The Right Projector Screen Can Save You Money!

At the LCD Projector Center we concentrate very much on LCD projectors, so why am I writing about projector screens? Quite simple really. Buying your lcd projector in isolation from the screen without considering how they work together is likely to cost you more and give you less than perfect results.

How can picking the right projector screen save you money?
One of the biggest challenges when choosing an lcd projector is getting the right brightness for the room you are going to be using it in. For home use you can usually darken the room. This means you can buy a cheap lcd projector, often saving many hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

But often darkening the room significantly is neither possible nor desirable. Buying a higher specification projector will give you a brighter image, but it's probably cheaper to buy a high gain projector screen. The quality lcd projector may cost you a thousand dollars more than a dimmer model, whilst quality projector screens that enhance the image brightness and clarity are only a few hundred dollars more.

Projector Brightness and Screen Gain

The brightness of an lcd projector is given in ansi lumens. Typical values for home theater and business presentation use are 500 to 3000. The higher the number, the brighter the picture will be. At the low end a darkened room is essential, whilst at the very top end acceptable results are possible with higher light levels. The current generation of home use projectors are typically in the 1000-1500 range.

The gain of a projector screen is the increase in brightness of the image produced compared to a flat matt white screen. This is given as a simple number, eg 1, 1.5, 2 etc. A gain of 1 means the image is the same brightness as on a flat matt white surface, whereas 2 means the image is twice as bright.

As an example, if you decide you need about 1500 lumen to get an acceptable quality picture, you could buy a projector with that rating and worry about the screen later. Or you could buy a cheaper 1000 lumen model and match it to a projector screen with a gain of 1.5. This would give you an effective image brightness of 1500 lumen at a reduced cost.

Very High Gain Projector Screens

Typical cheap projector screens have gains of between 1 and 1.2. Gains of 1.5 to 1.8 are achieved with high quality perlescent finishes at about double the cost. If money is no object and you need the maximum gain possible then you need a chromatically matched projector screen.
Gains of up to 4 can now be achieved with matched projectors and screens. An lcd projector only transmits 3 narrow wavelengths of light in Red, Green and Blue. A matched projector screen is covered with material that reflects only these wavelengths. Almost all of the ambient light is absorbed or scattered, so the projected image appears very much brighter.

The Downside of High Projector Screen Gain

Whilst projector screen gain might help you use a cheap lcd projector in brighter rooms than it could cope with on its own, there are 3 trade-offs. These are the viewing angle, color shifting and uneven brightness.

High gain projector screens limit the viewing angle. For a screen with a gain of 1 the picture appears high quality out to about 50 degrees from the projector. But at a gain of 1.5 that viewing angle is reduced to about 35 degrees. Over 2 and the viewing angle is down to around 25 degrees, making it much more difficult to layout your room.

Color shifting happens due to the surface properties of the higher gain screens. A true white screen will render colors accurately. By trying to manipulate the way light reflects, a high gain screen can cause a shift in some of the colors. This is rarely a reason not to buy, unless you really do need the colors to be spot on.

The biggest impact a high gain projector screen has on image quality is the change is brightness from the center of the screen to the edge. There can be up to 30% difference at gains over 2. This is usually not too much of a problem, but it does become far more noticable the higher the viewing angle.

Conclusion
A little research and a bit of leg work could help you make great savings. Treat the projector screen as an integral part of your system and buy it together with your projector. Visit stores and insist on demonstrations with a variety of lcd projector and screen combinations.

Choosing a good quality, moderate gain (1.4-1.6) projector screen can decrease the cost and increase the performance of your system. A cheap lcd projector can produce a bright, clear image at higher than expected light levels. So whilst your projector screen may cost more, overall you save.

LCDProjectorCenter.com brings together all the latest news and reviews from the world of LCD Projectors. Research your home theater or business presentation LCD Projector at http://www.LCDProjectorCenter.com
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Home Theater Projectors - Keep That Lamp Burning

