May 20, 2005

Wireless Projectors Pick Up Speed

Wireless Projector Networking

Wireless presentations are already a reality in the business world. But as older (802.11b) wireless projectors are used for regular business applications, bandwidth limitations are brought to light. Some effects of the bandwidth deficiency include slower display of transition-heavy PowerPoint® presentations, and weak support for embedded multimedia.

New Faster Wireless

New projectors from manufacturers such as Epson have adopted faster transmission standards (802.11g) to help eliminate these issues. The 802.11g standard is two to five times faster (from 11 mbps to 54 mbps) than the popular 802.11b standard.

This new faster technology allows for smoother looking transitions between slides which add interest to presentations. The 802.11g standard also ensures future compatibility, as it is becoming widely-adopted in the PC arena including routers and entertainment peripherals used in living room computers.

Epson was the first to market with an 802.11g projector, the PowerLite 835p. The projector includes a PC card slot which can be used with an 802.11g wireless card. They have also included a proprietary decoding algorithm that allows for MPEG-2 video to be displayed over the wireless connection. The 835p supports WEP, WPA, and LEAP wireless security protocols; by contrast, most competing Wi-Fi models currently support only WEP.

Without Wires OR a PC

Not to be confused with wireless technology, PC card slots also make it possible to present without wires, and even without a computer. This convenient feature (available on the Epson PowerLite 745c and 835p) allows you to store a presentation on a small PC card, and simply insert the card into a built-in card reader on select projectors. The slide stores your PowerPoint® presentation, and you can advance slides using your projector's remote control.

Wireless Video?

Wireless video transmission has yet to become mainstream. There are solutions available with various limitations and issues, but one effective and price appropriate method has yet to prevail. Many manufacturers are working to make this happen, and an eventual resolution is sure to come.

Feedback

Would you like to see wireless video capability on your projector, or any display device? If so, how would you most likely use it? Take a moment to share your feelings with us and we will pass along your suggestions to our manufacturers. Email webmaster@projectorpeople.com or just hit reply to have share your opinion today.

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May 16, 2005

Portable Home Theaters Add Entertainment Options

Portability used to be a buzzword reserved for business projectors, but now you can add portable to your home theater projector vocabulary. But what is the benefit of portability, and what features make one portable projector better than another? Read on.

Dedicated Home Theaters

Dedicated home theaters are essentially a simulation of the movie theater experience. In fact many people try and recreate the experience entirely, from installing a candy counter to serving fresh popped popcorn from a cinema style popper. Projectors for dedicated spaces can be mounted to the ceiling to get them up and out of the way, and are typically connected to a high-quality surround sound system. So why would you want to use your projector any other way?

Benefits of Portability

A portable home theater projector is a kind of tool for the family. It combines a big screen TV, slide-show photo viewer, life-sized gaming display, and even an instant party décor all-in-one machine. And, even better, this entire entertainment package can be taken on the road and used in the homes of family and friends.

In fact, some folks even take their projectors outside the home and into the great outdoors. Creating a weekend outdoor drive-in style theater (see examples below) is another great way to use a portable projector. Taking the projector outside does require some special thought and safety precautions, but it is a great way to enjoy those warm summer nights.

If you are a racing fan, you can catch the Projector People Campground Movies Series at the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge and Coca-Cola 600 events at Lowe's Motor Speedway over the next two weekends. We will be showing free movies on the big screen for campers and their families. You can even vote on which movies you would like to see. Click here for more »

Features to Watch for in a Portable Home Theater Projector

  • Short throw lenses for large images from short distances. The Epson PowerLite Home 10+ can display an 80-inch image from just 6 feet back. Perfect with an 80-inch Da-Lite Deluxe Insta-Theater.
  • Brighter lumen ratings (preferably over 1,000) for better looking images in daylight and high-ambient light environments.
  • Multiple inputs for compatibility with more video sources. If possible you should aim for composite, s-video, and component video inputs. DVI with HDMI is a plus for future compatibility.

See Customer Outdoor Theaters:

Marco Ciavolino
Rich Morgan

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