Any person or committee charged with purchasing a projector for church use can easily be overwhelmed by the variety of projectors available and their endless options and features. Informed decisions require some investigation, but usually the best move is to contact a dealer or video consultant for help. This article provides enough information to help you get started.

Preliminary Decisions
Start with the basics. Before making any equipment recommendations, a video consultant will need to know room dimensions, seating capacity, lighting, and proposed location of the projector within the room. If a screen is already in place, you'll need to identify its location, size, and type. Identifying the possible projector mounting locations will define the projector-to-screen distance, and the type of mounting required.

The next step, and one that is equally important, is to clearly define what the church wants from the system both now and in the future. Consideration of future plans is critical to avoid the scenario of needing to replace a projector because it does not have the desired features. Matt Maxwell of Fowler, Inc., offers an example: "For instance, if a church wants to use live cameras, the recommended equipment will vary from a system where no cameras will be used."

A good consultant will use all this information to recommend a complete projector system and all the ancillary equipment to meet the church's requirements. The recommendations can then be modified and compromises proposed if necessary to meet budget limitations.

Choosing a Consultant
How do you find someone to work with in defining your video system that you can trust, who is competent, and who is willing to work for your best interests? First, recognize that many small and local companies that sell projectors simply don't have the experience and staff to offer detailed system and installation advice. You are probably better off working with a large multimedia company that has a lot of experience specifying and installing church video systems.

"When looking for an equipment provider it is important to ask some questions yourself," says Maxwell. "To ask how long a particular company or consultant has been in business is not rude, it's good stewardship. Do they have dedicated technical support personnel? Is support provided during business hours only? Does the system include all the cables and adapters necessary? Do they guarantee the finished system? All these questions are important to ask any prospective partner for your video system."

Peter Cullinan of Digital Projection, Inc. adds that you should ask if you'll be given the opportunity to see a demonstration of the proposed equipment in your sanctuary before purchasing. Josh Lyon of Shepherd Ministries also says to look closely at the costs of the proposed system. "You should see more than a total price on the quote," he says. "You should know how much every item costs." A good company will agree to these requirements without complaint.

Know Your Technical Terms
These are just a few of the terms that will come up often when talking about video projectors:

LCD: Liquid crystal display. A light engine that creates an image by projecting light through a matrix of liquid crystal pixels that change from opaque to transparent when electrically activated. LCD is an established, relatively low-cost technology that has been used for years in many video projectors.

DLP: Digital light processing. A newer light engine technology that uses a microscopic array of tilting mirrors. One-chip DLP projectors generate colors with a spinning color wheel, and the mirrors tilt to reflect light of the desired color through the lens, or away from the lens if the color is not desired at that time. Three-chip DLP projectors use a separate chip (mirror array) for each primary color.

Resolution: The number of pixels (color elements) in a projected image array, measured in pixels wide by pixels high. The five most common resolutions are video graphics array (VGA)—640 x 480 pixels; super video graphics array (SVGA)—800 x 600 pixels; extended graphics array (XGA)—1024 x 768 pixels; super extended graphics array (SXGA)—1,280 x 1,024 pixels; and finally SXGA+—1400 x 1050 pixels. Gary Fuller of Christie says the minimum resolution a church should consider is XGA.

Brightness: The light intensity based on a standard brightness measure specified by the American National Standards Institute—the ansi lumen.

Keystoning is distortion when one side of the projected image is larger than the opposite side caused by the projector not being perfectly perpendicular to the center of the screen. Keystone correction allows the distortion to be electronically corrected without moving the projector or screen.

Pay for Performance
Lyon of Shepherd Ministries advises that projectors typically fall into one of three price and performance categories. Low-power projectors with 700 to 1000 lumens, SVGA resolution, and a one- to two-year warranty typically have a street cost of about $700 to $800. Middle-power projectors with 2,000 to 2,700 lumens, SVGA to XGA resolution, and a three-year warranty with loaner cost around $1,500 to $2,500. High-power projectors with 3,000 to 5,000 lumens, XGA resolution, and a three- to five-year warranty with loaner typically cost about $3,000 to $6,000.

A fourth category, applicable only to the largest venues, includes high-performance projectors with 7,000 to 10,000 lumens, XGA resolution or higher, and some with a three-chip DLP light engine. These projectors span a broad price range of $15,000 to $150,000.

DLP projectors have several advantages over LCD projectors that may or may not be important to your application. Compared to LCD, DLP projectors are typically brighter, have higher contrast ratios, and require less maintenance. Single-chip DLP projectors are also lighter because they have no heavy optical system.The downside, as expected, is higher cost.

Check the warranty, which can range from one year to five years. Beware of multi-year warranties that cover parts only. Good warranties cover parts and labor for at least three years, promise fast turnaround, and provide a factory loaner until the unit is fixed.

Most projectors can be operated with an infrared remote control. In a fixed installation where the control booth is more than 15 feet from the projector, see if the projector supports a hard-wired remote.

