August 21, 2007

Projector Buyers Guide for Photographers

Photographers are a growing segment of projector buyers, and we know that photography has some special requirements when choosing a projector. So we have put together this buyer's guide specifically for artists who want their projected images to match their creative vision.

[ image: Brian Adams of Brian Adams PhotoGraphics sits with clients using the Panasonic PT-AE1000U ]

Projector Basics

Brightness, contrast, and resolution, oh my! Basic projector specifications aren't complicated, but you do need to know a little about them before you start shopping for one. Here's a brief rundown of the basic specs you need to understand.

Projector Brightness

Brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. Simply put, more lumens equal more brightness. The amount of brightness you need will depends on a couple things.

• Size of your audience.
  • Larger audiences require larger images, which in turn require brighter projectors. It's hard to go wrong with more lumens, but more lumens will cost you more. So finding the balance is key.


• Amount of ambient light in the room you are projecting in.
  • If you travel with your projector to client meetings you might want assume the worst case scenario for ambient light. But if your projector will stay put in a controlled environment, just about any brightness will do.

Projector Brightness Chart for Photographers

Ambient Light	Audience Size	Lumens Suggested
Low	2 - 10 people	1700 - 2200 lumens
Some	10 - 100 people	2200 - 3500 lumens
High	101 - 500 people	3500 or more lumens

Contrast Ratio in Projectors

Photographers probably know more about the importance of contrast than most projector buyers, but let's talk about the contrast projectors can deliver. So, a higher contrast ratio means more difference between the black and white portions of the image and more shades of gray in between. A high contrast projector should also deliver a clearer and brighter image than a low contrast projector, right? Not exactly.

Photographs have more subtleties and depth of color in the images than PowerPoint presentations, but still images that are generated by a computer are in reality more similar to PowerPoint than they are to video display. If you want your projected image to match the one you see on your LCD™computer monitor, you really only need to achieve a contrast ratio of around 400:1. Typical contrast ratios of LCD monitors range from 350:1 to 1000:1. Movie buffs usually are striving for the highest contrast ratios because they want the deepest blacks and richest colors, photographers on the other hand, often complain that ultra high contrast projectors 'blow out' details and intricacies in their still images.

Realistically, a projector used to display professional photographs should have a contrast ratio of at least 400:1. However some manufacturers are more conservative when publishing their specifications, so a lower contrast projector may still do an adequate job, even if the specs don't compare on paper. Contact a Projector Expert for the inside scoop on what the images look like in real life.

Historically DLP™ projectors have had higher contrast ratios than LCD™ projectors. LCD™ projectors, however, have contrast ratios that fall into the desirable range for photographers displaying still images. Below we have created a quick reference chart comparing DLP™ and LCD, in case you didn't take the time to read all this.

Quick Tip: Some projectors, including several from Panasonic, offer light sensitive contrast adjustments that can make the image look punchier in brighter light without altering the appearance of the colors.

The Right Resolution

Resolution is essentially the number of pixels that make up the image, but you already knew that. You may have heard that the easiest rule to follow is to match the computer and projectors resolution. But computers have outpaced projectors in developing higher resolution output. So to start, just make sure that your projector can scale to that resolution of your computer, or vice versa.

Also related to resolution is aspect ratio. The majority of the projectors sold around the world are either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios. Laptops with widescreen resolutions are increasingly more common, and may be a good choice for some photographers.

Projector Resolutions for Photographers - the Pros and Cons

SVGA (800 x 600 pixels) - 4:3 aspect ratio

• Pro - Lowest price.
• Con - Some photography presentation software programs may not be compatible.
• Con - More visible pixels when displaying large images.

XGA (1024 x 768 pixels) - 4:3 aspect ratio

• Pro - Best value per pixel.
• Pro - Many can display HD video.
• Pro - Matches most of the presentation and sales software on the market (such as Ron Nichols' Proselect).
• Con - Not widescreen native. (But can scale to widescreen with visible "black bars.")

SXGA+ (1400 x 1050 pixels) - 4:3 aspect ratio

• Pro - High resolution display for very sharp, clear images.
• Con - More costly than lower resolution displays.
• Con - Fewer model options available.

WXGA-H (1280 x 720) - 16:9 aspect ratio

• Pro - Very popular for those who want widescreen native display.
• Pro - Likely to have higher contrast ratios because they are designed for home theater.
• Con - "Black bars" along the sides of the image when displaying 4:3.

