Buyer’s guide: How to choose the right business projector

Whether it’s a sales meeting in the executive conference room, a training session for new employees, or an annual meeting for franchisees in an auditorium, nothing gets the point across like a powerful projector. It can not only focus attention and turn a pitch into a show, but the right projector can let a variety of presenters share screens from their computers, phones, or tablets from anywhere in the room. In other words, the right projector has the power to put your company in the best possible light.

The good news is that there is an extraordinary variety of projectors available today that can put a sharp and bright image onto a screen to get your company’s message across. From miniature marvels the size of a paperback book to desk-sized behemoths that can light up an auditorium’s screen, there’s a business projector for every room, purpose, and budget.

But with hundreds of products available, how do you decide which is right for your business? This buyer’s guide cuts through the marketing mumbo-jumbo and tech spec sheets to help you make sense of the options. To simplify things, we’ve broken the projector market down into five major categories:

• Pocket projectors: Aimed at the ultramobile among us, pocket projectors turn any place into a presentation zone and have been designed for quick setup and breakdown. On the downside, they often fall short on brightness.
• Portable projectors: A big step up in terms of brightness are portable projectors, although they are bigger, heavier, and often more expensive. With many advanced features, they can still easily travel.
• Short-throw and ultra-short-throw projectors: Based on compact optics, short-throw and ultra-short-throw devices project the image up (or down) as much as out to create surprisingly large images with the projector close to the screen. These projectors can prevent presenter shadows and are perfect for small or oddly shaped rooms.
• Boardroom projectors: This class of projectors is for rooms dedicated to meetings and presentations by executives. As such, they have advanced features such as interchangeable lenses, image shifting, and often the ability show two streams at once.
• Large-venue projectors: At the top of the projector pyramid, large-venue projectors are the business world’s equivalent of theatrical projectors. Used in large multipurpose rooms or auditoriums, they have high-performance video processors and often require expensive infrastructure, such as sound systems, dedicated high-voltage power lines, and projection rooms. The payoff is a huge, bright image.

Although they are a helpful starting point for an intended purchase, these categories are nothing more than suggestions with porous borders. For example, there are high-end portable projectors that can command a boardroom, boardroom projectors with enough brightness to cover a midsized auditorium, and large-venue projectors that can be outfitted with short-throw lenses.

Chances are that you’ll be shopping in several of the categories, so keep an open mind: compare the specs, think about the room it will be used in, consider your company’s culture, and pick your ideal projector(s) based on your needs and budget. (Prices are shown in US dollars.)

After all, you only have one chance to make a good first impression in the business world. There’s no easier way to lose an audience’s attention — and likely their business — than by forcing them to sit in a dark room squinting at a dim, poorly focused or distorted image. When it comes to projecting your company’s ideas and image, get your audience to see the light.

What to look for when shopping for a business projector

There’s one thing that all projectors have in common: They are complicated devices that have dozens of characteristics to compare and consider. While brightness, resolution, and size and weight get the most attention, there’s a slew of things to look at and evaluate. Here’s a checklist of the most important items to look at when researching options.

Light source

More and more, today’s projectors are powered by solid-state components rather than lamps that contain mercury. Smaller projectors generally use LEDs, while the larger ones are based on lasers. This not only means that you’ll never have to replace a lamp — not an inconsiderable task if it’s hanging from the ceiling — but the ease of cooling means that these projectors can be set up at any angle, even straight down for projecting a welcoming message onto the floor at a sales conference.

Most solid-state light sources have lifespan ratings of between 15,000 and 30,000 hours, compared to a lamp’s estimated lifetime of 3,000 to 5,000 hours of use. There’s a gotcha, though, because that rating is based on how long it takes for the illumination components to dim to half their original brightness output. That means that if the projector is used for 8 hours a day for 200 days a year — a fairly rough duty cycle — it could last 12.5 years. On the other hand, several years down the road, the projector might dim unacceptably.

More and more, lamp-based projectors are being relegated to the inexpensive portion of the buying spectrum. While they can be priced hundreds of dollars less than solid-state models, figure on buying and installing a new lamp every two years. At $100 to $300 each, it adds up quickly.

Brightness

This measure of a projector’s illumination is one of its most important characteristics but be careful when looking over spec sheets. The gold standard is ANSI lumens, which is an average of nine readings taken at different points on the screen. Other measures, including a single central measurement, are less useful, more optimistic, and should likely be taken with a grain of projection salt.

