Name: Sony VPL SW225
Brand: Sony

View the Projectors Buyers Guide

Philips PPX 3614

From

£299

Type: LED Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 140ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma ML750

From

£507

Type: LED Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 700ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Sony VPL HW55

From

£3,467

Type: LCOS Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 1700ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

InFocus IN3924

From

£569

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

NEC M332XS

From

£786

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3300ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 2 shops >

NEC P501

From

£1,089

Type: LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 5000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer C120

From

£231

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Native resolution: 854 x 480

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Sony VPL-HW40ES

From

£2,379

Type: 3D DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 1700ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 2 shops >

Optoma S300

From

£133

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 2800ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 2 shops >

Acer P 6500

From

£247

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 4000ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Viewsonic PJD6352

From

£358

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 3500ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Panasonic PT-EZ770

From

£3,914

Type: LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 6500ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Panasonic PT EW 730

From

£2,720

Type: LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 7000ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

InFocus IN 2128

From

£103

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 3500ANSI lumens

4 Offers from 2 shops >

LG PF1000 U

From

£875

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 1000ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Epson EB 1780 W

From

£750

Type: HD Projection
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

BenQ MH 750

From

£1,018

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 4500ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Epson EB 2155 W

From

£1,429

Type: 3LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 5000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer H7850

From

£1,874

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Asus P3E

From

£568

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 800ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer K137

From

£463

Type: 3D DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 700ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma EH335

From

£686

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Standard
Brightness: 3600ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Viewsonic PJD5353

From

£438

Type: XGA Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 2500ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer V 7500

From

£579

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 2500ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Dell PROJECTOR 1850

From

£556

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Viewsonic PX727 4K

From

£1,083

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Standard
Brightness: 2200ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Epson EB X41

From

£374

Type: 3LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Native resolution: 1024 x 768

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer H6520BD

From

£399

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3500ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Casio xj ut310wn

From

£1,169

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 3100ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma UHD60

From

£1,848

Type: DLP Projector
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens
Zoom lens: 1.6x

1 Offer from 1 shop >

BenQ GS1

From

£530

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 300ANSI lumens

3 Offers from 3 shops >

Epson EB 696Ui

From

£2,609

Type: 3LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3800ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer P8800

From

£3,402

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Ceiling Mountable
Brightness: 5000ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 1 shop >

Sony VPL VW760ES

From

£9,905

Type: SXRD
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 2000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Epson EB S39

From

£418

Type: 3LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3300ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma EH461

From

£981

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 5000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

LG PF50KS

From

£535

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 600ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

BenQ MH733

From

£840

Type: HD Projection
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 4000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma HD143X

From

£459

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Sony VPL FHZ60

From

£4,503

Type: 3LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3500ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer H6517BD

From

£524

Type: 3D DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Hitachi CP-AW2503

From

£758

Type: 3LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 2700ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Panasonic PT-EX800

From

£2,675

Type: LCD Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 7500ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

NEC PA672

From

£4,867

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 6700ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Epson EB L 1300 U

From

£10,978

Type: LCD Projector
Brightness: 8000ANSI lumens
Zoom lens: 1.6x

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma EH 200

From

£748

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

2 Offers from 2 shops >

Epson EB 695

From

£1,386

Type: 3LCD Projector
Brightness: 3500ANSI lumens
Native resolution: 1280 x 800

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma W345

From

£430

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Ceiling Mountable
Brightness: 3300ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma X 340

From

£414

Type: DLP Projector
Brightness: 3100ANSI lumens
Zoom lens: 1.1x

1 Offer from 1 shop >

BenQ MX842UST

From

£708

Type: 3D DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer H 5382 BD

From

£369

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3300ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Acer Essential A 1300 W

From

£389

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Ceiling Mountable
Brightness: 3200ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Canon XEED 4 K 500 ST

From

£37,056

Type: LCOS Projector
Brightness: 5000ANSI lumens
Zoom lens: 1.3x

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Panasonic PT DX610

From

£4,008

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 6500ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma X 400

From

£468

Type: XGA Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 4000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Vivitek Qumi Q6

From

£458

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Portable
Brightness: 700ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Optoma W304M

From

£825

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 3100ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

InFocus IN3138HD

From

£739

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 4000ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Sony VPL SW225

From

£650

Type: DLP Projector
Form factor: Desktop
Brightness: 2600ANSI lumens

1 Offer from 1 shop >

Projectors

Making a choice

So, you have decided to take the plunge into the world of projectors? Whether your projector needs are professional, educational or simply for entertainment, there is a vast range of products on the market. On the surface, one projector looks much like another and it can appear incredibly difficult to make a well-reasoned decision. Further added to this is the fact that there are a multitude of projectors on the market ranging in price from under £100 up to the £10,000 and more. Bearing all of this in mind, you might reasonably pose the question of what criteria should you be using when deciding on which projector to buy?

There are a few very important aspects to consider when analysing a potential projector purchase. Firstly, you should be clear on exactly what you are going to be using the projector for. For example, if your use is going to be mainly watching movies at home, then you should be looking at a projector with a fairly low brightness level. If you are going to be using the projector in a large space such as an auditorium or church, then a projector with a higher brightness level would be more suitable. Other important factors to consider include the resolution, the aspect ratio and the weight. Once you have established exactly what you are going to use the projector for, you can start to use the above criteria to rapidly narrow down the field of products.

The Technology

In today's projector market, there are over 300 different models on sale - a daunting figure, I am sure you will agree. These projectors run on one of two different technology types: LCD or DLP. Before you have a further panic, it is worth noting that projectors running either of these technology types have a very wide level of application and give excellent results when viewing a range of different material, whether it is video content or computer applications. However, once again your decision should be influenced by exactly what you are going to be using your projector for. Depending on what it is, one technological format may suit you better than the other.

