Specialty and Architectural Lighting — Projection

Choosing a projector for houses of worship starts with two key factors, both focus on projector lumen output or brightness: (1) size of the space (eg. 100 person or 250+ person sanctuary) and (2) amount of ambient light present in the space during projector use. Most sanctuaries or worship gathering spaces will not be totally dark during a service. So unlike a home theater room or even a conference room, digital projectors for churches need to...

When most people think of digital projectors, the images that come to mind are of substantial pieces of equipment with multiple input sources, brightness from 1000 to 4000 lumens and large projected image size that weigh-in at 5 to 10 pounds. Usually these projectors are permanently mounted on walls, ceilings or tables in home theaters, conference rooms, classrooms and church sanctuaries. There are three categories of projectors built for mobility and designed for small group...

The lights are low, the Epson fan hums, you are 15 minutes into a new product release PowerPoint presentation to a group of corporate managers and you realize two people at the end of the table are about to nod off. A sinking feeling. It could be these people would fall asleep in an earthquake, but more likely it’s a clue you need to revisit the basic tips for creating an effective presentation. Here is...

Many projector manufacturers tout a relatively new specification, color brightness, as one of the prime selling features of their projectors. Why might this metric be important when look to purchase a projector? The viewer’s awareness of color has been raised significantly by improvements in digital technology. The images seen today on computer monitors, tablets, smart phones and HD televisions provide full range, saturated, vibrant color. This viewing experience leads to the expectation that, when projected...

All projector manufacturers work with a select group of lamp manufacturers (Philips, Osram, Ushio, Panasonic, Phoenix) who build the lamps installed in new projectors. Each lamp comes from the manufacturer with a “rated lamp life”, usually between 1500 and 3000 hours. While far from the most important factor in selecting a projector, lamp life should at least be understood, because replacement lamp costs can add up. While the most obvious definition of “lamp life” is...

When replacing a projector lamp, we've recommended for years that you don't touch the bulb with your fingers. This is because the oil from your skin can alter the light output or compromise the life of the bulb inside the cage. But let's take a closer look at that recommendation. Should you really never touch a projector lamp? It's important to differentiate the lamp module, usually made of plastic or metal, from the bare bulb....

The mantra for the last few years in the projector replacement lamp business has been anxious concern over the prospect that LED or laser driven projectors would eventually doom a robust replacement lamp market. Both LED and laser light sources can boast of life expectancies in the 20,000 to 30,000 hour range, or, roughly 10 times the life of the workhorse metal halide projector lamp. In fact, at 20,000 hours plus, the projector will likely...

While most new digital projectors ship with a lamp manufactured by either Philips, Osram Sylvania, Ushio, Phoenix or Panasonic, Epson has forged it's own path with its UHE lamp for Epson projectors. Epson calls their lamp the "Twin Optimized Reflection Lamp or E-TORL". To improve optical efficiency Epson engineers focused on tweaking the reflector of the traditional UHP (Philips), P-VIP (Osram), etc projection lamps. The first change was from the common parabolic reflector to an...

Over a year ago, we published an article on 5 Tips to Prolong your LCD Projector Lamp's Effective Life. That article took a look at issues like using gloves or a cloth to replace a bulb, not moving the projector when the bulb is still hot, cleaning the air filters, and more. It's time to revisit ways to prolong the effective life of a projector lamp. While that article applied to both RPTV lamps and...

Projector overheating is the primary cause of premature LCD, DLP and LCOS projector lamp failure. The high wattage lamps that provide the lumen output for crisp images on the screen also generate a significant amount of heat. If this heat is not effectively removed from inside the projector, lamp life will be compromised. How to prevent heat build-up inside a projector. (1) Most important, confirm that the fan is operating properly whenever the lamp is...

Projector lamp life is affected by temperature, altitude, air pressure, humidity and physical impact. Here are some best practices to help extend lamp life: (1) Once the projector is turned on, wait at least five minutes before turning it off to allow the fan to cool the unit. (2) Do not move the projector until the lamp has gone through the five minute cooling period at the end of operation. (3) Make sure the air...

The UHP lamp (ultra high pressure lamp, usually mercury arc) refers to projector lamps with an internal pressure of over 3000 lbs per square inch. The acronym also stands for ultra high performance. Originally developed by Philips in 1995, it is a common light source for digital data / video front projectors and rear projection televisions because it has very high light output available for the small environments of micro display projectors. The main characteristics...

For many people, the coming of fall is a delight worth savoring for as long as it lasts. The kids are back to school, football is back on the TV and there is no better time to enjoy home theater than in the cool of day. But this is also the time you should check out your LCD/DLP projector lamps. A typical DLP/LCD lamp has an effective life of about 2,000 hours. At first glance,...

It's a warning sign that many consumers never expect to see on their screen: "Please Replace the LAMP." The LCD or RPTV projector lamp is reaching the end of its life, and it is time to replace it. As you reflect back on all those episodes of The Simpsons, Seinfeld re-runs, and Super Bowls dating back to the mid-1990s, you wonder how difficult it will be to replace. Thankfully, the tools necessary to start replacing...