While you can get by with 400 or so ANSI lumens in a pocket projector, 5,000 lumens or more is better for a conference-room projector. For a large-venue projector, look for anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 lumens, depending on the room it will operate in.

Contrast ratio

For the most part, vendors tell it like it is on brightness, with a few even understating output on spec sheets. When it comes to contrast, though, they are all over the place because there are so many ways of measuring it. That said, anything over 2,000:1 should be fine for office purposes, regardless of how it’s measured. More sophisticated models let you adjust this parameter as well.

Resolution

A measure of the detail the projector is capable of delivering, resolution matches the standards for desktop displays. Accept nothing less than XGA (1024 x 768). Many of the newest designs start at full HD resolution (1920 x 1080), and several large-venue projectors can display 4096 x 2160 resolution for a theater-like experience.

If you’re displaying spreadsheets and websites, HD should be just fine, but if you’ll be showing high-quality video or applications, higher resolution will pay off with better viewing.

Projection distance and projected image size

Where the projector sits depends on the room and screen, with each model having a throw ratio that calculates the image size based on its distance from the screen. Typically, throw ratios are around 1:1.2, meaning that with the projector 10 feet (3 meters) from the screen, the image will be roughly 12 feet (about 3.7 meters), measured diagonally.

To take the guesswork out of picking the right projector, most manufacturers (and many specialist projector websites) have throw-ratio calculators — you enter the distance and it displays the image size.

Size and weight

It seems obvious, but don’t forget to check that a projector’s dimensions and weight are in line with its intended use. If users will be lugging it around the office, look for one that’s less than 6 pounds (2.7 kg) and no bigger than a stack of books. Go even smaller and lighter if users will be taking it on the road. A projector that will be parked in a boardroom most of the time doesn’t have such constraints.

Power use

The good news about solid-state projectors is that they generally use less power and run cooler than lamp-based devices. This pays dividends with smaller electrical bills and quieter fans.

That said, at the top of the market are projectors that require a dedicated three-phase 220-volt electrical line. Be careful and factor in how much electricity the projector will use, because some high-end models can cost several hundred dollars a year in electricity bills.

Warranty

This is an area of huge differentiation among projectors, particularly at the high end. Most business projectors include a year of coverage, but Panasonic commercial projectors up that to a five-year warranty. Keep in mind that with a short warranty period, you might be spending several hundred dollars to extend the warranty or cover repairs down the road.

A big bonus in a warranty is the inclusion of next-day replacement for a projector failure so you can quickly get running again. Epson provides this in its ExpressCare service for the company’s commercial projectors.

Remote control

It’s a truism of projectors that as the device grows in size, so does the remote control, with a host of advanced features and often backlighting. While pocket and portable projector remotes might be limited to power, source, and menu buttons, boardroom and large-venue projectors often have remotes that let you control the horizontal and vertical lens shift, zoom in and out, and focus the image.

If you’re setting up a projector in a large room, look for a remote control that can be wired to the projector using a long audio jumper cable. It’s a big help in a projection booth or sound table that’s too far for the remote’s infrared beam to reach.

Mobile apps

Many projectors can wirelessly connect with a phone or tablet through an iOS or Android app, providing another level of control over the device. The apps’ abilities vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and typically include things like adjusting the image, advancing slides, or projecting a web site.

LAN control

While Wi-Fi remains rare in projectors, most conference room and larger devices have wired networking. In addition to letting you check on the basic parameters through a browser page, many projectors let you adjust things like the input and the volume. The bigger projectors have the software and hardware to work with control programs from Creston, AMX, or JPLink.

Digital video option

In addition to HDMI ports, many newer projectors can receive HDBASET uncompressed high-resolution video over a wired video network. It uses a second RJ-45 port dedicated to streaming video.

Screen

Every good projector deserves an excellent screen that brings the image to life. They range from small ones that fold up to fit in a travel case to mammoth ones that descend from the ceiling in an auditorium, and everything in between. Da-Lite, Draper, and Elite are reliable vendors that offer a full range of screens, including those with motorized opening and closing.

Extra gear and support

With pocket and portable projectors, presenters typically fly solo, but lots of hardware and help are required to pull off a boardroom or large-venue projection show. Figure you’ll need mounting hardware, microphones, speakers, video switches, and all kinds of cables.

