If you don’t love the look of a big TV in the living room, have limited space in your home to accommodate a TV, or just want a fun and easy way to elevate movie nights, you might want to look into buying a home projector. It used to be considered a luxury to have a projector set up in your home, but modern projectors are surprisingly cheap, thanks to technological improvements, material swaps, and lower production costs. Plus, home projectors are worth buying used, allowing consumers to save even more money on a gadget that used to feel too premium for the average household.

There are so many different types of home projectors to choose from, but no matter which projector model you go with, they all come with similar placement recommendations. That said, some projectors are built to perform better in certain conditions, like niche outdoor projectors bright enough to clearly project an image in direct sunlight. However, for the most part, all home projectors share these worst places to avoid. We’ve gathered five spots you should absolutely avoid putting a projector, along with a detailed explanation and a recommendation for where you should set it up instead.

A projector, like any electronic media device, tends to get hot while it’s working. And because projectors have a lamp or a light bulb inside, they typically get hotter than a standard DVD player or even a gaming console. To prevent overheating, a projector is designed to pull air through intake vents, over the hot components, and out through exhaust vents.

This ventilation process is so important for user safety and the life of the projector that most (if not all) brands will highlight how important it is to set up the projector in an uncrowded area where it can breathe while in use. According to Lisowod, maker of the best cheap projector on Amazon, users are supposed to make sure there’s “adequate ventilation around the device” and that it’s on a “stable, flat surface.”

If your coffee table is frequently a dumping ground for takeout containers, dirty clothes, and other miscellaneous items, you shouldn’t set up a projector there. And if you do, you run the risk of potentially starting a fire or damaging the projector past the point of fixing, either due to overheating or falling from an uneven surface. Instead, choose a surface you know tends to stay clean and dusted or, if you know that’s not an option, you can tidy the surface each time you plan to use the projector.

Most people set up projectors in their living room, bedroom, a dedicated media room, or backyard, which are typically the best places to use a projector. However, some might consider using a projector in their kitchen or bathroom, both of which are terrible places for this media device. Putting a projector in your bathroom so you can watch a movie while you’re relaxing in the tub or in the kitchen to keep you entertained while cooking dinner sounds great on paper, but in reality, a projector in either of these rooms will have a shorter lifespan.

In the kitchen, projectors can be exposed to oil, oil mist, steam, smoke, or airborne cleaning chemicals. Depending on how small your kitchen is, there’s a chance the projector could be dangerously close to a hot stove or the sink. In the bathroom, humidity is the greatest danger to a projector. While kitchens can also get pretty humid while cooking, the risk of humidity damaging the projector is much greater in the bathroom, especially if there’s not a good ventilation system. According to Epson, a projector being exposed to high humidity could result in a fire, electric shock, or damage to the case or the projector itself.

Just like balancing a projector on a messy surface can prevent a projector from ventilating properly, so can placing it inside a cabinet, even if the cabinet is completely empty. Most cabinets in entertainment centers or dressers don’t have any active ventilation solutions set up inside. Some may have a hole built into the back panel or a larger cutout for cables to pass through, but with nothing actively pushing hot air out and bringing cool air in, this is too hot a space for a projector.

Most cabinets are also too compact for a projector to operate safely. Sony recommends leaving nearly 12 inches of clearance around some of its projector models, and other projectors from Sony and other brands likely need a similar amount of room to breathe. In a cabinet that’s too small and doesn’t offer nearly enough ventilation for a hot projector, you run the risk of the device overheating and possibly starting a fire or damaging the device beyond repair. Instead of sticking it inside a cabinet, a projector should be placed on a clean, roomy surface or mounted to the ceiling.

One of the worst places you can set up a projector is in a room that’s too bright or anywhere that gets direct sunlight. This isn’t because the projector might get too hot, though if it’s in the path of a sunbeam for too long while it’s actively in use, it’s possible it could overheat. Rather, a projector shouldn’t be set up in a spot that’s too bright because it makes it nearly impossible to see the projected image.

