Hi Jason, Here at the NGC we have used projections extensively since the beginning of this medium. My first recommendation is to avoid LCD like the plague. DLP and LCOS have been the only suitable systems robust enough to stand the rigours of museum life. There are many brands and options to chose from, including the emerging sector of TrueHD (1080p) projectors. We have many lower resolution projectors of all descriptions but are finding this year that the new flavour is HD. Of course HD comes in flavours too! There's 720p resolution and 1080p resolution (Blu-Ray for example). Price points are mixed as well. There's very affordable TrueHD units available under 2000 lumens in brightness. Most presentations are well served at this power output and can therefore create a good base unit to build an inventory upon. Makes such as Optoma TX1080 provide both power and resolution for this purpose. Most 1080p machines at a good price don't yet offer the high horsepower for large scale works at this time but like all technology, this will change.
If you look to 720p resolution the market is much wider but you'll likely be asked for the full 1080p in the very near future so it's not the best option to build an inventory on. As far as reliability we've been extremely pleased with NEC, Panasonic, some Sanyo models, and on occasion Dell (5100MP model). To date NEC has been our workhorse for both performance and automation of installations where no network is available. I have NEC projectors pushing 40,000 without failure other than bulb replacements. Brands we have avoided due to past performance are Elmo, Sony, BenQ and certain Sanyo LCD (older inventory). Just a cautionary note on warranties. If you buy industrial units you're likely to have a replacement warranty available. If you buy "Home Theatre" TrueHD units check the warranty carefully as they seldom offer consumer units with a replacement warranty. This could leave an installation down during a service period verses an industrial unit which has replacement warranties. Hope this intor to projection helps. Thanks, Mark Paradis Chief, Multimedia Services-Chef de services multim?dia National Gallery of Canada, Mus?e des beaux-arts du Canada 380 Sussex Drive,Ottawa, Ontario K1N 9N4 ph. 613-990-1788, fx. 613-991-2680 cell 613-797-0558 -----Original Message----- From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jason Herrington Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2009 5:01 PM To: mcn-l at mcn.edu Subject: [MCN-L] Gallery video projector reccomendations? Hi all, In the next two years my museum will be hosting exhibitions that incorporate still images and video. Part of the artistic vision for the exhibitions is to use ceiling mounted projectors, rather than video monitors, to display the images and video. This is the first time we will have attempted something like this, and I'd like to make sure we get the proper equipment. There are so many projectors on the market, and I'm curious if the list as a preference toward a particular brand or vendor. DLP, CRT or LCD? Is there an HD option that we should invest in? Thanks! -- Jason Herrington Master's Candidate Department of Museology University of Washington _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer Network (http://www.mcn.edu) To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: http://toronto.mediatrope.com/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l The MCN-L archives can be found at: http://toronto.mediatrope.com/pipermail/mcn-l/
