How to choose a projector?

The obligatory equipment of educational and conference rooms includes primarily projectors, which should enable easy presentation of prepared materials. This will be possible if we buy equipment of the right quality.

This may turn out to be more difficult than we initially thought. The market for this type of equipment is very wide, which is why we have access to models that are diverse in many respects.

So how do you choose the best one? It depends of course on our budget, but also on individual preferences. We will purchase slightly different equipment for presenting the images or text alone than in the case of displaying films. So it is best to start by specifying the type of projector.

Lamp, laser or LED device?

These are the 3 most common types of equipment that differ in the way light is produced. The most standard are the lamp models, characterized by stable operation and high energy consumption. The life of ordinary lamps can vary, but it is worth noting that such a projector will be relatively cheap.

Laser devices seem to be much more economical. These are usually small projectors. The most technologically advanced are LED equipment. They are distinguished by their very low energy consumption and long service life.

In addition to the way the light is generated, the image production technology is also of great importance. In that respect, we can name it:

• LCD projectors - the most standard and cheapest models that use a liquid crystal matrix. They provide a decent picture sharpness, the problem is quite low contrast as well as poor black quality. LCD devices are also usually quite large and heavy,
• DLP projectors - the processor is responsible for image processing. Then the image goes to the lens and is also passed through RGB filters. This allows you to achieve more than satisfactory contrast, as well as a very well reproduced black. The disadvantage of this type of projectors is their high price, as well as the production of cold colours,
• LCOS projectors - they use technology which is a combination of the two mentioned above. All of this allows for high image quality, wide contrast, high resolution and vibrant colors. The only disadvantage of these devices is their high price.

Key parameters

Apart from the choice of the type of equipment in question, the technical specifications that tell us a lot about its capabilities are extremely important. For projectors, the most important thing will of course be the supported resolution. The higher it is, the higher quality image can be generated.

This parameter is especially important when presenting films, detailed graphics, and always when even the smallest details of the presentation count. So if you want high quality, you should aim for projectors that support Full HD or higher resolution - such as 4K UHD. This way we can be sure that the recipients of our content will see everything. Such devices are also useful when the projector is used like a TV.

The cheapest Full HD model will be purchased for about 2 thousand zlotys, so if we are looking for savings, we should aim for HD or lower resolution devices. However, they will be useful primarily for presenting documents or little detailed images.

The aspect ratio of the image also affects the content displayed. There are devices on the market that support standard 4:3, digital 16:9 and widescreen 16:10 formats. Of course, it all depends on what kind of content you want to display. It is worth noting that there are also models available in shops that can handle all formats. The ANSI brightness parameter given in lumens should also be important for us, as well as the lifetime of the mounted lamps.

Projector functions

Contrary to appearances, there are quite a few. The possibility of wireless video and audio transmission, using DLNA, Wi-Fi Ready or Bluetooth should be mentioned in particular.

Thanks to this, we don't have to wrestle with an HDMI or other cable that limits us because of its length. It is also worth noting that such high quality projectors can also connect wirelessly with other devices. You can change the microphone here, for example.

Some devices also guarantee access to the Internet, which also gives us additional possibilities. What else is there to check? Surely, whether the projector you're interested in allows you to play content directly from USB - just connect a USB stick or an external drive.

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Equipment and accessories

If you buy any projector, you should also pay attention to the connector set used. Besides HDMI, it can have USB, D-Sub, S-Video and DVI ports. There is also an audio input, although there are also devices with their own built-in speakers on the market.

The projectors also support additional technologies that allow, among other things, for the transmission of 3D content, automatic adjustment of image parameters or easier colour adjustment.

How much do projectors cost? That obviously depends on the kind. The cheapest devices will be purchased for about 300 PLN, while those from the top shelf may cost even several thousand PLN. Therefore, before making a final decision, we must not forget to pay attention to the aforementioned issues.

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