One small thing that often gets ignored when dealing with business projectors that can be the difference between a good show and fumbling in a dark room: a power cable with a mechanical lock. Otherwise, you might suffer the indignity of having someone kick out the power cable accidentally, resulting in no shortage of embarrassment and confusion.

With all this to get and integrate, it’s a good idea to have a technician on hand to make sure it’s always ready to work when needed.

Pocket projectors

If you’ve ever wanted to convene an impromptu meeting, only to find that all the conference rooms were taken, a pocket projector is for you. Small, light, and easy to set up, it can quickly turn any space — from a cafeteria table to a cubicle wall — into a presentation place.

AAXA

Also known as ultra-compact or pico projectors, these devices are meant to be carried. The term “pocket-sized” is only a slight exaggeration, with the smallest weighing about 6 ounces (170 grams) and able to slip into a jacket pocket. At the other extreme, the largest of these Lilliputians top out at about three and a half pounds (1.6 kilograms). In between is a world of projectors that can easily be taken just about anywhere.

Don’t worry if you see that these projectors are pitched at consumers more interested in projecting movies and streaming TV than in spreadsheets and marketing materials. Most are equally good at both.

Most pocket projectors use solid-state illumination components that rely on red, blue, and green LEDs, although the latest models use a blue diode laser that was once reserved for larger projectors. Much less delicate than traditional projector lamps, the LEDs are rugged enough for travel and have rated lifetimes of between 15,000 and 30,000 hours of use. In other words, they should outlast most other gear in the office.

The smallest are like the AAXA LED Pico Pocket Projector, which weighs in at just 6 ounces and fits easily in the palm of the hand. Its 25-lumen output, however, is on a par with a flashlight — best used for a small group viewing a 36-inch (91 cm) screen (measured diagonally) in a darkened room.

At the large end of the pico scale, the 3.5 lb. XGIMI Halo can put 800 lumens onscreen and is more than enough for a 60-inch (152-cm) image without it getting washed out. Somewhere in the middle is the Optoma ML750, which at 10 ounces is on a par with a paperback book, yet can fill a 96-inch (244-cm) screen with a 700-lumen image.

Like others in this class, these mighty mites rely on a reflective Digital Light Processing (DLP) imaging chip. Its millions of microscopic mirrors swing back and forth to create the projected image while a synchronized color wheel adds color. The digital light processing chips are popular in this class of projectors because the alternative, using a transmissive Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), would eat up too much of the limited light output to be useful.

Pocket projectors are throwbacks in terms of resolution. At the low end, expect 960 x 540-pixel imaging, which might work best for showing tabular material like a sales spreadsheet. At the other extreme, high-end projectors offer 1920 x 1080 HD resolution, fit for more demanding projection material like photos and videos. 

These projectors have keystone correction for squaring off the trapezoidal image that results from the projector being aimed up at the screen from a table. It’s quick and easy to do. One thing you won’t get with a pico projector is a zoom lens to easily frame the image within the confines of the screen. Most get by with a digital zoom system that magnifies image in the same viewing space and can be used to highlight an item on-screen. Push it too far and the image looks pixelated.

Some of the newest models, like the XGIMI Halo or ViewSonic M2, can do a cool visual trick. An innovative auto-focus routine projects an imaging target that a sensor inside the projector analyzes to move the lens in and out until it sees sharp edges. It’s fun to watch and better than the sharpest-eyed technician.

XGIMI

Because of limited space for ports, these pocket projectors generally have only an HDMI port, a USB A or C port, an audio jack, and sometimes a microSD card slot. Some of the newer models include Bluetooth for connecting to external speakers.

If you want to leave the laptop behind on your desk, the ViewSonic M2 will do the trick with a built-in Android computer and Wi-Fi. This allows it to wirelessly connect with a phone or project a website.

These are the power misers of the projector world, and as such, many can run on internal battery packs. Some, like the Halo, promise 3.5 hours of use away from an AC outlet. The gotcha is that its brightness can drop by 20% when on battery power. Still, it’s useful for projecting in a place without an AC outlet, like an outdoor company reception.  

Any of these pocket projectors can go anywhere you go, providing new presentation possibilities. They may be small and light, but pocket projectors have huge ambitions in the business world.

