Every sports fan knows that if you can’t physically be at the game you gotta make due with watching it at home. Even though you can’t be there in person with the fresh air and sunshine you can still experience that immersive stadium feel. The secret. Get a projector for watching sports.
With a big projector screen you can almost feel like you’re sitting next to the other fans, smelling the fresh cut grass, feeling the warm sun shining on your face, hearing the crowd cheering all around you, all from the comfort of your couch in the living room.
Are projectors good for sports?
Whether you’re a sports bar or a sports fan, projectors are a great option for watching sports.
When you watch sports at home or at a bar you want to have an immersive experience that makes you feel like you’re a part of the game. In that respect, nothing beats a projector and screen combo.
With athletic competition it’s always go big or go home. The biggest benefit of a projector; the screen size. After all, short of being at the game how else can you watch your favorite team on a larger than life 120 inch projector screen.
Best projector for watching sports
Epson LS800
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Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | EPSON |
Product Status: | Leaves Warehouse within 5-10 Business Days |
Lumens: | 4000 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 2,500,000:1 |
Chipset: | LCD |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.16:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 21.0ms | 1080p/60Hz: 22.1ms | 1080p/120Hz: 12.3ms |
3D Support: | No |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Manual |
Wi-Fi: | Yes |
ARC/eARC: | ARC |
Operating System: | Android TV |
The Epson LS800 is an UST projector designed with video games in mind, this translates very well into watching sports. Because of its high refresh rate and excellent motion handling combined with its super bright 4000 lumen laser light source, this projector is perfect for watching your play. You can even get it bundled with a 100” or 120” projection screen.
BENQ HT5550
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | BenQ |
Product Status: | Leaves Warehouse within 1-2 Business Days |
Lumens: | 1800 |
Projector Type: | Standard Throw |
Light Source: | Bulb |
Contrast Ratio: | 100,000:1 |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 1.36:1 - 2.18:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | Horizontal & Vertical |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 88ms | 1080p/60Hz: 60ms |
3D Support: | Yes |
Warranty: | 1 Year |
Standard Lens Focus: | Manual |
With a 1800 lumen bulb light source, this regular throw projector is great for watching sports in any man cave or lesser lit area. This 4K projector reproduces authentic colors covering 100% of the DCI-P3/Rec.709 color space. With outstanding motion handling and HDR cap
ability this unit is a great choice regardless of if you like football, basketball, tennis or any other competitive sport.
Samsung LSP9T
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Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | Samsung |
Product Status: | Leaves Warehouse within 4-6 Weeks |
Lumens: | 2800 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 1,500:1 |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.19:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 55.9ms | 1080p/60Hz: 55.9ms |
3D Support: | No |
Warranty: | 1 Year |
Standard Lens Focus: | Motorized |
Wi-Fi: | Yes |
ARC/eARC: | eARC |
Operating System: | Tizen |
With it’s HDR10+ certified triple laser technology, the Samsung Premiere LSP9T 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector provides crystal clear visuals perfect for watching athletic competitions. While this projector may be out of reach for those with more limited means or those who are more interested in getting the best value for their dollar; this is a top contender for anyone who is interested in getting the “Best”.
LG HU85LA
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | LG |
Product Status: | Leaves Warehouse within 2-3 Weeks |
Lumens: | 2700 |
Projector Type: | Ultra Short Throw |
Light Source: | Laser |
Contrast Ratio: | 2,000,000:1 |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.19:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 55ms |
Built-In Speaker: | Yes |
Warranty: | 2 Years |
Standard Lens Focus: | Manual |
When it comes to an ultra short throw projector for sports, the LG HU85LA CineBeam dukes it out with the Samsung LSP9T for best overall UST. With 3 channel laser with color-wheel-less technology, the LG laser TV avoids the rainbow effect while still delivering incredible color. With TruMotion technology this projector provides images with fluid movement. Something you definitely want while watching sports.
Optoma UHD35STX
Projector Resolution: | 4K |
Brand: | Optoma |
Product Status: | Leaves Warehouse within 1-2 Business Days |
Lumens: | 3600 |
Projector Type: | Short Throw, Golf Simulator |
Light Source: | Bulb |
Contrast Ratio: | 1,000,000:1 |
Chipset: | DLP |
Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 [HD] |
Throw Ratio: | 0.50:1 (D:W) |
Native Resolution: | 3840x2160 |
Lens Shift: | No |
Input Lag: | 4K/60Hz: 16.9ms | 1080p/240Hz: 4.2ms |
3D Support: | Yes |
Warranty: | 1 Year |
Standard Lens Focus: | Manual |
Wi-Fi: | No |
When it comes to getting a sports projector at a great value, look no further than the Optoma UHD35STx. It’s bright 3600 lumen light source looks great even in rooms with a good amount of ambient light. Like the Epson LS800 this is a projector built for video gamers making it an awesome choice for sports fans. Madden anyone?
