Projectors

[Brian Denison]

I wish to purchase a laptop projector but it is a complex field. Prices  range from about £300 to £1000 and there are many properties to consider. I would want to project on to a screen size of  perhaps 8 or 10 width for an audience of 20+ and it is possible there would be some light in the room although not too strong. Has anyone got suggestions on models or how to decide?

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Hello Brian

I have been looking at projectors for quite a while, Lyn may be doing a talk for the local garden club.

As you say a complete minefield.

I think you need to look at a table for each projector which shows the distance away from the screen for the projector to give the size of picture you need.
Price of spare lamp for the different projectors can vary greatly, £250+ is an average price 
And of course brightness of the projected image is a big decision. You have mentioned the ambient light in the room as being one factor, the type of screen is another, and the distance away from the screen.

If we do have to get a projector I reckon we would get one with a light output of 4000 to 5000 ANSI Lumens for a hall, and that would cover pretty well any hall should Lyn decide to do more talks, but at about £50 ish per talk thats going to be a lot of talks to recoup the money for the projector, and by the time you have got the money back it will be time to get a spare lamp, ready for the time it fails during a talk. Which also brings to mind, how easy is it to change the lamp, some are easy some not.

So really I am not much help, guess the best way is to get a demo, if you can find an outlet nearby.

Malcolm

[Lyn and Malcolm]

Here is a link to a usefull calculator

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator.cfm

Malcolm

[Brian Denison]

thanks Malcolm for your useful comments on projectors. I have looked at the website you gave and it seems I will have to pay more than I anticipated for one. After playing around with numbers on this website I agree that somewhere approaching 4000 lumens is perhaps desirable, although none of the models matched those I had already researched - typical. I too wish to give gardening talks and so few venues have projectors. I have resigned myself to the financial outlay given that I will get so much enjoyment and satisfaction out of giving the talk(s) - any remuneration will be a bonus. Regarding the lamp, if its life is 2 to 3000 hours thats an awful lot of talk time. I will keep you informed on what model I get and would appreciate if you do the same ( and if it meets expectations).
PS Don't know why I didn't pick up your comments sooner - still finding my way around the site I guess.
Brian