HD (1920 x 1080) - 16:9 aspect ratio

• Pro - The best looking picture on the market under $3,000.
• Pro - Future proof HD resolution.
• Con - "Black bars" along the sides of the image when displaying 4:3.
• Con - You must have an HD source to produce an HD picture.

Quick Tip: Video projectors also have 'lines' of resolution, which is usually just the number of vertical pixels. You will see video resolution referenced as 480p, 720p, or 1080p (the 'p' is for progressive scan). These video resolutions are also typically widescreen format.

Projectors also have a lower resolution (or fewer pixels) than digital cameras. Projectors maximum resolutions (for consumer use) top out at SXGA+ (4:3 format) and HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9 format). There are higher resolution displays available, but the costs are prohibitively expensive for most buyers (exceeding $10,000). Here is a quick chart with mega-pixels broken down for you into horizontal and vertical pixels.

Common Digital Camera Resolutions

Mega-Pixels	Horizontal Pixels	Vertical Pixels	Aspect Ratio	Total Pixels
0.3	640	480	4:3	307,200
0.5	800	600	4:3	480,000
1	1,280	960	4:3	1,228,800
2	1,600	1,200	4:3	1,920,000
3	2,048	1,536	4:3	3,145,728
4	2,272	1,704	4:3	3,871,488
4.1 (Canon 1D)	2,464	1,648	3:2	4,060,672
5	2,560	1,920	4:3	4,915,200
6	3000	2000	3:2	6,000,000

[ source: Wikipedia ]

Want to learn more about projectors and photography? Click here to read the complete article.

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August 17, 2007

Movie Review - The Fountain

Review by Joshua Massre

The Fountain tells the story of a couple’s love for one another and spans over 1,000 years. Thomas, an animal research scientist, finds out his wife had cancer and sets out to find a cure for death. The three time periods interweave with one another seamlessly and blend together for an unexpected and unforgettable climax that will leave many people scratching their heads wondering what they just saw. This may seem like a simplistic description, but it is impossible to describe the intricacies of The Fountain, mostly because it is so full of intertwined plots that are so nonsensical unless they are meshed together the way that Darren Aronofsky manages.

Aronofsky had always been a little weird (his last movie, Requiem for a Dream, had a refrigerator talking to a Home Shopping Network addict) but this movie tops Requiem and Pi by a long way. His two previous films were small affairs grounded in reality and small in scale. They both had budgets of under $5,000,000, which is nothing in Hollywood.

The Fountain, however, had an almost $35,000,000 budget. It is amazing to witness how much can be done with this little of a budget (considering that the Transformers movie reportedly had a $200,000,000 budget and the special effects in this film look much better than Transformers does).

So how does the actual movie stack up? It has a killer cast including Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz as well as a visionary director and writer in Darren Aronofsky. The film is surprisingly short, only 98 minutes. Usually this is a bad sign, a signal that the studio is trying to cut all of the fat out of a movie and leave only the plot points and action scenes in the movie (case-in-point: the new Fantastic Four film, The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer). In this case though, it is simply because the movie moves at a breakneck pace and does not let up until the last five minutes of the movie.

By the time the credits roll, many people will be sitting scratching their heads, wondering what they just saw, and dismiss the movie as nonsensical garbage. Others will be staring at the screen and wondering what they just saw, but knowing that it was brilliant. The first reaction is the one that seems to be the consensus, which is truly a shame, because the movie is very subtle and requires the viewer’s full attention the entire time, and not just during the major plot points.

Overall, this movie will polarize the audience. If you step back and think about it, you may be one of the few people who thought that this movie was a piece of art.

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August 15, 2007

August 2007 Projector Coupon Codes

Projector People is now offering special savings on projectors for home theater and business with our special Coupon Codes. Coupon codes are for blog readers only!

Mitsubishi HC5000BL and HC5000
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Offer valid through August 31st, 2007!

Epson Home Cinema 1080
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or select Epson Home Cinema 1080 Home Theater Packages!

[ Restrictions apply. Call for details. ]

Offer valid through August 31st, 2007!

Epson Pro Cinema 1080
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Optoma 1690 projector
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Mitsubishi HC1500 projector
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Enter the corresponding code into the promotions box once the product has been added to the cart.

