Appreciate some advice re data projectors 1

[Mike Lewis]

This is probably the wrong place to post this, but I couldn't find anywhere more suitable, so I'll go ahead anyway.

I am shopping around for a data projector. There are dozens to choose from. I've studied the relevant pages on Amazon, and in every case they say the same thing: that the project is "not suitable for PowerPoint".

Can anyone explain what that means? Surely, one of the main uses of a projector is for PowerPoint presentations? And isn't a PowerPoint slide just an image - a bunch of pixels - just like a JPEG, for example? How does the projector even know that PowerPoint was used to produce the image?

Should I buy one of these projectors anyway? Or is there a particular make and model someone can suggest that doesn't have this restriction?

Thanks in advance.

Mike

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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[SamBones]

Well, yes, any projector can display whatever's on your screen. I believe what "not suitable for PowerPoint" is saying is concerning using it in presentation mode.

In presentation mode, PowerPoint has the ability to have the current slide and your presentater notes displayed on your computer, and ONLY the presentation slides going to the projector. That makes what your audience sees from the projector look much more professional. They won't see you clicking around trying to find the folder, or mounting a USB. They won't see you quickly trying to close embarrassing browser windows. They won't see you opening PP and moving around. They will only see a blank screen, then when you start the presentation (WindowKey + P), the first slide in your deck. Clean and professional.

This link shows the steps to do that with PP:

http://its.isber.ucsb.edu/guides/how-setup-powerpoint-projector

BUT, from my experience, if you have Windows 10 and a fairly recent version of PowerPoint, it can make pretty much any connected projector work. As long as the projector looks like another display to Windows, it kind of doesn't matter.

At least that's my experience. I could be ignorant of some issue that makes it "incompatible". Hopefully someone who knows will answer.

 

[SamBones]

Ok, after doing a bit of research (Google ), it looks like those that claim they aren't suitable for PowerPoint really probably aren't. They will work, but your presentation will look bad.

Those that make that claim seem to have a much lower native resolution. Some are like 854x540, so they have to do some games with throwing away pixels. Since they are designed more for watching videos or games, they keep the resolution fairly good towards the center of the screen, and let the edges (top, bottom, and sides) be a little more blurry. So, find an old VGA monitor and see how your presentation looks on it. That's roughly what you'd be displaying on.

So, "not suitable" means it will work, but your audience may not be able to read anything on your slides.

When shopping, look for the "native resolution" of the projector. You should probably try to keep it 1920x1080 or better for a sharp, clear, easy to read presentation.

 

[Andrzejek]

Some projectors I deal with ‘force’ the resolution on the computer they are connected to. You may have your laptop set to the resolution you are accustom to, plug a projector, and the resolution on your laptop changes, gets re-set to what the projector can handle. Older projectors had limited ability as far as resolutions, newer ones get better and better at it.


---- Andy

There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Sam,

Your answers were exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for going to the trouble of researching it.

I am, of course, fully familiar with presentation mode in PowerPoint. I have been using it since Office 2010, and it really does create a professional presentation. But as you rightly surmise, that's not the issue with the projector. Provided the computer recognises the projector as a second monitor, it works fine.

Your second point about the resolution is more relevant. I've now looked at the projector specs more closely, and while most of them say they "support" 1920 x 1080, their native resolution is considerably lower. That applies to all the projectors within my budget price range. If I up the budget, the problem will disappear, but the trade-off is that the more expensive projectors tend to be heavier and bulkier, which is an issue for me.

Anyway, you have answered my question, and I can see how to proceed.

Mike



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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[Mike Lewis]

By the way, I took your advice about trying my presentation on an old VGA monitor. The images were acceptable, but the text much less so. It was readable but lower quality that I would like.

Mike

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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[Mike Lewis]

Andrzejek, thanks for your helpful reply.

Mike

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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[SamBones]

No problem, Mike. Your question made me curious. I had to scratch that itch.

 

[LoPath]

I preach to everyone that will listen - If you're buying projectors, look at getting a laser/LED one. You'll save a ton of money not buying bulbs. I have 7 installed in a large communications center to show maps and stuff on the walls. These run 24x7 and usually last at least a year. We have to get on scaffolding to reach them, so we don't even bother to clean them. When they die, we just replace the whole thing. Our current model is: Casio Core XJ-V2 - DLP projector - portable, which is $482.60 on CDW. (This particular model is 4:3 ratio, 1024x768, but they do make widescreen models)

LoPath
Maintain HiPath 4000 V5 & V6, OpenScape Xpert V4 & V6, OpenScape Xpressions V7, OpenScape Contact Center V8, OpenScape Voice V9

 

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks for that info, LoPath. I was wondering whether it is possible to buy replacement bulbs for a LED projector. I don't recall ever seeing any for sale. So, are you saying that when a LED bulb fails, you buy a new projector?

I agree that the traditional bulbs are horribly expensive. And they have a habit of dying at the worst of times. I've more than once been in the middle of a training course and have had to srabble around for a replacment bulb.

Mike

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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[LoPath]

There are no replacements for the laser/LED projectors. They're just throw-away. We can usually tell when they're getting ready to die, as they normally start getting dimmer over time. But sometimes they do just fail without warning. So if you have a critical need, it's probably best to keep a spare projector handy. It does seem like a waste tossing out an entire projector, but with the cost savings of never buying bulbs, they make up for it.

LoPath
Maintain HiPath 4000 V5 & V6, OpenScape Xpert V4 & V6, OpenScape Xpressions V7, OpenScape Contact Center V8, OpenScape Voice V9

 

[Mike Lewis]

Just to wind up this thread ....

I went ahead and purchased a fairly cheap projector. It was advertised with a "maximum" resolution of 1080p, but the native resolution was clearly much less. As anticipated by Sam Bones in his earlier reply, the quality wasn't great. A large image filling the screen was acceptable, but smaller details, including medium and small text, was very unclear. Obviously, that would be no good, because I need to show things like program code displayed in a text editor.

And I needed to make the room fairly dark to achieve even that quality. Obviously, that wouldn't have worked in a meeting or training course.

So I traded up for a more expensive model. This has a native resolution of 1280 x 800. The quality is noticeably better, and certainly good enough for my presentations. It seems to be happier in a slightly darkened room, but not so dark that the audience can't read their notes.

The snag is the increased weight: 2.5 kg versus 850 gms for the cheaper model. With my laptop, manuals, and other bits and pieces, I reckon that will be about 5 kg to lug to meetings. Let's hope I can manage that.

So, thank you all again for your advice. I hope that this thread will be of benefit to others.

Mike

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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

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[SamBones]

Glad to hear Mike. I always like happy technical endings.