The big game
If post-midnight curfews have you holed up at home for viewing prime-time World Cup clashes, you can always turn your living room into a sports bar with these nifty projectors
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Epson EH-TW8200
About a month ago, just after the FIFA World Cup had commenced, I came across a friend's Facebook post that seemed to be garnering a lot of likes (and comments).It was an innocuous picture of her living room - with World Cup action on her wall. She and her husband, who live in football-crazy Kolkata, had rented a projector for the entire duration of the World Cup!
Many of you have been watching the World Cup on a big-screen TV. But there are times you might want to catch a match in bed, when a short-throw projector could be your best friend. Also, with the timing of the matches ruling out a night out with friends, projectors could bring the 'sports bar' kind of feel to your living room.
First on our list was the Epson EH-TW8200. The projector has two HDMI ports (so I could connect both my set-top box and my PS3 together), component and composite inputs as well as a D-Sub port, in case you want to connect your PC.
In a 10 x 12 feet room, we were able to project an image equivalent to that on a 65-inch TV. Switching to the channel, with chilled beer at hand I settled down to watch the Brazil-Chile match. After David Luiz scored in the 18th minute, my friend, a die-hard Brazil fan, was ecstatic, but his joy was short-lived as about 15 minutes later Alexis Sanchez equalised. Do remember though this projector doesn't have speakers on board for the sound output. We had connected a 2.1 speaker set to the set-top box, but a home theatre system will enhance the experience.
We decided to try and watch the match in 3D. Out came the supplied two pairs of 3D glasses and my friend and I had a trying time looking for the beer and chips with the glasses on when hunger pangs struck right in the middle of the match.
Upscaling the HD content to 3D did give greater depth to the experience. But I was happier to watch the match without the distraction, though with 3D we could watch the perspiration on Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar's face when Chilean striker Mauricio Pinilla's shot bounced off the bar in the last minute of extra time. It was a much immersive experience watching a 3D Blu-Ray version of Frozen. And the backlit remote is a godsend in darkened rooms.
We then turned our attention to the Benq W1070. This compact projector, too, has two HDMI inputs, composite and component inputs, a D-Sub input as well as S-Video input. First, we hooked it up to a PC via the D-Sub port for the Argentina-Switzerland game, which we planned to watch on Sony's LIV Sports streaming app. The match was exciting in parts and the projected image in the 10 x 8 feet room was also in parts - pixelated whenever there was a bad broadband connection. Thankfully, during extra time, we were able to pick up Angel di Maria's goal after Lionel Messi's fabulous dash.
The next match we watched was the semi-final clash between Brazil and Germany. Watching it over a DTH connection hooked up via HDMI, we followed every minute of a clockwork Germany getting the better of an emotional Brazil. I was glad my Brazil fanatic friend wasn't around as it would have been heart-breaking of him to watch the disaster on an 84-inch projected screen. The sound, though, could have been louder. The projector supports 3D, but one needs to buy an additional kit for that.
If a big-screen experience is all that matters to you (and the flexibility of the size of the screen), projectors are the way to go. Plus, they cost less than the latest big-screen TVs.
Many of you have been watching the World Cup on a big-screen TV. But there are times you might want to catch a match in bed, when a short-throw projector could be your best friend. Also, with the timing of the matches ruling out a night out with friends, projectors could bring the 'sports bar' kind of feel to your living room.
Epson EH-TW8200
In a 10 x 12 feet room, we were able to project an image equivalent to that on a 65-inch TV. Switching to the channel, with chilled beer at hand I settled down to watch the Brazil-Chile match. After David Luiz scored in the 18th minute, my friend, a die-hard Brazil fan, was ecstatic, but his joy was short-lived as about 15 minutes later Alexis Sanchez equalised. Do remember though this projector doesn't have speakers on board for the sound output. We had connected a 2.1 speaker set to the set-top box, but a home theatre system will enhance the experience.
We decided to try and watch the match in 3D. Out came the supplied two pairs of 3D glasses and my friend and I had a trying time looking for the beer and chips with the glasses on when hunger pangs struck right in the middle of the match.
Upscaling the HD content to 3D did give greater depth to the experience. But I was happier to watch the match without the distraction, though with 3D we could watch the perspiration on Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar's face when Chilean striker Mauricio Pinilla's shot bounced off the bar in the last minute of extra time. It was a much immersive experience watching a 3D Blu-Ray version of Frozen. And the backlit remote is a godsend in darkened rooms.
We then turned our attention to the Benq W1070. This compact projector, too, has two HDMI inputs, composite and component inputs, a D-Sub input as well as S-Video input. First, we hooked it up to a PC via the D-Sub port for the Argentina-Switzerland game, which we planned to watch on Sony's LIV Sports streaming app. The match was exciting in parts and the projected image in the 10 x 8 feet room was also in parts - pixelated whenever there was a bad broadband connection. Thankfully, during extra time, we were able to pick up Angel di Maria's goal after Lionel Messi's fabulous dash.
The next match we watched was the semi-final clash between Brazil and Germany. Watching it over a DTH connection hooked up via HDMI, we followed every minute of a clockwork Germany getting the better of an emotional Brazil. I was glad my Brazil fanatic friend wasn't around as it would have been heart-breaking of him to watch the disaster on an 84-inch projected screen. The sound, though, could have been louder. The projector supports 3D, but one needs to buy an additional kit for that.
If a big-screen experience is all that matters to you (and the flexibility of the size of the screen), projectors are the way to go. Plus, they cost less than the latest big-screen TVs.
BENQ W1070
HDMI ports: 2
Maximum image size: 235-inch
Price: Rs 1,00,000
EPSON EH-TW8200
HDMI ports: 2
Maximum image size: 300-inch
Price: Rs 2,54,999
HDMI ports: 2
Maximum image size: 235-inch
Price: Rs 1,00,000
EPSON EH-TW8200
HDMI ports: 2
Maximum image size: 300-inch
Price: Rs 2,54,999
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First Published: Jul 12 2014 | 12:13 AM IST