RECOMMENDATIONS NEEDED - Portable Projectors for FIRST Events

[Mr MOE]

Hi all.

First State Robotics, the parent organization of the MOE 365 team, is planning to purchase a portable projector for use at FLL, FTC, and FRC events. We have a budget of ~$1000. We are looking for recommendations from others in the FIRST community on what has worked for you at events you might have run or assisted in running. The projector we purchase must have sufficient lumens to project a visible video or static computer image on a screen in a typical gym or FIRST event environment.

If you have detailed information on a recommendation, please share! If our budget is too low, let us know.

We are looking to purchase something for use in about two weeks, so prompt responses would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

John

[Phyrxes]

John,

Assuming you don't need a 1080 projector at that price point you should have a variety of choices. When we host events at our school we use "classroom grade" projectors and portable screens for audience displays, is that what you are primarily planning on using it for?

As far as brands I've used both Benq and NEC but for futher details like models I'll have to get back to school.

[ezygmont708]

John,

It really depends on your use. A couple of factors come into play, including screen size, and distance projector will be from screen. For instance, we use a NEC NP-V260 (MSRP $449.00) in our Gymnasium for Homecoming, but the lights need to be turned off. Another option would be a short throw projector such as the NP610s (MSRP: $509.00) which allows the projector to be placed closer to the screen, increasing the image brightness. We havwe about 90 NEC projectors in our building and have experienced very few problems with them.

If your going to need bright vivid images you probably want to be above 3000-lumens and the short throw projector would put more light on the screen and loose less to ambient lighting conditions. Take a look at the NEC NP-M300XS (MSRP: $959.00).

I don't work for NEC :-)

[Mk.32]

Originally Posted by ezygmont708

John,

It really depends on your use. A couple of factors come into play, including screen size, and distance projector will be from screen. For instance, we use a NEC NP-V260 (MSRP $449.00) in our Gymnasium for Homecoming, but the lights need to be turned off. Another option would be a short throw projector such as the NP610s (MSRP: $509.00) which allows the projector to be placed closer to the screen, increasing the image brightness. We havwe about 90 NEC projectors in our building and have experienced very few problems with them.

If your going to need bright vivid images you probably want to be above 3000-lumens and the short throw projector would put more light on the screen and loose less to ambient lighting conditions. Take a look at the NEC NP-M300XS (MSRP: $959.00).

I don't work for NEC :-)

That NEC projector on B@H is $100 less: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...00_Lumens.html

I have used on before in a classroom it's a nice piece of kit.

[mdrouillard]

Would projecting from the rear side of a transparent screen work better?

It would allow you to put the projector safely on the stage behind the screen?

Md

[Mr MOE]

Thanks, everyone for your responses. We plan to use this for a variety of events. We would like to use regular portable screens that we already have, but would consider rear projection, if it is of comparable quality.

We will use this in high school gyms, Duel on the Delaware, University of Delaware Bob Carpenter Center, and others. Having flexibility is key. Short distance projection is preferred.

John

[esmphoto]

hey!,
I know I let this go a little dead, but it sounds like you may still be in need of a solution. Hopefully I'm not too late!
Projectors for live events (IMAG) get expensive fast, and its important to balance brightness, lens ratio, resolution and thermal/noise performance, but generally speaking when you're trying to go cheaper its a good idea to start by finding the brightest projector you can and adding features from there. I would not recommend anything less than a 3000 lumen projector for typical gym use, just based on what I've seen at FRC events, you'll need more lumens if you have an exceptionally large throws or screens, or may be able to get away with less in smaller/tighter situations. If you can afford it, a bi-lamp projector will give you the flexibility to use only one lamp in darker rooms or with smaller screens, or use both bulbs when a brighter image is needed. many can also automatically switch over to the second bulb if the first fails in single bulb mode.

If you have the purchasing power necessary, 3300-5000lumen Christie brand projectors with medium pc resolutions (think XVGA - SXVGA, plenty good for IMAG) pop up on ebay frequently for less than $700, and often times include a hard case or "roadie case." be wary of bulb time, as replacement bulbs often also run up to the $300-500 range, but you should be able to find one with a brand new bulb, or not too many bulb hours on it.

If you have to buy from a district or corporate vendor, some that I have used in my school district are B&H Photo Video, Tech Depot, and a few local Houston vendors. A local vendor with an agreement with the local school district can likely get you a good price on a higher end epson model. Benq projectors are affordably priced, and should be considered, but avoided if possible, I don't like there menus and they've always just seemed a little more finicky to me.

A good tool for evaluating a projector you might purpose is the calculator available for free at http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm

Hope this helps you, or someone else if you've already made your purchase