Projector or TV? Picking the Centrepiece of Your Home Theater

Every home theater needs a centrepiece, and for me the big debate was simple: projector or TV? I've owned both, and each has won my heart in different ways.

The case for a projector Nothing says "cinema" like a 120-inch image. When I first fired up my projector and played the Terminator 2: Judgment Day freeway chase, the semi truck barrelling down the canal felt life-size. Paired with my Denon AVR-X3800H, Klipsch Reference speakers and an SVS PB-2000 Pro subwoofer, every gunshot impact hit my chest while the picture filled my entire field of view. It's the closest I've come to a real theatre at home.

The catch: projectors love dark rooms. Ambient light washes out contrast, so you'll want blackout curtains and darker walls. You'll also need a good screen and a plan for mounting.

The case for a TV Modern OLED and Mini-LED TVs are stunning. Blacks are inky, HDR highlights pop, and you can watch in a bright living room at noon. During the T-1000 steel-mill finale, the glow of molten metal against the darkness looked incredible on an OLED. Pixel-level contrast makes those scenes sing.

A TV is also far easier to set up. Plug it in, connect it via HDMI eARC to your receiver or a Sonos Arc, and you're watching Dolby Atmos within minutes.

How sound fits in Whatever you pick, don't forget audio is half the experience. The Jurassic Park T. rex paddock attack is a perfect test: the deep thud of each footstep, the water-cup ripples, the rain overhead. With a Dolby Atmos speaker layout and a well-placed SVS subwoofer, that scene is terrifying on either display. A giant picture with weak sound just feels hollow.

My recommendation

• Dedicated, light-controlled room and you want maximum scale: go projector, 100 inches or more.

• Multi-purpose living room with windows: a 77- or 83-inch OLED is hard to beat.

• Either way: invest in a Denon AVR-X receiver and proper speakers, or at minimum a Sonos Arc.

I ended up with a projector in my dedicated room and an OLED upstairs. Both, paired with great sound, deliver the best possible movie-watching experience. Pick the one that suits your room, and enjoy the show.

My rating: Projector in a dark room 9.5/10, OLED TV 9/10.