Laser projector

[ptonsparky]

A church customer is looking for a new projector. The 20 year old model they have requires $500 lamps that don't last long. They buy them somewhere.
They are thinking about using a laser projector and asked if I can get them. Anybody have an idea where and or what should be used. 70 to 90 feet range.
Point me in a direction if possible.

Thank you.

 

[mgookin]

google

 

[jumper]

google

gesundheit

 

[zbang]

A church customer is looking for a new projector. The 20 year old model they have requires $500 lamps that don't last long. They buy them somewhere.
They are thinking about using a laser projector and asked if I can get them. Anybody have an idea where and or what should be used. 70 to 90 feet range.

Projector lamps can be rated anywhere from 200-2000 hours, depending on the type. If the projector is in a hot location, if they don't clean the filters, if it runs for 8 hours a day every day, or they control the power with a switch and not the remote, the lamp life will take a big hit.

You need to know--
The screen size and aspect ratio (a 20 year old unit is probably 4:3).
The actual throw.
(With that throw, I assume front projection. If the screen is that old, it might need cleaning or even replacement with a higher-gain one).
Room lighting- does it need a bright picture on full daylight or not?
Interface- VGA is for most purposes dead, use either HDMI, DVI, or HD-SDI, depending on what's feeding it.
There are several calculators online that will help with finding the intensity and lens size.


I'd never mount a projector 70' from the screen unless it was nearly a 70' wide screen, unless you just can't put it anywhere else; then it'll need a special (read- more expensive) lens.

 

[ptonsparky]

I googled, still a lot of info to sort. The $15K to $25K equipment will sort me out as a recommender of any item.

Your welcome.

This is the first they have asked about anything. Building was built in the 70s, but is new to this congregation. Their old projector hits a 10x8 screen from 90' but they have to dim the sanctuary for visibility. Imagine that. Projection room is unheated and temperature gets down to the 20s. Cold to hot messes with the lamp according to the guy in charge. No argument here. They have a wireless adaptor of some sort that works from laptop to projector.

 

[mpoulton]

You don't mention what the screen size is, or what their required brightness is. Those are very important numbers. The projection distance can be adjusted with lenses if needed, but the total amount of light still must be adequate. Casio started the laser projector market, but most of their products are for small rooms and portable use. Epson, Panasonic, Sony, and even Christie make laser and laser-LED hybrid projectors for commercial applications like this. They are expensive though.

 

[mgookin]

I googled, still a lot of info to sort. The $15K to $25K equipment will sort me out as a recommender of any item.

Your welcome.

This is the first they have asked about anything. Building was built in the 70s, but is new to this congregation. Their old projector hits a 10x8 screen from 90' but they have to dim the sanctuary for visibility. Imagine that. Projection room is unheated and temperature gets down to the 20s. Cold to hot messes with the lamp according to the guy in charge. No argument here. They have a wireless adaptor of some sort that works from laptop to projector.

You might want to see if they want a new screen at the same time.

Can people in the back see that screen well?

I put a projector in my house 15 years ago. I spent a tremendous amount of time on research for distance, geometry, lumens, etc... Came out real nice though.

If I were in your shoes right now I'd walk into Best Buy and pick their brain. They actually have some quite well qualified/ trained people on some of that stuff if you can get to the right person.