Recommend a Specific Projector?

Question

I'm looking for specific model recommendations on a projector for our church? We'd use it to project movies, as well as powerpoints, etc.

Answer 1

You don't specify price range or viewing conditions ... both of which make a specific answer difficult.

That said, I'm going to assume $2000 - $5000 range and that the projector will be used in a large room with some light in the room (i.e. not totally dark).

The most important for your stated use is brightness (= or > 2000 lumens recommended)

I also recommend a 4:3 screen ratio (This allows photographs and older movies or SDTV to be projected in a large format while allowing widescreen movies (I'm assuming HDTV is not a likely program source) to be projected with bars on top and bottom). Many will not agree, but if you plan to watch more than 20% 4:3 material you will quickly regret the limitations (a small image as a subset of the 16:9 image) of a widescreen format projector.

There are three basic types of projector: Digital Light Processing (DLP), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS). There are a number of LCOS, LCD or DLP projectors that come to mind and any would work for you. The first in the list below is my favorite and the only 4:3 projector of the group.

- Canon Realis SX-60 (LCOS, 4:3)
- Panasonic AX100 (LCD, 16:9)
- Optoma EP1690 (DLP, 15:9)
- Sanyo PLV-75 (LCD, 16:9)

I've provided a link to a review of each.

Answer 2

You do not need a high definition projector forDVD movies. but slide presentations benefit from a high-rsolution image (much easer to read and easier on the eyes). Do some research at http://www.projectorcentral.com/. You may find some good buys on e-bay. Do not forget the screen. It is an important component, and a painted wall or white sheet is not good enough. Look for Da-Lite screens.

Answer 3

DLP is the best way to go because you can adjust screen size based on distance from screen to projector and works well in rooms that still have a lot of lighting. Used in Economical mode, you can get up to 10,000 hours of life on a single bulb.