Church Projectors: IR Extender Repeater
The best way for a church official to control the projector is with an IR Extender Repeater. This is a hardwired system using an Infrared receiver that receives the projector remote signal and sends it along a low voltage wire to a connecting block. This block then sends the signal through an emitter on to your church projector. This system has the benefit of low price and high reliability.
Church Projectors: Ceiling Mount
The large majority of churches utilize ceiling mounts in order to affix their church projector. The best way to determine where to put the ceiling mount is to use a tall stepladder. Turn the digital projector on and aim it at the projection screen. Next, carefully put the digital projector on top of the ladder and determine the right distance that will fill the entire projection screen. Once you figure out how far it needs to be and at what height, mark it with a string hanging down from the ceiling. That is where you need to ceiling mount the church projector.
Church Projectors: Low Decibel Projector
The problem with using a very bright digital projector is that it may make a more noise than a low lumen digital projector. The brighter the projector is, the more fans that it will need to keep the projector cool. In most business environments, you may not even notice the constant humming coming from the digital projector. However, in a church, especially while everyone is silently praying, it could be a distraction. Look for a DLP or LCD projector that has a low decibel rating, which is the amount of noise the projector makes when in use. Any rating at or below 37 decibels is considered pretty quiet.
Church Projectors: Projection Distance
The most important factor for choosing a church projector is the distance from the projector to the projection screen. This is also the trickiest part about choosing a church projector. Speak with one of a church projector consultants about your specific church setup. They will help you determine the right size for your projection screen, the distance your projector needs to be from the projection screen and the church projector that is best for the job.
Church Projectors: Resolution
XGA resolution projectors produce more detail as well as a much better image. Because song lyrics and scripture would need to be very large for the rear of the congregation to read, SVGA resolution projectors could be used. SVGA is an acceptable resolution when you intend to project large type and large images that are not detail oriented. You can save quite a bit of money by purchasing a high brightness SVGA resolution projector, rather than an XGA resolution projector for your church. Of course, if you choose to spend a little more for an XGA resolution projector, your church-goers will receive a much better image.
Church Projectors: Brightness
As a rule of thumb, we recommend a minimum of 2500 lumens of brightness when using a church projector, but more is always better. Most churches have a very long throw distance (the distance form the multimedia projector to the screen). Couple that with a sizable congregation and a large projection screen, and you¡¯ll need a bright projector even if your church is dimly lit. If your church has numerous windows, even stained glass windows, you¡¯ll probably need a multimedia projector with more than 2500 lumens of brightness.
With that said, we have spoken with several church officials that have used multimedia projectors that are less than 1000 lumens and yet had an adequate image from the projector. That is the exception and not the rule. Those churches are usually very small and quite dim.