There are a lot of fun and exciting innovations happening in the smart TV industry. Screens are more detailed, TVs are thinner and larger, and an immersive home theater experience can be fairly affordable. With lots of competition in the market, there are plenty of opportunities for consumers to find exactly the TV they want for their entertainment needs and preferences.

However, home projectors are advancing too, providing an additional and somewhat different way to enjoy shows, movies, and games. There are a lot of ways in which the best projectors can rival and even surpass a smart TV. It’s certainly worth wondering if a projector can fully replace a TV instead of just offering a different way to watch your favorite titles. Here’s how the top projectors compare to the top smart TVs of the present, and where they might be going in the future.

Color

White

Built-in Speaker

Yes

Native Resolution

1280×720

Brand

Magcubic

The Magcubic Auto Keystone Mini Portable Projector has a built-in Android 11.0 operating system. It allows you to download apps from the Google Play Storer. It can rotate 180° and has built-in speakers to play sound.

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Projectors can toggle sizing

Portable, compact design offers convenience

Super-giant TVs were pretty trendy last year, with larger models up to and over 80-inches in size getting a lot of attention for their relatively cheap price tag. With some consumers prioritizing scale and scope over detail and fidelity, these XXL TVs were finding their way to a lot of homes.

Of course, it’s not an easy task to get one of these TVs inside your home and set up, and certainly mounting them on a wall is a sizable, if not nearly impossible, task. Projectors certainly have the upper hand. It’s not only that they can get big, with many models offering a maximum size of 100-inches or more.

It’s that these projectors are far easier to set up and even move around. Even a 65-inch smart TV requires careful movement and likely some assistance when setting it up. If you’re not mounting it on the wall, it can also take up some space in your room. A projector is smaller, more agile, and can produce an image size you desire.

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Projectors offer smart system access

All your entertainment is available

One area that the top projectors are on par with smart TVs is when it comes to operating systems and smart services. Just like TVs, smart projectors come with built-in operating systems that allow you to access streaming services, entertainment apps, cloud gaming, and even fitness and productivity programs.

The integration allows for the same versatility you have with your TV, so you can stream Netflix, cast from your phone, access any smart home devices, and everything else you do with various operating systems. You’ll still need to consider the ports available to you on the projector; most have one or two HDMI (or micro-HDMI) ports to allow you to connect audio devices or consoles to expand on their usage. And, even if it doesn’t come with a smart OS built in, you can still connect most streaming sticks to the HDMI port and access your apps that way as well.

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Top projectors offer quality video

High-end options provide cinematic quality

The average projector still has a bit of a way to go in order to catch up to the average smart TV when it comes to brightness and contrast. There are many impressive new LED TVs that offer new standards of brightness, exceeding 2,000 and even 3,000 nits so that colors can pop in even well-lit rooms. The top OLED models, meanwhile, provide an infinite contrast ratio and superb detail that allows you to faithfully enjoy movies and shows without witnessing any shadowing or blurring on screen.

However, for those seeking to replace a smart TV altogether, the best projectors available are up to the task. Top options feature 4K resolution and HDR, so that colors appear lifelike and scenes are detailed and clear. Some projectors are pretty good when it comes to brightness, and because they can’t close in on the peak brightness offered by most new smart TVs, you’ll just need to make sure the projector is set up in the proper space. You’ll need to watch in a room where you can turn off and remove any light. All the peak brightness that smart TVs boast about isn’t entirely necessary if you create the right viewing environment.

The best projectors keep getting better and better, and the future looks promising for those seeking to get rid of a TV set altogether.

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Projectors provide unique experiences

Create a personalized entertainment setup

There is something special about watching a movie on a huge screen. With a projector, you can come closer to recreating the experience of being in a cineplex than you can with most smart TVs. Firstly, you’ll be able to obtain a larger screen with the projector. You’re also likely to have more options when it comes to where you’re putting it. You may find more space in the basement or even outside during a warm night. The ability to move it around allows you to better create a unique, memorable experience. A larger size can also accommodate more people, adding to the cinematic experience.

A projector is versatile enough to accommodate a single viewer in a different space. Perhaps you want to lie in bed and watch TV on the ceiling, or cast a video on a kitchen island while cooking. Or maybe you just want an intimate viewing experience for one. A projector is better able to adapt to your changing needs and desires in a way a smart TV might struggle. Sometimes you want to watch a big blockbuster that overwhelms you with color, brightness, and action. Other times, you just want to curl up with something easy.

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