Multimedia Projectors

More About Multimedia Projectors

At Hunt Office Ireland we supply multimedia projectors providing brightness ranging from 2000 lumens up to 3000 lumens. Our assortment includes basic multimedia projectors which are great for presentation and training purposes, as well as more advanced projectors which support high resolution and are perfect for home cinema systems. You can choose from projectors made by Optoma, Epson, Acer, Sanyo and Sony.

Projectors and Native Resolution

A projector's native resolution is the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. The more pixels it uses, the higher the resolution. Resolution is quoted in two numbers, such as "1920x1200," where the first number refers to the pixels horizontally across the screen, and the second number refers to the pixels vertically from top to bottom. This particular 1920x1200 resolution is also referred to as WUXGA. Each numeric native resolution format has a name like this to shortcut the need to quote the numbers. The names may be confusing but there are only a few of them in popular usage so they are easy to remember once you've gotten used to them:

WUXGA (1920x1200)
WUXGA is a widescreen, 16:10 aspect ratio format that is highly popular amongst commercial and business use. WUXGA projectors have the advantage of being able to natively display 1080p HD signals as well as 1920x1200 content.

WXGA (1280x800)
WXGA projectors have the same widescreen 16:10 aspect ratio as WUXGA projectors, but they are lower resolution and are therefore less expensive. They are certainly good options when budgets are a key factor like in classrooms.

XGA (1024x768)
XGA resolution has been around since the 1990's, but it is still a highly popular format that a lot of folks are buying. Why? Unlike WUXGA and WXGA, XGA has a 4:3 aspect ratio, so it has the format of the older CRT-type TV picture rather than the modern widescreen formats. XGA resolution is inexpensive which contributes to its continuing popularity.

SVGA (800x600)
SVGA projectors are very low resolution, and like XGA they are 4:3 aspect ratio. Their major attraction is the extremely low price. SVGA can be a good option for PowerPoint presentations or signage applications where there is no need to resolve much fine image detail. 4K (3840x2160+) The latest ultra high resolution products are in the 4K family, which is at least four times the resolution of HD 1080p. 4K is highly desirable in a home theater as they have excellent applications in the display of very high resolution graphics. If you need high definition images, buying into the new 4K projectors may be your ideal solution.

What is the throw ratio?

Projectors have a very important specification called "throw ratio." A projector's throw distance is the distance between the projector and the image on the screen (i.e., the distance that the image is "thrown").




A few common throw distances are: Ultra-Short Throw: Virtually eliminates shadows and eye glare, this type of throw is seen from projectors installed on the wall, the ceiling nearer to a wall, or a table projecting downwards. Ultra-short throw projection refers to a distance between 0 to 4 feet away from projector to screen. Short Throw: Providing large images while reducing shadows and eye glare, this type of throw is usually seen from projectors either installed on the wall or the ceiling closer to the wall — anywhere that is close to where the image will be projected. Short throw projection generally refers to a distance between 3 to 8 feet away from projector to screen. Normal / Long Throw: Providing very large images, this type of throw is usually from projectors that are installed in the center of the ceiling in a large room.


For example: Screen Width: 10 feet Projector-to-Screen Distance: 15 feet Required Throw Ratio: 1.5:1 The first step in choosing a multimedia projector, therefore, is pinning down how wide the screen is and how far the projector can be placed from the screen—once you've done this, your choices will narrow considerably. Of course, you may have flexibility. Maybe your space allows you to mount the projector anywhere you want on the ceiling. In this case, while you might technically be able to choose any projector you want, you should consider mounting the projector as close to the screen as you comfortably can. The closer you can mount it, the fewer lumens you will need to project a crisp image. You may have an existing mount installed on the ceiling that you want to reuse. In this case, you will need to find a projector that features the exact throw ratio dictated by the position of the mount relative to the width of the screen

Screen Size

Projector screens merit a whole buying guide of their own. However, a quick, and very rough, rule of thumb is to multiply the distance of the “least-favored viewer”—i.e., the person farthest from the screen—by 1/5. So, if your LFV will be sitting 50 feet away, you'll need a screen that is 10 feet high.