Tips on Comparing Prices on Projectors

Tips on Comparing Prices on Projectors
By Jim Gelder

Buying a projector is an investment that you want to be sure you make wisely. So taking the time to do some comparison shopping when it comes to prices is simply a smart thing to do and something you certainly wont regret.

There are several ways you can go about comparing prices on projectors. The first is to visit electronics stores and office supply stores that sell projectors and check out their prices in the stores. This is an especially good method during sales. Its also a great way to get a good deal locally because many stores will offer to beat their competitors best price by a certain percentage, which can save you even more money.

You can also research and compare prices on projectors online. Doing your projector price comparison shopping online makes it possible for you to check out a much larger number of prices on projectors than you can do by going from store to store. This will also make it possible for you to check out the prices on a wider number of brand name projectors and even look into the prices of used projectors. Online auction sites such as eBay are great places to compare prices on used projectors.

Consumer report magazines are also a good resource for comparing prices on various projectors. These reports have the advantage of also rating the projectors, so you can compare quality as well as prices on projectors.

This is an important part of comparing prices on anything, whether its projectors or cars. You want to get the most value for your money, and that means that many times a medium priced item is actually a better value than a higher priced one because it has more features than a stripped down top brand name one has.

Also, even before you start comparing prices on projectors, its a good idea to have a budget in mind for what youre willing to spend for your projector. This will help you focus your price comparison, although you dont want to rule out looking into projectors that may cost more than youve budgeted for because you may run into an unexpected bargain as you do your research.

And if the thought of doing all the research needed to compare prices on projectors sounds like work to you, remember that at least half the fun of making any purchase is in the search! Make a game of it and see just how great a projector you can find for the least amount of money, thanks to your savvy comparison shopping. Then take those savings and splurge on something just for you!

Jim Gelder is a contributing writer for projectorian.com a website dedicated to offering information about projectors and projector rentals and also features a listing of local companies that offer LCD projector rentals, New York projector rentals and more.

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Understanding Native Resolution For Your Home Theater Projector

Understanding Native Resolution For Your Home Theater Projector
By Semore Bernstein

What is Native Resolution for your Home Theater Projector?

To understand what is native resolution, lets start with an understanding of the concept of 'resolution'. Resolution is concerned with the mapping of the information within a picture or image by the dot area.

The smaller the dots, and the more densely packed it is, the greater the resolution, since the mapping of dots as measured in pixels constitutes the data for reproducing the images in video outputs of home theater and other viewing systems. This data processing capability of the projector, as measured in pixels, is what constitutes native resolution.

For high definition home theater projector pictures with good resolution, both the native resolution of the projector should match the resolution of the video signal or video input, failing which, distortion of the images is likely. Native resolution of home theater projectors is measured in two dimension figures with current capabilities ranging from (640480, 800600, 1024768, 16001200) for 4:3 image aspect ratios and the occasional odd resolutions like 12801024.

Thus, if projectors of 1280X 1024 native resolution were to map a video signal of resolution 1024 X 768, there would errors and likely distortion in the image. To effectively combat or otherwise provide for different standards, most home theater video projectors come with capabilities of multiple resolution standards, though it is most likely to be multiples of the lower resolution values.

Advice on Home Theater Projectors
Advice on Home Theater Projector Displays
Advice on Home Theater Projector Mounts

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How You Can Increase The Lifespan Of Your Projector Bulb Or Lamp

How You Can Increase The Lifespan Of Your Projector Bulb Or Lamp
By Clifford Tan

The replacement of projector bulbs is an all-too-frequent occurrence for anybody that has owned a home theater projector for any length of time. While a two thousand hour lifespan may sound like a lifetime to some people, rest assured it is not long before the projector lamp will need replacing. There are however, some general tips that can help to expand the life of a headlamp for the projection unit.

Do not touch the lamp with bare hands
One of the most frequent problems encountered is people replacing the bulbs with their bare hands. While this is fine for an ordinary light bulb, it is not a good practice for a projector lamp. The lamp in a projection unit burns much hotter than any regular light bulbs. The effects of touching it with bare skin are equally magnified and problematic.

