Comparison Wanbo T6 Max vs Samsung The Freestyle

— Smart TV (proprietary system). The operating system of the projector is represented by the proprietary software shell of the manufacturer. Usually such operating systems have an attractive and convenient menu, similar to a traditional Smart TV. A proprietary operating system is developed by the manufacturer for the hardware resources of a particular projector model or a whole line. But, as practice shows, compared to the classic Smart TV, the functionality of proprietary system often has significant limitations, and the system itself, in fact, is a stripped-down version of a full-fledged Smart TV.

— Smart TV (Android AOSP). This type of operating system is a modification of the popular Android OS, mainly notable for being open source. It is a versatile operating system that gives the user much more freedom to create changes and customizations within the system. At the same time, the installation and work stability of certain applications on this platform are not guaranteed, and the overall system management was not specially “tailored” for large screens, which may cause some inconvenience. First of all, such solutions will will generate interest among users who understand the features of the Android OS, like to customize and control everything, and have time for this.

— Android TV. This type of projector has full-fledged Android TV software, spec...ially adapted to work on large screens. In accordance with the name, it is a type of Android OS, specially designed for projectors/TVs, etc. In addition to the common features of all “Androids” (such as the ability to install additional applications, including even games), it has a number of special features: optimized interface, integration with smartphones (including the ability to use them as a remote control), voice search, etc. Thanks to this, TVs with this feature are significantly superior in functionality to models with a Smart TV. Of course, a dedicated processor, graphics subsystem and memory are provided for the operation of a multifunctional OS, and the presence of such hardware resources is reflected in the total cost of the projector. Given the same optical design, models with Android TV will cost more than classic projectors with a simple multi-line menu.

Minimum projector lamp life as stated by the manufacturer. Specified by the total time of continuous operation. Note that if the projector was operated without violations, then upon reaching this time, the lamp will not necessarily fail — on the contrary, it can work for quite a long time. However, when evaluating durability, it is best to focus on the claimed service life.

When working in economy mode, the brightness of the backlight is noticeably reduced, on average by 30-50%. With a decrease in brightness, heat dissipation also decreases, which saves the working life of the illuminator, thereby increasing the lamp life. Thus, the ECO mode allows you to extend the lamp life by an average of 30%. If the typical projector lamp life is 4000 hours, regular use of the ECO mode will extend the backlight life to approximately 5500 hours.

The brightness of the image produced by the projector at maximum backlight brightness. Usually, the average brightness of the screen, derived from a special formula, is indicated. The higher it is, the less the image depends on ambient light: a bright projector can provide a clearly visible image even in daylight, but a dim one will require dimming. On the other hand, increasing brightness reduces contrast and accuracy of colour reproduction.

Accordingly, when choosing this parameter, you need to consider the conditions in which you plan to use the projector. So, for office or school/university use, a brightness of at least 3000 lm is desirable — this allows you to get normal visibility without obscuring the room. In turn, among the top models a very low brightness can be found, because. such projectors are usually installed in rooms specially designed for them with good darkness level. And in ultra-compact devices it is impossible to achieve high brightness for technical reasons.

Detailed recommendations on the optimal brightness for certain conditions can be found in special sources. Here we note that anyway, it is worth choosing according to this indicator with some margin. As mentioned above, as brightness increases, contrast and colour quality decrease, and you may need to use the projector at a reduced brightness to achieve the desired picture quality.

This parameter largely determines the ability of the projector to work in a well-lit room. For a dark room, 1000 lumens is enough to make the projection picture bright, rich, clear and understandable. But when working in a lit room, the projector will need at least 3500-4000 lumens. Do not confuse ANSI lumens with Peak lumens. These are two different brightness standards. To convert one type of brightness to another, you need to multiply Peak lumens by 10-12. The result will be an approximate value of ANSI Lumens.

However, experts do not recommend chasing high ANSI lumen brightness values. There are many professional projectors with brightness up to 3500 lm. The lower the brightness, the lower the power consumption, and at the same time, the life of the illuminator increases. Of course, if the projector will be installed in a work office or classroom where good lighting is required, it is recommended to purchase a model with ANSI Lumens brightness of 4000 lumens and more.

The static contrast of the image provided by the projector.

