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Both TVs and projectors are getting cheaper every year, so if you’re upgrading your setup in 2025 it’s tempting to opt for the big-screen experience over a more traditional static panel.
Pixels aren’t on their way out, though. TVs still have their place in our living rooms, whether it be from a 4K value standpoint or simple convenience. Nothing truly beats a 150-inch true UHD home theatre, but if you’re looking to replace your trusty television with one of the best projectors on the market there’s more than screen size to consider.
These throwers haven’t exploded in popularity in recent years for nothing. With 120-inch to 150-inch screens as the norm, they offer bigger viewing experiences often at a better value rate than comparatively sized TVs. The largest static panel display you’ll find on most consumer shelves sits at around 98-inches to 100-inches. If you want room-filling visuals for a medium or large space, projectors are going to be your best option.
They also take up less space in front of you (the actual device might pose some other problems further down the line but is more versatile in its placement), requiring only a thin sheet of screening to run. Replacing a TV with a projector also means you open your wall back up to extra use when not watching. A television is always going to sit there, but a projection setup can be tucked away out of sight.
These days, projectors generally ship with their own smart operating systems, which means you’ll still have access to a variety of streaming apps (though more on that in a moment), with extra ports for connections to dongles and other devices. Most also come with a form of screen sharing for throwing content directly from your phone or tablet.
On paper, then, a projector absolutely can replace a TV. You’re still getting your content when you want it, and on a bigger screen with more versatility. I’ve swapped my TV out for a projector several times, though, and I’ll tell you now it’s not quite that simple. There are a number of quality of life factors that don’t always make their way into the screen vs lens debate, but absolutely deserve to be considered if you’re considering replacing your TV with a projector.
The dark side of the screen
The first is well documented. Projectors simply don’t get as bright as full pixel TVs. A television has thousands of illuminated pixels packed onto its screen and an extra backlight providing further illumination. A projector relies solely on a, sometimes very powerful, laser or bulb.
Even at the top of the price scale, it’s difficult to replicate the full brightness of a TV screen. That means your viewing experience is going to be compromised when watching during daylight hours, or with extra lights on in the room. Of course, this scales across the price range. If you’re spending $1,500 on a projector it’s unlikely to be able to replace a TV for detailed, bright daytime viewing.
I don’t tend to watch too much TV during the daytime, but my game experience during the weekends does take a hit whenever I’m testing a new projector. For reference, I don’t have the best gaming TV in the world, it’s a 4K LG NanoCell that I bought when the PS5 first launched. It’s crisp, bright, and I prefer its color depth to Samsung’s offerings at this mid-range price scale (it was about $500 when I picked it up), but it still delivers a better viewing experience than most of the best 4K projectors I’ve tested when the sun’s out.
There’s a reason these devices sit within the realm of the home movie theatre. They’re designed to be used in dark rooms, where they absolutely can run with a TV panel’s coloring, vividity, and vibrancy. That does, however, mean they might not be able to fully replace your everyday TV viewing experience.
Connections matter
Ports are at the top of my mind when setting up a new projector, and the HDMI battleground is fierce. Even the most expensive projectors seem to cap out at two HDMI inputs, and unless a streaming operating system is baked into the device itself you’ll be relying on one of them for access to your regular apps and shows.
That means I’m constantly switching out HDMI connections when hopping between PS5 and Nintendo Switch, or in some cases where only one HDMI port is available, just moving from watching TV to playing games.
It gets old faster than you’d think it does, and I often find myself missing the three HDMI connections (and easy swapping between them) on my regular TV. Of course, that only applies to those with consoles to plug in, and it’s not too hard to find a projector with an inbuilt operating system and extra HDMI connections on the back. Just make sure you check for these connections if you do regularly swap between inputs (the XGIMI Horizon Ultra is a fantastic example of a have-it-all device).
Unruly wires
With ports comes another issue with replacing a TV with a projector - and one, I’ll confess, I only realized when it came to actually re-arranging my living room for my first ever test device. It’s wires, wires are always the issue.
Different projectors are designed to be positioned at different distances from their screens, which means you could have your device placed on a coffee table in front of you, or behind you on a shelf.
If it’s the former, you’ll have cables running from the nearest power outlet to the middle of your room and, if you don’t want to have to store the device when not in use (and pull it out of the cupboard every time you want to watch something), those cables will stay there permanently. Add a console’s power and HDMI cables into the mix and things get real interesting.
Make sure you check your projector’s throw ratio to ensure your room is either small enough to keep those cables at bay (and avoid a coffee table setup) or large enough to accommodate the device’s image size. If I wasn’t testing them, my living room would be completely unsuitable for a projector and I’m constantly tripping over power and HDMI cables as a result. That’s why I often test projectors with a PS5 in a separate room, placing both on a desk together rather than relying on a full living room setup.
All about that quality of life
Then there are smaller bugbears that often pop up when I’m fully replacing my TV with a projector. Most ship with Google TV, for example, which doesn’t always carry all the apps I can find on an LG or Samsung TV operating system. In the UK, for example, BBC iPlayer isn’t supported. It’s worth double checking whether your usuals are actually available on the operating system you choose before you take the leap. Still, some apps aren’t available on my TV, but in my experience streaming sticks are less likely to have a larger offering than a mainstream OS.
In my more casual observations, I’ve also noticed that a projector can feel like overkill for less involved viewing. I might throw on a few episodes of The Office while cleaning or have one of those awkward weekend breakfast shows on in the background every now and then. While this content previously hummed away in my periphery, it’s center stage when I’m using a projector, which isn’t always the vibe I want from my living room.
I’d also urge you not to underestimate fan noise. While some projectors are quieter than others, there will always be a whirr that doesn’t exist in the land of the television. It’s enough to feel the relief of its absence once I power down a projector for the night, though with the right sound system in place it generally won’t drown out your audio.
I’ve replaced my TV with a number of different projectors over the years, and in my setup and with my casual viewing / gaming uses it doesn’t make sense to make that switch permanent. All of this is going to depend on how, where, when, and what you want to watch.
If you’ve got a room with relatively little ambient light and the right wall outlet placement, and your budget stretches to at least $1,500 (but more likely $2,000 - $2,500) it’s entirely possible to replace your TV with a projector and feel all the benefits of that big-screen experience without the drawbacks.
These devices come with super easy setup tools, screens are getting more sophisticated, and smart features mean they can integrate nicely into everyday processes. It’s important to take a good look at your setup, though, and consider how you use your TV now, before taking that leap.
I'm also hunting down all the best outdoor projectors and the best portable projectors on the market, or take a look at the best projector screens to finish up your setup.
