How to choose a projector for home, school or office. Which company projector to buy?

Over the past, slide projectors were left from our childhood, on which you could watch leisurely colorful slides or an evening fairy tale. Such fairy-tale films developed speech well, gave clear moral attitudes.

Color slides shown through a slide projector with teacher comments sometimes diluted the boring learning process. But all this is a passed stage. Modern projectors have much more powerful capabilities, respectively, the price of them is growing, but the popularity of such devices does not decrease from this.

What is a projector for?

• A projector in the educational process is absolutely irreplaceable. It turns an ordinary lesson into a festive show with the display of color three-dimensional images on the wall or interactive whiteboard, where you can work with them, moving and changing the appearance of the pictures.
• Today it’s hard to do without presentations in the office that advertise goods or services. The projector not only brilliantly copes with the solution of this problem, but, thanks to its mobility, allows you to perform all actions far beyond the company’s borders (on-site presentations).

• As for home use, here the role of the projector is simply comprehensive. You can play your favorite games on a huge screen without getting up off the couch, watch movies in a quality that far exceeds the capabilities of the best movie theaters, organize yourself to watch TV shows in the mode of an expensive large-screen TV, demonstrate training slides, magnified photographs and much more.

Thus, today there is no question of whether you need this device. Everyone is interested in something else: how to choose a projector?

Screen selection

Some people mistakenly believe that a good projector does not require a special screen. They are trying to replace it with a Whatman paper, a sheet, a regular wall. However, in all these cases, the image will be poor, dull and uneven. It is much more correct to think about how to choose a screen for the projector. Which option is best for you? Let's consider everything in order.

Screen type

If you intend to use the projector stationary, it is better to choose a wall or ceiling mounting method. In the latter case, the screen is pulled onto a special frame or rolled up, and this action can be performed either manually, with the addition of a spring mechanism for folding, or using an electric motor with remote control.

If we are talking about moving the projector from one point to another, then the screen is better to have a mobile one. It mainly uses two options: floor and table.

The size

• Height - 1/6 of the distance to the opposite wall or more.
• The distance from the nearest row of viewers to the screen is not less than its width or two heights.
• The recommended distance from the screen to the floor is at least 1 m 20 cm.

Format

By this concept is meant the ratio of width to height. Most often, two format options are issued: for the home - 9:16, for the office - 3: 4. This indicator should match the image settings. If you plan to work with different formats of the demonstrated material, then it is better to purchase a screen that allows different options. Naturally, it will cost more.

Surface

Depending on the color and material of which the screen is made, it may have differences in contrast, viewing angle, ability to reflect light (brightness of image transmission).

The most common and universal solution is a matte white surface.

For a home theater, you can also recommend a gray screen for enhanced contrast and crisp graphics.

In any case, it makes sense to consult with a sales assistant in the store. He will tell you how to choose a screen for the projector.

Projector Features for School

This device is absolutely indispensable in educational institutions. With it, you can demonstrate any information by displaying it on a screen or interactive whiteboard. First of all, you need to determine why you need a projector for the school. How to choose it, this is the second question that is easy to answer by determining the purpose of the device.

• It can transfer images from a DVD player.
• It can be used with an interactive whiteboard.
• The projector is capable of displaying the contents of a laptop or computer.

If you purchase a device for school, be sure to pay attention to the efficiency of brightness transmission. Most often, the projector will be used in the daytime, with unfinished windows.

In addition, the required brightness directly depends on the area of ​​the audience on which the projector for the school will work. How to choose the necessary lumen indicator is shown in the following list:

• 2500 lumens is enough for 100 people;
• 3000 will be needed for 100-200 viewers;
• 5000 is for more people.

For school, they usually take 3LCD projectors on three LCDs. They transmit color well on the screen.

The projector format is better to take 4: 3, but the resolution of the matrix does not matter much.

Since the school is a budget institution, an important factor is the price of the product, so the built-in speakers will not be superfluous.

For a school projector, its wear resistance and the ability to install in places not accessible to children are also important.

How to choose a multimedia projector

This type of projector has a “multi” prefix in its name for a reason. If in a conventional video projector there is only one input for a video signal, then there is a whole set of inputs for a wide variety of sources. You can initially connect them all so that while the projector is in operation, you can quickly switch from one to another. There are also several outputs, including DVI, which allows you to display the signal from a computer with high quality.

The multimedia projector has a high degree of reliability, so the only part that has to be replaced from time to time is an arc lamp with an even spectrum and high brightness. Its service life is limited to two thousand hours, although it can also be doubled when using the economy mode.

This type of projector allows you to watch TV, movies, video on the wall in your own apartment, like in a movie theater. There is no need to purchase an expensive TV with a large diagonal. However, in order to decide which projector is better to choose, you need to know the pros and cons of each type.

Firstly, a multimedia projector gives an image several times larger than a conventional TV. Secondly, its weight is an order of magnitude less, which is very important in a small apartment.

Less - the cost of an incandescent lamp, which has to be changed. In addition, the heating of the device is observed, respectively, there is a need for active cooling, which adds noise effects when using the projector. In addition, you will have to purchase external illumination to achieve better contrast.

Presentation Device

Best of all, a portable projector with multimedia capabilities handles the task of conducting presentations. Usually it weighs no more than 3 kg, dimensions allow you to carry it in a small bag. How to choose a projector for presentations? A serious indicator for a portable device is the luminous flux.

