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The Region 2 Symposium 2005 This and That from AHS to Region 2Rick Parsley: Digital Projectors (continued from page 24) SVGA, 1000 lumens,about 7lbs: Less than$1000 If light output is between700-1000 lumens,it will require your presentationsto be made ina dark or dimly lit room and will be suitable for smaller,about 80 inch screens. Fair to good for “on the road”digital presentations if at 1000 lumens. SVGA, 2000 lumens, about 6 lbs: Less than $1600 Fine for average rooms. XGA, 2000 lumens, about 6 lbs: Less than $2000 Suitable for normal business conference-room and classroomuse. Light may have to be reduced a little, but atotally dark or dimly lit room is not necessary. Suitable formoderate screen sizes of about 120 inch, diagonally measured,screens. For larger conference rooms you need between 2000-4000lumens. This amount of lumens is needed for large conferencerooms, classroom where a bright image is neededwith full lights on. Projects well on large screens of up to12 feet, measured diagonally. XGA, 2500 lumens, about 10 lbs: Less than $2700 For large auditoriums and classrooms where room light isnecessary, look for 3500 to 5000 lumens and up and don’toverlook the extra high price tags on these projectors.Suitable also for nightclubs, concert halls, auditoriums,churches, and other large rooms. For large screen sizes ofover 10 feet, measured diagonally.Lamp TypesThe most common lamp types are currently Ultra High performanceand ultra High Efficiency lamps. These are also related tobrightness. Some models still use metal halide lamps. Lamp lifeshould be rated in the documentation, and normal life-spans arebetween 1,000 and 4000 hours. Replacement bulbs run about $250to $600. These are the hidden costs of a projector, much as tonercartridges and color cartridges are for printers. OOps, lamps evenbreak! If you are comparing two projectors of the same brightness,it might pay to ask about the wattage of their lamps. Go with thelower-powered bulk that will last longer, will stay cooler, and will bemore efficient than a bulk with higher wattage.Look for a projector that has an “economy mode.” Your printersand computers have a “sleep” mode, so don’t forget that featurewhen you look for a projector. The economy mode reduces thepower consumption, cutting the brightness about 20% in exchangefor less noise, reduced electricity usage, but resulting in a longerlamp life. Some models have a bulb lifespan of 3000 hours in economymode in contrast to 2000 hours in standard mode.Projector LensesZoom lenses are standard in pretty much all projectors on themarket today. Check the lens’s f-number (the smaller the number,the more light) changes at different zoom settings. If the change isminimal, your image will remain uniformly bright regardless of lensposition.Some lenses are manufactured using lightweight plastics. Ifweight is not an issue, try to find a projector with an all-glass lens.Glass is still the optimal filter for projecting images and will give aclearer picture on the screen.Remote ControlUsually, a remote control comes with your projector. It may beimportant to you to have one. Picture yourself standing on thepodium of the Region 2 Symposium. That is where you do need tohave a remote control. You should be able to advance slides, controlaudio volume, switch between input sources, laser point, andzoom.An infrared remote works like a TV remote gadget. A direct line ofsight between the remote and the projector is required. Radio frequency(RF) remote control are becoming more common. These donot require a line of sight, and these are especially useful when youwant to pace around the room while giving a presentation.Picture AdjustmentWe are getting pretty fancy now. If you want to be able to set thecontrast, brightness, and sharpness for a presentation, a “Keystone”correction is useful if you set up your projector at an angle.The keystone correction allows you to remove distortions.Additional Notes and Tips Projectors with less than 1000 ANSI lumens may be enoughfor putting black and white images on the screen in darkrooms, but who--today--still projects black-white images?Perhaps presentations with historical content or specialtyphotography. Not us daylily people! Think of the screen as the size of a computer monitor.People sitting on the sides of a room must be able to seethe image on the screen clearly and without distortion. Consider Portability (weight) Consider Ease of setup and operation (considerwireless projectors)In the 45 minutes Rick was allotted for his Region 2 Symposiumpresentation, he gave us lots of basic, intermediate, andadvanced information. It should have equipped all of us who areinterested in switching from the older carousel-type slide projectorsto go to a vendor and ask intelligent questions and understandthe hi-tech explanations a bit better. However, there is muchmore to know about this kind of projector and understand itsrelationship to laptops/notebooks, and CD presentations.If you can absorb a bit more information, you can callvendors or visit the web pages where various digital projectorsare rated. The best place to start, though, may be at a website thatgives you definitions of the hi-tech, specific terms. One of thoseweb sites is: http://www.projectorcentral.com/glossary/cfm• Daylily Rust Info Page: http://www.ncf.ca/~ah748/rust.html• Spring Sickness Pages: http://www.ncf.ca/~ah748/sstf.htmlPage 34 Spring-Summer 2005 AHS Region 2/Great Lakes Newsletter