2. Give them the following minimum specifications:
Native XGA
1000+ Lumens
2000+ hour lamp life
Portability/installation concerns
Vendor should train users
3 year warranty/loaner required during unit repairs
order one extra bulb at the same time as the projector
($300-$450each)
3. Expect to spend $4,500 - $6,500 for a good one.
4. Demo units still under factory warranty are a good option to reduce cost.
5. Invite all potential users to the demonstration. AV Services will attend at your request.
Resolution- At least 800x600 native(SVGA) with 1024x768(XGA) compressed; XGA native preferred. Check with the people who will use it! Their needs will determine this, the most important feature.
Brightness-Minimum of 750 lumens; 1000+ lumens with room lights on or for long distances
Lamp Life- 1000+ hours; 2000+ hour lamps are becoming more common and are preferred, considering the inconvenience and price of replacement ($350+)
Price- Spend as much as you want, but the best value for conference room/classroom projectors is around $6000
Warranty- You will want three years of warranty coverage, usually you will need to pay extra for it. See if loaners are sent out while it is being repaired - coverage preferred, pay the money and save yourself the stress. Rentals are very expensive.
Non-proprietary cabling-If one cable does it all for all kinds of sources with that projector, it will be near impossible and expensive to replace if it breaks. Get one that uses standard VGA cables.
Mount- Will this unit be mounted in a permanent installation?
Projector Central - comparisons and info
We are familiar with projectors from the following manufacturers:
Eiki
Proxima
Sharp
InFocus
Boxlight
Sanyo
Philips
2. Select proper input for the computer.
3. Connect computer to projector using the supplied 15 pin VGA cable.
4. Turn on computer. Be patient; it may take a minute or two to recognize the projector.
5. The laptop may have a way to toggle between having the image appear on the laptop only, projector only, or both. This is usually accomplished by pressing the Fn key and one of the ten function keys at the top of the keyboard. The key normally has LCD/CRT or two symbols separated by a / imprinted on it. Read your laptop manual.
2. Data projector bulbs take over a minute to reach full brightness, be patient.
3. They should be turned off when not in use. Bulbs are very expensive.
4. If turned off, allow to cool for at least five minutes before attempting
to restart. It will not want to restart immediately after
shutting off, and may completely fail to operate. If this has occurred,
do the following:
turn off projector's main power rocker switch
unplug the power cord
wait 5 minutes
plug back in
turn on unit
5. The air filters should be cleaned after each semester. Contact AV Services at #2461.
6. Do not attempt to change the bulb (this is rarely the problem) since most bulbs last at least 1000-2000 hours. Contact AV Services. We do not stock spares, so make sure you buy an extra when you purchase the projector.