Business use – a buyer's guide to business projectors
For your business presentations, projectors deliver the best images. You can impress your audience by presenting PowerPoint or Excel documents on a 3-metre-wide screen. You've worked hard on it – show it off!
There are many different business projectors on the market – let us help you find the perfect one for you.
Here is a list of the questions we are asked most often about business projectors:
- How bright does the projector need to be?
- How do I get the best image from my projector?
- How portable should my projector be?
- Which features make my projector easier to use?
How bright does the projector need to be?
Projector brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. How many lumens you need depends on the size of your audience and the lighting conditions in the room.
Recommended lumens by audience size and lighting conditions:
- 2,000–3,000 lumens for presentations with no or little ambient light
- 4,000 lumens for fewer than 100 people with little ambient light
- 5,000 lumens for 100–200 people with little ambient light
- 8,000 lumens for 100 or more people in bright ambient light
How do I get the best image from my projector?
Resolution and inputs are the most important factors for business users who want high-quality images. But bear in mind that the quality of your PowerPoint or Excel files makes a huge difference to the image you present. However good your projector is, if you use low graphics settings you still won't look good, especially when shown on a 3-metre-wide screen. Make sure you save your presentations in the highest possible resolution.
Our recommendation:
Sony VPL-CH350
4000 ANSI lumens | LCD | WUXGA 1920×1200
Choosing the projector resolution – popular resolutions:
- WXGA (1280×800) – the most popular resolution for business projectors, partly because many customers use widescreen laptops (16:10 or 16:9).
- XGA (1024×768) – for customers who don't use a widescreen laptop, or who already have an XGA projector and keep the same screen settings.
- HD (1920×1080) or WUXGA (1920×1200) – for customers with detailed graphics and video presentations
HD projectors have around twice as many pixels as XGA and WXGA projectors. More pixels give a sharper picture and better compatibility with high-resolution sources.
Projector inputs:
If image quality is particularly important to you, we recommend projectors with an HDMI or DVI input. Even if your computer doesn't have an HD output, an HDMI input will make your projector future-proof.
How portable should my projector be?
Thanks to advanced technology, business projectors are far more portable than ever before. Portable projectors now weigh only around 1–3 kg and are smaller than laptops or computers. There are even pocket and pico projectors. These are very handy and often weigh just a few hundred grams. However, because of their size they are considerably less bright than their larger counterparts.
Which features make my projector more user-friendly?
Projectors are usually easy to set up, simple to connect and start (plug-and-play). They are also user-friendly and can be adjusted in a few seconds. In most cases, all you need is a power socket. But there are also additional features that make your presentations easier and more successful.
Here are a few examples:
- iPhone connection, to present directly from your smartphone (projector must be compatible)
- Wireless compatibility: wireless projectors can receive data without cables. That means no cost or hassle buying or transporting cables
- Lamp-free projectors save the cost of expensive replacement lamps (LED projectors)
- Projectors with a short throw distance (short throw or ultra short throw) let you project perfectly in small rooms, with no shadows on the image and no light in the presenter's face
It will be difficult to combine every feature, but keep the ones that matter most to you in mind to find the perfect projector.
Matching product categories in the shop:
Further guides:
- Office Viewer – presenting without a laptop
- Projector buying guide using the BEAM method – overview of all guides
- Projector presentation features – freeze, blank and digital zoom