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August 10, 2007

Dune

Review by Joshua Massre

Usually a movie will have a logical plotline that is simple to follow, right? Every once in a while a movie will have a plot point that makes no sense when it occurs, but it is usually tied up by the end of the movie. It is even more peculiar when a movie makes no sense at all. Sometimes a movie will be heavily cut by a studio, be it because of budget, time or content status. It happens all the time. Most of the movies in theaters are at least slightly different than they were when first conceived.

There are plenty of examples of this over the years. One of the most prominent examples of this is with the movie Once Upon a Time in America. The film stars James Woods, in what he considers his best performance ever, and Robert DeNiro as Jewish gangsters. The film chronicles their rise from young hoods in the 1920s to powerful crime lords in the 1960s. Sergio Leone’s original cut of the movie ran over five hours in length but was cut down to three hours and forty-five minutes for the European release. When the movie was going to be released in America in 1984, the studio feared that audiences would be turned off by the film’s unusually long running time and non-linear narrative structure. So they brought in a new editor (whom had just finished working on Police Academy, a movie that would go on to win exactly zero Oscars that year) to reorganize the movie into a linear structure and shorten the movie’s running time to a little over two hours. The resulting movie was panned by critics and a financial disaster. One critic called it the worst movie of 1984, but later saw the European version (which was released on VHS and Laserdisc in the late 1980s and later on DVD in 2003) and named it one of the best films of the decade. On a personal note, Once Upon a Time in America is my favorite movie of all time. The score by Ennio Morricone is one of his best.

This brings us to another movie that the studio decided was not commercially viable and decided to change it around. This time, however, the changes would be made even before the cameras rolled. That movie was David Lynch’s Dune.

Dune tells the story of the House of Atreides, who controls the planet Arrackis, which is the only planet in the universe on which the spice Caladan exists. While Frank Herbert’s novel follows a logical, albeit complex, storyline, the movie version strays from the book quite significantly. Dune was a plagued production from the start. By the time David Lynch had been hired to direct the movie (after being denied the chance to direct Return of the Jedi for George Lucas because he was not a member of the Director’s Guild) it had been through numerous writers and directors and had been in development since 1971. Lynch started fresh and rewrote the script from scratch. Unfortunately, he was under contract to deliver a two hour movie. The plot of the novel is so complex and detailed that Lynch was forced to make significant changes to the novel’s plotline. Dune was to be a huge undertaking, involving many complicated special effects (remember that this was before the advent of CGI) and a long shooting schedule. But before that could begin, Lynch had to take Herbert’s novel and condense it into a two hour movie. To do so, he had to remove many of the novel’s subplots and details. As with most movies based on novels, especially ones with large cult followings like Dune, fans were eagerly waiting for the movie’s arrival. On December 14, 1984, Dune was released into theaters worldwide. The movie was hailed as a major event. The special effects were the first of its kind. No movie before Dune had ever contained so many special effects shots. But the reviews were mediocre. Many called the movie a betrayal of Frank Herbert’s vision. David Lynch was just as unpleased with the movie. His original cut had been about an hour longer than the theatrical version, but the studio had taken it out of his hands and cut it, just like Once Upon a Time in America had been taken from Sergio Leone. The movie was, ultimately, viewed as a mess. The movie’s plot made no sense to those who had not read the books and ended unexpectedly. Most of the plot and characters had to be changed so that Lynch’s two hour version would make at least a minimal amount of sense.

In the nearly twenty-five years since Dune was released, the harsh views of fans have softened. A whole new generation of fans has been introduced to the movie through numerous DVD releases and an HD DVD release. The first time I saw it, after finishing the movie, I sat for a few minutes and watched the credits roll by (something I rarely do) and thought about what I just saw. I wasn’t quite sure, but I knew it was something different. After a few days, it sunk in and I realized that Dune is a sci-fi classic. Could this be because I have always liked David Lynch’s unique directorial style? Possibly. I loved Elephant Man and Eraserhead. I think I loved the movie so much because while the movie makes no sense as a whole, the subplots and intricacies of the movie coalesce into something great. I highly recommend watching the movie. Not everybody will like it, in fact some people will hate it, but take it with a grain of salt. Trust in David Lynch’s skills and you might be one of the many cult followers of Dune.

