A review of mid-priced projectors

Many internet web sites are including video discussions on the site when you click to open the link. There is a representative of the company giving a sales talk about the excellence of their product - their company and special prices for the buyer on special products.

Some site owners use a camera to prepare this presentation, like a web cam. A projector is often used to display the speaker and his or her announcement or sales pitch.
These projectors can provide the biggest picture, but they are not ideal for everyday home use.

A mid-priced projector requires a separate screen or a smooth white wall to display the sales talk or presentation. You see a picture ranging in size, from about 50 inches to about 200 inches--by moving the projector closer to the screen or farther back; and using the zoom control.

This is excellent for viewing power point presentations in front of a large audience. You are not locked into a television screen size picture. The images are best viewed in dark rooms, so you need to turn off lights or use blackout window shades for daytime viewing.

In the past year prices of many mid priced projector models designed for business presentations and also home theater use, have dropped sharply. A 720p front-projector now starts under $1,000. A full 1080p model is priced as low as $3,000.

However you will need to have a screen, speakers, and a TV tuner. This increases the cost of the setup. If a company wants to use a smooth white wall, this typically works well.

Also keep in mind that the bulbs usually need replacement every 2,000 to 3,000 hours which is about half the life of bulbs used in rear-projectors.

It used to be the only real choice for a big-screen business presentation was a large and heavy CRT-based projector that cost several thousand dollars. Most new projectors are compact units using LCD, DLP, or LCoS technology.This is the same display technologies used in rear-projection microdisplay HDTVs. Among the best-selling brands of mid priced projectors are BenQ, Epson, InFocus, Mitsubishi, Optoma, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, and Sony.

Mr. or Ms. Business Owner will need to connect an external tuner, such as a cable or satellite box. Also you can hook up just a standard- or high-definition DVD player. Either way, you will want to provide an amplifier or A/V receiver and speakers, because most projectors don't have built-in audio systems with good woofer and tweeter speakers. Even when speakers are included, they're generally not of the highest quality.

A 6 channel speaker system can deliver top notch sound for sales presentations and training movies, and blend well with most office or amphitheater decor. Horizontal center-channel speaker also works well with flat panel televisions. 5 cube speakers plus 1 horizontal center-channel speaker is designed to work with your projector for audio presentations to be used on the internet or in a business meeting.

Many educational class rooms needing seating for a hundred can benefit from a projector such as these. Any time a large audience needs to get a message or see a video clip, and then this projector system is the ideal.

There us nothing more frustrating to a prospective customer than to go to your web site and not see the speaker clearly or not hear the speaker clearly. The inexpensive equipment does not work as well or last as long as a good mid priced projector.

Consumers are looking for larger television screens and images even showing films on a white wall using digital home-theater projectors. This technology produces the largest image at the lowest cost. Additionally, this method requires good control over room lighting. Add to these items an external tuner or other video source (such as a DVD player), and an audio system.

There are some setup steps with your projector. For a permanent installation, it's best to place the projector on a high shelf or drop a shelf from the ceiling. You can place it on a desk or roller shelf as well, people walking in front of it, can sometimes block the image. Plus you'll need to run cables to your speakers and cable box or satellite receiver.

The typical business projector is providing different functions. Business users have mid-priced projectors taking the place of the overhead projectors. Mobile professionals hook up a projector to a computer and project an image on a large screen or wall for presentations. The DVD player in a computer or an external DVD player can project video demonstrations onto a white wall etc.

Budget home-theater projectors with WVGA resolutions are also available. But given the steep drop in prices for HD-capable models, these projectors are not the bargain they once were. Instead, reviewers say you should look for a projector that's at least capable of displaying a 720p HDTV signal at its full resolution (1280 x 720 pixels) if you want the viewing experience.

Some 720p projectors have a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels. Those projectors are also able to display full frame computer XGA signals (1024 x 768 pixels) at their native resolution without cropping or compression.

Projectors capable of displaying 1080i or 1080p HDTV images at full resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) are now widely available. While these are still expensive compared to 720p models, rapidly falling prices make them a good option for some home theaters.

In addition, HDMI is compatible with HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection), a copy-protection system incorporated into new high-definition DVD players. DVI connections are also all-digital, and some projectors have HDCP-compliant DVI inputs instead of HDMI. An inexpensive adapter can convert a DVI input to HDMI.

The `contrast ratio' refers to the difference between the darkest black and brightest white in a projected image. A higher contrast ratio means that dark scenes will be darker and more lifelike and cinematic. Manufacturer brightness and contrast claims are almost always exaggerated, but they at least give you a starting point to compare projectors.
The image created by any projector will have the image negatively affected by too much light from windows; a brighter projector will generally produce a more acceptable display.