Where are the comparison charts of Projectors?
January 11, 2008 11:21 AM Subscribe
Is there such a thing as a 1440x900 resolution projector? Better yet is there a nice grid for any of the manufacturers that shows that resolution, and the models it's available in?
So, I am looking for a projector that'll do 1440x900 natively.
Problem is - I can't seem to find any that do that, nor do I know if it is called something else (XGA/SXGA/etc) that I am missing.
Basically I am looking for an inexpensive projector for demos and such at work, noting more that project the computer screen up on the wall...
So, I am looking for a projector that'll do 1440x900 natively.
Problem is - I can't seem to find any that do that, nor do I know if it is called something else (XGA/SXGA/etc) that I am missing.
Basically I am looking for an inexpensive projector for demos and such at work, noting more that project the computer screen up on the wall...
Response by poster: hmmm - according to that, I am SOL, as a projector doesn't exist for 1440x900...
posted by niteHawk at 11:31 AM on January 11, 2008
posted by niteHawk at 11:31 AM on January 11, 2008
There's something similar here -- a list of resolutions by which you can shop for a projector, and they don't even list 1440x900 as an option.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 11:35 AM on January 11, 2008
posted by Doofus Magoo at 11:35 AM on January 11, 2008
What's the appeal of that resolution? TThey have 1400x1050 which is close enough for nearly anything.
posted by smackfu at 11:36 AM on January 11, 2008
posted by smackfu at 11:36 AM on January 11, 2008
I'm going to take a stab and assume you're under the misconception that you have to have a projector with the same resolution as your laptop screen. You don't; you can have it function as a second screen (useful for setting things up, emailing people and saying 'where are you?' while not interrupting the meeting, etc) or you could have your laptop go to the same resolution as the projector and have it mirror your display - sure, it'll make your laptop really annoying to read, but you're looking at the projected image rather than your laptop.
posted by Tomorrowful at 11:41 AM on January 11, 2008
posted by Tomorrowful at 11:41 AM on January 11, 2008
Response by poster: Tommorowful -
Yeah - I am aware, but specifically, the upper management (the "C" level") all have widescreen notebooks, and do not want the notebooks resolution to change for presentations (they do not look at the projector when presenting).
Smackfu - you lose 40px on one side.. again, see above - the "C" level's are being ... difficult about this.
I am guessing that it doesn't exist. Yippie - this'll be a fun conversation :-)
posted by niteHawk at 11:53 AM on January 11, 2008
Yeah - I am aware, but specifically, the upper management (the "C" level") all have widescreen notebooks, and do not want the notebooks resolution to change for presentations (they do not look at the projector when presenting).
Smackfu - you lose 40px on one side.. again, see above - the "C" level's are being ... difficult about this.
I am guessing that it doesn't exist. Yippie - this'll be a fun conversation :-)
posted by niteHawk at 11:53 AM on January 11, 2008
If by "native" you mean you need to see every single pixel clearly just get a projector with a native resolution greater than 1440x990. Not sure what your specific reasons or applications for this resolution are, but if you have a 1200X1600 projector you will be able to see what 1440X900 looks like by displaying an image of that size on it, without stretching to fit the screen of course. give us more info.
posted by Charlie Lesoine at 11:58 AM on January 11, 2008
posted by Charlie Lesoine at 11:58 AM on January 11, 2008
Get a projector that can do 1080p (1920x1080). It will upscale the image from a WXGA+ laptop to fit its native resolution, and the widescreen aspect ratio will keep everything in proportion. At a quick glance this Sanyo looks promising. I've had good results with Sanyo projectors, though some models can be noisy. You don't specify what kind of brightness you're looking for, but 1200 lumens should be enough for a typical conference room unless they insist on keeping the lights way up.
posted by contraption at 1:58 PM on January 11, 2008
posted by contraption at 1:58 PM on January 11, 2008
Oh, and to clarify (contradict?) what Tomorrowful said, most current projectors will accept computer video at any resolution and rescale it internally to fit their native raster. You don't have to switch resolutions on the laptop to make it fit, and your laptop display will look just like it always does.
posted by contraption at 2:15 PM on January 11, 2008
posted by contraption at 2:15 PM on January 11, 2008
A lot of laptops whose default behavior is mirroring adjust their own LCD display resolution to match that of the projector. I think this is the effect that the executives are complaining about and what's driving this question (but I could be missing the point). Most projectors you run into are 1024x768, and a 1440x900 display looks like ass when scaled that way.
I don't know that I've ever projected from a project that's not 1024x768, so I don't know what the default behavior is for mac laptops, but my worry is that even if you get a 1920x1080 projector the laptop might still mess with its resolution because of the different aspect ratio. Certainly, the projector will handle it gracefully, but the laptop still might not.
It might also be worth looking into ways to subvert the laptop's behavior. The projector will be pretty much fine no matter what, so if you can convince the laptop to not change its resolution it may not matter what kind of projector you buy.
posted by heresiarch at 2:49 PM on January 11, 2008
I don't know that I've ever projected from a project that's not 1024x768, so I don't know what the default behavior is for mac laptops, but my worry is that even if you get a 1920x1080 projector the laptop might still mess with its resolution because of the different aspect ratio. Certainly, the projector will handle it gracefully, but the laptop still might not.
It might also be worth looking into ways to subvert the laptop's behavior. The projector will be pretty much fine no matter what, so if you can convince the laptop to not change its resolution it may not matter what kind of projector you buy.
posted by heresiarch at 2:49 PM on January 11, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 11:26 AM on January 11, 2008