If you own or work for a business, chances are that you regularly hold or participate in meetings. These meetings would normally include presentations, e.g., of reports, product concepts, issues for discussion and/or decision making, and other business-related topics. These presentations are more effectively done with the help of a piece of equipment that is fast becoming a standard fixture in most businesses: the multimedia projector.
Thanks to modern technology, the multimedia projector has shrunk in size and is much lighter than it’s “ancestors”, yet is many times more powerful and feature packed. What is even better is that this superiority comes with a price tag that is a mere fraction of what the bulkier, higher maintenance and less user-friendly predecessors used to cost. With the presence of several competitors, these prices are destined to decline even more. No wonder then that even a small business can afford to have one.
What are the things you need to consider when investing on a multimedia projector? Consider the following factors:
Size of venue – The size of the venue of your regular meetings gives you an idea of the minimum brightness (measured in ANSI Lumens. One lumen is the equivalent in brightness of one candle) that you would need for your multimedia projector. The bigger the venue, the bigger the screen size needed. The bigger the screen size, the farther away the multimedia projector needs to be located to achieve it. And the farther away the projector is the brighter it should be in order to display sharp images even during full-lit conditions. As a rule of thumb, do not consider buying a multimedia projector that delivers less than 500 ANSI lumens unless you want to be extremely selective as to where it will be used.
Resolution Requirements – Previously, pixel resolution was a premium for an old projector, with the standard being a mere 800×600 pixels (VGA). This limited the enlargement that a projector could “throw” to the screen. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to have XGA (1024×768 pixels) resolution in a practically-priced multimedia projector. Some already have WXGA widescreen XGA which allows projection of a movie in a reasonably-sized room for private entertainment! Normally, however, XGA will do nicely for most of your requirements.
Technology – There are currently three multimedia projector technologies currently available:
o LCD (liquid crystal display) is the established technology used by most of the leading manufacturers.
o DLP (digital light processing) is a newer technology used on some of the smallest, lightest projectors currently available. While LCD gives clearer still images, DLP provides smoother video images.
o LCOS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology uses liquid crystals on glass panels, and light passes through the LCD panels to the lens.
There are several suppliers of multimedia projectors available, both of the single and multiple brand varieties. It is advisable that you canvass for the equipment that best suits your requirements before making a final purchase decision. You will, therefore, need to know what it is that you really need before you go out start formal canvassing.