Other Factors to Look For
Maxwell of Fowler suggests that brightness is perhaps the most important factor to consider in selecting a projector. "That is easier said than done, however," he says. "Although each projector has an ansi lumens rating, there is no single method used by all manufacturers to determine this measurement. One manufacturer's 3,000-lumen projector may not give the same brightness as a 3,000-lumen unit from another manufacturer. If you won't be able to view live each projector you are considering, it becomes vital to work with a dealer who evaluates all the projectors on the market and focuses on units that work well in a church setting."

Lyon of Shepherd Ministries says there are two major issues to consider before purchasing. The first is obsolescence. "While you don't want to sacrifice quality, you don't want to overbuy," he says. "Think of this purchase as lasting for 3 to 5 years. Regardless of how much you spend, the technology will be antiquated within this period. Buy the best you can afford but don't 'marry' the system." The second issue is to purchase from a trustworthy source. "You can tell this by how many projector options you're given, and by their willingness to allow for a trial period. Most systems have at least two options, some three or four. Will they allow you to return the projector and upgrade or decrease the purchase?"

Fuller of Christie emphasizes the need to find an honest, qualified, audio-visual partner. "He's got to be trustworthy and competent, and he needs to understand the true needs," he says. "Every church is different. He has to know the personality of the people he's dealing with and be willing to spend the time to get to know them."

Derek Clark of Church Multimedia advises to put equal thought into the computer. "Purchase a computer designed around multimedia," he says. "Remember, the projector is simply spitting out what the computer feeds it. You get what you pay for and you will see that on the projection screen."

Cullinan of Digital Projection says it's very important to find the right solution for your environment. "It's different for every church and every application," he says. "Do your homework and research, view demonstrations, consider everything, whittle down to exactly what you need, and make sure those needs are met."

Olaf Hampel of Liesegang says the most important consideration is to find a company that tries to understand the customer. "We customize our installations to meet our customer's requirements," he says, "especially in the church industry."

Projector Recommendations
Prices are suggested retail unless noted as street prices (discounted prices available from some retailers), and can vary depending on options specified. Be sure to verify prices of all models you are considering before making a pur-chase decision.

Fowler's Maxwell recommends these Panasonic projectors, all with XGA resolution: For large churches, the PT-D7500, a three-chip DLP with 5,200 lumens ($23,000); for medium-size churches, the PT-D5500, a single-chip DLP with 5,000 lumens ($12,000); and for smaller churches (and portable use), the PT-L785 LCD with 3,200 lumens ($5,999).

Lyon of Shepherd Ministries recommends these Hitachi projectors: For large churches, the CP-X1250 LCD with 4,500 lumens, XGA, and great features ($14,995); for smal-ler churches, the Hitachi CP-S420 with 2,700 lumens, SVGA, and three-year warranty ($7,495); or the lightweight Hitachi CP-X880W LCD with 3,000 lumens, XGA ($10,995). For medium churches, the Sharp XG-MB70X DLP with 3,000 lumens, XGA, auto focus, and auto keystone correction (street price is under $3,000).

Fuller recommends these Christie projectors: For larger sanctuaries and exceptional image quailty, two Roadster three-chip DLP models: The S+16K, 16,000 lumens ($99,995), or the S+12K, 12,000 lumens ($79,995), and if budget is an issue, the LX100 LCD with 10,000 lumens, XGA, and four lamps ($28,995). For medium/large churches, the DS+8K, a three-chip DLP with 8,000 lumens, SXGA+, and xenon illumination for brilliant colors ($59,995); for small churches, the LX-37 LCD with 3,700 lumens, XGA, and interchangeable lenses ($7,495); for portable and classroom use, the bright, very small, lightweight DS+25 DLP with 2,500 lumens and SXGA+, ($14,995).

Clark of Church Multimedia recommends Dukane XGA projectors, each featuring 5-year warranties and great tech support. For large churches, the 8942 with 4,500 lumens (street $4,699), or the 9060 with 6,000 lumens (street $7,999); for medium churches, the 8915 with 3,200 lumens (street $3,499); and for small churches, the 8755b with 2,000 lumens (street $1,999).

Cullinan notes that Digital Projection has a complete projector line costing $9,000 to $110,000. For large churches he recommends the HIGHlite 12,000Dsx+, a three-chip DLP projector with 11,000 lumens, SXGA+, extremely high contrast, and many special features ($74,995).

Hampel recommends these Liesegang LCD, XGA projectors, each with a three-year warranty. For small churches the dv 540 with 3,500 lumens (street $5,495); and for medium churches the dv 560 with 4600 lumens (street $5,995).

One final note: you probably noticed that some projectors offer the same brightness at very different prices. Remember that there is much more to a projector than lumens per dollar. Some lower-priced projectors might be just fine for your use, but you might need features available only on higher-priced models. With a little research and some professional advice, you will make an intelligent, informed decision.

Quentin Wagenfield (wagen@ia.net) is a freelance writer living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.