One of the best pieces of computer peripheral hardware today is a multimedia projector. You can use a multimedia projector for a multitude of tasks, such as: conference presentations, boardroom presentations, projecting videos on a wall in your home to watch movies, and more. There are several types of multimedia projectors on the market today. The main question is which projector should I buy? There are many brands and four main types of multimedia projectors.

Brands and types of multimedia projectors

There are many brands of multimedia projectors to choose from: Panasonic, Optima, Epson, NEC, Infocus and many more to choose from. Types of multimedia projectors include:

• Digital Light Processing (DLP): Has a deeper black background and is more portable
• Liquid crystal display (LCD) – best for color
• Active matrix TFT (Thin Film Transistor) – a form of LCD
• HDTV Home Theater: 480i, 516i, 540p, 720p, 180i, 1080p, 1080i, 1125i (i = interlaced video and p = progressive scan)

The primary consideration is the multimedia projector’s purpose and uses in the home or business; this will help you select the features you need. Features to consider include:

• Image Brightness: Range from 130 lumens to 6500 lumens
• Desired Viewing Area 5 to 6 feet: 500 to 1000 lumens
• Desired Viewing Area 8 to 10 feet: 1,000 to 1,500 lumens
• Desired viewing area from 12 to 25 feet: 2000 lumens or more
• Wireless: remote operation from computer
• Digital zoom: for projections in large rooms
• Keystone correction: compensates for the position of the projectors not being perpendicular to the screen
• Slim Size – Business Portability
• Projector mount: required for permanent installations, ceiling or wall
• Bulbs: typical UHP, UHE, halide lamps, 1,000 to 4,000 hours, long life
• Commercial use: movie clips, animation, photos
• Home theater: LCD, HDTV, high resolution, high contrast, 1,000 to 2,000 lumens brightness

Resolution is the number of pixels that the projector is capable of displaying. Higher resolution projectors produce a better quality projector image because there are more pixels per square inch. A projector with less resolution will have a grainier image, since there are fewer pixels per square inch. Resolution comes in a variety of selections; your choice of resolution is based on how you use the projector.

For basic PowerPoint presentations only, you can use a low resolution projector. If you use a lot of color and video, you’ll need a high-resolution projector. Projector resolution ranges from 854 x 480 to 1280 x 1024.

Contrast is the ratio between the lightest and darkest areas of an image. You will need to select a multimedia projector with a contrast ratio of 400:1 or higher. Contrast varies from 350:1 to 6500:1.

Buying a multimedia projector

Once you’ve narrowed down your options for multimedia projectors, visit your local store and check out their features:

• Projector Controls – Ease of Use
• Remote control: ease of use
• Bulb: long life, bulbs are expensive
• Connections: cables for PC or MAC, DVD player, cable box, satellite box
• Mounting bracket: if required for permanent installation
• Wireless: compatible with your computer
• Operation: The seller demonstrates the use and observes the quality of the sample projection
• Sound: Does the fan make noise?
• Size: Size does matter when it comes to portability
• Weight: Permanent installations are not really concerned, the heavier models are not suitable for portable uses.
• Carrying Case – Provides protection when being dragged through airports etc.
• Prices: Ranging from under $630 to $17,000 and up

Characteristics and considerations of resolution and contrast.