Prices of big TVs continue to fall, but the largest screen sizes still offer a poor value. Not even the biggest TV models can produce an image as large as what's possible with an inexpensive projector. Modern projectors are brighter than ever, and models around $100 have great picture quality.
Anything you'd watch on a TV, including movies, games and bingeable TV shows, you can watch on a projector instead. Actors on screen can be life-size, or even more, for a theater experience at home. I've used a projector as my main "TV" for over 20 years, and I'd never be able to go back to a "tiny" TV regardless of its size. Though projectors require a little more setup than a TV, it's usually not enough that you'd need to hire a professional.
There are a few more points to think about in regard to getting a projector -- both for and against. Let's have a look.
Compare: Price vs. performance
A lot has changed in the last decade or so when it comes to price and performance between projectors and TVs. TVs have improved at an incredible rate, while getting larger and cheaper. Projectors, not so much. OLED TVs offer far better image quality than any projector, and can be had in fairly large sizes. That's not the whole story, however.
Though the price of big TVs has fallen sharply, and their performance has increased significantly, most people can't afford a 100-plus-inch screen unless it's from a projector. Sure, TVs have gotten bigger, but not that big. At least not yet. You're trading size for performance.
Price, however, isn't as clear cut. A good projector is around the same price as a decent 75-inch TV. So if you want to spend around $100 for a "big screen," there are several options for large displays.
Contrast: TVs win for HDR
HDR, or high dynamic range, is an issue for projectors. While many projectors can accept HDR video, almost all have difficulty displaying HDR video. The problem is twofold. The first is that even the best home projectors aren't that bright, at least compared with the average television. The second is that the more affordable projectors also don't have the contrast ratio needed to show HDR at its best. Many models aren't able to display wide color gamut at all.
Now, higher-end projectors can do wide color gamut and do an OK job with HDR, but at a far greater price than a large TV. Even the best and brightest projectors still boast only a fraction of the brightness of a midrange television. Brightness isn't everything (though arguably, contrast ratio is), but when it comes to HDR, light output is a much bigger deal. Some new projectors are using LEDs or lasers as their light source, and they can often do far better in terms of color and overall brightness, but contrast ratios are still far too low for reasonable HDR.
Can a projector look good without HDR? Yes, but this is another piece missing in the projector puzzle.
A little thing called light
Forget 4K and HDR -- the biggest image-quality issue with projectors is much more practical: ambient light. A projector throws light at a screen, but any other light in the room is also getting thrown at the screen. The brightest parts of the image aren't hugely affected, but the darker parts are. Which is to say, if you're watching sports or something that's bright overall, you're fine. If you're watching a dark movie or playing a dark video game, the image is going to be hard to see.
Yes, there are ambient light-rejecting screens, but they're expensive. And physics is physics. No matter how good a fancy screen is at reducing the impact of ambient light, that same screen is still going to look worse in the day than in a dark room. If you want to watch your projector in a room with lots of windows (like the one shown at the top of this article) and enjoy the best image quality, you'll need lots of curtains.
A TV is going to create a much brighter image than any projector, one that holds up better in bright rooms. This obviously hasn't persuaded me to switch to a TV, but full disclosure: I use blackout curtains in my TV room. Most people probably aren't willing to make that sacrifice.
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