How not to get caught with old tech.Projectors

While it is always nice to find a bargain , the problem is that old technology can be very disappointing.
Most old electronics is still usable because of the fact they they are often stand alone systems such as an old portable radio or a complete HiFi. Many pieces of old equipment can also still connect to new equipment .A great example of this is a 1980s HiFi amplifier I found at a absolute bargain. The audio connectors are still the same after many decades. The sound quality is just amazing with the super retro VU meter needles and big silver volume nob, it is just a great find.
This however does not apply to video projectors or data projectors.
While doing the usual bargain hunt, the finding of a quality brand projector seemed amazing until close inspection.
The projector had reasonable brightness.Possible 2000 Lumens or so. To be sure that the specs were OK I asked if they had the original box or documentation for it.They did. So I though here we go, now I as an industry pro I can read the specs and determine the awesomeness of this great find. I was shocked to find no specifications of any kind except the usual quick set up and list of contents etc. The documentation was completely void of any genuine technical specs such as Lumens, resolution etc. The part that was really strange is that the projector could not be more than two years old. This got me thinking about what people are buying new. If this projector was almost new then people with no technical knowledge of projectors were potentially buying junk that was dressed up as quality technology.
The expectation that over time tech gets cheaper because of mass production and the payments of patent licenses and so on, allows you to be lulled into the belief that equipment like projectors can be cheap and there would not be anything suspicious about it.
It turns out you would be completely wrong.
The specifications on many of these entry level projectors are as low as you can get with SVGA resolution, no HDMI on some of then, and some even have very short globe life.
Then there are the expected functions that are missing like the ability to daisy chain them via VGA in and out.
It seems that Lumens have become the PMPO of projectors. In the many cheap sound system manufacturers marketing you would see a small 5Watt portable radio touted as 50 000 Watts PMPO.
Apart from the measurement being complete nonsense the radio often turned out to be cheap flimsy rubbish.
This seems to be the case where cheap projector manufacturers are stripping down this tech to have one VGA connector, SVGA rubish with HIGH LUMENS !!! of well ...... 2 000 massive Lumes. Face palm.
Not only are these "lumens" possibly overrated, but like the PMPO nonsense may also be badly made flimsy scrap.

If you have a tiny budget and have always wanted a projector well then I guess it is understandable but if you want real tech the cheapest may not be a good idea at all.
I think what disappointed me the most was the apparent deception of having absolutely not mention anywhere about resolution whether it be SVGA/ XGA or HD etc.
I could imagine the disappointment when an excited family sets up there home projector only to find it is rubbish.
Even wore in the business environment when a presenter is embarrassed by the fact that he/she cant connect their laptop because of the lack of HDMI etc.
It is no surprise then that projector hire is still flourishing. Data projector HIRE in Johannesburg is still a strong industry irrespective of the number of cheap projectors the market is flooded with.
In fact this flood of junk might actually be stimulating the industry because of the high quality projectors the projector hire companies use.

The best way to avoid this junk is to do a search online for the model before you buy it.Apart from the reviews etc, many of the online stores give way more technical specs than the documentation in the box.
If you are buying online and there are no technical specs, I would very suspicious. In that case at least look at other sites with the same model of projector.
The low spec gear seems to be punted without spec to hide their lack of quality. Some might argue that the average person does not understand the specifications anyway. That for me is no excuse.
List the specs and let me decide.

 If you don't understand the specifications, do a bit of research. You will find that even just a bit of information can save you a lot of heartache when it comes to cheap projectors.
 
 

Projector Screens VS LED Screens

Before we can discuss the differences between these two most widely used AV devices, it is important to separate out the large scale LED screens used primarily for large events. These LED screens have actual full sized LEDs which are great for outdoors and high brightness environments. The standard LED screens, used for most conference events, use LED technology but these LEDs are integrated into the screen and thus are almost indistinguishable from plasma and LCD screens.
It is the difference between these types of screens and the projector screens which we are discussing here today.
The reason I have decided to discuss these two types is that they are often used in very similar environments and so it is important to know which one to use and when.
To make this distinction we first need to understand the differences as well as the similarities.
While projectors and LED screens, or LCD, can provide a similar resolution, they vary greatly in brightness and screen size.
The LED is restricted to the size of the physical screen whereas the projector image size can vary depending on the available screen size available and the amount of light in the room.

The use of LED screens or Plasma screens was not as popular for a stage where projectors dominated the conference market.
This has changed quite substantially in the conference environment due to installations. Whereas projectors are relatively easy to move around , LED screens are not and they are very fragile.That means, in a rental environment, the LED screen can pose a problem, moreover, the largest LED screens do not come close to the sizes of projector screens available. Where the LED screen does offer a huge advantage over projectors is in environments where sun light is a problem.

There is also the advantage of LED in that it is an all in one screen with sound included.
The ease of connecting either one is pretty similar but with HDMI which includes sound, the LED screen does offer a measure of ease of connection via one cable.  

Another advantage the LED screen has over the projector is that there is no need for significant space in front of the screen whereas the projector often needs 4 meters or more in front of the screen (or behind it) for the projector image to match the screen size.

When it comes to size though, the projector wins hands down. There is no reasonably priced LED screen than can accommodate a high quality image on a large scale for an audience of more than 100 people.This is the sole territory of the data projector.

So when it comes to choosing the right av equipment hire in Johannesburg, it is important to know what is best suited for the event.It is not a matter of one being better than another but which is more appropriate.
For example at the entrance of a venue , an LED screen demonstrating something or providing information is great while a large screen with a projector is inside the conference hall displaying the presentation.

The hiring of projectors is not exclusive to AV companies, sound hire in Johannesburg is also directly linked to projector hire. You can often get both at the same supplier.

Check out http://www.videoprojectors, to find out more.