Touching a projector bulb with the bare skin leaves traces of oil on the lamp surface. While this may seem a very minor detail, it is detrimental both to the bulb and the quality of the resulting multimedia display. The oils will get burnt onto the lamp and drastically reduce the lifespan. As the oil is baked into the surface, it actually diffuses the light being projected, reducing the lumens actually being sent to the refractive surfaces. The light will not be enough to project the image that has come to be expected from the home theater projection system. While the problem may not be noticeable at first, over the course of a little time, the quality will degrade to the point of not being viewable.

Turn off the projector power after turning off the lamp
It is highly recommended to turn the power on the projector to the off position only after having turned off the lamp and allowing it to cool. This will allow the cooling fans to do the job they were designed to do. While rapid cooling and heating result in repeated contractions and expansions of the bulb filament, it is much better that it be done more quickly with the cooling fans. Likewise, turning the projector on and allowing the cooling fans to run for a moment before turning on the lamp will help as well. This will add hours to bulb life expectancy and allow for longer hours of viewing pleasure on the home theater projection system.

Constant Movements
Constantly bumping or moving the projector, especially while it is hot can be very detrimental to the projector lamp. The filament in the bulb loses almost all tensile strength when it is heated during normal usage. It is much the same as the filament in a camp lantern. The principle is the same; the filament effectively becomes almost the same consistency as ash, making it extremely vulnerable to damage when it is hot. Even after proper cooling, the lamp filament is very sensitive. Care should be taken when moving the projector for whatever reason. While it is always a good idea to be careful with electronic equipment, some aspects of the home projector are actually a bit more sensitive.

It will usually be necessary to move the projector when cleaning the filters. As always, it is a good idea to move it carefully without jerking it around or bumping it any more than needed. Taking an extra moment or two to check the projector mount and make sure it is still securely fastened can also be beneficial and prevent slips and movement which may otherwise be harmful.

With a little care and a little preventative maintenance, the projector lamps will still need to be changed, but not nearly as often.

Note: This article may be republish for use in websites as long as the author bio and active hyperlinks are kept intact.

Clifford Tan, a Home Theater enthusiast and owner of the website Home Projector Advisor offering projector reviews, advice and many useful tips and hints to business and home consumers looking to purchase a home projectors. To find out alot more information about home projection system, visit the site http://www.home-projector-advisor.com

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Digital Projector Give a Bigger Picture

Digital Projector -- Give a Bigger Picture
By NamSing Then

Digital projectors are those video projectors which are used in conferences for presentations. The digital projectors receive video signals from, usually, desktop computers and display images on large screens which can be easily comprehended by all in the gathering.

Two Types of Digital ProjectorsTo begin with, there are two technologies used by digital projectors, the older one being the LCD, liquid crystal display with independent transparent panels of LCD for each constituent primary color (red, blue and green.) The image transmission depends on the signal received by the projector from PC which redirects the light signals through these LCD panels and lens onto a screen. The LCD projectors look pretty similar to older slide projectors and are simple in construction and thus cost less in comparison to their successors DLP projectors. The LCD can be thought of as slides placed at the focal length of the lens making it complete. Clarity of picture in LCD projectors depends on the number of pixels it is set for. (Pixels are smallest area of data or picture holders)

DLP Projectors: The Latest of the Digital ProjectorsDigital Light Processing or DLP is a technology developed by Texas Instruments in 1987. DLP projectors bring in a paradigm difference in technology in image projection to board rooms. Unlike their predecessors, DLP projectors make use of tiny mirrors or micro mirrors to reflect light images to pass through the projector lens and onto a screen. Each mirror can be thought of as representing a pixel. The mirrors reflect primary colors in rapidly rotating succession as actuated by a rotating color filter wheel. The image of rapidly changing colors constructs images for human eye perception. The micro mirrors are collectively called as DMD or digital micromirror device.

For the sake of enhancing picture clarity, the rotating wheel is provided with a plain patch which allows plain white light. This type of DMD projectors are also known as single chip projectors. The three chip projectors are a bit complicated but offer better clarity. Here a prism splits the light from lamp into primary colors which are redirected to DMD which recombines them before projecting through the lens.

Where Is the DifferenceDLP projectors are lighter and give far better pictures. Single chip resolves 16.7 colors while the three chip model does a, hold your breath, 35 trillion colors.

