This sports season it's time for your place to become the epicenter where your friends and family congregate to watch sports. In fact, there's no reason today why you can't have a killer projection system in your house, that easily rivals those in sports bars. Today's projector technology blows away big screen TV technology at a price that is truly affordable. There are a lot of projectors on the market today produced by at least 57 different companies, however, not all are ideal for both sports and movie viewing. This article will focus on the most essential factors to consider when researching home theater projectors for in home sports viewing.

An overview of digital projector technology:

Home theater projectors are powered by two different types of competing technology; LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and DLP (Digital Light Processing). There's no simple answer as to which type of projector technology is better. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages of over the other. Without getting into too much detail, the major differences when it comes to home theater projectors and viewing is clarity and price.

How LCD and DLP technology impact home sports viewing:

LCD is an older technology and on average, LCD projectors cost much less than DLP. While LCD home theater projectors tend to have greater color saturation than DLP, DLP projectors however can produce greater color contrast, specifically in the projection of a very deep black.

DLP and LCD projectors both start at under $1000, and are capable of projecting images of 92", 100" diagonal or even more, making "big screen" TV's look like your kitchen TV by comparison. For an additional $500, the projectors out there are true Hi-Definition.

Sports fans: LCD projectors produce slightly more visible pixels than DLP projectors (not a big issue for sports viewing at all), but LCD models do have the advantage of more flexibility in placing it in your room. While LCD home theater projectors tend to have greater color saturation than DLP, DLP digital projectors however can produce greater color contrast, specifically in the projection of a very deep black.

Matching home theater systems to your sports viewing environment:

If you'll be watching sports and other HD television through your projector, your set up is likely to be in a multipurpose entertainment room as opposed a home theater specifically built for movie viewing. With any digital projector technology, you'll need to be able to darken the room to some degree.

If you can't achieve complete darkness in your sports and television viewing room, then the contrast difference of DLP projectors won't be as noticeable over LCD. If you plan on watching the game in a room that will have some ambient light, you'll want to make sure to shop for multi-purpose projectors that are designed for viewing in the presence of ambient light.

If your room lighting can't be controlled well, you may even want to consider some of the new "widescreen" business projectors, which are brighter than the pure home theater projectors. There are some tradeoffs, but, over the years, a rather significant chunk of buyers have gone the brighter, business projector route.

Projector Screens for multipurpose home theater projectors:

Second only to the quality of the projector is the projector screen. If you'll be watching sports in a multipurpose room with ambient light, it's absolutely essential to purchase a screen that is designed to produce a quality picture regardless of the presence of light in the room. Before you purchase a screen, make sure to read reviews about various models and their ability to perform in rooms where you don't have complete control over the ambient light.

Through research and comparison shopping you'll not only learn a great deal about the newest fascinating technology in home theater projectors, but also determine the ideal home sports center setup for your home.