I don't have tv, bit I do have one of those small portable projectors. I don't need to dedicate space permanently to a TV when I also have a computer desk, but sometimes it's nice to have a large display for a movie with friends, etc.
I had been considering that when this one went. The timing is kinda decent cause I am going to be moving in a few months. Does the room need to be dark or is the brightness adequate for normal lighting?
It depends on the projector and how picky you are. Also, if you have a nice white wall vs something darker.
For me I have a cheap one around $80, and on a white matte wall you don't need the windows closed to see and enjoy the screen, but if the wall wasn't white it would be a different story, and if the overhead lights are on it would wash out a fair bit.
With a higher end unit that puts out more lumens, you could overcome most of those issues and still save space.
So really just depends on your expectations. For me, I'm not watching things that need perfect fidelity, and I don't need my overhead lights on while watching, so I can get away with an inexpensive unit.
generally the cheaper ones need a dark room. they are listed as having < 1000 lumens (check out aaxa for example). some expensive projectors are as bright as 10.000 lumens which is ridiculous. also if you want 4K instead of 1024 pixels its another big difference.
I'm very late to this discussion, but I've had no TV, only a projector, for about 10 years now. Simply put, the "black" in the image will only be as dark as your room. If there's enough light that your wall/screen is gray, that gray will be the darkest contrast you see. I fully blacked out my projector room (dark walls and ceiling, blackout curtains) and it made a HUGE difference.
Without the cable, a TV can still be useful if you have a console or if you can plug a laptop into it to watch stuff. But I wouldn't really go out of my way to get one…
If you're young then not having a TV is a blessing. I have my career today due to things I learned in my spare time as a young adult. I would have never learned them if I owned a TV back then, because I would have been watching it rather than learning useful skills.
My current TV is closing in on a decade now and even then I specifically bought it as a large screen for my computer. I dont think it has ever been hooked up to regular tv cable in all that time
I rately watch TV and when I do I just watch the news on my tablet. Thats it. Why hoping that something youd like to watch will actually come on TV if you can really just watch anything you want on the internet?