ProAVblog

Presentation Technology for Education and Business Applications

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During presentations, whether in an education or business setting, speakers use audiovisual equipment and technology to make an impact and hold the audience’s attention. These different pieces of equipment work together to create an informational and entertaining presentation.

Projectors

Projectors are commonly used in educational and business settings to display information, data, and multimedia during a presentation. They use three different types of technology, which are: LCD, DLP 1 and 3 chip  and Laser. Each type has its own advantages and can be chosen based on preference.

Other than their technology, projectors can differ from one another in these ways as well:

  • Brightness

Brightness is measured in lumens. The higher the lumens, the brighter the projector will be. Be sure to look at both the white brightness and color brightness. In an educational or business setting, it should have a higher lumen rating on both because it will likely need to compete with other light sources in the room.

  • Contrast Ratio

Contrast is the amount of difference between the darkest and brightest areas of a picture. The contrast ratio is very important and a higher contrast ratio will make the colors look better.

  • Resolution

This is the total number of pixels the projector can display. The more pixels that fit in the display, the more detailed the image will be. In educational and business applications, formats like SVGA 800×600 pixels and XGA 1026×768 pixels 4:3  are great for PowerPoint presentations while higher resolutions like WXGA 1280 x 800 16:10 (720P), 1620 x 1200 WUXGA 16:10 are better for photography and data graphics.

  • Throw Ratio

The throw ratio describes how wide the image will be when the projector is a certain distance away from the screen. This aspect is important to look at when installing a permanent projector in a room. In smaller classrooms or conference rooms, a short throw projector will be the best fit.

  • Lens Zoom

Lens zoom is important for portable projectors. When traveling for presentations, there won’t always be control over the screen size or placement of the projector. To fix this, adjust the image size with the lens zoom. The greater the zoom ratio, the larger the image can be made.

  • Keystone Correction/Lens Shift

Again, for portability, look at the keystone correction and lens shift. When unable to place the projector perpendicular to the screen, the keystone correction allows the user to correct distortion so it is perfectly straight. Lens shift also corrects distortion, however it is corrected manually instead of digitally.

  • Portability

When presenting in an educational or business setting, traveling to venues is required. In this situation, a portable projector can make setting up for the presentation in a different environment easier. Portable projectors are lightweight and compact.

  • Connections

Projectors built for educational and business applications generally have VGA and USB inputs. Some have DVI or HDMI as well. For the sake of convenience and ease, however, find a projector with wireless capabilities. This allows the user to send the presentation or visual aid to the projector via laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Projector Screens

There are four types of projector screens available to pair with the projector. They are:

  • Motorized

These screens can be raised or lowered with a control. They can be ceiling or wall-mounted for maximum retractability. This is the best type of screen in situations where it would be difficult to pull down the screen manually.

  • Fixed

Fixed projector screens are wall-mounted and do not raise or lower. This type of screen is best used in a room dedicated only to presentations that require the projector.

  • Manual

This projector screen raises and lowers by hand, allowing the space to be used for other purposes.

  • Portable

For traveling presentations, a portable screen is a must. It can be packed away and carried around easily since it is compact. For support, it has either tripod legs or a built-in stand.

After choosing which style of projector screen will work best for your situation, the next step is comparing screen surfaces. There are many to choose from such as gray, white, high contrast, glass bead, etc. While each has its own advantages, matte white is the most versatile and will work for any educational or business presentation.

The size of the screen depends on a few factors related to the venue it will be used in and the projector itself.

  • Throw Ratio

Knowing the throw ratio of the projector will allow the user to choose the best size screen to complement it. If the screen is chosen before the projector, choose a larger one than is thought necessary. It is better to have extra room than to have the image spilling off the sides.

  • Screen Placement

The screen should be elevated at least four feet from the floor so everyone in the room can see it easily. The height should be about 1/5 the distance of the farthest viewer. Make sure it has favorable viewing angles for everyone.

Microphones

In a larger venue, like a lecture hall, it can be challenging to hear the presentation without amplified sound. A complete commercial sound system might not be necessary, but a microphone is generally required. Mobility is the largest factor when choosing a microphone for presentation purposes.

  • Handheld

While it produces high quality audio, this style of microphone leaves the presenter with only one hand. For those who don’t need to make gestures or don’t mind holding it, a handheld microphone is prefect.

