Extra Projector Features

If you get a projector with the right resolution, good brightness, decent weight, and a solid warranty, you're ahead of most projector buyers. However, there are a few additional key features to keep in mind that will make presenting easier and more successful.

Wireless projectors- Wireless projectors are becoming more widely available as more people are using wireless in thier laptop computers and other technology. The main benefits of projecting wirelessly are as follows:

1. Cabling issues are eliminated which makes your workspace tidier, less confusing, and signal loss through cabling is no longer a problem.
2. Another advantage of projecting wirelessly is that you can switch between multiple PC servers easier
3. An additional advantage of wireless projectors is that the presenter will also be able to have better mobility while presenting without walking around or tripping over wires

Digital Zoom-Most projectors have a zoom lens, allowing the adjustment of the image size without moving the DLP or LCD projector. A projector with a zoom factor of 1.2x will allow you to adjust the picture by only 20%. Look for a DLP or LCD projector with a higher zoom, as it will allow you to present an image that will match most any screen size.

A digital zoom lens on a projector allows you to further move into the frame by having the DLP or LCD projector continually resize the image. It is a nice feature to have in conjunction with manual/power zoom because as you move into the frame, the screen size remains the same.

Keystone Correction- A projector lens is made to shoot above the projector. Because of this, the projected image becomes skewed when the projector is titled up or down. This skewing of the image is called keystoning. Keystoning has been an issue with projectors since the first projector rolled off the assembly line. Thankfully, every projector today has a feature that will correct this physics snafu.  Appropriately enough, it's called Keystone Correction. There are three types of keystone correction in projectors:

• Fixed Keystone Correction is when a projector lens shoots the image higher than the lens so the projector itself doesn't block the viewer's line of sight.

• Digital Keystone Correction enables the user to digitally correct keystone problems if the projector must be tiled further upward or downward than the fixed keystone position.

• Auto Keystone Correction is just like the digital keystone correction, but better because the projector automatically corrects for keystoning every time you tilt or shift the projector. This feature is becoming more popular on several projectors today.

PCMCIA Card-This feature allows you to give presentations without a computer. Microsoft PowerPoint and Lotus Freelance graphics presentations can be downloaded to a memory card(PCMCIA) which the projector then uses to display the presentation. A useful feature is that you can save different presentations on different PCMCIA cards if more than one person will be using the projector.

The only drawback with the PCMCIA card is that it only displays still images. The memory capabilities cannot display PowerPoint slide transitions, animations, MPEG movies, or sounds. You can still connect your computer and video recorder to the projector for other presentations as well.

In my experience, this is one of the features that sound great when you go to purchase the projector, but in reality it's seldom used. Before you pay a little extra for a projector with a PCMCIA card, determine how much you and others would actually use it.

Lens Shift- Imagine installing a projector with your eyes closed. You could probably get away with that if you have a projector with  a lens shift. With lens shift, you aren't relegated to moving the projector box to square the image on the screen. All that you have to do is shift the lens horizontally or vertically to get the best image possible. This gives you greater flexibility installing or setting up the projector. Rather than spending a couple of hours installing the projector, you could spend three minutes and the rest of the time watching a good movie.