| Important Attributes | | | | leads to a degradation in the quality of the image |
| There are many different makes and models of | | | | projected. |
| projector on the market, but an examination of the key | | | | The connectivity of a projector - that is, what exactly, |
| features will allow you to, perhaps, reduce your list to a | | | | and in what form, you can plug into it - may be very |
| more manageable number. | | | | important. You may, for example, want to connect a |
| | | | set top box, or a DVD player, or maybe even a PC or |
| Another concept that you need to appreciate is that | | | | laptop computer - so it's a good idea to look for |
| of the "resolution" of the projected image. The true, or | | | | component, composite and S-video connections, along |
| native resolution of a projector is usually expressed in | | | | with RGB, as a minimum, and HDMI or DVI connections |
| terms of the number of rows and columns of pixels, or | | | | - increasingly common - as well. |
| picture elements, which go together to form the | | | | Conclusion |
| projected image. These different resolutions also have | | | | A projector, like a large, widescreen TV, is not an |
| acronyms to describe them, so you may see "800 x | | | | insignificant purchase, and certainly not something that |
| 600", or "SVGA", or "1024 x 768", or "XGA", and so on. | | | | you're likely to change on a regular basis, so it's |
| Generally speaking, the higher the total number of | | | | obviously important to get exactly what you want at |
| pixels, the better the image quality. The Hitachi PJLC9, | | | | the first time of asking. Reputable retailers may well let |
| for example, is an LCD model with a native resolution | | | | you "trial" a projector, on a "sale or return" basis, or |
| of 854 x 480 pixels, while the Optoma EP7150 model | | | | provide you with a demonstration. However you |
| has a native, XGA, resolution of 1024 x 768. | | | | approach the purchase, make sure that you gather as |
| The resolution describes the maximum level of input | | | | much information as you can, before actually spending |
| that a projector can accept without the need to | | | | any money. |
| compress the original data. Any such compression | | | | |