Ultra-big TVs get cheaper every year. Many 75-inch and larger models now cost what 50-inch TVs did just a few years ago. Some of our picks for the best TVs are available in even bigger sizes.
At the same time, while projectors haven't dropped in price as much, their performance has improved significantly. Some of our picks for the best projectors now offer brightness levels that rival TVs.
Any big display -- whether a TV or a projector -- is going to feel more immersive and exciting than a smaller TV. Imagine larger-than-life actors, panoramas that fill your field of view and wall-sized explosions. As someone who has used a projector as my main "TV" for decades, I can say that once you get used to it, it's hard to go back.
So what's better in 2026? It's complicated, and not nearly as simple a decision as it once was.
Read more:Â Best Home Theater Projector for 2026
Price vs. performance
A lot has changed over the past decade when it comes to price and performance between projectors and TVs. TVs have improved at an incredible rate while getting larger and more affordable. Projectors, not so much. OLED TVs offer far better image quality than any projector, and are available in fairly large sizes. That's not the whole story, however.
To get the most out of a projector, or sometimes any viewable image at all, you need a dark room.
However, if you're looking at "price per screen inch," you can get a much larger image for less money with a projector. Even though big TVs have dropped in price, a sub-$1,000 projector can create a great 100-plus-inch image. You'll need to spend much more than that to do the same with a TV.Â
The trade-offs have traditionally been image size (projector) versus image quality (TV) or price (projector) versus image quality (TV). That's long been the case, but the gap narrows every year in the TV's favor.
Read more:Â Best 75-inch TVs of 2026
TVs win for HDR
HDR, or high dynamic range, is an issue for projectors. While many projectors can accept HDR video, almost all have difficulty displaying it. The problem is twofold. First, only the brightest projectors come close to being as bright as the average television. Most projectors just aren't nearly as bright.
Second, the more affordable projectors also don't have the contrast ratio needed to show HDR at its best. In the price range we're talking about -- under $3,000 -- their contrast ratios are orders of magnitude worse than OLED and Mini-LED TVs. Many projectors can't display a wide color gamut at all. Although projectors are improving in both color and brightness, they still lag far behind TVs. Truly high-end models can reproduce a wide color gamut and handle HDR reasonably well, but they cost far more than a large TV.
Two projectors, side by side. This is more an example of HDR processing. Notice how there are three individual lights in the left image, but a single blob of light on the right.Â
Read more: Why you shouldn't expect great HDR from a projector
While most new projectors are using LEDs or lasers as their light source, they're able to create far more light than older models, often with better, deeper color as well. However, the contrast ratios are still far too low for reasonable HDR.
Can a projector look good without HDR? Yes, but this is another piece missing in the projector puzzle.
A little thing called light
Forget 4K and HDR; the biggest image-quality issue with projectors is much more practical: ambient light. A projector throws light at a screen, but any other light in the room is also getting thrown at the screen. The brightest parts of the image aren't hugely affected, but the darker parts are. Which is to say, if you're watching sports or something that's bright overall, you're fine. If you're watching a dark movie or playing a dark video game, the image is going to be hard to see.
Yes, there are ambient light-rejecting screens, but they're expensive. And physics is physics. No matter how effective a high-end screen is at minimizing ambient light, it's still going to look worse in daylight than it does in a dark room. If you want to use a projector in a bright space with lots of windows -- like the one shown at the top of this article -- and get the best image quality, you'll need plenty of curtains.
A TV is going to create a much brighter image than any projector, one that holds up better in bright rooms. This obviously hasn't persuaded me to switch to a TV, but full disclosure: I use blackout curtains in my TV room. Most people probably aren't willing to make that sacrifice. I recently reviewed the brightest projector I've ever tested, and even it looked washed out if the lights in the room were on.
Sorry, projectors, but TVs are winning
It pains me to say it, but for most people, TVs are now a better option than projectors. This was somewhat true when I said the opposite a few years ago, but it's definitely true now. Unless you're willing to make sacrifices to your living situation, the slightly smaller screen of a TV is going to be easier to live with. And in the case of OLED, and many of the best-performing LCD and QLED TVs, the image quality will be significantly better, too, especially with HDR.Â
These days, owning a projector often means sacrificing image quality, everyday livability and possibly price, all in pursuit of the largest possible picture. Don't get me wrong -- a huge image is awesome -- but it's harder to justify now, given how much better and cheaper truly massive TVs have become.
That's not to say projectors have stagnated. They continue to get brighter, and their contrast and color performance keep improving. The lasers and LEDs used in most modern models are more powerful than ever, delivering impressive brightness while remaining surprisingly quiet.
The Epson Flex Plus can double as a lamp.
However, there's one aspect where projectors still win over TVs: When they're off. When you turn off a projector, you're left with a white wall or a screen that rolls up and disappears, or at least blends in like one. Turn off a big TV, and you're left with a massive black rectangle looming in the room. Is this a big enough deal for most people? No, but it's worth considering, especially with 75-inch or larger TVs. It's one of the main reasons I've never felt the need to get a big TV. In my room, it'd be an ominous black mirror that would make the space far less cozy. To each their own.
Projectors aren't going away anytime soon. It's just that their value compared with big TVs has shifted. They still make sense in certain situations, especially if you want something portable. So yeah, for most people, a big TV is the better option. I'll be sticking with my projector, though.
Note: This story was originally published in 2021 but has been updated with new info and links.
In addition to covering cameras and display tech, Geoff does photo essays about cool museums and other stuff, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, 10,000-mile road trips.
Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his travel book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.Â