Projectors

What is a projector?

A projector is an optical device that projects images (or moving images) from a computer and reproduces them on to a screen wall or other surface. The surface its projected on is usually large flat and of a light colour so you can clearly see the image

How does a projector work?

The old method of projection is where light passes through the film and through an imaging lens which then displays a larger version of the image on to a screen or wall

Short or long throw?

One of the most important things you will need to know when selecting a projector is if its short or long throw as this determines the amount of distance you need to throw the image from the projector to the screen. The difference in a projector's throw distance is decided by the type of lens it uses, with long throws generally being cheaper to build than short throw due to the quality of glass necessary to make them work

Long throw projectors require a distance of at least 6ft from projector to the screen. And are ideal for larger rooms and halls conference centres

Short throw create greater images at a lesser distance. Which is great for smaller rooms, schools and small businesses

Ultra-short throw

These projectors can create an image of 100ft from 15ft away and mainly used for commercial applications

Types of Projectors

DLP (Digital Light Processing)

These projectors contain microscopic mirrors that tilt either towards or away from the light to create a light or dark pixel on the projection screen

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

The light source for an LCD projector is a standard lamp. An LCD projector allows the source light to pass through the three coloured liquid crystal display light panels. The panels in turn allow some colours to pass through and block some colours to form the images on the screen.

LCoS Liquid crystal on Silicon

LCoS projectors shine light through a panel to create an image. Unlike LCD projectors which shine a light through a single LCD panel, the light from an LCoS projector reflects off three individual LCoS panels, which are then combined to produce the image

LED projectors

Light-emitting diode projectors have a significant advance over traditional projectors they use an array of LEDs to generate the light that shines through, or off of, the image element to project an image. These LED projectors run cooler, consume less energy, have more accurate colour and can last longer which is great in a business environment