Pocket projectors at a glance

• Target audience: Presenters on the go who would be slowed down by a 4-lb. projector
• Pros: Small; light; inexpensive; use solid-state lighting elements; some have Bluetooth for audio; some can can run on battery power
• Cons: Limited in terms of image size, brightness, resolution, and features
• Price range: $250 to $750
• Dimensions: 7 x 2.6 x 0.9 in. to 4.5 x 4.7 x 6.8 in. (6.9 x 6.6 x 2.3 cm to 11.4 x 11.9 x 17.3 cm)
• Weight: 6 oz. to 3.5 lbs. (170 g to 1.6 kg)
• Brightness rating: 100 to 700 lumens
• Native resolution: 960 x 540 to 1920 x 1080
• Projection distance: 8 to 15 ft. (55 cm to 4.6 m)
• Projected image size (diagonal): 5 to 10 ft. (46 cm to 3 m)
• Ports/connectivity: HDMI; USB; audio; some have an SD card slot
• Examples: AAXA LED Pico Pocket Projector; AAXA P8 Mini Smart Projector; Optoma ML750; ViewSonic M2; XGIMI Halo

Buying advice: These projectors can disappoint on resolution, so if you need sharp images, get one that projects HD resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Portable projectors

Whether it’s pitching to a potential customer, showing off your company’s wares, or training fellow employees, the portable projector rules the business world by offering a bright, sharp image from a device that can be carried from room to room or city to city. With 1,500 lumens or more of brightness at their disposal, these devices blow away pocket projectors and mean that the lights can stay on and the shades up.

InFocus

That said, they are typically much bigger and heavier than their pocketable brethren, although the latest generation of portable projectors place a premium being slim and light. For example, at 1.7 inches (4 cm) tall and 4 lbs. (1.8 kg), the Epson PowerLite 1795F can slide into most notebook bags. At the other extreme, Optoma’s ZW350 pushes the definition of portability at four times the size and more than double the weight; it will likely need its own bag.

In this group, imaging technology is evenly split between LCD and DLP, with the latter having a big advantage on the road. While LCD projector designs often offer a superior color balance, they require an air filter to make sure no dust gets into the sensitive optical elements. DLPs generally have sealed optics, so there’s no need to worry about being slowed down in Cleveland with a clogged filter.

Portables at the low end typically stick with XGA (1024 x 768) or WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution, but HD (1920 x 1080) and UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution are becoming the norm for the midrange and up. In fact, some projectors are available in families that offer a variety of attributes at a range of prices, letting you choose what’s important. While the economical InFocus LightPro Advanced 3LCD Series IN1004 projector puts out 3,100 lumens in XGA resolution, its midrange cousin, the IN1026, offers WXGA resolution and 4,200 lumens for sharper, brighter images. The flagship IN1059 model combines 5,000 lumens of light with WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution.

Sharper still is the Anker Nebula Cosmos Max, which puts out 3840 x 2160 resolution with 1,500 lumens of light. Because it’s LED-based, you can forget about buying or installing a lamp ever again.

Anker

Most projectors in this class offer horizontal and vertical keystone correction, and many include an optical zoom lens to adjust the image to exactly fill the screen. For instance, the Optoma ZW350’s lens can increase or decrease the image’s size by 30%. That said, many of these projectors have a maximum image size of 25 feet (7.6 meters), although they’ll more typically be used with screens no bigger than 10 feet (3 meters).

Expect a good assortment of ports, including HDMI (sometimes two), VGA, audio, USB A or C, and often an SD card slot. For those who want to travel ultralight, many in this class will let you lift images, video, and often PDFs from an SD card or USB flash drive without a laptop in sight. Some, like the Nebula Cosmos Max, add Wi-Fi, an Android computer, a web browser, and the ability to mirror what’s on a phone or tablet for ultimate flexibility.

The bottom line for nomads is that despite being heavier than pocket projectors, portables might actually lighten your load by letting you leave the laptop behind.

Portable projectors at a glance

• Target audience: Salespeople and execs on the go who need to present a bright, sharp image and then move on to the next appointment
• Pros: Bright; inexpensive; transportable; optical zoom; good assortment of ports; many can grab items from a USB flash drive or wirelessly from a phone or tablet
• Cons: Many are bulky and heavy; some use traditional lamps that must be periodically replaced
• Price range: $500 to $1,700
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.5 x 1.5 in. to 13.5 x 10.5 x 5 in. (29 x 22 x 4 cm to 34 x 27 x 13 cm)
• Weight: 5 to 9.0 lbs. (1.6 to 4.1 kg)
• Brightness rating: 1,500 to 4,500 lumens
• Native resolution: 1024 x 768 to 3840 x 2160
• Projection distance: 5 to 30 ft. (76 cm to 9.1 m)
• Projected image size (diagonal): 3 to 25 ft. (91 cm to 7.6 m)
• Ports/connectivity: HDMI; VGA; USB; SD card; audio; Wi-Fi
• Examples: Anker Nebula Cosmos Max; Epson PowerLite 1795F; InFocus LightPro Advanced 3LCD Series IN1026; Optoma ZW350

Buying advice: You’ll be carrying this projector around, so make every ounce count by looking for the best combination of brightness and portability.

