The Buyer’s Guide To Multimedia Projectors

Now more than ever, the film world is coming to homes. Thanks to the lowered prices of projectors ,these are now available to all. All you need to have is a room big enough and you're in possession of a real movie theater to watch cult movies, photos, movies etc ... However, even if the video projectors are now easily accessible with level prices ,it may not necessarily be easy to pick one. As with any material, several criteria are taken into account: the basic technology, audio / video settings, what we are going to use with it , accessories..etc

Here is a long buying guide for anyone looking to buy projectors

The various types of projection technologies

LCD video projectors:

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) are based on the same principle that the slide projectors use. The system is simple, the three colors are combined in a liquid crystal panel,which is crossed by a beam of the projector lamp which generates a projection onto the screen. These video projectors are recommended for projections from a computer to display things like Powerpoint presentation, excel tables etc .... The use of an LCD video projector ,when used in presentations will look more professional because the use of a home theater projector ,because the image formed will not be optimal because of low contrast, quality .

Tri-LCD projectors:
Tri-LCD projectors are as their name suggests based on LCD technology but are distinguished by the presence of three liquid crystal panels instead of one. Unlike the normal LCD, the tri-LCD is perfect for home theater use because the brightness is so good, the settings are simple and certainly more value for money.

DLP projectors:
DLP (Digital Light Processing) uses a projection system that makes use of a semiconductor,that digitally controls light. The semi conductor, is a chip with thousands of facets (mirrors) ,which returns or not return light ,according to the command given by the transistors . This technology does not use pixels, though the picture gets even clearer. If you want to invest in a video projector to install a home theater, this technology is perfect (strong brightness , high contrast),though the prices will be slightly higher than the other two.

The different criteria for better image
quality

The size of the image:

The image projected by a video projector can be of different size depending on the type of the video projector. As the size of the image increases , the more defects will be visible. For example, if a LCD video projector or tri-LCD has dead pixels it will be logically more visible on a screen which is more smaller in screen size.

On what criteria to choose the size of yourscreen?
- Depends on the technology of your video projector (LCD, tri-LCD or DLP) and the characteristics listed above.
- Depends on the size and especially the shadows of your room.

The resolution:

For choosing a resolution ,it depends on the different uses you do with your projector. If you areinvesting in a projector to your living room to watch movies, concerts ... etc and you have a platinum Blu-Ray (or HD-DVD), it is advisable to opt for a HD Ready or Full HD resolution. But if you only use it in your workplace, then a lower resolution is alright
Brightness:

Brightness expressed in "lumens" is an essential element for rendering the image. More brightness ,means the quality of the image will be good,that is if you dont have a full shadowed room this can be a real help. Here are different settings ,you can use under different conditions:

- Projection in semi-darkness: 1000 lumens recommended.
- Projection in daylight: Minimum 2000 lumens.

Contrast:

The contrast is the difference between light areas and dark areas of the image. The contrast plays an important role for the proper rendering of an image, it is important to take this fact into account for buying. In short, the greater the contrast the higher the blacks seem to be deep. Today, most video projectors have a contrast greater than 1000: 1 (800: 1 being the minimum to comply).

Lamp:

The cost of changing a lamp is rather high, about 500 $, which is why it is important to learn how to clean it and also about it's "life". In general, the life of the lamp is between 2000 to 3000 hours and 5000 hours for lamps having the feature eco mode (attention ineco mode, the picture is less bright).

What lights you choose?
There are two types of lamp for video:
UHP lamps for Ultra High Performance and xenon lamps. The xenon lamps provide a better picture quality but have a UHP longer life. You see what you want to go.
Sound:
A sound machine depends upon completly with the user, because it can be separately bought unlike televisions ,for maximum experience I recommend buying a surround sound ,featured systems