  • Hands free

For a hands free presentation, there are many clip on wireless microphone systems. They connect via a body pack transmitter, allowing the speaker to move about the venue freely. However, these can have feedback issues when used improperly. Frequently they are clipped in the middle of the user’s chest and are not positioned close enough to the speaker’s mouth. A solution to this issue is to use a wireless headset microphone or ear set mic. These options keep the microphone positioned within inches of the mouth. Even when the presenter turns their head to the side, the headset or ear set stays in a consistent proximity to the mouth.

  • Podium Microphone

In many educational or business settings, the presenter is standing behind a podium of some sort. A gooseneck microphone allows for handsfree speaking, while standing in one spot. It can be bent and angled for different speakers as well.

These three pieces of AV equipment provide speakers the necessary technology for any presentation in an educational or business setting. Let AV Superstore help find the perfect equipment for any presentation need.

DLP, LCD, Laser and LED Projectors

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The popularity of projectors is growing every year. This is quite natural because modern projectors come with many different features that make these optical devices even more useful. Their popularity increased significantly after the introduction of the so-called slide projectors in the early 1950s. (1) The rapid progress of modern technology has allowed manufacturers to come up with many unique projector solutions.

LCD Projectors

Today, there are four major types of projectors – DLP, LCD, Laser and LED projectors. Each of these projectors has advantages and disadvantages. You should learn more about them before making a purchase. In this way, you can rest assured that your business, school, or office will have the most suitable projector for your specific use. Now let’s highlight the basic characteristics of these projectors

 

1. DLP Projectors

DLP or Digital Light Processing is a unique technology first introduced by Texas Instruments. This projector works by projecting light from the lamp of the projector onto a special DLP chip. This chip consists of thousands of small mirrors. These mirrors actually represent pixels. The majority of DLP projectors come with only one chip so if the user wants to reproduce images in color which is generally the case, then the projector will also include a color wheel with blue, green, red and white filters.

One of the best things about DLP projectors is the fact that they are lighter and smaller especially when compared to standard LCD projectors. In addition, they provide better contrast and they do not suffer from pixelation problems like other projectors. Finally, they are relatively inexpensive. The only downside with the DLP projectors is that some people will notice the change of colors during projection. They will be able to distinguish the blue, green and red colors as the images are changing.

 

2. LCD Projectors

LCD or Liquid Crystal Display is one of the most popular projectors used in schools, businesses, and homes today. These projectors have three independent LCD panels for the basic colors of the image – blue, green and red. When the light goes through the LCD panels, individual picture elements/pixels are opened or closed. In other words, they are either blocking or letting light through.

Even though LCD projectors are one of the most popular projectors today, they have advantages and disadvantages too. For example, most users like to point out that LCD projectors provide clearer and more accurate colors. This clarity is a result of the 3 independent LCD panels that these projectors use. In addition to the nice, sharp image, they use the light in a more efficient way, resulting in lower energy consumption. It’s also worth mentioning that there are full HD LCD projectors available today which have eliminated the problems with pixelation sometime found in ordinary LCD projector models. The other disadvantage is that they produce less visible contrast.

Laser Projectors

3. Laser Projectors

Laser projectors are specially designed devices that are able to project alternating laser beams on a screen in order to reproduce a moving image. Its housing includes galvanometer scanners, mirrors, lasers and other elements. There are two subtypes of laser projectors available today – RGB (red, green and blue color) which contain three light sources and provide a full-color display, and mono-color laser projectors with one source of laser light.

The list of advantages associated with laser projectors is very long. First, there are almost no

maintenance costs involved when you are using a laser projector.  The lamp life is very long – 20,000 hours which means that this is an excellent option for those who want to use a projector on a daily basis. This projector doesn’t require a cooling-off period, they provide accurate colors and they are energy efficient too. However, they are one of the most expensive options on the market and the laser cannot be replaced once it stops working.

 

4. LED Projectors

The most important thing about LED projectors (Light Emitting Diode) is the lighting used in them. (2)  The diodes in the LED projector rely on a process known as electroluminescence to create light. The electricity passes through semiconducting materials to project the image.

LED projectors have a longer life compared to most projectors. They also don’t require cool-off and warm-up time – you can start using them right away. These projectors are also considered to be very energy efficient. However, if you want an LED projector you should be prepared to pay more. In addition, they have lower light output ratings.

Final thoughts

If you are looking for a projector for commercial use, you should take a few things into consideration – the size of the room where the projector will primarily be used, the light in the room, the frequency of use, your budget and a few other things. Review the advantages and disadvantages of each style of projector discussed in this article to help with your decision. Contact the staff at AV Superstore for help making the right selection for your needs.

LED Projectors