Over the years, many attempts to improve the movie have been made. It should be noted that the only official version which David Lynch will allow his name to be on is the theatrical cut. Sometime in early 1989, when Dune was being prepared for its television premiere, it needed more content to fill its three hour time slot, so footage was taken from Lynch’s original cut of the movie and inserted into the movie. David Lynch asked that his name be taken off of this version because it uses several shots (mostly of background action) more than once. His name was removed from the credits and the infamous “Alan Smithee” and Judas Booth (depending on where the film was viewed) was credited as the director. The additional scenes do pad out the movie somewhat and help it to achieve a coherent plotline. If you are a stickler for plot and want everything to make sense by the end of the movie, I suggest that you watch the Sci-Fi Channel original mini-series. Produced in 2003, it is by no means great television, but its longer length allows it to follow the book more closely. I prefer the theatrical version simply because the “Restored Cut” is not as smooth as the original version of the film. Dune is highly recommended for the curious and those who are looking for a challenging but rewarding viewing experience.

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Projector Buyers Guide for Educators

It's that time of year again! The future leaders of the land will be back in the trenches, eager to learn, well-behaved, and interested. At least that's how it should be. So we thought now was a good time to provide a handy buyers guide for one of our most important assets, our educators.

Our recent Education Buyers Guide Podcast is also available for you to download. We will cover a few of the things we discuss in the podcast below, but the Podcast includes additional information that may be of value. Find our Podcast here.

What do Educators need to look for in a projector?

Educators, or those who purchase AV technology for schools, often have similar concerns when buying projectors. In our experience some of the primary concerns are cost (value), longevity and durability, and features. There are other concerns including security and networkability that may arise when the projectors will be permanently installed.

Cost and Value

As you can imagine, budgets vary widely for AV equipment for schools. Some schools may be looking for high-end projectors that can be added to their LAN, while others may be looking for a low cost projector to replace an older unit. The cost of a projector usually hinges on three basic specifications; brightness, resolution, and features. We will talk about features in a moment, but for now lets focus on brightness and resolution.

Resolution

Resolution is a more black or white issue because there are fewer options, and in most cases a projector can scale to the resolution you need - though the image may not look perfect. Basically you want to match the resolution of the projector to the resolution of the source (i.e. a computer, VCR, DVD player, etc.) that you will be using. In a school setting the best resolution is typically XGA (1024x768 pixels). If you have SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) resolution computers, then an SXGA+ projector may be a good choice for you. However, they are significantly more expensive than XGA, and XGA projectors can almost always scale to SXGA+ resolution.

Brightness

The brightness of a projector is measured in lumens. Ambient light and audience size will be the determining factors for the number of lumens you need. Larger audiences require larger screen sizes, which require brighter projectors. Ambient light can often be controlled in a school setting, but lights on presentations are preferable to low light.

• 2000 - 2500 lumens will be sufficient in most classrooms with 40 students or less.
• 2500 - 3500 are recommended for classrooms from 40-100 students.
• 3500 or brighter in rooms with over 100 students may be necessary if the room has a lot of ambient light.

These are just general guidelines. Please feel free to call and speak with a Projector Expert if you think your school may be an exception to any of these general rules.

Projector Discounts for Schools?

Schools and other non-profit companies may receive additional discounts from many manufacturers we carry when they are purchased from an authorized reseller. Sometimes our prices are already discounted beyond the manufacturer discount, so be sure to call and ask a Projector Expert to get your best price. You can ask about programs like the NEC Star Student program.

Longevity and durability

Longevity is a concern for a lot of users, but in a school setting this is amplified due to the large number of end users and potentially less cautious audiences (aka students). The good news is most projectors have reasonably durable plastic casing. Some manufacturers' offer a more 'industrial' design, like NEC, Mitsubishi, and Epson, but what may be even more important is the technical support and warranty offerings. Watch for longer warranties when you buy from authorized resellers (like ProjectorPeople.com). In some cases a warranty for both the projector and the lamp may be extended specifically for educational institutions. Call and talk to a Projector Expert to learn more about these special offers.

Projector Features

As is true for the durability factor, ease of use is also a concern because there are so many end-users touching the product. Features like automatic setup and source detection help take out the "technically challenged' factor. Other great additions include faster shut down and start up times, a real benefit when projectors are going from location to location in a single day. Listen to our Podcast to hear more about this and other features for educators, including more on projector networking.

Here is a quick look at some features for the educational environment.

