In today's business world, digital projectors have replaced the transparency projectors of old. Transparencies are still used to project data to a group, but are largely used in schools or small businesses where digital projectors are often considered a luxury.
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) projectors and the new DLP ® (Digital Light Processing) projectors are in use in schools, small and large businesses and even personal home theaters.
Here are 10 things to consider before you buy.
- A small conference room for 10 – 15 people?
- A school auditorium?
- A banquet hall?
- A room with lots of ambient light or a room that can be darkened easily?
- Does it drop from a high ceiling or is it a small stand alone model?
- Can you easily set up the projector so that all members of your audience have a good view of the screen?
- How much money is in your budget for this projector?
- Do colors in pictures, charts and graphics show clearly on the screen?
- Can you read the text easily? Check for both dark text on light background and also light text on dark background.
It can be quite surprising how different the end results can be, when you see your presentation on screen, depending on which projector you choose.
- Is it portable?
- Will you have to carry this projector yourself?
- Will you be taking it as baggage on a flight to a different city?
- Does it come with a carrying bag or better yet, a case on wheels?
The industry standard measure is in lumens. Typically brightness levels range from 1000 to 2000 lumens. Your choice of projector will vary depending on where you will use it.
- 1000 lumens
- is sufficient for small conference rooms accommodating 10 – 15 people
- works best in dark rooms or rooms with little ambient light
- 1500 – 2000 lumens
- needed for larger rooms, such as banquet halls or school auditoriums
- works well in locations with lots of ambient light
- Does it come with all the necessary cables and light bulb(s) or must you purchase those separately?
- Does it include a remote control so that adjustments can be made from a distance?
Quite simply, is it painless or a real pain to set up this projector?
Is it easy to operate with an on-screen menu? Some projectors have many menus and sub-menus which can be frustrating to use if you are new to using a projector. If you must adjust the brightness or color, can you do this easily?
10. Looks:
Just like all technical gadgets these days, projectors are getting smaller and sleeker all the time. However, don’t be fooled by the prettiest projector in the bunch. It may not be the best one for your needs.
And finally …
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) projectors are slowly being replaced by
DLP ® (Digital Light Process) projectors, which use an all digital display chip. These projectors offer a bigger (as in display, not projector size), brighter and better overall experience.
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