Static contrast refers to the maximum difference between the brightest white light and the darkest black that a projector can provide within a single frame. Unlike dynamic contrast (see below), this parameter describes not conditional, but quite real capabilities of the device, achievable without the use of any additional tricks like auto-brightness. And since the quality of colour reproduction and detailing depend on contrast, the higher this indicator, the lower the likelihood that details will be indistinguishable in bright or dark areas.

The technology by which the projector sensor is built.

— DLP. This technology is based on a chip with thousands of rotary micromirrors. Each such mirror corresponds to one pixel and has two fixed positions — “lit” and “darkened”. In most DLP projectors, there is only one sensor, and the output of a colour image is provided by the colour wheel, thanks to which the projector alternately displays the red, green and blue image; they are replaced so quickly that the viewer perceives not individual frames, but a whole colour picture. Compared to LCD models (see related section), these single-sensor projectors are more compact and offer better image contrast with deep black levels (which improves black and white image quality). However, the brightness of the colour image in DLP devices is relatively low, in addition, they are subject to the "rainbow effect": in dynamic scenes, colour artifacts may be noticeable due to the mismatch of red, green and blue image components. Three-sensor DLP projectors don`t have these shortcomings; however, such a design is very expensive, so it is found rarely, mainly among premium devices.

— 3LCD. Technology based on the use of translucent LCD sensors. There are three such sensors, each of them is translucent with its base colour (red, green or blue), and the final colour “picture” is formed from three images simultaneously superimposed on each other. Thanks to...this format of operation, you can achieve brighter, more saturated colours than in single-sensor DLP projectors (see the relevant paragraph); in addition, this technology is completely devoid of the "rainbow effect". Among its shortcomings are the relatively low contrast ratio (in particular, due to the low black depth) and the larger size of the projectors.

— LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) — a colour rendering technology based on the modulation of light by liquid crystals. Do not confuse LCD and 3LCD sensors. 3LCD technology forms an image from three separate light streams, and in an LCD sensor, the image follows immediately from a single light beam. Sensors of this type provide a stable, contrasting and colour-rich image. Among the shortcomings of the technology, one can note the glimpse of the light grating, if you look at the picture from a close distance. Additionally, the substrate of LCD sensors is prone to fading, due to which the blue colour may begin to turn yellow over time (note that this can happen after a long time of active operation). LCD sensors require periodic maintenance, the service comes down to cleaning the air filter. LCD-sensor projectors are usually compact in size and light in weight, such models are prone to heat, and the noise threshold is above average.

— LCoS. A technology that combines the properties of DLP and LCD. Like LCD, it provides three separate sensors for the three primary colours (red, green, blue), and the final colour image is formed by the simultaneous superposition of these three components. The difference lies in the fact that in LCoS projectors the sensors are not translucent, but reflective. Thanks to this, you can achieve excellent contrast (as in DLP) combined with bright, high-quality colours without the "rainbow effect" (as in LCD). The main drawback of this technology is the impressive cost, which is why it is used mainly in premium projectors.

The maximum resolution is closely related to both the overall picture quality and the screen size. The higher the resolution of the projector, the clearer the image details become, especially when viewing the picture on a large screen.

For the vast majority of tasks, a resolution ranging from HD (1280x720) to Full HD (1920x1080) is usually enough. If the projector will be used to play modern games, you should choose a model with a resolution from Quad HD (2560x1440) to 4K (3840×2160) and even 8K (7680x4320).

Of course, the screen size itself should be taken into account. The fact is that on a 40-50″ projection surface there will not be much difference between Quad HD and 4K formats. A high-resolution picture will be able to express itself on a really big screen.

The projector supports HDR technology — high dynamic range.

This technology allows to expand the range of brightness displayed within a single frame — in other words, to display both very bright and very dark colours on the screen at the same time. Due to this, colour reproduction is noticeably improved; in addition, in very bright or very dark areas of the frame, small details remain visible that would not be visible in a normal image. At the same time, it is worth noting that all the benefits of HDR become noticeable only on a high-end screen with maximum dimming. In addition, this function significantly affects the cost of the projector, and the content must initially be recorded in HDR — and using exactly the technology that the projector supports (this point can be clarified in the instructions). Because of this HDR support is found predominantly among high-end home theater models (see "Main purpose").