Short-throw and ultra-short-throw projectors

Most projectors work best when they send their beam of light across the room. By contrast, short-throw and the newer ultra-short-throw projectors sit close to the screen. They’re great for small, oddly shaped rooms and those that lack a long, straight line to aim the projector’s output. There’s a big bonus for presenters: because the projector is behind them, they neither cast shadows on the material nor are blinded by the projector’s beam.

Epson

Typically set up on the ceiling, wall, or floor within a foot or two of the screen, a short-throw projector like Epson’s HD (1920 x 1080) BrightLink 1485Fi can create a 9-foot (2.7-meter) image when set up 17 inches (43 cm) from the screen. Meanwhile, BenQ’s ultra-short-throw LW890UST can create the same image in WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution but from only 10 inches (25 cm) away from the screen.

Some of the newest members of the short throw bunch, like the LG ProBeam 4K, feature ultrasharp 3840 x 2160 resolution that makes every pixel count. In addition to lens shifting capabilities, its zoom lens makes easy work of exactly framing the image in a screen. Without this ability to resize the image with a zoom lens, the best you can do is delicately move the projector toward or away from the screen to reduce or enlarge the image’s size. It’s not pretty, but it works.

In fact, this genre can be tricky to set up, because the beam is aimed so steeply that if the projector is mounted slightly out of level, this imperfection is multiplied as it is projected. The best bet is to use a ceiling or wall mount that allows up-down, in-out, and side-to-side adjustments. Many models, such as BenQ’s LW890UST, come with all the hardware you’ll need to mount the projector. For those that don’t, a generic mount from Chief, Peerless, or others should work fine.

As is the case with other genres, solid state lighting is replacing traditional lamps in short-throw projectors, Although laser-based projectors like BenQ’s LW890UST command a price premium up front, lamp-based models like the inexpensive ViewSonic PS700W will need several lamps over their lifetime.

LG

Adding digital pens for participants to write on the screen can help with collaboration. The BrightLink 1485Fi comes with two pens, although it can accommodate up to eight at a time; extra pens cost $39 each. Think of them as the digital equivalent of a marker that can highlight a portion of an Excel sales spreadsheet, make lists, or just sketch ideas on the projection equivalent of a whiteboard. Epson’s GoBoard Collaborative Whiteboarding software lets you use different digital ink colors on the projected image, and the final product can be easily saved for posterity or a meeting report.

These projectors have plenty of room for ports. Look for two HDMI ports as well as VGA, Composite Video, or S-Video inputs. Several have video-out ports for sending the stream to another display.

With the ability to make a large image while being close to the screen, these short- and ultra-short-throw projectors do a lot with a little.

Short-throw and ultra-short-throw projectors at a glance

• Target audience: Presenters who need to set up in small or oddly shaped rooms or don’t want to throw shadows
• Pros: Work in small or oddly shaped spaces; don’t blind the presenter or cast shadows; many have interactive pens
• Cons: Tricky to set up; many lack zoom lenses
• Price range: $900 to $4,300
• Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 5 in. to 20 x 15 x 6 in. (30.5 x 22.9 x 12.7 cm to 50.8 x 38 x 15 cm)
• Weight: 5 to 30 lbs. (2.3 to 13.6 kg)
• Brightness rating: 3,000 to 5,000 lumens
• Native resolution: 1280 x 800 to 3840 x 2160
• Projection distance: 5 to 3 ft. (45 to 91 cm)
• Projected image size (diagonal): 5 to 13 ft. (1.5 to 4 m)
• Ports/connectivity: HDMI; VGA or DisplayPort; composite video; audio; USB; Ethernet; Wi-Fi
• Examples: BenQ LW890UST; Epson BrightLink 1485Fi; LG ProBeam 4K; ViewSonic PS700W

Buying advice: Get a model that includes interactive pens so your screen can become a creative workspace.

Boardroom projectors

Often the most important business gets accomplished in executive conference rooms, so it’s essential to equip them with the appropriate audio-video gear to get your message across. Large and permanently set up, boardroom projectors are often the centerpiece of a lavish AV center that includes built-in microphones, speakers, and video equipment for teleconferences.

Sony

Projectors in this class are brighter, have more advanced features and cost a great deal more than their portable siblings. To light up the conference room screen, they put out between 3,000 and 10,000 lumens. The class is split between solid-state illumination (mostly laser-based in this class) and traditional lamps. Laser projectors tend to cost more but will never need a new lamp, while the lamp-based systems will need a new lamp every couple of years.

Many in this class have interchangeable lenses that let the optics fit the room. This à la carte approach is seen with the seven different lenses Panasonic sells for its PT-MZ880 projector, ranging from an ultra-short-throw one for close-up projection to one for projecting across a long room. At up to several thousand dollars each, they can cost as much as a midrange projector.

In addition to being able to fine-tune the color balance, expect to get features like horizontal and vertical keystone correction as well as lens shifting so you’re not locked into setting the projector up exactly centered on the screen. Most boardroom projectors have motorized controls for zoom and focus that allow you to adjust the image via the remote control.

While you can still get a WXGA unit in this category, HD and 4K imaging are preferred, because a sharp picture is worth a thousand words (or more) when your career is on the line. The market is split between DLP, LCD, and Liquid Crystal on Silicon, a hybrid of the two. LCOS offers the brightness of a reflective technology with the excellent color balance of a liquid crystal device, but it typically costs more. The Canon Realis 4K600STZ LCOS laser projector, for instance, offers 6,000 lumens of brightness and native 4096 x 2400 resolution — and retails for about $50,000.

This projector class often includes a dedicated video processor that can improve so-so images and make numbers and text stand out from a white background. For instance, the Detail Clarity Processor on the Panasonic PT-MZ880 boosts the color output and sharpness by analyzing video a frame at a time and optimizing its color balance, contrast, and brightness.

A cool trick that can come in handy in a boardroom is the ability to present two video streams at once for before-and-after comparisons or a complex video call. The Sony VPL-FHZ85 lets you place the two streams side by side or with a smaller one inset on the main image.

While wired networking is de rigueur for boardroom projectors, Wi-Fi is sometimes offered as an option. Look for a wide variety of connections that range from HDMI and DisplayPort to DVI and VGA. Many can also tap into networked uncompressed HDBaseT video.

It all adds up to a big projector that can be hard to hide. There are three approaches here that are popular for conference rooms: Set up the projector behind the scenes as a rear projector that shines its beam through a translucent screen, put all the AV gear in a projection room, or use a motorized platform that lowers the projector into view when needed. When it’s time to project, just tap the remote control and the projector emerges, often as the screen descends at the other end of the room.

Canon

Keep in mind that a large, high-end boardroom projector like the Canon Realis 4K600STZ consumes 665 watts of power — about what a microwave oven uses — compared to just 171 watts for Sharp/NEC’s NP-M380HL, an inexpensive projector aimed at classroom use. That said, the Realis 4K600STZ’s 6,000 lumens will blow away the NP-M380HL’s 3,800 lumens.

In this class, a two- or three-year warranty is expected, but Canon and Panasonic raise that to five years of coverage. Epson’s warranty lasts for three years in this class of projector, and the company’s ExpressCare includes overnight replacement service to minimize downtime.

Although prices start at around $3,000, they can quickly climb to $50,000 or more, particularly after you’ve gone lens shopping. Still, it’s just the start: Figure on spending as much or more on audio, cabling, behind-the-scenes video processing, and other accessories such as mounting hardware.

Boardroom projectors at a glance

• Target audience: Executives who present a lot on their home turf and demand a sharp, bright image
• Pros: Bright, sharp images; interchangeable lenses; powered zoom and focusing; often have a three-year or longer warranty
• Cons: Large; expensive; use a lot of power; run hot
• Price range: $3,000 to $50,000
• Dimensions: 12.5 x 8.5 x 3.5 in. to 25 x 22 x 8 in. (32 x 22 x 9 cm to 64 x 56 x 20 cm)
• Weight: 10 to 60 lbs. (4.5 to 27 kg)
• Brightness rating: 3,000 to 10,000 lumens
• Native resolution: 1280 x 800 to 4096 x 2400
• Projection distance: 4 to 125 ft. (1.2 to 38 m); depends on which interchangeable lens is used
• Projected image size (diagonal): 4 to 50 ft. (1.2 to 15 m)
• Ports/connectivity: HDMI; VGA; DVI; DisplayPort; component video; HDBaseT; RS-232; 12-volt for screen; USB; audio; Ethernet; Wi-Fi
• Examples: Canon Realis 4K600STZ; Optoma ZU860; Panasonic PT-MZ880; Sharp/NEC NP-M380HL; Sony VPL-FHZ85; Sony VPL-PHZ60

Buying advice: Because you may need to do two things at once, consider a boardroom projector that can project a split screen or picture-in-picture.

Large-venue projectors

Got a large room with a large screen ready to be filled with video and images? To get a sharp, bright image that everyone can see, you’ll need a large-venue projector. By far the most expensive devices in the projection food chain, they are the flagships that deliver huge video streams and are the business world’s equivalent of theatrical projectors.

Panasonic

Sometimes as big a three-drawer file cabinet, these projectors are the brightest of the bunch, with the ability to put tens of thousands of lumens onto a screen. You’ll be hard-pressed to find new lamp-based large-venue projectors these days. Laser models are now the name of the game; their brightness and longevity make lamp-based models look like look like dinosaurs.

Because of their extreme output, large-venue projectors can run hot, very hot. For instance, Panasonic’s PT-RQ50KU projector, which uses lasers to deliver 50,000 lumens in 4096 x 2160 resolution, has a heat output of 13,000 BTUs — as much as a room-sized space heater. The PT-RQ50KU, as well as more moderate large-venue projectors like the 20,000-lumen Sharp/NEC NC2003ML, use liquid cooling to keep the laser elements from burning out.

Many of these large-venue projectors have built-in edge-blending technology so that two or three projectors can be aimed at the same screen, combining their brightness or arranged side by side to create a tiled mosaic image of epic proportions. The Epson EB-PU2116 puts up to 16,000 lumens onto the screen, and its optional PixAlign camera helps create complex projector setups; it fits into a nook next to the projector’s lens.

Epson

When you have a room full of employees or potential customers, the final image counts for everything, and HD resolution is table stakes for large-venue projectors. Right now, 4K imaging is becoming increasingly popular; for example, the Barco UDX 4K26 projector uses lasers to pump out 26,000 lumens in super-sharp 3840 x 2400 resolution. There are nine lenses available that are sold separately.

This class of projectors has the best assortment of ports, including HDMI, DisplayPort, HDBaseT, SDI, and DVI. Alongside them are ports for wired networking, audio, USB, and even the RS-232 that allows remote operation.

Often, what you don’t get is speakers. The presumption is that these projectors will be connected to a room-wide sound system so everyone can hear. Also note that in most cases you’ll pay for lenses separately.

Regardless, price is no object here, with companies spending anywhere from $10,000 at the low end to upward of $250,000 on a high-performance projector for their auditorium. When your company’s image counts for everything, get the best and the brightest.

Large-venue projectors at a glance

• Target audience: Executives who work at organizations with an onsite auditorium or large multipurpose room
• Pros: Bright; can fill a large auditorium screen; many have 4K or 5K imaging; some have built-in video processors and/or built-in edge-blending
• Cons: Very expensive; often require dedicated power line, sound system, and projection booth
• Price range: $10,000 to $250,000
• Dimensions: 19 x 23 x 8 in. to 19 x 35 x 15 in. (48 x 58 x 20 cm to 48 x 89 x 38 cm)
• Weight: 75 to 250 lbs. (34 to 113 kg)
• Brightness rating: 10,000 to 100,000 lumens
• Native resolution: 1920 x 1200 to 5120 x 3200
• Projection distance: 5 to 240 ft. (1.5 to 73 m); depends on which interchangeable lens is used
• Projected image size (diagonal): 6 to 120 ft. (1.8 to 37 m); can create larger image by combining the output of several projectors
• Ports/connectivity: HDMI; HDBaseT; DisplayPort; USB; component video; DVI; SDI; audio; Ethernet; USB; RS-232
• Examples: Barco UDX 4K26; Epson EB-PU2116; Panasonic PT-RQ50KU; Sharp/NEC NC2003ML

Buying advice: To fill a movie-theatre-sized screen and truly wow your audience, get the biggest and brightest projector you can afford, along with the sharpest lens.

Business projectors compared: Key specs and more

This article was originally published in August 2014 and most recently updated in March 2023.