I am a self-proclaimed movie maniac. I can watch movies back to back all through the weekend. I have turned my living room into a home theater simply by buying a LCD video projector. Projectors have taken home cinema viewing to new levels. Now, I do not need any fancy equipment. My LCD projector, the pale white wall, the DVD player and a bowl of popcorn are my favorite companions over the weekend.
What is a LCD Projector
LCD is acronym for ‘Liquid Crystal Display’. The paradox here is that we are using the term liquid and crystal together. Well, this is the case of the LCD Projector the heat from the halogen bulb converts the crystal into a liquid.
LCD Projector Working
The LCD video projector contains three LCD panels. At the center of the projector is a halogen bulb, which is surrounded by the panels. The panels produce light. As the halogen bulb heats up, the crystals melt and allow more light to pass through. Hence, the intensity of the halogen bulb brings about the difference in the tones. Higher the temperature of the bulb, lighter the tone and vice a versa.
Images travel to the tube present inside the projector from the DVD player or the satellite box. These images in turn bounce on a screen that is coated with phosphor. Every fragment of light hitting the screen is termed pixel. On hitting the screen, the pixel breaks down into its color component that is red, blue or green.
The heat produced by the halogen bulb is controlled by the voltage that flows into the LCD video projector. Considering the voltage that flows into the projector, the 3 LCD panels can produce more than sixteen million colors. This is what enables us to view all the subtle colors of a sunset.
A single panel is for a single color; meaning one panel handles all the pixels that are created by the red color, the second for blue and the third for green. The color images travel as three separate beams of light and hit the wall. Here the colors fall on each other to produce the true color.
LCD Projector Mounts
The LCD Projectors available these days provide the feature of displaying the image upside down so that they can be mounted on the ceiling. Although, this is a common feature, some manufactures have not incorporated this feature as yet.
An LCD Projector mount allows you to mount your projector to the ceiling. While purchasing a mount, ensure that the mount can be rotated 360 degrees and also provides the flexibility of mounting to the wall and angled ceilings. Facility to route the cable inside the channel should also be available.
LCD projector lamps (Bulbs)
A LCD projector bulb is a key item in the projector itself and can cost anywhere between $200 and $500. Therefore, it is very important to consider the listed lamp life before purchasing the projector. A listed lamp life of about 2000 hours is the benchmark. Some projectors also provide mode choices, for example, the ‘eco-mode’, which not only extends the life of the lamp; it also reduces the operating cost of the projector. The two most commonly used bulbs are the metal halide and the UHP type because they project a very white light. The range of listed life of these bulbs is 750 to 2000 hours. While the halogen bulbs have a shorter life span and project light with a yellow tinge, xenon lamps are used in the high-end projectors.
LCD Projector Resolution
The resolution of a LCD projector can be defined in four different categories:
- UXGA (1600 x 1200): provide very high resolution and are very expensive. They can support a very broad range of computer equipment.
- SXGA (1280 x 1024): provide high-resolution images. These projectors are targeted for people with high-end personal computers.
- XGA (1024 x 768): provide relatively low-resolution images when compared to UXGA and SXGA. However, as they are less expensive, they are more popular.
- SVGA (800 x 600): is the most popular resolution today because they are available at a reasonable cost and display great images. LCD projectors with SVGA are ideal for personal computer.
The key factor that decides the cost of a LCD projector is the resolution. If you need it for business purposes wherein you have to give presentations on a daily basis, then you can go for the higher end models. However, if you need it only for personal requirements, like catching up old classics over the weekend like I do, then you can opt for lower resolutions so that it leaves you with enough money to rent the DVD….