During presentations, it is often necessary to take notes, to see the lecturer, that is, it is impossible to darken the room properly. To maintain image quality in conditions of insufficient dimming, a high luminous flux rate is required.

In this case, numerical values ​​from 1250 lm and higher will be reasonable indicators. You have to come to terms with the fact that the small size of the projector is usually combined with a low brightness. In addition, high brightness with small dimensions is often accompanied by increased noise. Alas, a compromise cannot be avoided.

An important feature of a projector designed for presentations is the ability to connect it to a laptop. For this, a special VGA input is required.

It is much better if there is a wireless data transfer function. In this case, the speaker can easily move around the room with a computer in his hands, choosing the most convenient point and always easily controlling the process.

It makes sense to pay attention to the presence of such a useful function as the ability to conduct presentations without a computer. For this, some projectors have built-in card readers, on which the necessary data is pre-downloaded.

In addition, it will be useful to have a special USB port for connecting a storage medium. This eliminates the need to carry a laptop with you on site presentations, however, the minus is the need to spend time pre-converting files into an easy-to-read format.

Pay attention to the convenience of using the remote. Remote control during on-site demonstrations is a very useful feature. Check if the remote has a built-in laser pointer and buttons for changing slides.

The bag for the projector is also of great importance. She must reliably provide his protection. It is also good if there are compartments and pockets for storing accessories, comfortable handles.

Office models

Before choosing a projector, you need to think carefully about what quality it will be used in. If your office work is accompanied by on-site presentations, then it is better to purchase one of the mobile device models. The previous chapter described in detail which projector to choose for this purpose.

If your device will be used exclusively as office equipment, it is preferable to purchase a stationary multimedia projector. Its cost is usually lower than portable. But this is not even the main thing. Mobile options are not suitable for continuous continuous use.

The image that stationary projectors provide is usually half as much as the distance between the lens and the screen. Therefore, it is very important to know how to choose a projector, taking into account the size of the room reserved for presentations in the office. Also pay attention to the focus of the lens:

• short-focus is suitable for small rooms;
• telephoto - for large.

Select the desired extension:

• with an insufficient indicator of this quality, fonts are poorly read;
• if the size is too large, pixels become noticeable.

As with any presentation projector, high brightness and contrast are important for the office fixture. In addition, such software settings as “document”, “presentation”, “movie” will not be superfluous. For the office option, it is mandatory to have parameters such as an integrated sound path and a connector for connecting to a computer. And, of course, a remote control with a laser pointer.

Here, perhaps, is all the information that must be taken into account in order to competently solve the following question: "How to choose a projector for the office?"

Which company to give preference?

When thinking about which projector to choose for the office, school or home, it is impossible to ignore the variety of manufacturers. In addition, any of the manufacturers has more or less successful models, so it would be unfair to advertise one or two companies.

The main evaluation of any product is always given by the consumer. It is he who knows how to choose a projector, which model to give preference to. The table below provides statistics on customer reviews of the projectors they purchased. Data is current as of November 2014. Evaluation was carried out on a hundred-point scale.

How to choose a projector for a movie theater

The need to have this device in their apartment is no longer in doubt. Among the products of the fastest growing popularity, the home projector is in the lead. How to choose a decent model for family use in order to get the maximum benefit and pleasure from the acquisition?

• All devices are divided into two types: liquid crystal (LCD) and micromirror, otherwise referred to as DLP. The first option is not too tiring for the eyes, but it does not display black very saturated. The second type gives a better image, however, the long-term use of such a projector has a bad effect on vision, tires eyes.

• A very important factor is the graphic resolution. In other words, it is aspect ratio. Higher gives better image quality. For a home, a resolution of 800x600 is suitable. But for fans of high-quality video, this figure can be higher, for example, 1600x1200.

• Pay attention to the brightness of the projector. If this indicator is low, you will have to further darken the room. For home use, 1000 lumens is enough.

• At low contrast, it is impossible to get a good image in scenes with dim lighting. Sufficient contrast for a home projector starts at 1000: 1. These numbers may be higher, for example, 2000: 1.

To find out which projector to choose for the home, you can consult the seller, asking him for additional features of the model. These features may include geometric correction, which avoids image deformation.

Check the warranty period of the lamp. This item is not cheap, and its term of operation should be at least 2000, or even 4000 hours.

It is worth asking what video signal standards this device is compatible with, and whether there is a remote control for the projector.

TV or video projector?

Everyone would like to have a home theater in their apartment. If earlier for this it was necessary to purchase a TV with a large diagonal and an expensive speaker system, today today there is an increasing question about the possibility of replacing such a device with a more affordable projector.

This prospect has other advantages. No TV will give such a complete immersion in the contemplated on the screen as a video projector. Compare this only with a real cinema. To achieve a similar effect from the TV, you need to be at a distance no further than a meter from the screen.

However, the full enjoyment of a video projector can only be obtained with a high-quality DVD or satellite TV. Broadcasting ordinary TV shows through a projector does not give the desired quality.

So, the projector bypasses the TV in terms of price and enjoyment from watching. However, he is still not able to completely replace this common device. For example, many televisions have a hard drive for recording transmissions, which the competitor does not have yet. You can also connect cameras and flash drives with them to record images and videos. In addition, the display of cable, IP and terrestrial TV broadcasts through the projector does not give good quality. Therefore, it is advisable to have a TV at home, at least for now.

After reading this article, we hope you find it easier to choose a projector for your home theater.