Commercial ModelsTexas Instruments is the pioneer who owns the patent for DLP technology. Fraunhofer Institute of Dresden of Germany developed the same technology simultaneously and markets it as Spatial Light Modulators. HP, Samsung are other market leaders in both LCD and DLP technologies.

NamSing Then is a regular article contributor on many topics. Be sure to visit his other websites Digital Video Camera, Lcd Tv Monitor and One Stop Information

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Understanding Projector Screens: Be Careful You May End Up With TOO Bright An Image!

Understanding Projector Screens: Be Careful, You May End Up With TOO Bright An Image!
By Andrew Ghigo

Today's compact yet powerful front video projectors may leave you with a too bright an image to watch! This being especially so if you intend to watch a projected image in a darkened room which after all, is most often the case with a home theater setup.

Defining Screen Gain

Prior to proceeding with our discussion, it is important that one has a full understanding of what the term screen gain is all about.

It may sound strange that we talk about gain when in reality a projector screen is nothing more than a passive device. Yet there is - it is all a question of how the screen surface distributes the reflected light.

Screen gain is a measurement of the reflectivity of the screen surface. It measures the ability of the screen to direct incident light back to the audience.

The gain number represents the ratio between incident light and reflected light. A flat matte white surface has a gain of approximately 1. A gray screen has a gain less than 1 and therefore, it attenuates incident light. Reflective screen surfaces have gains greater than 1; these projection screens direct more incident light back to the audience.

Gain is always measured in front and perpendicular to the screen at the point of maximum brightness; this represents peak screen gain and occurs at the zero viewing angle perpendicular to the screen surface.

For a screen with gain greater than one, the gain drops as one moves to the side and view the screen at an angle to the perpendicular drawn from the center of the screen. The angle at which screen gain falls to half the peak is referred to as half gain viewing angle. A person viewing the screen from this angle will see the image half as bright as the person seated at the center. The more one moves further away from the center, the dimmer the projected image will be.

The higher the peak screen gain, the narrower the supported viewing angle. This is the price one has to pay for a higher screen gain - the higher projector screen gain at the center is in fact achieved by directing more light towards the center viewing positions rather than allowing for a uniform reflected light over a wider angle of view.

Projected Image Brightness:

Matching the projection screen gain with the ambient light and the video projector output is essential if you want to ensure that you will end up with a correct level of projected image brightness.

This is an extremely important issue. Do not forget that a basic requirement for a great movie experience is a comfortable environment. This means that the time one spends watching a movie should be as comfortable as possible. Exposure to a bright projected image is uncomfortable on the eyes - even when this is for just a few minutes, least imagine when watching a two-hour movie.

A Tricky Matching Process!

Ambient Light Conditions, Image Brightness & Screen Gain

A projected image is at its best when viewed in total darkness - this helps take away any visual distractions - rendering it easier for the viewer to get deeper immersed into the movie action.

In the home, achieving a completely darkened room is almost impossible except in the case of the dedicated home theater setup. The amount of ambient light present has an impact on the resultant projected image contrast. This calls for the need to increase the image brightness to maintain the correct level of image contrast.

The tricky issue is to arrive at the correct level of image brightness for a pre-set level of ambient light. This in view that projected image brightness is a function not only of the projector output, but also of the screen gain, and image size.

The explanation that follows should help you get a better understanding of the relationship that exists between these three inter-related parameters.

Display Brightness and Screen Gain

The brightness output level of your projector is a measure of the projector output power in terms of light intensity. Please keep in mind however that the resultant projected image brightness is a different issue. Image brightness falls in proportion to the area of the projected image size - the bigger the projected image is, the dimmer it will look for a fixed level of projector brightness.

The projected image brightness - more specifically the Luminance level for a projected image, is a measure of the light reflected from the projector screen area. It is measured in foot-Lamberts, and is defined as:

ANSI-lumens of your projector divided by the square footage of Screen.

(Note that one foot-Lambert is equal to 1 ANSI lumen per square foot.)

To arrive at the actual level of light reflected from the screen surface, the above result must be multiplied by the projector screen gain.

A useful reference here is what has been defined as 'sufficient brightness' by the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers, also known as SMPTE.

