How Significant is the Quality Increase from "Toy" to "Real" Projectors?
Toy projectors are the "cheap" ones you find on amazon, aliexpress, etc. Here's a reviewers list of toy projectors. Jayce Review
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I'm just wondering how those compare to the "real" more expensive ones.
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Would it matter if I'll be using it in a smallish room (around 2m in width) with little to no light?
I bought me a Xaomi 4K ultra short throw projector for under $2,000 4 years ago. It projects to my 150” screen with excellent contrast, resolution and brightness. I love that projector. I would consider it a real projector. Look up Ultra Short Throw projectors. I know there are a bunch of new ones on the market. You want good resolution and high lumens. Most cheap ones don’t do either.
When you say high lumens, can you give a number?
Will 300 ANSI lumens be good enough?
which is around 720 Led Lumens (if the artcile I found where Led Lumens = 2.4 ANSI Lumens).
That seems pretty low. Mine is 1600 ANSI and I wouldn’t go any lower. I would also suggest a good screen. I have the PET Crystal screen by XYScreens. It was expensive but well worth it.
Are you using it in a dark room?
It’s not completely dark. So that might be in your favor.
It’s been a while since I’ve used a projector - when I screened films at a cultural center - and I seem to remember that even for a small space that would fit an audience of thirty, 2000 lumens was on the lower end of acceptability.
Whether real or a toy, you need a specific environment to get a good picture with them. It just doesn’t make a ton of sense to me to get a projector when TVs are so dirt cheap these days.