True cost comparison including bulb replacements and electricity.

For large-screen home entertainment, TVs and projectors produce similar viewing experiences at different price points and ongoing cost structures. TVs have higher upfront cost but no consumable parts — buy once, use for 7-10 years. Projectors have lower upfront cost but ongoing bulb replacement costs (100-300 every 2,000-4,000 hours).

Typical 65-inch 4K TV: 800-2,500 upfront, negligible running cost, 7-10 year life. Typical home projector: 500-2,000 upfront, 100-200/year in bulb replacement, 200-500 for screen (if needed), more demanding setup. Over 5-7 years, total cost of projector often equals or exceeds TV.

Beyond cost, the experience differs. Projectors produce larger screens (100+ inches possible) but require dark rooms and have lower brightness. TVs work in any lighting but max out at 75-85 inches. Use case matters: dedicated cinema room favours projector; living room favours TV. Most households find TV better for the way they actually watch.

How to use it

Input TV purchase price, projector purchase price, projector screen cost (if separate), annual bulb replacement cost for projector, and ownership years. The tool shows total cost of each option over the period.

What the result means

Total cost includes upfront and ongoing. Difference shows which option costs more over the ownership period. Typically closer than headline prices suggest — projectors' ongoing cost erodes their upfront advantage.

Decision tool, not financial advice.

A worked example

Try the defaults: tv price of 1,500, projector price of 1,000, projector screen cost of 300, annual bulb cost of 150. The tool returns TV. You can adjust any input and the result updates as you type — no submit button, no reload. That's the real power here: seeing how sensitive the output is to one or two assumptions.

What moves the number most

The result responds to TV Price, Projector Price, Projector Screen Cost, Annual Bulb Cost, and Ownership Years. Two inputs usually tip the answer one way or the other. Identify which ones matter most by flipping each value past a round threshold and watching whether the winning option changes.

The formula behind this

TV total is purchase price. Projector total is price + screen + (annual bulb × years). Winner is cheaper total over the period. Everything the calculator does is shown in the formula box below, so you can check the math against your own spreadsheet if you want.

Reading payback vs outright cost

Payback tells you when you're break-even, not whether the purchase is a good idea. A short payback on something you barely use is still a loss. Pair the number with an honest count of expected usage.

What this doesn't capture

Purchase decisions rarely come down to payback alone. Reliability, time saved, enjoyment, and alternatives outside the calculation all matter. The figure gives you the money side cleanly so you can weigh it against everything else honestly.