In standard 196M, the SMPTE determined sufficient brightness for showing motion pictures in a darkened room using a unity gain matte white projector screen, as 12 - 22 foot-Lamberts. In practice, the luminance target level is set to about 16 foot-Lamberts, while the average bright scene brightness level in a movie theater is typically 60% to 75% of this target value.

Display brightness is in itself an entirely subjective term; whats more, it is all relative to the amount of ambient light falling on the screen surface.

The following rules of thumb would surely come to assistance in this respect:

The contrast ratio between the projected image and the ambient light level falling on the screen should be at least 5:1. This is necessary for the eye to perceive a real impression of brightness. If this contrast ratio is not achieved, the projected image will not be considered of adequate brightness level.

When viewing takes place under normal ambient light conditions, the luminance level should be close to 50 foot-Lamberts. This level of luminance is derived from the fact that SMPTE indicated a target level of image brightness for a CRT TV as 50 foot-Lamberts, this in view that a TV is normally viewed under normal ambient light. One may argue that TV is a totally different technology this is true, but this target level for image brightness or luminance, still holds good for most circumstances.

How does all this translate in practical terms?

If one is viewing an image in typical very low ambient light conditions (say less than 2 foot-candles - equivalent to approximately 22 Lux), then the minimum required light level illuminating the screen surface should be around 10 foot-candles to achieve sufficient image contrast.

For a matte white projector screen surface with a screen gain of one, this translates to a minimum of 10 foot-Lamberts in terms of light reflected from the screen for image brightness. This is close to the SMPTE typical requirement for average luminance when viewing pictures in a darkened room.

Similarly, if viewing were to take place under normal ambient light room conditions (typically 10 foot-candles or 110 Lux), applying our first rule of thumb to achieve the required contrast level would result in a luminance level of 50 foot-Lamberts (approx. 540 Lux) for the same matte white projector screen surface. This is also in line with the target luminance level detailed in rule 2 for viewing under normal ambient light conditions.

Note:

• Light illuminating a surface is measured in lux (Lx = lumens/m2), or foot-candles.
• Light reflected from an area (luminance) is measured in candelas/m2 (cd/m2) or foot-lamberts (fL).

Now, lets consider as an example what will happen with different projector screen gains for say a given 1000 ANSI-Lumens projector and a 100 diagonal screen size.

Projector Screen Gain 1 1.5 2Image Luminance in foot-Lamberts304560

It is clear that our 1000 ANSI-Lumens projector would produce a too bright an image when the latter is viewed in a darkened room, even when using a standard matte white projector screen with unity gain. Similarly, use of this projector in conjunction with a projector screen surface having a gain of 2 may result in a too bright an image even when viewing takes place under normal ambient light conditions.

Andrew Ghigo A Telecoms/Electronics engineer by profession, with specialization in digital switching and telecoms fraud management systems.

Editor and publisher of http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com - a site dedicated to all home theater enthusiasts with the scope of serving as a comprehensive home theater guide to home theater systems, product reviews and home theater design.

This article is an excerpt from a series of guides appearing under thehome theater screens section of the site.

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Used LCD Projectors

Used LCD Projectors
By Ken Marlborough

Apart from the usual used LCD projectors, those which have been used from some considerable amount of time by someone and are now for sale, there are some other categories of used LCD Projectors.

One of these categories is called demo projectors - projectors that have been used sparingly in-house for customer demonstrations. The majority of demo projectors generally have 90% or more of the original lamp life remaining at the time of resale. Demo models that are still in production ship with a full manufacturer's warranty. The length of warranty varies on demo models that are no longer in production.

Another category is refurbished projectors - projectors are most often the source of best projector deals. These projectors have been returned to an authorized factory service center and restored to meet manufacturer's original quality standards. Refurbished projectors feature new lamps, yet the warranty varies by manufacturer.

Yet another category is bargain buys - projectors that are new, factory-sealed units and are priced less than US $1500. These projectors are typically SVGA resolution, are portable, and feature an adequate amount of brightness for most any environment. Because of their budget price, the length of warranty on these projectors varies.

