Projector Lamps World Blog

A projector is used to enlarge small visual media formats such as video, film, and slides for a whole group or audience to see. A projector reads the original image and uses a series of mirrors or prisms and a lamp to duplicate and enlarge it. It’s then projected onto a screen or blank white wall.

Nearly any image can be enlarged and projected with the right type of projector. Common uses of projectors include:

• Film and video viewing
• Slide shows
• Teaching in classrooms and other educational forums
• Presentations, including power point formats
• Any image on a personal computer that the user wishes to show the audience

Different types of projectors are made for different purposes. A projector purchased for watching movies at home is different from a commercial film projector or an overhead projector like the ones teachers use in a classroom. Deciding which projector is right for you largely depend on your needs. Some projectors serve a wide variety of needs, while some are intended for a specific use.

This guide is intended to help you narrow your projector choices down to the type of projector that fits your needs best. There are two types of modern projectors that are attractive to many groups because both serve multiple needs: LCD and DLP.

An LCD projector is commonly used for displaying video and computer images. LCD stands for “liquid crystal display.” The projector lamp sends light through a series of prisms that separate the light into the red, blue, and green spectrum's that comprise the video signal. The image is recreated as the prisms polarize the light and isolate individual pixels, which are opened or closed to varying degrees to allow the proper amount of light to pass through and mix together to create a variety of colors.

DLP projectors are used for digital cinema projection, in addition to front projection use in classrooms and other presentation venues, and rear projection use in televisions and signs such as digital billboards. DLP stands for “digital light processing” and uses a series of small mirrors on a matrix, with each mirror representing one or more pixels in the projected image. Projectors with more mirrors project a higher-resolution and higher-quality image. DLP projectors that have one mirror per pixel create the highest resolution images.

DLP versus traditional film projection: While many commercial cinemas are now using DLP projectors for convenience, some cinemas still use 35mm and 70mm film projectors to display images from moving pictures in theaters. Although the quality of traditional film is unmatched in theory, in practice it’s a format that is easily damaged, which can create poor image quality. Film reels may also break mid-screening and require the projectionist to patch the film back together before the show can continue. The technology of DLP projection offers cinemas the following benefits over traditional film projectors.

• A single projector can display movies in multiple formats.
• Projectionists don’t need to be specially trained in film reel splicing and taping.
• It’s the highest quality available after a film projector.
• Film reels are more expensive to purchase and take up significantly more room in storage than modern formats. They can also be damaged in storage by heat, and lose quality over time the more they are used for projection.
• Replacing dated or broken film projection equipment with DLP is a cost-effective way to transition from one format to the other, and it can be done per theater over time.

Pick a Projector Based on Your Viewing and Format Needs

Many people, businesses, and organizations interested in media projection need it for multiple uses.

• At home, families use projectors for movie watching from both DVDs and direct streaming from a computer. They can also be hooked up to televisions to project a direct TV signal.
• Classrooms use projectors for everything from showing movies to overhead projection and displaying computer screens directly for full class viewing of websites, word processing, and a long list of other programs.
• Businesses may use projection for training, continuing education, and presentations.
• Commercial uses include everything from digital billboards to cinematic and theatrical viewing.

Both LCD and DLP projectors work well for a variety of commercial, home, business, and educational uses. Both types of projectors offer a wide range of image quality and prices. Generally speaking, lower resolution LCD projectors and single chip DLP projectors are more affordable because the image quality is lower, so these formats are found more often in homes, schools, small businesses, and nonprofit theaters. Three-chip DLP projectors and high-resolution projectors have better image quality, but can be significantly more expensive, so they are more often found in cinemas and other commercial applications.