• Watch Movies or Conduct Presentations

• Assess Home Theater Projector Specs

• Set Up Your Home Theater Projector

• Find Projectors on eBay

• Buy Home Theater Projectors with Confidence

Watch Movies or Conduct Presentations

Watch Movies or Conduct Presentations

Whether you want to put the largest TV screen possible in your living room or take your projector to business meetings, decide how you plan to use your projector before you start shopping.

Watch your favorite movies & TV shows with a projector

For some, a big-screen TV just isn't big enough. Take your home theater system to the ultimate level with a home theater projector from BenQ, InFocus, Sharp, Optoma, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Proxima, MEC, or ScreenPlay. They work well for home use, allowing you to create an immersive viewing experience by projecting widescreen and high-definition video onto a wall or viewing screen.

Buy an HDTV-compatible projector if you receive high-definition programming from your satellite or cable television service provider.

Bring your projector to work

Multimedia projectors work best for business professionals who need visual aids for presentations and lectures. Hook your laptop computer, TV, HDTV, DVD player, or VCR to the projector and play audio and video, or text and image-based presentations.

Compared to home theater projectors, multimedia projectors, such as the Sharp PG-B10S and Epson PowerLite 81P, offer a smaller, portable size that allows you to transport your projector from meeting to meeting. Many also include a projector carrying case for protection and easy storage. A remote control and built-in laser pointer can give you even more flexibility and freedom.

Look for home theater compatibility if you want to use your multimedia projector to watch movies.

Decide which projection technology you need

Home theater projectors use liquid crystal display (LCD) or digital light processing (DLP) technology to process light and display an image.

• LCD projectors: Turn down the lights and deliver a presentation with vibrant color and sharp, detailed data. LCD projectors pass light through three small LCD panels, creating bright images appropriate for dimly-lit rooms and auditoriums.

• DLP projectors: DLP projectors use a single digital chip that makes them weigh less than LCD projectors. They offer smooth video performance, high contrast ratios, and little pixilation—perfect for home theater use.

Assess Home Theater Projector Specs

Assess Home Theater Projector Specs

Compare resolution, brightness, contrast ratio, and weight specifications as well as optional features when you shop for a home theater projector on eBay.

Projector resolution

Projector resolution is the number of pixels produced by a home theater projector. Expressed as two numbers, the first number indicates horizontal pixels and the second number represents vertical pixels. For example, 800x600 and 1024x768. The higher the resolution, the sharper the image.

HDTV-compatible projectors will need to support high-quality 1080i (1920x1080 resolution interlaced scan) and/or 720p (1280x720 progressive scan) HDTV signals.

Image brightness

Brightness, or light output, measured in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) lumens, determines how well you'll see projected images in a well-lit room. More lumens produce a bigger, brighter image.

Home theater projectors generally have 700 to 2,500 lumens, perfect for dimly-lit or dark rooms. Look for a higher lumen count if you plan to use your projector in a room filled with sunlight.

Contrast ratio

Video projectors measure the difference between the brightest and darkest sections of an image with a ratio. For example, 600:1 or 2,220:1. Projectors with higher contrast ratios produce the most well-defined pictures.

Projector weight

Home theater projectors can weigh less than 7 pounds or as much as 20 pounds. Look for a lightweight projector if you want to use your projector outside your home.

Special features

Home theater projectors boast a wide variety of features, including:

• Zoom: Put yourself in the center of on-screen action by zooming into your picture.

• Picture-in-picture: View more than one channel or video source at a time with picture-in-picture.

• Cinema mode: Turn on cinema mode to get richer color and less fan noise.

Do a keyword search for the features most important to you when you shop on eBay.

Set Up Your Home Theater Projector

Set Up Your Home Theater Projector

Make your home theater dreams come true by mounting a home theater projector from the ceiling with ceiling mounts or placing it on a flat surface such as a coffee table or bookshelf.

• Ceiling-mount your projector: Install a home theater projector as part of your larger home theater system and use it whenever you want. You’ll need to run power and signal cables through your walls to keep cables out from underfoot.

• Keep projector portability in mind: Set up your home theater projector wherever and whenever you want to use it. Buy a free-standing screen and you'll gain the ability to store your equipment out of sight when company comes over.

Either way, your projector and viewing screen will take up less space than a big-screen TV and you'll be able to produce a larger image.

Make basic projector connections

Home theater projectors take the signal from your home theater system and then display the image on a screen. Just connect the projector to your TV’s satellite receiver, HDTV tuner or receiver, cable box, or DVD/VCR player.

Home theater projectors generally come with multiple video input connectors, allowing you to connect a computer or video game console.

Set up a viewing screen

Either use an empty white wall as a screen or buy a separate viewing screen to see the crispest, clearest projected video possible. Screens come in three types:

• Wall-mounted projector screens: Hang your wall-mounted projector screen.

• Retractable projector screens: Mount your retractable projector screen from the ceiling and roll it out when you want to use your projector.

• Free-standing projector screens: Bring out your free standing projector screen when you need it.

Projector screens come in a variety of sizes ranging from 90 to 120 inches in diameter. To find a screen that'll fit your room, measure the length, width, and depth of the area where you plan to put it. Sellers include screen dimensions in item listings and the characteristics of your space can help you determine screen size. Also plan to sit at least 15 feet back from the large images so you don't feel like you're sitting in the front row at the movies.

Image size will depend on how far you place the projector from your screen. Make sure you like your projector settings before installing your ceiling-mount projector and wall-mounted or retractable screen.

Find Projectors on eBay

Find Projectors on eBay

Once you know what type of projector you want, search for items on eBay. For home theater projectors, start by going to the Consumer Electronics portal, and click Home Theater Projectors. For multimedia projectors, go to the Computers & Networking portal, and click the Projectors link under Monitors & Projectors.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. For example, the Home Theater Projectors Categories list contains links to Cables & Accessories, Projector Screens & Material, and Projectors. As you dig deeper into the site you'll be able to narrow down your choice according to LCD or DLP, and then by brand.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you wanted to find a DLP home theater projector, you'd type "DLP home theater projector" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Home Theater Projectors with Confidence

Buy Home Theater Projectors with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.