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.
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.
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.