Projector Features for Educators

• Multiple inputs (a VGA, s-video, and composite input are recommended)
• Integrated speakers (5 watt or better is desirable)
• Audio output for external speakers
• Longer warranties (3-years is usually the longest manufacturer offering)
• Wall-color correction technology (project on a blackboard with great looking color)
• Quick start-up and shut down (save time and extend battery life)
• Automatic set up and source detection

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August 02, 2007

Children of Men, Babel, and Pan's Labyrinth

Review by Joshua Massre

At first glance, these three movies seem to not have much in common, but in fact they are all intertwined with one another. All three of the movies, which were released in 2006, were made by three Mexican filmmakers who have penetrated into the Hollywood Studio System and released major critically, if not financially successful films.

Children of Men

The first of the three films, Children of Men, was directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuaron and based on a novel by noted science fiction author, P.D. James. Cuaron, one of the most gifted directors in Hollywood today, crafts a story of the future in which women are infertile and the youngest person in the world is just 18 years old. The story revolves around a pregnant young woman and her attempts to keep safe from the Government and those who wish to do her harm. The world in which she lives is devoid of all hope. The film is set in 2027, yet it feels as if it could be today. This is one of the stronger points. Cuaron immerses us into this world, subtly blending futuristic elements into objects that feel as if they belong in today’s world (Hint: look carefully at the car dash in the chase scene). Yet the thing that immerses viewers the most into Cuaron’s world is not the visual aspect of the film, but the film’s star, Clive Owen. Owen delivers a powerhouse performance and it is a shame that he was not nominated for an Oscar. Julianne Moore and the supporting cast (including a fabulous Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Cane) also deliver strong performances. As the film progresses, the shots (the time between cuts) get longer and longer. The final climactic battle of the film (which lasts for almost twelve minutes) is done in one continuous shot and took three takes to get exactly right. The result is one of those rare moments in which everything comes together to make a powerful and compelling piece of cinema.

Pan's Labyrinth

The next film from Mexico may not be as high profile as the other two, but it was just as critically praised and was nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar. Guillermo del Toro’s El Laberinto del Fauno (released as Pan’s Labyrinth in American theaters) is a dark and twisted fairy tale. It is set against the background of the fascist rule of Spain in 1944. Del Toro’s superb screenplay and direction are so imaginative and colorful that the screen is lit up even during scenes of nighttime. The main character, a young girl named Ofelia meets the mysterious Pan (the titular character), who tells her she is the princess of a lost kingdom and that she must go on three quests to be able to return home. While the roots of this film are in the fantasy genre and much of it takes place inside the mind, it is a powerful and realistic film. The acting in the movie is fantastic, as it is in all of Guillermo del Toro’s films. Doug Jones, a veteran of two of del Toro’s movies (Hellboy and The Devil’s Backbone) plays the dual roles of Pan and the Pale Man. The Pale Man is arguably one of the creepiest and most disturbing characters in modern cinema. The stand out of this movie, however, is the special effects. Many of the effects are practical ones, meaning that they were not done on the computer but on set. This makes a big difference, as the actors are interacting with the objects instead of just staring at the spot where they should be. Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the most imaginative and fantastic films to come out of Hollywood in years, but it seems so grounded that you have no trouble believing that the characters are real. The ultimate effect of the film is so strong that a few days after viewing the film, you will still be thinking about it.

Babel

The final film to come from a Mexican director this year is Babel. This was the most high profile of the three films, yet it came from the least known of the three directors, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Babel is a story of how one event can change the course of so many people’s lives. After his wife is shot on a tour bus, Richard (Brad Pitt) must get her help as soon as possible or she will die. The only one problem, however, is that they are in the middle of the Moroccan desert. As they try to make their way to help, the story of three other families is told in intertwining segments. The most outstanding part of the film is its cinematography. The Director of Photography, Rodrigo Prieto, has worked with directors such as Spike Lee and Oliver Stone. Each of the different settings (the Moroccan desert, Mexico, Japan and California) was lit and shot in a different way. Each location also uses a different film stock, giving them all a different feeling and sense of emotion. Most of the actors and actresses in the film are unknown, but they all deliver knockout performances. Adriana Barraza was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Inarritu makes the film come together for a powerful and satisfying conclusion that will leave you wanting more.

It is interesting to note that Alfonso Cuaron is an executive producer on Pan’s Labyrinth and that Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is serving as executive producer on Cuaron’s next project. Each of these films is linked by the shared heritage of their directors. It is odd that in a single year three such high profile films from foreign directors made their way to American screens. What is truly amazing is the power that each film packs into its short running time. Babel and Children of Men are now available on HD DVD and DVD. Pan’s Labyrinth is available on only on DVD and no plans have been announced to release it on HD DVD or Blu-Ray.

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