We have 100% standardized on the Panasonic PT-RZ470 series projectors. They are only rated at 3000 lumens, but because of being the LED/Laser hybrid they actually are much brighter. I would guess around the 4000 range. They are rated for 20,000 hours of use before needing any sort of factory service for the light source. I would guess I'm over 50 of these units in the building now or on the road with our traveling shows.
The newest version the PT-RZ670 series gives you interchangeable lenses and a 6500 lumen rating. Again the rating system is for lamps and doesn't translate directly to the laser models. I saw a demo of this unit last week and it looks great. Another benefit is that they have a HDBaseT receiver built in to the projector so you can do control and video via a single CAT6 cable. My only complaint about them is that they don't have a filter. The light source is sealed so it doesn't impact the output, but in a museum setting they can build up with dust and overheat. We just make sure to have a regular cleaning schedule set for them. ------- Patrick Davis | Exhibitions AV Specialist | The Field Museum 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 312-665-7968 On Thu, Nov 19, 2015 at 11:05 AM, George Scharoun <[email protected]> wrote: > Given the unique requirements of museum projectors, (reliability and > excellent image quality, often in less than ideal lighting conditions), I > find online projector reviews leave me with questions. > I would rather hear from all of you what projectors you use, and what you > think of them. > > I’ll go first. At the MFA we use: > > Panasonic PT-DZ570U (white) > This model is our work horse. Easy to install, built-in on/off schedule, > good image quality, but being a 1-chip DLP there’s a slight rainbow effect. > We have three and have had to send two out for repairs (luckily under > warranty). Blanking (image crop) and good manual lens control make it > pretty easy to line up the projector with custom built projection screens. > 4000 lumens means a big image (9’ wide) looks very good in a darkened room. > We recently had to install one in a gallery with lots of ambient light from > a skylight, and the image is of course washed out even with high contrast > Screen Goo, so don’t expect any miracles. > > JVC DLA-X30 (black) > This is a large, heavy projector, but has excellent image quality. It’s > designed for home theaters, so at only 1300 lumens it needs a very dark > space. In a light-locked, black room though, you will be amazed at the > contrast ratio. These have also been very reliable, even for 12/7 use, and > lamps are affordable. Unfortunately there is no built-in on/off schedule. > Used four of these for our Ori Gersht exhibition and we were all very happy. > > Mitsubishi WD380U-EST (white) > This has been our ultra short-throw projector for a few years. The colors > have faded and the screen-door effect is noticeable. Also given the > intensely short throw distance, and affordable price, it’s to be expected > that the optics aren’t perfect. I found that the image isn’t PERFECTLY > square, so you definitely want to paint to fit the projection, not the > other way around. Really long bulb life though, (4000+ hours) and they’re > cheap. There are many more options available now, and while this one has > served us well, I wouldn’t recommend it. > > Looking to buy: > High brightness projector for large scale video artwork projection in > galleries with other spot-lit objects. Wondering about Epson’s 3LCD and > Canon’s LCoS projectors. > > Hope this is useful to some of you. Again, I’d love to hear whatever you > have to say about the projectors at your museum or gallery. > > Thanks, > George > > (Please don’t contact me with unsolicited offers or services) > > –– > > GEORGE SCHAROUN > Technical Producer, Gallery Media > Museum of Fine Arts, Boston > [email protected] | 617-369-3512 > http://www.mfa.org > > _______________________________________________ > 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: [email protected] > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > The MCN-L archives can be found at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >
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