Not too long ago, price points for Digital Projectors were so high that buying one would be considered a true luxury. Those days have come and gone however and if you have been holding off on purchasing one till now, your waiting has paid off! With price points at an all time low and feature sets at an all time high, there truly has never been a better time to get a great value on a high quality digital projector. Sifting through the wide array of options may seem a bit daunting at first; however, the process can be made easer by first asking your self a few key questions.

• What is my budget?
• What am I mainly going to be using the projector for: movies, video games, business presentations, etc?
• How large is the room that I intend to mainly use the projector in?
• How important is portability?
• Do you plan to mount this projector to a ceiling?
• What are you connecting the projector to? Where is it getting its signal from?
• Are you planning to use this projector outdoors?

With some of these questions in mind, our buyers guide will now take you step by step through the some of the most important aspects of choosing an Digital Projector most suitable for your needs.

Native Resolution

Resolution is simply the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. The more pixels it uses, the higher the resolution. Even though some projectors may be able to work with several resolutions, there is one "native" resolution at which it works best. To get the best image, match the resolution of your projector with the resolution of your computer. Most newer projectors have higher resolutions to match most current laptop computers. The most common resolution today is XGA (1,024 x 768). For higher resolutions, such as SXGA (1,280 x 1,024), you'll pay a higher price for the projector.

SVGA 800 x 600

SVGA projectors are great for those on a tight budget. They are good for PowerPoint presentations or those that include clip art or line drawings. They're good for black and white, showing documents, etc. They are not good for presentations that require a lot of detail.

XGA 1,024 x 768

Most computers still output in native XGA, so matching an XGA projector to your computer ensures you won't lose any detail. These are good general purpose projectors. Most 1280x720 projectors offer very good to excellent DVD video quality. In addition, they have the unique advantage of being able to display HDTV 720p in native format without scaling.

SXGA 1,280 X 1,024

These high resolution projectors are targeted for high end personal computer users and mid range business class use.

UXGA 1600 x 1,200

UXGA is for very high end high resolution workstation applications that require exacting detail. The key advantage to this resolution is that it will display HDTV 1080i signals, as well as 1080i and 1080p signals from HD DVD and Blu-ray disc players, all in native format without any scaling. This gives you the sharpest and most detailed images available today.

Contrast Ratio

Contrast is the difference between the brightest (white) and darkest (black) parts of the screen. Contrast helps to define the depth of an image, and is important when projecting video images. A good projector will have a contrast ratio of at least 500:1 or more. The higher the contrast ratio, the better the projected image with the best quality projectors having a contrast ratio of 2,000:1 or more.

Brightness

Measured in lumens (lm), the brightness of the projector should be a key factor in your decision making process.

The bigger the audience or room, the bigger and brighter the image must be. The brightness level of a projector depends on the kind of environment you will be using it. Will you be in a small classroom, a conference room, or a large lecture hall or auditorium? Will the room be lit or darkened?

These are some of the factors you must consider when purchasing a LCD projector. Trade show floors, for example, and other lighted environments require brighter images, while darkened rooms need less brightness. Typically, you should have at least 1,000 lumens to project effectively in a lighted room. For very large installations, 10,000 lumens is required.

Below is a rough guide that should help narrow down your decision:

• 1000-1200 lumens - Use in rooms where the lights are off or their is low level ambient light.
• 1500-2000 lumens - Use in rooms with some ambient light
• 2000-2500 lumens - Use in rooms where the lights are on or there is a high level of ambient light.
• 2500 lumens - Needed for audiences of less than 100 with ambient light
• 3000 lumens - Needed for audiences of 100 to 200 with ambient light
• 5000 lumens - Needed for audiences of 100 or more with bright room lighting.

Aspect Ratio

The Aspect Ration is the ratio (in terms of width relative to height) that the projector will display in. The heretofore existing standard has been 4 X 3, however the more popular choice for a home theater nowadays is to go with a 16X9 projector. Each aspect ratio has its own particular advantage but for most home users who plan to view HDTV programming as well as widescreen DVD’s 16 X 9 is the way to go.

Summary

With price points continually coming down and feature sets continually going up, it is a great time to purchase a Digital Projector. With all of the above considerations in hand you should now be better equipped to make a more informed choice when choosing a Digital Projector that best suits your needs.