, SD cards, USB storage devices, and more.

A business projector could realistically be used in the home theater setting. However, a home theater projector is going to have a higher resolution. These projectors are optimized to show media designed for film and television. We will take a look at a few other points to really break it down to help you understand which projector is going to be right for your needs.

What You Get from a Business Projector

Because you may be carrying your own projector when making a presentation, they are designed to be light and quick to set up. It is easy for you to move them from room to room.

In a home theater setting, most people just set up their projector and leave it there. If it weighs a little bit more, it’s not that big of an issue. However, if you are looking for a projector that’s easy to move from place to place, then you may consider using a business projector for your home theater.

Business projectors are designed with fewer features than those used in the home theater environment. The idea is that anyone in the office, regardless of their technical experience, can set the projector up. This means that the IT department is no longer solely responsible for setting up the projector. That being said, this lack of complication implies that you also cannot tweak the projector as you would one used in a home theater.

As we discussed, business projectors are a lot brighter than those used in home theaters. This is because a business projector usually needs to fill up a larger space. Business projectors are used in areas that have a lot of ambient light. This is especially the case since a lot of modern offices have glass walls.

With a home theater projector, you do not want an overkill of illumination. Too high lumens can actually make the screen hurt your eyes if you are looking at it in a dark room.

Finally, business projectors have some input connections, including DVI, BGI, HDMI, and USB. This makes them extremely versatile. We recommend looking for a projector that is around the $500 range. Anything below that won’t give you the quality you need. Cheap projectors also make your presentation look cheap

What You Get with a Home Projector

Your home projector is going to have higher resolution than a business projector. This is because your home projector is designed for 4K media or Blu-ray video. The majority of home theater projectors have high definition be at 1080 P or higher. A business projectors going to have a lower resolution because they’re not designed to handle videos. They’re designed more for documents or other media.

A home theater project is going to have an improved contrast ratio. Contrast ratio is a difference between the lightest image on the screen and the darkest image. Contrast ratio is what gives an image is crispness or sharpness. Obviously, this is important if you are watching a movie. However, it’s not as crucial if you are looking at a document or watching a PowerPoint presentation.

Home theater projectors do not have the same number of connectors. Their connections are optimized for visual media input. This means that you may have multiple HDMI or DVI inputs as opposed to other links.

Usually, there are ways to connect your home theater projector to a computer. Most do this via HDMI, but some will allow VGA connections.

Home theater projectors are set up with a throw ratio that is best for smaller spaces. If you purchase an ultra-short throw projector, you can set the projector around seven inches from the wall and have an image that’s displayed upward of 120 inches. That is phenomenal.

Conversely, projectors for business have a long throw ratio. They are designed to sit 10 or 20 feet away from the projected area. Generally, a home theater projector is made to work in a home theater environment. There may be a few occasions where you opt for the portability or flexibility of a business projector for use in your home environment.

Whether you are choosing a home projector or a business projector, you should not be quick about making the decision. Take your time and think about what you want to use it for. What are the primary input sources that you’re going to use? How vital is contrast and brightness to you?

Although by nature business projectors are going to be brighter than home theater projectors, if you are thinking about using your home theater projector in an area where there is a lot of ambient light, then you may want to consider getting a home theater projector that has a higher lumen rating.

Conversely, if you’re going to show a lot of videos during business presentations, you might appreciate the higher resolution that comes with a home theater project. Consider these factors before making your final decision so that you will be happy with what you choose.

We would love to hear from you. Do you own a business projector or a home theater projector? What are the pros and cons of each? Let us know in the comments section below.