Increasingly, consumers who want to experience cinema-like viewing in their home opt for a home theater projector. These devices allow users to view their entertainment in a darkened room without the size restrictions of a television screen. However, as most owners will attest to, there is a somewhat significant maintenance expense associated with this type of set up; the expense of the lamp.
Lamp life in a projector is said to be between 2,500 and 4,000 hours but in some instances consumers have reported a lamp life as short as just a few hundred hours. With lamp replacements priced at a few hundred dollars, the shortened life span of a lamp can be an unwelcome surprise. Buyers should take heart however as there are numerous things they can do to help assure their new lamp burns brightly for as long as possible.
• Keep the projector stationary when possible. The filament within the lamp is fragile and is especially vulnerable to damage when it is hot; thus avoiding any jostling, especially when the unit is still hot, is important.
• Keep hands off of the lamp. Bare hands can leave oils on the surface. The oils can get burned onto the surface of the lamp which can cause cracking. Use of a tissue or soft cloth when removing/changing the lamp is wise.
• Turn the lamp off appropriately. o Turn the lamp off about 5 minutes prior to turning off the projector. This allows the fan to cool the unit.o Because turning the power on and off can stress the filament due to sudden voltage increase it is wise to avoid turning it on and off unnecessarily when taking a short break in viewing. Use of the "soft start" function can be beneficial if the projector has it.o On the other hand, an auto standby feature can be useful to assure that the lamp is not inadvertently left burning when viewing is done.
• Keep it clean and cool. Projectors should be housed to assure they are not near a heat source and have adequate venting. There should be nothing obstructing their air intake or exhaust vent. The filter should be cleaned every 3-6 months and changed per manufacturer guidelines to assure good airflow and to keep dust off of the lamp.
As with any light source, the lamp within a projector will eventually fail and need to be replaced. However, proper use and maintenance can help to assure that the projector lamp will realize its full life expectancy rather than placing any unnecessary burden on the owner's budget.
The world of home electronics is always changing, the author, Christine Peppler invites consumers to visit her website at http://www.homemedias.info for simple, useful information and shopping for home electronics.
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LCD Projector Reviews

Product reviews are more popular now as manufacturers seek new ways to entice customers to spend their hard-earned money on their products. Many companies use consumer product reviews as advertisements, and little wonder why they do. Manufacturers do not have to pay extra to advertising companies for expensive ad campaigns. However, the credibility of product reviews has been criticized. A review that simply reads "I really loved your product! Keep it up!" and leaves it at that is not what you should expect from a product review. With regard to buying something as expensive as an LCD projector, being informed about your prospective purchase is very important. Here is an article on how to look for an LCD projector based on product reviews.

Technical information

An informative product review should deal with information that is directly linked to the product being reviewed and it should be specific regarding its details and specifications. A typical informative product review on LCD projectors should contain the following information: resolution, brightness, price, and potential usage (sometimes called the "for-whom" section).

Resolution is how clear and tight the graphics being displayed are and they are usually determined by the number of dots per inch (dpi). A higher resolution means tighter graphics and less pixellation (the grainy quality in some images).

Brightness is exactly that--how bright the image being projected is. This determines from how far away the image can be seen. The brighter the image, the farther away it can be seen.

Reviews that include information on potential usage are particularly helpful. This section allows you to find out specifically if the product you want is applicable to your needs. Simply parallel yourself or your company with any one of the list of potential users, and you will be able to tell at a glance if the product is what you are looking for or not.

The reputation of the reviewer

Anybody can write a product review that is why you should be careful when taking advice from product reviews. If the review you are reading comes from a reputable Web site or magazine, then you should be in good hands. Be sure to do some research on the party doing the review before you take advice from them, or you may end up with a very expensive paperweight.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

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LCD Projector Rentals

There are a few basic rules you need to follow when renting an LCD Projector.

Plan ahead, at least one to two weeks in advance, to make sure the right type of projector is available for rent. The type and power of the LCD Projector should depend on the type of presentation, the size of the audience, viewing angle, viewing distance, room brightness, and location. And remember that more powerful projectors are often larger and heavier so they are not very ideal for mobility.

Double-check to make sure that the projector is fully functional and all the connections such as power supply cord, the VGA cable (if connecting to a standard PC or laptop), or S-video (if connecting to standard video sources like VCRs) are in proper order when renting a LCD Projector.

When dealing with the rental company, inquire if they will be able to deliver the equipment and if they are going to pick it up after use. Make sure they will - in order to avoid accidental damage to the LCD projector (and accessories) when it’s being carried around.

Scheduling multiple presentations in a specific area together can be useful because many rental services feature reduced rates for rentals with longer durations. For example, instead of renting an LCD projector for just two days at the beginning and end of the week, you may save a lot more money by renting it for a for a business week.

