What is a short-throw projector: The Advantages and Disadvantages | A comprehensive guide 2024

In the previous article, we knew about the difference between long-throw projectors and short-throw projectors. This time, I’ll let you know about some of the advantages and disadvantages of a short-throw projector. Also, What is a short-throw projector in detail. 

author
James K. Brownlee
what is a short throw projector?

Trust me, buying a projector is a big deal.  Unfortunately, if you make the wrong decision, you may have to live with it for a long time, don’t freak out, though. While it isn’t every day you shop for an appliance such as a projector, a little planning ahead of time goes a long way.

This guide lays out the advantages and disadvantages you’ll get from purchasing a short-throw projector over the other projector throw options.

Before I get into what a short-throw projector is, I’ll like first to give you some understanding of what throw is. 

The throw distance of a projector is basically the distance from the end of the projector’s lens to the screen. For in-depth, please read the article, all about projector throw distance.

What is a Short-throw projector?

Short-throw projectors perform at their best when placed at a distance between 3 to 8 feet away from the projector screen. Companies make them specifically for small spaces, such as living rooms and home theaters.

Before adding a video projector and screen to your home theater setup, you need to know the projection distance of your unit. So, here are the advantages and disadvantages of using a short-throw projector. 

Advantages of short-throw projectors: Why should you buy a short-throw projector?

  1. The principal advantage short throw projectors have is that of their positioning in a room; you’ll have to place right in front of the screen; this is the big reason why schools, and even home theater enthusiasts, choose projectors with short throw angles for clear, shadow-free images. 
  2. No more hand shadow bunnies and happy butterflies passing by during a mathematics class; auntie betty, on the other hand, would no longer cause you to rewind the movie a few frames backward whenever she gets up to use the bathroom because of shadows obstructing our view of the screen, as the culprit of the evening thriller is revealed. 
  3. Placing the projector near a wall or whiteboard will greatly reduce any image noise. Most models of short-throw projectors can produce images of up to 100 inches just by placing them a couple of inches from the wall, making them wonderful tv replacements for people who love having huge screens for watching Netflix in the living room but do not want a 100-inch glass frame ruining the house esthetic. 

Three more,

  1. Short throw projectors also produce sharper and brighter images than their long and standard throw counterparts. Because these projectors usually emit a lot of light, they can produce large, bright, and colorful images even in rooms with ambient lighting. As a result, the content becomes brighter. Watching a sports match or playing your PS5 on a 100-inch or 120-inch screen can be a very immersive experience, and this projector can provide this exactly.
  2. The bulbs of short-throw projectors have a very long life expectancy of about 20000 hours; that characteristic makes them ideal machines for long-term use and lowers the maintenance costs.
  3. They are also do-it-yourself devices and do not require any trained expert for setting them up. Short throw projectors often don’t require you to buy an expensive and long HDMI cable for connection with an input source such as a gaming console or a streaming box as they are usually positioned in the natural locations of other living room entertainment appliances.

Disadvantages of short-throw projectors: Why should you not buy a short-throw projector?

Right now, Short throw projectors already sound really great, but like any other great piece of tech, it has a couple of shortcomings.

Firstly it’s usually more expensive than standard and long throw projectors, and their bulbs also cost more to replace than the standard throw projectors.

They are also not as available as standard and long throw projectors as manufacturers don’t produce as many models as they do with their standard throw variants.

In addition, the projector can produce an easily distorted image if it is being projected to an uneven surface or the projector isn’t properly aligned with the screen.

Finally, Should I get a Short Throw Projector?

Ultimately, that will depend on your use. Short throw projectors are not for every situation, manufacturers make them with specific scenarios In mind, and it works marvelously well in those situations. 

If you’re looking for a home theater experience but have a fairly tight lodging, short-throw projectors are your best bet. If you are giving a presentation or have the luxury of large living space, it’s probably not the device for you, and you should consider other options, 

Short throws are great for apartment viewing and home theater experiences. However, they cost more and won’t be particularly cost-effective for presentations in startup businesses.

Hopefully, this blog—what is a short-throw projector—will have explained the pros and cons of using a short-throw projector, and probably, you have made up your mind on choosing what projector to go with.

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