Video Projector Buying Tips

Whether you need a video projector for home or work, the need is there and for that you need to go into a store and buy one. There are different types of video projectors these days from overhead to digital projectors. Here are some video projector buying tips to make your shopping a little simpler:

• Manufacturer or Make: there are hundreds of video projector manufacturers these days and that makes the task of choosing one that much more difficult. To help you make an informed decision, here is a piece of information that will simplify the whole process; no manufacturer makes the parts of the video projector themselves, they always pick up parts from other manufacturers, so it can be fair to say that most video projectors will have similar components from common manufacturers. Get reviews from magazines and websites that specialize in technology. It is always good to do some research before you buy a high-end product or projector in this case, and if it’s a digital projector then its going to cost you some big bucks. Also look for companies and manufacturers that offer warranties and support. Some of the most popular brands are Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp and Epson.
• Technology: there are different types of technology where video projectors are concerned, but the most popular are the LCD and DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology. DLP technology uses tiny mirrors to reflect light on to the screen. A DLP video projector is expensive and best suited for corporate use. If you want a video projector for home use, then the LCD technology is best and more cost effective.
• Resolution: the resolution is an important deciding factor where selecting a video projector is concerned. The older models of video projectors are VGA and SVGA with a resolution of 640*480 and 800*600 respectively. These were good for movie and images of low resolution, but were not good for high-resolution images or for 3D modeling, games, simulation and CAD. The more popular models are now the XGA and SXGA which have a resolution of 1024*768 and 1280*1024. Choose according to your need and the price you can afford, as high-resolution video projectors are expensive.
• Color Depth: this is the depth of the color on the LCD screen or the number of colors the projector can project on a monitor or LCD panel. A standard color depth is 16-bit, though 24-bit is a better bet.
• Lamps: you need to check the type of lamp used before buying a video projector. Check its replacement price and life expectancy. These days the lamps work for a minimum of 10,000 hours.
• Brightness: the brightness is quantified in lumens. The higher the lumens the better the picture quality and this is subject to the light conditions. For home use a projector with 2000 lumens is considered decent. But for corporate use and business presentations a video projector with up to 4000 lumens is a good buy.
• Connections: while choosing a projector see what kind of connection it requires. Most come with composite, S-Video and RGB connections but the newer models have DVI inputs for connections for video systems like digital video cameras. Get a video projector with a remote for convenience.
• Type of projection: depending on where you are going to place the projector, you need to choose a long throw or short throw projector. Short throw is for shorter distances and long throw is for longer distances.

Enjoy all the video viewing on your new video projector that is as swanky as it gets.