Some rooms, like the aptly named sunroom, are designed to let the sun in, and it would be strange to put blackout curtains in there just so you could have a projector in that room. For living rooms and bedrooms, two common rooms for a projector to call home, blackout curtains are a great way to block sunlight from streaming in. If the lights you have installed inside are too bright, you can invest in dimmer switches or smart bulbs that allow you to adjust brightness within a mobile app.

LG warns users of its ProBeam DLP projectors not to install them anywhere that’s “under the air conditioner or is directly exposed to the wind from the air conditioner.” The brand also notes that users should avoid installation anywhere that’s “dusty or exposed to wind and rain,” so it’s likely that the constant (and possibly dusty) airflow and potential condensation are two of the biggest reasons LG recommends against installing a projector there.

A projector manual from Sony echoes this recommendation to steer clear of AC units during installation and use. The manual explains how air from air conditioners can cause oscillation in the projected screen. In more simple words, this influx of air can cause the projected image to look shaky or jittery. A jumping image could also be the result of setting up the projector on an air conditioner simply because of the vibrations produced by the AC unit, according to projector brand Miroir. 

Most of us on the SlashGear team have home projectors as well as other similar media devices, like gaming consoles, DVD players, TVs, and so on. Because of that, it’s easy to rely on common sense to come up with this list of the worst places you can set up your projector. However, we didn’t stop there. We took the time to verify each reason we thought of with documentation from reputable projector brands, including LG, Sony, Lisowod, and Epson, for suggestions and warnings on where to set up or avoid setting up a projector.

Mopar’s mid-1960s to early 1970s run of muscle cars easily goes down as one of the greatest eras ever for an American performance car maker. The Dodge and Plymouth brands of this period sold some of the most iconic muscle cars ever made, with model names every bit as recognized as the cars they adorned. Filling showrooms at this time were the Charger, the Challenger, the Cuda, the Super Bee, and the Demon, just to name a few.

While certainly not obscure or forgotten, the Plymouth GTX is a model from this period that sometimes gets overlooked when compared to its siblings. In the mid-’60s, as the muscle car movement was taking off, the mid-sized GTX would help lay the groundwork for the Mopar muscle cars that would follow it. The GTX also developed an image as a “gentleman’s muscle car” or “gentleman’s hot rod” through Mopar’s marketing and its higher price — and more well-appointed nature — compared to other mid-sized muscle cars of the time.

While there are other late ’60s and early ’70s American performance cars that could also lay claim to the “gentleman’s muscle car” label, the Plymouth GTX’s blend of upscale luxury and drag-strip-ready performance certainly made it stand out among its Mopar muscle car contemporaries. Today, this also makes the GTX a very desirable piece of muscle car history for collectors.

While the definition of what exactly is or isn’t a muscle car is loose, the Chrysler Corporation had been building high-performance, V8-powered automobiles since the mid 1950s, and it really began ramping up those efforts in the early and mid 1960s. By 1967, muscle car fever had begun to sweep the industry, with automakers rolling out a stream of specially-marketed and packaged, mid-size models powered by large cubic-inch engines.

The GTX debuted for the 1967 model year as Plymouth’s mid-sized muscle offering. Based on the Belvedere, the GTX came with big block power as standard, offering buyers a choice between the base 440 cubic-inch Super Commando V8 and the legendary 426 Street Hemi. Beyond its power plant, the GTX came well-equipped inside and was adorned with hood scoops to help it stand out in the growing segment of mid-sized muscle offerings.

It was in 1968, though, when the GTX really began to separate itself as Plymouth’s more upscale muscle car offering. That’s because this is the same year the legendary Plymouth Road Runner debuted. Based on the same mid-sized Belvedere body style, the Road Runner was all about stripped-down, budget-friendly big-block performance. This meant that GTX was now Plymouth’s better-equipped, more upscale take on the mid-sized muscle car, available with engines like the aforementioned 426 Hemi or the potent 440 Six Pack. 