There are several Web sites that sell used LCD Projectors over the Internet. However, when buying over the Internet, one should not only look at the security of the mode of payment, but also about the vendor who is selling the product on the Web site. Generally, some people who have bought a product from a vendor leave a comment about the quality of service and product sold by the vendor; these comments are often very helpful in eliminating the vendors with a poor track record.

Finding a used LCD Projector is not difficult, what is though, is narrowing down to decide on a projector that meets the requirements, comes from a vendor who can be relied upon, and is at available at the best price among all the Web sites on the Internet that sell used LCD projectors.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

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Projector Screens

Projector Screens
By Jennifer Bailey

When there is a projection of a video or an image, the presence of a projector screen is inevitable. A projector screen is a specially made flat screen to be hung on the wall or erected vertically, where the image is reflected, so that the image size is enlarged. The surfaces of such screens are usually rough, and colored white.

There are a number of types of projector screens. They are home cinema projector screens, portable projector screens, manual projector screens, electric projector screens, fixed frame projector screens and also movie board home cinema projection screens.

Home cinema projector screens are the screens with the viewable screen central to the eye. Some of the products that are popular include: CinElpro Electric Projection Screens (230cm), Cinema Electrol Projection Screens (190cm), Diplomat Channel Fix Electric Screens (290cm) and Diplomat Channel Fix Manual Video and Screen Formats (290cm).

Portable projector screens are for temporary positioning or for occasional use. These screens are easy to carry to various places. Most of the screens are foldable and are usually carried in coils. Some of the products that are popular are: Fast fold (427cm), Leader Portable Floor Screens (177cm), Movielux Compact Portable Floor Screens (160cm), Picture King Standard and Video Format Tripod Screens (244cm), and Professional Tripod Screen (240cm).

Manual projector screens can be pulled down and recoiled back from the ceiling, or wall mounted. Some of the products are Proscreen Manual Wall Screens (280cm) and Slim Screen Manual Wall Screens (200cm).

Electric projector screens have motorized drop and retraction through the use of wired switches or remote controls.

Fixed frame projector screens are permanently fixed frame screens. Some of the products are Cinema Contour Professional Framed Projection Screens (488cm) and Designer CineFix Home Cinema Projection Screens (200cm).

Projector Screens provides detailed information on Projector Screens, Video Projector Screens, Home Theater Projector Screens, Electric Projector Screens and more. Projector Screens is affiliated with Large Format Flatbed Scanners.

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Home Theater Plasma TV VS Projectors

Home Theater - Plasma TV VS Projectors
By Jakob Culver

Many homeowners are struggling with an important, electronic question: What is the ideal display for my home theater? Many people have fought this debate, but I'll try to make clear some important considerations.

The most important detail to consider when deciding between a projector and a large plasma television is ambient light. A room with lots of windows presents a problem for a projector because every little bit of ambient lighting degrades the projected image. The ideal environment for a projector is one where you have total control over the lighting. If your home theater uses a projector, you are limited to using it when you can eliminate other light. A plasma screen can be used anyplace, anytime.

Assuming your home theater has blackout curtains, or exists deep underground; let's examine differences between a plasma television and a projector. One advantage of a projector is that you can get a much larger picture than is available in plasma. Projectors can produce images comparable to an 81-inch screen and larger. This just isn't possible with a plasma screen. However, plasma's have the advantage of not needing any amount of space. A projector must have a long enough corridor to project its image on the wall or screen. To get an 81-inch or greater image, you need a decent distance between the projector and the target. Second, a projector's image is dependent on more than the quality of the projector; you must be projecting onto a specialized surface or you lose detail. A top of the line HD projector with a very high native resolution would be wasted if you were just projecting the image onto a wall. You need an equally high quality screen with features such as a matte finish to eliminate reflection and glare. A plasma display requires no additional equipment.

Overall, a projector has the potential of creating a beautiful image, but it needs too much to work effectively. If you're creating a private movie theater with lighting control and an investment in a screen, mounting equipment, and blackout curtains, then a projector is your piece of equipment. For everyone else, I suggest a plasma television.

Jakob Culver is founder of the website http://www.plasmatvarena.com providing information, articles and reviews about plasma tv's. To find more articles like this one visit the site http://www.plasmatvarena.com.

Millennium Online Marteting Pty Ltd

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