Choosing the right projector for your church can be a daunting task. It is always best to call us here at Kingdom and we go through the choosing process together to make sure you have the best fit for your church and budget. However it is a great idea to do some prelimnary research and get a list of projectors you want to discuss. I am going to go over the different specifications that projectors have to explain them for you all. Lumens A projector's brightness is measured in lumens. This is how bright the bulb/s get and shine on the projection surface. For most churches you want to look at least 3500 lumens. Your projector light has to fight through the ambient light (from your light fixtures and windows) to make it to the screen plus it has to fight for it's spot on the screen. If you have a lights shining directly where the screen will be or your sanctuary gets a lot of sunlight we should push that number to at least 4000 lumens. Contrast Ratio The contrast ratio of a projector is the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black. DLP projectors typcially have a much much higher contrast ratio than their LCD counterparts. The higher the first number is means the color your projector will create will be richer and deeper. Case in point, you have a person wearing a black suit at night. If you have a projector with a 2000:1 contrast ratio and good lighting/lumen conditions you will be able to see the difference in the shades of black and the picture will look great. If your projector has a contrast ratio around 500:1 you will just see black with a person's head floating. Well maybe not that extreme but the difference will be incredibly difficult to see. Resolution The resolution stands for how many pixels (points of color) up and across the projector can show to make up a picture. Once again the higher the numbers the better. Now there is something else to keep in mind. High Definition, Standard Definition, and Computer Resolution all have different ratios they keep their resolutions on. In lay terms their screens are all different shapes. A projector has a native resolution that it is meant to display video in and a couple of secondary resolutions it can work with. When you display images or videos that are not in those resolutions the projector has to scale them to size. This results in your videos or images looking like it has been stretched out or stuffed into the size of your screen. Before you call in to make a descision on a projector you need to decide, "What am I going to be showing on my projector the majority of the time". Let your sales representative know what you decided and this will play a large part in which projector will work for you. Uniformity Just a fancy word for how good the projector is at evenly dispersing the light it shoots out. 80% is acceptable and 85% is good. Lower than 80% is going to create noticable hot spots on the projection screen. Throw Distance This can be a misleading number if you don't know how to read it. For most purposes the screen size you need is what will determine how far the projector needs to be from it. This is where it is always best to speak to one of us here to find out the particulars. If you have anymore questions feel free to post them here or call into our sales department. Make sure to mention the forum :)

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  • I found out that the projector used at Agape Community Church is an Eiki projector. You can find Eiki projectors on Kingdom.com
  • Steve Great Info.

    I think it is very important that people understand that contrast ratio is one of the biggest factors if not the biggest factor in how good your picture will be. (motion picture)
  • Steve, wow that is a lot of useful information!

    I know I would definitely need to speak to an expert at Kingdom to determine the proper "throw distance" if I were to purchase a projector. It's good to know there are experts at Kingdom that can help answer technical questions about projectors.

    I have seen the performance of Kingdom's projectors at Agape Community Church here in Mansfield a few weeks ago and it is really bright and clear, plus it adds a visual element to the service. Once I find out the brand of the projector, I will post it here.
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