What are projectors?
Projectors are optical devices that project images (moving images, still images, or real-time images) onto a surface, usually a projector screen. Projectors can create images by shining a light through transparent lenses. Projectors use either lamps or lasers as their light source. Before the arrival of digital projectors, slide projectors and overhead projectors were the main known projectors. Digital projectors are the most common projectors in today’s world and this article will focus on them (digital projectors).
Digital Projectors
Digital projectors use different light sources to produce the illumination required to project images and examples are ultra-high-performance lamps (a type of mercury vapor lamp), xenon arc lamps, LED or solid-state blue, RB, RGB, or remote fiber optic RGB lasers. Digital projectors also have different display resolutions.
The popular display resolutions for digital projectors are; WUXGA (1920 X 1200 pixels), WXGA+ (1280 X 800 pixels), SVGA (800 X 600 pixels), 720p (1280 X 720 pixels), XGA (1024 X 768 pixels), SXGA+ (1400 X 1050 pixels), 1080p (1920 X 1080 pixels), and 4K UHD (3840 X 2160 pixels).
The WUXGA and WXGA+ both use an aspect ratio of 16:10 while XGA and SXGA use a 4:3 aspect ratio and the other resolutions use a 16:9 aspect ratio. We will discuss more on these resolutions later in the article, so keep reading.
Types of digital projectors
There are many different types of digital projectors and they serve different purposes. Digital projectors can be classified into three categories. These categories are based on their throw distance. The throw distance is the actual distance between the digital projector and the projector screen.
- 1. Regular Throw ( These are also known as a standard throw or long throw)
- 2. Short Throw
- 3. Ultra Short Throw
Regular Throw/Standard Throw Projectors: Standard throw or regular throw projectors are the most common type of projectors, and when you hear someone or people talk about a projector, the Standard throw projector immediately comes to mind. Standard throw projectors have a throw ratio of about 1.5:1 to 2:1. This means that for each foot of image width the projector needs to be placed 1.5 to 2 feet away from the screen. Standard throw projectors generally come with a fixed lens that is always built into the housing of the projector and they can’t be changed or replaced. Some projectors come without a lens and this enables you to select an optional lens that has the proper throw ratio you want.
Long Throw Projectors: Long throw projectors are a bit different from standard throw projectors because they have a throw ratio greater than 2:1. If you need a, projector for personal use you don’t need a projector with this extreme throw distance. You are likely to find long throw projectors in commercial movie theaters, drive-in theaters, or large venues where the projector needs to be significantly far away from the screen.
Short Throw Projectors: Short throw projectors usually have a throw ratio of 0.38:1 and 1.4:1. They’re a great option for making classroom presentations or for making a boardroom pitch and this is because they can be positioned closer to the screen and most times this prevents someone from casting a shadow or blocking the image by getting between the projector and screen.
Ultra Short Throw Projectors: Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors are the latest trend in the world of projection for home theaters. USTs have been in use in schools before the Home theater discovery. The UST projectors sit directly under the screen and this allows them to produce a large image with a very small throw distance. USTs have a throw ratio that is under 0.37:1.
How to know that it’s a good projector?
When you want to buy a digital projector, you should know some details about projectors before you make your decisions. Important features in a projector include the resolution, the light source, the brightness, the chipset, the aspect ratio, the contrast ratio, and a few others. Having detailed knowledge about these features will help you make good choices when you are buying a digital projector.
The Resolution Of A Projector
We talked about the popular resolutions for digital projectors earlier in this article. What exactly are resolutions? The resolution simply means how clear a projected image will be based on how many pixels can be displayed in a given space. Resolution or native resolution is the number of pixels used to make up a projected image or video. It is shown as the number of pixels on the horizontal axis by the number of pixels on the vertical axis.
The higher the resolution of the projector, the more pixels the image has, the more pixels the image has, the more detailed the image is. The two most common resolutions nowadays are 1080p (also known as Full High Definition or FHD) which has a standard resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, and 4K (also known as Ultra High Definition or UHD), which has a standard resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels.
4K projection images are four times better than 1080p projection images, which is not because of the number four in 4K. It is because a 4K projector produces four times smaller images produced by a 1080p projector, which means 4K projector images are clearer. Changing from 1080p to 4K doesn’t just get you a better resolution; you get to access the HDR spectrum, which has a much wider colour space and the ability to produce darker black colours.
The only advantage a 1080p projector has over a 4K projector is the price. 4K projectors are more expensive than 1080p, but when you get to see images or videos on a 4K projector, you will realize the value you got for your money so if you have the budget for it, pay for your comfort and immerse yourself in the beautiful images of a 4K projector.
