Choosing a Portable Projector
With so many portable projectors on the market today, buying the right one can seem just as difficult as something like buying a new car. Like a new car, you have to choose the one that best suits your needs; and also like a new car, there are several different sizes, features, manufacturers, and prices. So should you look for the same qualities in a projector as in a car?
Absolutely. You’ll want a high quality projector with all the right features and for the right price; the exact same things you would want in a car. But what are the features you should be looking for in a portable projector?
There are actually five general characteristics of a portable projector that can narrow down your choices to the right projector. If you can decide on how bright your portable projector should be, its size and weight, its resolution, any miscellaneous features you may want, and finally its cost, then you can easily find a smaller range of projectors that would be suitable for you.
Brightness
Deciding on how bright your portable projector should be requires you to predict your projection environments. Ambient light and audience size are the two determinant factors in projector brightness. Large audiences require larger images which can only be provided by a brighter projector, and well lit rooms also require a bright projector to clearly display images.
A projector’s brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. While most of today’s projectors are now starting at 1000 or more lumens, the absolute minimum a road warrior needs would be a 1500 lumens projector to accommodate for the varying environments they’ll be presenting in. 1500 ANSI lumens should be adequate for an audience of up to 8 to 10 people in a small conference room with low to medium ambient lighting. Above that, you’re probably going to need an 1800 to 2500 lumens projector for larger meeting rooms or lecture halls. For larger venues such as auditoriums, 3000 lumens might be a minimum to start at.
Weight and Size
Another neccessity with choosing a portable projector is finding the smallest and lightest one available. While it is possible to carry around a 7 lb. or heavier projector, every extra pound that you add can be felt, especially since you won’t be carrying around just the projector. When you add in the weight of your laptop, luggage, and all the other accessories and miscellaneous things you bring when you travel, 7 lbs. becomes much heavier than you may think. The target weight for an ultra portable projector is roughly 2 ~ 5 lbs, anything heavier than that might become cumbersome and bulky. Remember to factor in the projector’s accessories when choosing, since there may be an extra pound or two between the remote, power cord, cables, and any other accessories.
Weight is generally proportional to the size of a projector, so when a projector is light, it is also small. Small projectors can sometimes fit into laptop bags for extra convenience or into other small compartments. Unfortunately, size is also generally proportional to how powerful a projector is. If you require an ultra bright projector with lots of features, chances are, it’s going to be much bigger and bulkier than a lower lumens portable projector.
Resolution
When you need to provide clear and sharp presentation, a high resolution projector should be a top consideration. There will be some situations that require you have at least a native XGA (1024 x 768) resolution minimum, such as spreadsheets, high resolution photographs, and most detail intensive applications. While most projectors today have at least a native XGA resolution, it is possible to do certain presentations with a lower SVGA (800 x 600) resolution, however, PowerPoint presentations tend to have larger graphics and words that are not distorted by a low resolution display. A higher native resolution projector can display both high and low resolution graphics, whereas a low native resolution projector can only display low resolution graphics and will scale and distort high resolution content. Unfortunately, higher resolution projectors also tend to cost more, though today, even the native XGA resolution projectors have fallen in price to the point where XGA can almost be considered the entry level resolution.
Other Features
After deciding on all the major specifications for the projector, you can then decide on all the other smaller features of the projector. There are hundreds of small features on projectors, so finding one with everything you need may not be easy. Some of the most popular features to look for are DLP or LCD display types, HDTV compatibility, international voltage compatibility, multiple input and output connections, noise level, keystone correction and a wide range of accessories. But those are just some of the most popular features; there are plenty of other features that are useful in their own way. It’s best to look around at a wide variety of projectors and their features to see which each has to offer, because some of these features may be vital for your presentations.
Cost
The very last factor that determines what portable projector you decide on should be the cost of it. While it is important that you do not break the bank on a projector, portable projectors only vary a few hundred dollars between low-end and very high-end projectors. A few hundred dollars isn’t that big of a deal when the range of portable projectors already varies from $1,000 ~ $2,000 USD for some of the best quality portables. Depending on what features you have decided on from the above specifications, the projector you are looking for could cost very little or very much, but the important thing is that you don’t give up the things you need just because of a price tag.
