The good news is that there is an extraordinary variety of projectors available today that can put a sharp and bright image onto a screen to get your company's message across. From miniature marvels not much bigger than a smartphone to 90-lb. monsters that can light up an auditorium's screen, there's a business projector for every purpose and budget.
The bad news is that, with all these models to choose from, it's never been harder to decide which one is right for a particular business situation. This buyer's guide can help by cutting through the hype, technical jargon and marketing mumbo-jumbo.
Computerworld - Whether you're presenting the quarter's sales results to the board or pitching the company's latest widgets to a skeptical customer, there's no substitute for a good projector for putting your best business foot forward. By the same token, there's no easier way to lose an audience's attention -- and likely their business -- than by forcing them to sit in a dark room squinting at a dim, poorly focused or distorted image.The good news is that there is an extraordinary variety of projectors available today that can put a sharp and bright image onto a screen to get your company's message across. From miniature marvels not much bigger than a smartphone to 90-lb. monsters that can light up an auditorium's screen, there's a business projector for every purpose and budget.
The bad news is that, with all these models to choose from, it's never been harder to decide which one is right for a particular business situation. This buyer's guide can help by cutting through the hype, technical jargon and marketing mumbo-jumbo.
We've divided this crowded market into five categories that reflect how the devices are likely to be used, starting with Lilliputian pocket projectors and moving through portable, short-throw and boardroom devices all the way up to large-venue devices. Each class has a distinct mix of resolution, brightness, features and best uses.
That said, there are no hard and fast rules, and many projectors exist at the margins of these categories or ignore them altogether. It's safe to say, though, that as they get bigger, the projectors get brighter, more sophisticated and more loaded with features. (They also get much more expensive.)
For example, many pocket models lack basic vertical keystone correction, so you're stuck with the trapezoidal image that results from aiming the projector up toward the screen. Move a step or two up the projector ladder, and portable and short-throw products usually have vertical keystone correction, with some automatically correcting for distortion based on the projector's angle.
When you get to the boardroom category, horizontal keystone correction and mechanical lens shifting are often included so the image can be optimized even if the projector isn't installed perpendicular to the screen. At the top, large-venue projectors have interchangeable lenses to choose from so that the optics produce the right-sized image on the screen, regardless of how far away the projector is.
As we tour the five categories, we'll show you 24 projectors that fit a range of different ways of doing business. (Note: Because this buyer's guide is all about using imaging workhorses to help tell -- and sell -- a business's story, we won't be covering consumer or home theater projectors.)
Whether you're looking for a small device you can slip out of a jacket pocket for a quick presentation or a ceiling-mounted system that can dazzle clients in the company's largest meeting room, one of these projectors could light up your business life. After all, when you strip a business down to its core, all you have is your image.
Main story continues >There's one thing that all projectors have in common: They are complicated devices that have dozens of attributes to compare and consider. While brightness, resolution, portability and the other features remain the most important considerations, here's a checklist of other items to look at.
Bulbs: Unless you get an LED model, which has a lifetime lighting source, chances are that you'll need a new lamp every couple of years. While some enlightened manufacturers, like NEC and Epson, sell lamps for many of their models for less than $100, most lamps still cost an exorbitant $200 to $400. Be sure to find out how much replacement lamps cost for any model you're considering.
Power use: For many projectors, the power bill over the product's lifetime can dwarf the purchase price. That's why LED projectors, which use as little as 4 watts, compared to several hundred watts, are so economical.
Contrast ratio: Projector manufacturers frequently tout a device's contrast ratio, but vendors measure contrast ratio in such different ways and get such widely varying results that comparisons among models become meaningless. Not to worry: Today's projectors generally produce more than enough contrast for business purposes.
Warranty: Shop carefully when it comes to the projector's warranty. Most projectors include a two- or three-year warranty; however, many models from NEC and Epson offer five years of coverage. Unfortunately, the lamp is generally covered for only about a year.
Remote control: Few people think about the handheld remote when shopping for a projector, but it should be a key consideration in the decision-making process. It should reliably link with the projector, turn the system on and off, move slides back and forth, and let you fine-tune the image. Adding a laser pointer is a bonus.
Tablet and smartphone apps: Many projector makers have free iOS and Android apps that let you not only control the projector but also wirelessly project items directly from your tablet or smartphone. If you want to emphasize a point, just circle it with your finger and it shows up on the screen.
Mounting brackets: While any of these projectors can be set up on a table or shelf, most have threaded mounting holes underneath for mounting upside-down from the ceiling. Most vendors sell their own brackets and hardware, but if you shop around you can likely find less expensive ones that exactly fit your needs from sources like Premier Mounts or Peerless-AV; just check to make sure they can handle the weight involved.
Screens: Sure, you can project onto a blank wall, but that doesn't mean you should. For anything beyond impromptu pocket-projector shows, a good screen is key to a professional presentation. There are screens that automatically come out of a ceiling with the press of a button, translucent ones for back projection, portable screens that you set up for a quick show, and everything in between. Da-Lite and Elite Screen are two reliable vendors that offer a full range of screens.
-- Brian Nadel