Whether you want a 4K or a 1080p projector comes down to your personal preference and budget. If you want the best picture quality, you should get a 4K projector.
Technological advancements have seen the advent of 8K and even 16K projectors. 8K projectors give the ultimate cinematic experience but the expensive price is probably why they’re not yet as popular as 4K and 1080p projectors.
Light Source of a projector
The light source of a projector is one feature you should make sure to look out for when buying a digital projector. The three main light sources for projectors are Bulbs, Lasers, and LEDs.
Projectors that use bulbs are less expensive when compared to projectors that use other light sources. If you’re not planning to use your projector very often then a projector with a bulb as the light source is a very good option. You can always replace the bulb and bulbs need to be replaced every 5,000 hours. A disadvantage of using a projector with a bulb as the light source is that the bulb gets very hot.
Projectors that use lasers as their light source require less electricity and last over 20,000 hours. Laser projectors maintain their brightness and accurate colors over a long period and there is no need to replace the bulbs. Staring directly into the laser can damage the eye. Laser projectors are the most expensive of the three light sources.
LED projectors are cheap and they use less electricity. LED projectors don’t heat up and can be more compact than others. The picture quality on LED projectors is not as good as that of bulb projectors or laser projectors.
Brightness and Lumens of a projector
Brightness, also known as light intensity, is one of the most important features of a projector, and it is measured in lumens. The brightness of the projector is determined by how high the lumens are. Two measurements of brightness can help you make the right choice when choosing a projector for your given lighting conditions: white brightness and colour brightness.
White brightness (white light output) indicates the total amount of white light emitted by the projector without measuring colour. Colour brightness (colour light output) measures how bright the projected colours of red, blue, and yellow will be; the higher the number, the more detailed and vibrant the colours will appear. If a projector’s colour brightness is lower than its white brightness, the images and details it displays may be dark or dull.
For you to get the best brightness output, your projector can give you the need to measure it in ANSI Lumens. ANSI Lumens is a unit measurement unit designed by the American National Standards Institute to measure brightness. When you want to measure the light intensity of your projector, the ANSI Lumens measurement should be your standard. You should only go for projectors that have their brightness measured in ANSI Lumens.
There is required lumens output for different types of room; you should know these as it will help when you want to buy a projector for a particular purpose.
- In a home theater with no light, a projection of 1000 lumens is sufficient.
- In a living room, a projection of 2500 lumens is enough.
- In a classroom, a projection of 3500 lumens will suffice.
- In a well-lit boardroom, 4500 lumens is enough.
- In a lecture hall, 5000 lumens is okay.
- In a church or place of worship, a projection of 6000 lumens is enough.
- In an auditorium, about 7000 lumens is enough.
These outputs are subject to change depending on the sizes of these rooms.
Chipset of a projector
It is important to know the chipset a projector is made of. The chipset of a projector is the technology that makes a digital projector work. Chipsets are computer chips that produce the video we see on our screens. Three main types of chipsets are used for digital projectors; DLP, LCD, and LCoS. These three chipsets produce well-detailed images, but they each have their attributes.
Digital Light Processing(DLP): This chipset uses tiny mirrors and a spinning colour wheel to create the images we see on our screens. DLP chipsets produce good light output, sharp colours, the best convergence, and motion blur.
Liquid Crystal Display(LCD): LCD chipsets use three liquid crystal panels. Each of these panels creates an image with the primary colours red, green, and blue (RGB). Putting the images created together, we get fantastic pictures on the screen. LCD chipsets produce the best rainbow effects, they also produce very good motion blur, good light output, and very sharp colours.
Liquid Crystal on Silicon(LCoS): LCoS chipsets work like a blend of both DLP and LCD chipsets. They make use of liquid crystal chips with a mirrored backing. This means they are reflective like the DLP chipsets but they block the light using liquid crystals just like LCD chipsets. LCoS chipsets produce the best colours of the three chipsets. They also produce the best contrast ratio as well as the best black levels. LCoS chipsets also produce a good rainbow effect.
Other features to look for in a projector include Aspect ratio, contrast ratio, colour gamut, and accuracy, but the four features explained above are enough for you to know what you are looking for when you want to get a good quality projector.
Good Projector Brands
There are top brands that manufacture good projectors. Brands like JVC, Sony, Epson, Panasonic, Optoma, BenQ, Mitsubishi, LG, Hisense, Samsung, and Vava. These brands make some of the best projectors you can find. So when you’re purchasing your projector, you should consider any of these brands and look out for the features of their products.
