02.09.10
Digital Projectors Guide
There are many reasons for people buying digital projectors,one of the main is for the cost per image area. The benefits to buying a projector is the vast image size, however the are some limitations which effect the quality of image. The main things to compare are the resolution, brightness, and contrast ratio. There are many different types of projectors available and finding the best one to suit you is not always easy.
* The different types of projectors include: * Home Theatre/ Cinema Projectors * LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Projectors * Digital Projectors * Conference Room Projectors * Portable Multimedia Projectors
Home cinema/ theatre projectors are usually used to provide home entertainment and are used for many purposes including playing films and movies, DVDs, video games aswell as much more. Home cinema projectors usually use DLP (Digital Light Processing) to create a smooth high video performance, with little pixelation and high contrast ratios.
LCD Projectors provide clearer, sharper images than most of their counterparts, they create images by shining light through three small LCD panels which are very vibrant and sharp in colour. LCD projectors can be used for movies at home aswell as for presentations. Ideally they need to be used in dimly lit rooms to produce quality images.
Digital projectors allow the user to use video files from their PC and makes internet viewing very effective. The two types of digital projectors available are LCD and DLP. One of the most important factors to look for is the amount of lumens, this refers to the quantity of different aspects of light that are available at any one time.
Conference Room Projectors are mainly used to give presentations and reports in conference rooms mostly. They are used where high resolution graphics are necessary. Ideal for medical presentations or with high detailed artwork.
Portable Multimedia Projectors are very light for ease of portability. These types of projectors are able to produce noise-free presentations with fairly accurate images.
When buying digital projectors the main points to focus on are :
-Resolution- refers to the pixel density of the projected images, Projectors have two resolutions, the natural resolution and the maximum resolution. The natural resolution is the standard pixel size of the image. The maximum resolution is the maximum capability of the projector. Digital projectors should be able to accept resolutions of 800-600, 1024-768 or 1280-1024, however it is the natural resolution of the projector that is important. The higher the natural resolution of the projector the greater the colour density image.
-Lumens- refer to the brightness of the image. Simply put the higher the lumens the brighter the projection. They are usually lower for home theatre models than for office models. Screen size will affect how many lumens will be needed. If the contrast ratio is low however, your image will look washed out. Lumens typically range from less than a 1000- least expensive but low light output, needs to be used in a dark or dimlylight room. To 3000+ extremely bright and expensive. Anywhere between 1000-2000 would be sufficient for most tasks.
-Throw Distance- refers to the maximum amount of distance your projector can project. Most digital projectors will have a ample throw distance for most home and conference use. To find out what this is go to the projectors manufacturers website.
-Contrast Ratio- refers to the difference between the white level (light) and black level (dark). Digital projectors with the higher ratios will have the most well-defined pictures.
-Lamp Life- the average lamp life for digital projectors is between 1500 and 3000 hours.
It is also worth considering price, design, weight and extra features when buying digital projectors
Some of the most popular brands include Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Sanyo, Epson aswell as many others.
Lee Sparks offers A Guide to Digital Projectors and A Guide to Projectors
Related posts: