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Projectors are going strong: Market continues to grow as price and size shrink
Lisa Wichmann
Competition is heating up in the projector market, as the leading vendors vie for top spot. That distinction seems to belong to Seiko Epson, which recently announced it has captured the worldwide leadership position in the front projector market, for the second year.
Home theatres are the undisputed hot spot for projector sales, according to the NPD Canada Inc. (North York, Ont.), a market research firm. Sales in that market increased 47 per cent in Canada from April 2005 to April 2006.
But the corporate world is also taking notice of projector technology. Worldwide, projectors are expected to show 22 per cent growth over the next year, NPD reports.
What's behind the popularity? In offices at least, buyers are looking to make presentations more interactive and professional. The traditional flip chart is functional, but doesn’t engage the audience as effectively as a digital display.
Buyers in academic, government and corporate offices are gravitating toward "smartboards," according to Toronto-based Epson Canada Ltd. These are a type of interactive chalkboard displaying computer images from a projector.
The smartboards allow teachers and students to display each other's assignments for discussion, surf the web and even edit video using their fingers as pens.
Portable appeal
Of course, no matter how wonderful a technology may be, few buyers will show interest if it has to be carted around in a suitcase. On that front, projector vendors have made significant strides. The late models are small enough to be placed on coffee tables, and weigh just a few kilograms.
One of the stars of Epson's front projector line-up is the PowerLite S3. The S3 is billed as "ultraportable," weighing 2.5 kilograms. It offers 1600 ANSI lumens, making it suitable for movies, sports, video games and presentations.
The smaller size of projectors is also making them more appealing to small and home-based offices, where space is tight. Hitachi Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.), for instance, introduced two entry-level portable LCD projectors in May, called the CP-RS56 and CP-RX61. Both projectors offer a brightness of 1,600 ANSI lumens, and weigh 2.3 kilograms. Contrast ratio is 500:1 for both projectors, and they also have a built-in speaker for use in small rooms.
Beyond office presentations, projectors are cropping up in shopping malls, airports, subways, hotels--just about anywhere advertising appears. From a facilities management perspective, the displays are a more sophisticated means of communicating corporate messages.
Travellers at Toronto Pearson Airport have likely noticed the gargantuan screen displaying advertisements, news bulletins, weather reports and other announcements.
The projector used in the project is Concord, Ont.-based Sanyo Canada Inc.'s PLCXF45, which provides a whopping 10,000 ANSI lumens. The projectors are actually double-stacked, achieving a total 20,000 ANSI lumens. The company has also installed digital displays at two Montreal subway stations, using its PLCF35 and PLCP55 projectors.
But it's not just about the projector model, Sanyo cautions. Support and service are just as important. In busy areas, the projectors are often on more than 20 hours per day, making prompt, reliable service a must.
Challenging conditions found in manufacturing plants and food courts require even more care. Sanyo has developed filters to prevent dirt from getting into the projectors. It also provides a smoke/dirt box, which reduces maintenance, and improves the life of the lamp.
Such innovations reduce overall cost of ownership, making digital signage more accessible to lower-budget buyers, Sanyo reports. A excitement mounts over giving paper and cardboard displays the heave-ho, purchasers should consider the whole picture--resolution, brightness, room size, portability, noise level, service and support, price and warranty--before they buy.
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