1 - Introduction
Buying an LCD projector does involve substantial investment. Hence it is important that one has proper
understanding of not only the intended application but also the features of projectors.
| For business presentations conducted to address a seminar or a conference you will need a projector
loaded with a multitude of features. For classroom applications you could make do with one with fewer features. Also
depending on the size of the room/hall in which the projector is to be used you may have to opt for a large or a small
sized projector. |
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2 - Resolution
The clarity and sharpness with which a projector can project an image on screen is termed as its resolution.
The higher the resolution, the greater is the clarity in terms of minutiae. The following are the standards of
resolutions that one has to make a choice from:
- SVGA – They have a resolution of 800 x 600.
- XGA – Compared to the SVGA standard, they are slightly expensive. They have a resolution of 1024 x 768.
- SXGA – These are quite expensive and are designed for high-end applications such as CAD/CAM, for engineering and control design etc. They project minute details. They have a resolution of 1280 x 1024
- UXGA – These are highly expensive and not very widely used. They can project the minutest of details. They have a resolution of 1600 x 1200.
Higher resolutions give sharper and clearer images. Minute details can be projected very well. The images are not
pixilated. Lower resolutions come to you at a cheaper price. Their projections are bright and attractive like higher
resolutions. As long as you don’t want to emphasize on extremely fine lines, a low resolution projector will suffice.
What is your ideal resolution?
In order that we get the best possible output, you need to ensure that the output provided the computer’s resolution is the same as that of the projector. If you need a projector for power point presentations, graphs, pie diagrams or flash presentations an SVGA is the best option. If you pre-dominantly deal with statistics and present excel spreadsheets then XGA is the right choice. XGA resolution would project numbers in a much sharper and clearer form. For high-end engineering and graphical presentations, SXGA would be recommended. SCGA or XGA are also effective.
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3 - Weight If portability is important to you, look for a
projector that is extremely light-weight. There are projectors that weigh not more than 5 pounds. There are
projectors available that weigh between 5 pounds and 10 pounds. As a matter of fact, they are also very bright
and attractive in their performance. |
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4 - Brightness
You should decide the brightness of your projector based on the demands of the activity as also the ambient lighting
conditions that are present on the occasion. If the projection is meant to be held in an auditorium where there would be
many people, the image size has to be larger. The larger the image size gets, the lesser the brightness of the projection.
Projections tend to appear to be of the best quality within the confines of a darkroom, regardless of the projector in use.
However, at times for practical reasons lights cannot be dimmed out, particularly if the audience needs to take down notes.
Your application would also demand the right amount of brightness. If you are using your projector for graphical or flash
presentations, they are likely to be in dark rooms. However if you are conducting a workshop, training session or a seminar,
then people would want to take notes. This would demand clarity of images and brighter projections. Brightness is measured
in the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) unit of lumens. Projectors can be classified on the basis of their lumen
output:
- Less than 1000 lumens : These kind of projectors cost less. At the same time their output is of good
quality only in the confines of a dark room. If you are sure that all your presentations would be held in a dark room or in
dim light only, then this could be the ideal brightness quotient for you.
- 1000 to 2000 lumens : This kind of brightness is best for business conferences, seminars and classroom
projections. The room does not necessarily have to be dark. The output is reasonably good in a dimly lit room.
- 2000 to 3000 lumens : These are ideal for larger projection of images and text. Best suited for
occasions where the audience is large and in a relatively bright room. The projection is very bright to output clear
images in a lit room.
- 3000 lumens and more : These kinds of projectors are used for places such as auditoriums,
open air video telecast and such other large scale projections.
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5 - Additional Features
Zoom Lens: Many a times you must have noticed that one needs to displace the projector to some distance from the screen to get that perfect image display. With a zoom lens, you no longer need to move the projector. Certain projectors however, have limited zoom range requiring one to intervene and reposition the projector.
| Contrast: Contrast refers to the ability to project the brightest and the darkest images at one time. Generally a contrast ratio of 1000:1 is considered ideal. A projector with higher lumens will have good contrasting projections. |
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Rear Projection Capability: If you would want to place the projector behind the screen instead of the usual front of the screen, then the projector needs have what is called “rear projection capability”. The ability to reverse the image and flash it on the screen so that it may appear correctly is important.
Mounting: If your application demands that you mount the projector on the ceiling, so that it reflects the image on the screen below, the projector has to be mounted upside down. Check for features that would support this kind of mounting.
Universal Power Supply: This is of importance only if you will be traveling across the globe. Different countries have different power/voltage standards. A projector with a universal power supply will be able to detect the available power supply and adapt accordingly.
Multiple Ports: Make sure your projector has multiple ports or multiple input jacks. This is useful in situations which demand that more than one computing device be connected to the projector.
Compatibility: Make sure the projectors are compatible with your computer. Projectors generally connect directly to a PC without an adapter, which may however be required for a MAC.
Warranty: Some of projector manufacturers are known to offer a Dead on Arrival Projector Warranty. This implies that if the product arrives in a non-working condition, the manufacturer would swiftly replace it with a working model. Look for a model that comes with a warranty of at least 3 years on parts replacement/repair excluding the lamp.
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