TV and computer displays are in, projectors are out

The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) By Jean-ClaudeElias If you are still using a multimedia projector you may be going out of style. Whether it is to play an important PowerPoint presentation over a business meeting with the idea of closing a deal, or to watch Tom Cruise embarking on Mission Impossible IV (due this year) at home in huge screen size, image projection is not anymore the best way to go, however bright - literally - your projector may be.


As surely as Windows 7 has replaced most other versions, TV screens and computer monitors are kicking out projectors.

For many years multimedia projectors have been an essential tool in the office first and then at home. A large number of consumers have set up a home theatre, building it around a projector, the main idea being to have the biggest possible image size, at the least possible cost. Until a year or two ago the best way to achieve that was by using a projector.

Falling prices of LCD TV sets and computer monitors are changing the deal. The introduction of the very thin LED models, still a bit expensive, has made LCD types very affordable, even those models that are 50" or more.

Typically, a full high definition 52" TV is $1,000 and a 60" unit $1,700 (Internet, US prices). Whereas this may still be a bit more expensive than a projector that can produce a similar size of image, the advantages are many and largely beat any projector.

The quality of the picture displayed on a TV or computer monitor has much more contrast than the one projected on a screen or a wall for that matter. Colours are more vivid and better saturated too, and sharpness is unrivalled - besides, you do not have to focus any lens when using a TV or computer monitor. You do not have to turn down the lights or draw the shades either in order to obtain a well-contrasted picture.

Then there's noise. Whereas TVs and computer screens are silent by design, projectors use a fan to cool the lamp. The bigger and the brighter the projector, the noisier its fan. Not to mention that the lamp has a limited lifetime, typically in the range of 3,000 hours, and must therefore be replaced after that. Lamps cost at least $100 to replace.

Then comes convenience of use. Having to clear the space between the projector and the projection screen is always a hassle and a waste of space, precisely. LCD displays are friendlier and only take the space that the projection screen would take.

In Jordan four of the major importers of quality multimedia projectors, among them LG and Epson, are still supplying the devices to the market. Two other importers, who requested not to be named, have stopped all imports of projectors, strongly believing the market has started shifting from projectors towards LCD displays for good, given the countless advantages of the technology.

The fact that modern LCD displays now provide a 170 degrees viewing angle has come to reinforce the trend. Very little is left in favour of projectors, except again, still a small price advantage, but that should not last too long.

As for connectivity to all equipment that produces the image, like computers, digital cameras, DVD or Blu-Ray players, satellite receivers and even smartphones, both LCD displays and multimedia projectors now feature the almost standard HDMI digital interface which preserves the quality of the generated image.

Soon the multimedia projector will take its place in the museum of technology to join the good old 35mm slide projector that was in fashion till 1990.