What to look for in a sports projector
So how do you pick the best projector for watching sports? Whether you like basketball, baseball, football, soccer, hockey or even golf, these are the features to look for in your sports projector.
Brightness
When picking a sports projector to watch football, basketball, hockey or baseball one of the most important aspects is the brightness rating. Projection brightness is measured in lumens and varies from one model to another. The brightness of a device affects how visible an image will be on the screen. If you don’t have enough lumens your picture will look dull and washed out.
When deciding how many lumens your projector should be to watch the game you need to consider the amount of ambient lighting in the room. A high amount of ambient lighting will negatively impact the visibility of the projected images.
An ambient light rejecting projector screen can also improve your picture quality in rooms with more environmental lighting so only the light from the projector reflects back to the person watching the game.
If you plan to watch sports in a den or man cave without windows you want to get a projector that puts out between 1500 to 3000 lumens.
If you’re planning to watch your favorite team play in a more well lit room like a living room you’ll want to get one that outputs between 2500 to 3500 lumens.
Chipset
The chipset is the technology that makes a digital projector work. There are three main types, LCD, DLP and LcOS. Each one has pros and cons.
Sports are filled with fast moving action so you want to pick a device that minimises or eliminates the Rainbow Effect that you might experience using a lower quality DLP projector.
To avoid this you can either get an LCD projector or DLP with a better color wheel which reduces rainbow effect.
Resolution
One of the most important aspects of a projector for football, basketball, hockey, etc. is the resolution. The resolution of a projector determines the quality and clarity of the images it projects.
In the past most sports were broadcast in 1080p making a Full HD projector ideal. But starting around 2018 sports began being shown in 4K. Now for MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and the World Cup games, UHD is the norm. They’re even starting to broadcast major sporting events in glorious 4K HDR giving you a wider color gamut for brighter, more accurate colors.
If you want to have the absolute best picture for your sports watching experience you need to get a 4K projector. 4K projectors provide unmatched image quality and while they do have a higher price tag, the second you lay your eyes on the mind blowing detail of a 4k image you’ll know your investment was worth it.
Color accuracy
Color accuracy is another important feature that must be considered in a sports projector.
Colors are especially important in sports. If you’re a true fan you know what the Braves’ blue, the Jets’ green, the Bruins’ yellow, the Lakers’ purple should look like. When it’s off on the screen you’d notice.
On top of that a football field should look the right shade of green (unless you’re a Boise State University Broncos fan), and the skin tones of the players and people in the stands should be healthy looking, not off. Poor or inaccurate color reproduction can take away from the immersive experience which is the whole point of watching sports on a large projector screen.
It is always a great idea to check out the projector’s color accuracy ratings before buying it to make sure the colors look just right.
Throw type
The throw type of a projector determines where the projector would need to be positioned. There are three main throw types. Long throw, short throw and ultra short throw.
For most situations an ultra short throw projector is the best option. As the name implies an ultra short throw projector sits directly under the cinema screen. This means you don’t have to worry about someone walking through the beam of light blocking the game for everyone.
USTs also have the added advantage of being designed for higher ambient light environments like you’d come across while watching sports at home or at a sports bar, so you can still watch the big game with ultra high def detail and colors.
Motion Enhancer
Have you ever noticed how a live sports game being broadcast, looks so different from a TV show or even something released in cinemas? Sports require higher frame rates because of their fast motion which is why sports are typically broadcast at 30 frames per second. This produces a smoother movement with less jutter.
In the projector space there are a lot of units advertised as having a 120Hz refresh rate but only take a 60Hz input. They then use software to make interstitial frames. Depending on implementation and content this can be good. It can also lead to the “soap opera” effect, especially when viewing something like a movie that’s originally filmed at 24 fps or 24hz. For sports the 120Hz/motion blur reduction is very good.
You may notice these software glitches where the frames don’t quite match up so you want to choose a projector for sports that does a good job handling this motion enhancement like BenQ’s 4K Motion Enhancer.
Don’t forget about the screen
The projector is only half of the projection equation. To get the best picture quality possible you need to use a projector screen. A projector screen provides an ultra-smooth and highly reflective surface that a typical wall cannot compete with.