Projector for a shop.

robbi187

robbi187

robbi187

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Joined
28 Oct 2007
Posts
259
Location
Liverpool
Hi guys,

Basically i've been looking around forums etc to try and work out what is the best projector for sub £500 to show videos in our new shop that we are renovating at the moment.

The resolution is not majorly important as we don't really need 1080p quality or anything. My main problem is space! Where we want to house the projector is 23 feet away from the projecting wall.

Does this throw up any problems as i'm finding it hard to get any info on this, hence me posting here.

We are looking at the Optoma HD20 but if anyone has any better suggestions that are not as large in res but better quality machines then please chip in!

Thanks for looking.
 
The throw distance affects the image size. Most projectors have lenses capable of zooming, so there are two figures that tell you the min & max image width at any given distance. You'll see something like 1.5~1.8:1 throw ratio as typical figures given in makers spec sheets. Take your throw distance (23ft) and divide by one number (say 1.5 which gives 15.3ft). Then do the same with the second number (23/1.8 = 12.7ft). You now have the min and max screen widths of 12.7ft and 15.3ft.

Straight away you should be able to see the problem. The pictures will be huge which also means that the light will be spread over a very very large area. You might be able to just about get away with 12ft wide from a 2000ANSI lumen projector in a dark'ish sports bar away from any windows or competing light, but in a retail store with loads of nice lighting so people can see your goods....not a chance. The pictures will be washed out and won't make any kind of impact.

You need a smaller image (closer/shorter projection distance) or a shed load more money to buy a projector with enough ANSI lumens brightness and a long throw lens of say 2.5~3.5:1 (giving a 6.5~9.2ft wide image) if you're going to stand any chance of getting a watchable image. £500 just isn't enough.

Up your projector budget to around £3K+ for a high power long throw lens version. Alternatively invest an extra £500-£600 in a professional install using some long drop fixings.
 
What sort of shop is it and what sort of videos are you thinking of displaying?

Is the shop brightly lit and does it have sunshine streaming through the windows? :)
 
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