While there wasn’t any specific or official branding of the GTX as the “gentleman’s muscle car,” it was marketed as part of the “executive branch” of Plymouth’s so-called Rapid Transit System muscle car lineup alongside the full-size Sport Fury GT. However, just because it was positioned upmarket didn’t mean the GTX lacked the fun of other Mopar muscle cars. It still had the same bright color options and wild optional features like the Air Grabber hood scoop. The GTX existed as a standalone model until 1971, by which point the muscle car era itself was already beginning to fade out. 

Because there’s no official “gentleman’s muscle car” title, there are several other muscle-era models that could also be deserving of the label. These included the well-equipped Oldsmobile 442, the early 1970s Pontiac Grand Prix, and the related Chevrolet Monte Carlo, all of which were General Motors offerings. The latter two, in particular, matched big cubic-inch muscle car engines with elements of the emerging personal luxury car segment. 

Luxury muscle wasn’t solely the domain of mid-sized offerings, though, and there were also full-size offerings that blended muscle car and luxury features. These include the aforementioned Plymouth Sport Fury GT and the rare Chrysler 300 Hurst Edition, both of which added some muscle car spice to spacious and upscale full-size coupes. 

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If you’re shopping for the right HDMI cable for your TV or monitor, you may have come across the Ultra96 cable. Unless you’re a technophile, you may not know that the Ultra96 supports up to 96 Gbps of bandwidth under the HDMI 2.2 specification. This means that this cable can handle extremely demanding video formats and superior resolutions. But is it just too much cable for what you need?

If you’re buying HDMI 2.2 hardware capable of using its full 96 Gbps bandwidth, the answer is no. In that case, an Ultra96 HDMI cable is the right choice as it delivers everything you need for some modern PCs, TVs, and other advanced devices. This is especially true if you’re using a device capable of 4K at 240Hz, uncompressed 8K at 60Hz, and resolutions up to 16K at 60Hz. The Ultra96 is designed to support these specifications, making it the fastest and highest-bandwidth HDMI cable you can buy.

But if your devices are designed around HDMI 2.1 with 48 Gbps, a cable rated for those specifications is really all you need. The Ultra96 will not give your older devices the best resolution and the fastest speeds because the capability of your equipment is limited to the HDMI standard it was designed to support. However, if you’re planning on upgrading your devices in the future, you could swap your current cables for the Ultra96, because they are backward-compatible. That way, you’ll be ready when you decide to update your equipment.

Ultra96 is the latest advancement in the evolution of HDMI technology. Its 96 Gbps bandwidth is a major improvement over the once-standard HDMI 2.0 specification. HDMI 2.0 supported up to 18 Gbps of bandwidth before HDMI 2.1 increased that capability to 48 Gbps. But Ultra96 is designed to support the continued push toward higher resolutions, faster refresh rates, and more demanding video applications.

However, the Ultra96 certification goes beyond just bandwidth. Ultra96 cables are classified as Category 4 HDMI and must go through a testing phase to verify they can meet the full 96 Gbps specification. They are also tested for low electromagnetic interference, which helps reduce the possibility of interference with wireless networks and other electronic devices. But while the Ultra96 cable itself is designed to support the full 96 Gbps bandwidth, HDMI 2.2 devices can often be a bit more complicated.

That’s because unlike HDMI 2.1, HDMI 2.2 includes a few different bandwidth tiers, including 64 Gbps, 80 Gbps, and 96 Gbps. This means that a device bearing an HDMI 2.2 designation may not necessarily support the full performance available from an Ultra96 cable. As a result, consumers will need to pay attention to the specific bandwidth, as well as features, supported by their devices. Otherwise, they could end up with an HDMI cable that goes beyond the capabilities of their equipment.