LCD projectors are typically more expensive than conventional ones. So, most rental services will allow you to purchase insurance for a small fee, which can be much cheaper than repairing or replacing the projector in case of damage.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

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Home Theater LCD Projectors

The most important aspects of a home LCD projector are its feasibility and efficiency, combined with its usefulness. Compared to the CRT projectors, an LCD chip is amazingly small. An LCD projector is also a viable option in terms of power consumption, which is quite low.

LCD home theater projectors are ideal for business presentations, since they operate successfully in rooms where light is inadequate. An LCD projector is also the most viable and admirable choice for home theater use. One of the key features that make LCD projectors popular is that they are reasonably priced compared to CRT types.

However, the home theater LCD projector is not free from limitations. An LCD projector can frequently display ""the screen door effect"". As the screen consists of separate pixels, the pixels can be evident on a big screen, thereby giving the illusion of seeing the image through a ""screen door"".

An LCD chip consists of a section of different pixels, and in the event of one pixel burning out it presents an irritating black or white blotch on the projected image. Separate pixels cannot be restored, and if a single pixel burns out or the number is greater, the complete chip has to be changed.

One of the crucial factors that should be given adequate emphasis is the fact that the LCD light source in an LCD projector must be substituted from time to time according to the use of the projector. The ideal time to effect the necessary change should be after every 1,000 to 2,000 hours of use. However, the cost can be quite high, going up to a few hundred dollars. Changing the bulb also has its own advantages, since a fresh lamp refreshes the brightness and contrast, and the user can fit bulbs without much difficulty.

Home Theater Projectors provides detailed information on Home Theater Video Projectors, Home Theater LCD Projectors, Home Theater Projector Packages, Home Theater Front Projectors and more. Home Theater Projectors is affiliated with Curtains For Home Theater Screens.

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Digital LCD Projectors

Digital projectors are the modern replacements for the rather traditional transparency projectors. Transparency projectors worked by shining light through a semi-transparent material. Digital projectors, by contrast, project a digital image directly from a computer through a lens on to a screen.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) digital projectors are much lighter and more portable than their CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) versions, making them widely popular. With the advent of new LCD technologies, digital projectors have been developed which have very clear and crisp fidelity even at large projection sizes. The LCDs used in digital projectors are approximately the size of a small color slide, and in fact the projectors operate very much like a traditional slide projector. The main difference is that the slide is constantly changing.

A Digital LCD projector has its light source contained within its base. It projects light upwards through the transparent image (which sits on a glass "stage") to a lens on the top ("head") of the unit and out onto the projection screen. In other words, the light shines through the image to project it. These projectors work well with printed film transparencies or an LCD panel computer display and provide bright, sharp images.

Slightly higher end Digital LCD Projectors can be used for Cinema/exhibition, Post-production, On-screen advertising, Digital film mastering, Multi-media theatrical productions or other large entertainment venues. Most of the recent Digital LCD projectors can be installed with existing film projectors and also provide an interface for theatre automation equipment.

The future of digital projectors is exciting, with new technologies constantly being developed. As more and more theatres switch to digital projection, consumers cannot help but reap the benefits. As these technologies become more affordable they will inevitably find their way into home systems and allow each of us to experience the joy of a full theatre projection in our own home.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

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LCD Projector Lamps

One of the few LCD projector parts that can be replaced is the projector lamp. LCD projector lamps vary by model, so selection usually depends on the manufacturing company and types such as Incandescent, Compact Fluorescent, Halogen, and HID such as Metal halide and Low/High Pressure Sodium, 3M Projector, Full Spectrum, and Ballasts, to name a few.

The total lamp life is the expected operating time of the projector lamp, which is expressed in terms of hours. Most LCD projectors use a metal halide source with a lamp life of 750 to 4,000 hours or more. Lamp life is not a very useful measurement, since they gradually grow dimmer without burning out and will continue to function even if they are too dim to be considered usable. So the term “peak lamp life” - the time the lamp will last at eighty to ninety percent of total brightness – is commonly used by manufacturers.

In contrast to metal halide lamps that burn with a very white light, halogen lamps burn with a yellowish light, at a steady rate, and have a consistent brightness throughout lamp life; but they only last approximately seventy hours per bulb. Therefore, they are also less expensive.

LCD projector lamps last the longest when the LCD projector is operated in "economy mode," frequently powered down for cool-down periods, and operated in a clean, fairly dust-free environment. Projectors that are subjected to constant use have the highest probability of lamp failure before the end of the rated hours.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Marlborough