Buck the traditional entertainment system, buy a projector and watch movie outside on Fridays.
The traditional entertainment system has the TV, DVD, sound system (sub-woofer). All three combined will cost thousands of dollars and will be a hassle to move around.
So, the perfect solution, are projectors, with just a laptop and projector, or even better, a projector with a USB, you can watch your latest movies by the pool side at night.
Things to consider when buying a projector
Price:
High end projectors tend to be pricey, but affordable the affordable ones can work as well as the not so pricey ones.
The best projector will be as good the $1k ones, but we all know that expensive goods last long.
Lumens:
Lumens is the measurement of the brightness of the projector, so the bigger the number the brighter the project.
So, you’d want to look for the highest Lumens for the price.
Resolutions:
I’m sure most of us are familiar with this term, it refers to the number of pixels that the projector shoots out, so the more the better.
Image Projection size:
The keyword for this device is ‘project’. Look for something that will project nice big images, some of the best projector for under 200 dollars will give you an image size of 176 inches.
Projector Lamp hours:
Just like how we change our light bulb after several thousands of hours, a projector is the same.
The lamp that’s shooting light at the screen will need to change after its burnt.
Average lamp hours are about 40,000 hours, don’t worry, you won’t have to change it every week.
Connections and ports:
When buying a projector, you’ll want to think of all the connections that you’ll be using for your projector.
USB port, HDMI, VGA, SD slots and other connections that you might want to use.
Ease of use.
Buy something that’ll be easy for you and your families to set up and use.
Projection distance:
An image thrown out of the projector will blur out after a few meters that’s just basic physics.
Look for something that will project nice crystal-clear images at the distance that you want it too.
A typical $200 projector will project at a distance of 1 to 5 meters.
Fan noise:
Consider this one carefully if you’ll be using your projector for office use. You wouldn’t want to be having a meeting and your projector motor noise full speeding away.
The speakers voice will likely be drowned out by the loud motor.
Size and weight:
This is also a very important factor, if you’ll be using this projector for outdoor movies, buy something that’s light weight, easy to carry around.
Don’t buy a huge bulky one that’ll be a hassle for you.
Built in speaker:
If you’re planning to use it for outdoor movies, consider buying one that has a
built-in speaker, not just a speaker, but a loud one.
Let’s get to our million-dollar question,
This is by far the best project you can get if you’re looking to only spend $200 or less.
Vankyo Leisure 3 (Upgraded Version) 2400
This aesthetically looking projector has some cool advanced features which I’m confident will be useful for your use.
I love the noise suppression technology that it has, you won’t hear mechanical noise coming from it when its being used.
Very useful in an environment where you’d want less noise since a lot of other projectors emits mechanical noise from its motor.
Its super light weight and easy to carry around, after the movies, you can store it away with ease.
Very bright projector, performs well under office lights.
Projects good to at a distance.
However, for maximum loudness, do consider using an external sound system like a soundbar or Bluetooth speaker.
Pros
- Easy to setup
- Easy to mount to the ceiling
- Works well in light saturated room
- Light weight
- -Has multiple connections
Cons
- Projector speaker not that loud
- Does not have a zoom function
- Incomplete instructions manual.
Meyoung TC80 LED Mini Projector
Overall can also be considered the best projector under 200 dollars.
Has a very good throw distance (good distance from the projector to the white screen). With up to 13 feet of throw distance, this will allow a good seating space for the audience in between when watching movies.
Has a good exhaust system, Meyoung TC80 LED Mini Projector will not get hot quickly and is very quiet during operations.
Can be used in an office environment, although they weren’t meant for Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.
Very good lamp life, at 30000 hours, you won’t have to change the lamp often.
Pros
- Strong and bright image
- Very good throw distance
- Silent operations
Cons
- Will need an external sound system for best performance
- Supports only up to 800 x 600 pixels
GEARGO 2800 Lumens HD Portable Projector
This one can be used as a standalone projector, meaning that you won’t really need a laptop or phone to use it.
It supports ninety percent of formats out there.
Has a very good picture and sound quality, you won’t be needing any external sound systems for this one.
Light and portable and easy to carry around.
Pros
- Light and portable
- Quiet operations (has noise suppressing fans)
- Bright
Cons
- Short focal length (Image size will need to be reduced when shooting at a distance)
The Wsky 2019 projector projects crystal clear and crispy images. This device is good for gaming as you will not see any lagging by the image. It can project at large screens sizes without disrupting the focus of the image.
Has all the connection that’s used today, you can hook it up to any device and you’re good to go.
Most of other projectors needs a remote to have all it features be used, but for this one, you won’t need a remote.
If you’re someone who loses the remote all the time, this the one for you
Good loud speakers, play Youtube videos on this one if you’re an avid Youtube user.
Pros
- Easy to install and configure
- Loud volume with clear sound
- Small and light weight
- Has all the connections you need.
Cons
- Loud motor noise
- Remote need precise shooting at the device when being used.
Verdict
Taking into considerations all the factors that would make the best projector under 200 dollars, we have chosen the Vankyo Leisure 3 (Upgraded Version) 2400 as the best in terms of image quality, sound and other factors which we have I have mentioned in the articles.