Can a projector be used as a good quality second screen? [closed]

I've never attached a projector to my Mac, so I don't know just how good the really good ones can be. I'm a graphic designer who used to use a 27 inch iMac but now works on a laptop most of the time. I'd occasionally like to see my screen at a larger size with enough detail to be pleasant to use—no need for extreme HD. How would a good projector go at mirroring my laptop screen onto a flat surface? I'm wondering if there's a reason that projectors aren't touted as an alternative to a secondary screen...this concept doesn't appear anywhere I've looked online. If someone is doing this I would like to know specific projector models that you are happy with to create a secondary display for your Mac.

How bright would it need to be to show up in the daytime? I'm interested to know people's experiences with the number of lumens needed for having a really clear daytime picture. I've researched this but am still unsure.

I'm aware that it may possibly be cheaper to buy a secondary screen, but the portability of a projector would be a big plus if the display quality was good enough (accurate colour, good resolution).

Also, will the projector echo the exact screen colour of my laptop? So if nightshift is on, will the projected image show that yellowing or will it be bright white?

Solution 1:

The answer to this question is always going to be heavily based on opinion, so it is not really a good question for this site.

However, I think it is for good reasons that projectors are not really treated as "secondary screens" for computers - but more for specialized use cases such as movies, presentations, etc.

If you have ever attendeded any project-backed presentation, you would probably have encountered many of the problems that can occur with projectors: too much daylight to be able to see the image clearly, skewed/warped image, incorrect colors, fan noise, heat generation, noone can be in front of the project output, etc.

You could argue that you could solve most of these by buying a high end projector and setting it up properly. However those projectors are not cheap - and definitely if you compare it to what a budget 30" monitor or even a flat-screen TV costs.

As for getting the exact same colors on the projected image as on your laptop display - this not really possible. The colors are not going to be exactly the same, unless you buy a really, really high-end projector that you calibrate often.