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projector is the modern incarnation of a classroom favourite, the overhead projector. The undoubted advantage of LCD technology is that it creates images that are very sharp along with high levels of brightness and satisfyingly crisp detail. This makes it a great projector for you if you needs require text to be clearly displayed (i.e. classroom or business use). Criticisms of LCD projectors have been that, generally, they are heavier than their DLP counterparts and they do degrade over time.

Digital Light Processing (DLP) projectors are the newer form of technology on the market. The projectors harness the power of nearly 2 million microscopic mirrors to create images that are incredibly smooth and soft. This can be especially observed if the projector is being used to watch video footage. In addition, DLP projectors are generally smaller and more compact making them perfect for you if you want your projector to be portable.

Brightness

When deciding how bright a projector you should be considering, look at the size of the room in which the projector is to be used. Generally, the larger the room, the brighter the projector you will require. Secondly, you should think about the likely lighting levels in any location in which you are going to be using the projector. All projectors will give better results when used in darker locations. Therefore, if you are going to be using it in a room where it is difficult to control the level of light, you should be looking at a product with higher brightness levels.

Once again, it is important to consider the exactly what you are going to be using your projector for. If, for example, you will be using it in a classroom or for giving business presentations, it is likely that you will need text to be clearly displayed to your audience. In order to guarantee that text is sharp and visible, you should look towards a brighter projector.

To put this in context, projector brightness is measured in Lumens. For home cinema use in a dark room, a level of less than 1000 Lumens will be acceptable. For classroom use or home use in a bright room, a level between 1000 and 2000 will suffice. Projectors for use in large classrooms or meeting rooms should be between 2000 and 3000. Finally, for use in large concert venues, auditoriums or theatres, a level of more than 3000 would be required.

Resolution and Ratio

These two aspects are important for ensuring that the size of any image that you wish to display is correctly portrayed. Most people should be fairly familiar with the idea of resolution. Put simply, the higher the resolution, the sharper and more detailed the image is likely to be. Resolution for projectors is measured in pixels. Most projectors will come with a 'native resolution', this is the setting that the projector is most comfortable working from. However, most of them can be used at higher resolutions if necessary. Note that this would have an effect on image quality.

Projectors come in a wide variety of resolutions ranging from 800 x 600 all the way up to 2048 x 1080. You should make your choice of resolution based again on what you are likely to be using the projector for. For good all round use, 1024 x 768 has emerged as a popular favourite, but you could get away with 854 x 480 for basic home cinema requirements. If your product is to have a practical application, i.e highly detailed drawings or detailed photography, then a resolution of 1920 x 1080 may be more suitable.

Quickly dealing with aspect ratio, you will observe three common projector ratios: 4:3, 16:10 and 16:9. 4:3 is the standard ratio for standard television, 16:10 ratio has been designed for widescreen computers and 16:9 is recommended for movies or high definition content.

Conclusion

The on-going theme of this guide has been the need for you to establish exactly what applications your projector is going to have. Establishing this can really help you to make an informed decision on the correct model to buy. However, as has been mentioned, the majority of projectors will give you good performance across a variety of tasks so there is no need to become too tied down in technicalities.

To summarise, you need to consider LCD v DLP. The answer to this question will be determined by whether you will be using the projector more for video footage or detailed text and drawings. LCD for more detailed text and DLP for predominantly home movie use.

Next, take into account the location and light levels in which the projector is to be used. A larger and lighter room will require a projector with a higher brightness level, whereas a smaller and darker room at home will not require such a high level.

In terms of resolution, you again need to consider usage of your projector. Different resolutions will be more suitable for simple home cinema use versus projecting detailed drawings and watching high definition content.

The desired aspect ratio for your projector will also change depending on whether you will be watching standard television, projecting from a computer screen or watching film or high definition content.

Once you have considered your projector needs in conjunction with the above points, you should be in a much better position to compile a decent shortlist.

Projectors

Show result for

Brand

Price

Type

Form factor

Brightness

Contrast ratio

Native resolution

Lamp life (upto)

Video input

Audio output

Weight

Refine by keyword

Philips PPX 3614

Optoma ML750

Sony VPL HW55

InFocus IN3924

NEC M332XS

NEC P501

Acer C120

Sony VPL-HW40ES

Optoma S300

Acer P 6500

Viewsonic PJD6352

Panasonic PT-EZ770

Panasonic PT EW 730

InFocus IN 2128

LG PF1000 U

Epson EB 1780 W

BenQ MH 750

Epson EB 2155 W

Acer H7850

Asus P3E

Acer K137

Optoma EH335

Viewsonic PJD5353

Acer V 7500

Dell PROJECTOR 1850

Viewsonic PX727 4K

Epson EB X41

Acer H6520BD

Casio xj ut310wn

Optoma UHD60

BenQ GS1

Epson EB 696Ui

Acer P8800

Sony VPL VW760ES

Epson EB S39

Optoma EH461

LG PF50KS

Epson EH TW 6700 W

BenQ MH733

Optoma HD143X

Sony VPL FHZ60

Acer H6517BD

Hitachi CP-AW2503

Panasonic PT-EX800

NEC PA672

Epson EB L 1300 U

Optoma EH 200

Epson EB 695

Optoma W345

Optoma X 340

BenQ MX842UST

Acer H 5382 BD

Acer Essential A 1300 W

Canon XEED 4 K 500 ST

Panasonic PT DX610

Optoma X 400

Vivitek Qumi Q6

Optoma W304M

InFocus IN3138HD

Sony VPL SW225

Projectors

Making a choice

The Technology

Brightness

Resolution and Ratio

Conclusion