How To Get The Best Out Of Projector Lamps And Bulbs

By Brian Adams

The life span of a projector bulb depends are measured in hours and depend on the digital projector they are being used with. On newer models they should normally have a life span of atleast 2000+ hours, with some of the multimedia models ranging to 6000 hours constantly. Models built before 2000 when normally have a life span of around 1000 hours.

When the light begins to dim, the bulb needs replacing and some projectors even have a function on the digital projector to allow you to see how many remaining hours there are. Although they are extremely strong for their intended purpose, they are not very durable at all and they often fall short of their expected life.

Caring for your digital projectors will also ensure get the most out of them. Projector bulbs are like any other electrical bulb, however they generate alot more heat so are much more sensitive especially when in use. Keeping digital projectors cool is probably the most important factor to maximising lamp life. If the bulbs get too hot they are likely to blow.

Make sure the digital projectors have a goog airflow will help to maximise usage. Make sure the projector is kept dirt and dust free and that the room temperature doesn't change durastically. Regularly checking the fan in working sufficiently will also help to prevent mishaps.

Make sure your projector has fully completed the cooling down stage before fully turning them off.

Changing the brightness to as low as possible without affecting the quality of the image can add hours onto your bulb life. Many projectors have an economy mode, using this will allow maximum usage out of your lamps.

When transporting digital projectors try to keep movement to a bare minimum. Always allow enough time to cool before moving. Projector bulbs are very sensitive to movement especially when hot. Also before using again allow the bulbs to adjust to the new temperature before turning on, otherwise it can seriously reduce expected bulb life.

Temperature is probably the most important facor to getting the most from your projector bulbs. If ever leaving in a car etc for any length of time be sure not to leave in direct sunlight or when the temperature is very cold. Also whenever transporting the projector try to avoid direct contact with the glass components unless using a soft cloth. Avoid shaking of the projector at all. - 31846

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A Guide To Digital Projectors

By Lee Sparks

People buy digital projectors for many reasons, one of the main being cost per image area. When buying a projector the benefits include vast image size, however there are a few limitations which effect the image quality. Things to compare are resolution, brightness, and contrast ratio. Finding the best projector to suit you is not always easy with such a wide variety available.

* The different types of projectors include: * Home Theatre/ Cinema Projectors * LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Projectors * Digital Projectors * Conference Room Projectors * Portable Multimedia Projectors

Home cinema projectors provide home entertainment and can be used for lots of purposes including playing movies, DVDs, video games, music plus much more. Most home cinema projectors use DLP (Digital Light Processing) to create a smooth high video performance, with little pixelation and high contrast ratios.

LCD Projectors provide clearer, sharper images than most of their counterparts, they create images by shining light through three small LCD panels which are very vibrant and sharp in colour. LCD projectors can be used for movies at home aswell as for presentations. Ideally they need to be used in dimly lit rooms to produce quality images.

Digital projectors allow the user to use video files from their PC and makes internet viewing very effective. The two types of digital projectors available are LCD and DLP. One of the most important factors to look for is the amount of lumens, this refers to the quantity of different aspects of light that are available at any one time.

Conference Room Projectors are used for presentations and reports mostly. They are used for when high resolution graphics are needed. Ideal for high detailed artwork or medical presentations.

Portable Multimedia Projectors are very light for ease of portability. These types of projectors are able to produce noise-free presentations with fairly accurate images.

When buying digital projectors the main points to focus on are :

-Resolution- refers to the pixel density of the projected images, Projectors have two resolutions, the natural resolution and the maximum resolution. The natural resolution is the standard pixel size of the image. The maximum resolution is the maximum capability of the projector. Digital projectors should be able to accept resolutions of 800-600, 1024-768 or 1280-1024, however it is the natural resolution of the projector that is important. The higher the natural resolution of the projector the greater the colour density image.

-Lumens- refer to the brightness of the image. Simply put the higher the lumens the brighter the projection. They are usually lower for home theatre models than for office models. Screen size will affect how many lumens will be needed. If the contrast ratio is low however, your image will look washed out. Lumens typically range from less than a 1000- least expensive but low light output, needs to be used in a dark or dimlylight room. To 3000+ extremely bright and expensive. Anywhere between 1000-2000 would be sufficient for most tasks.

-Throw Distance- refers to the maximum amount of distance your projector can project. Most digital projectors will have a ample throw distance for most home and conference use. To find out what this is go to the projectors manufacturers website.

-Contrast Ratio- refers to the difference between the white level (light) and black level (dark). Digital projectors with the higher ratios will have the most well-defined pictures.

-Lamp Life- the average lamp life for digital projectors is between 1500 and 3000 hours.

When buying degital projectors it is worth considering price, design, weight, aswell as any extra features different models may have.

Some of the most popular brands include Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Sanyo, Epson aswell as many others. - 31846

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Will Digital Media Players Replace the DVD?

By Jonathan Rankburn

It seems like just when you are getting used to a certain technology, something new comes out. And the old saying goes, nothing really lasts forever. So as much as you would probably like to hold on to your laser disks and your eight track tapes, you're just going to have to let them go. Audio cassettes came out to replace eight track tapes, and now CDs replaced audiocassettes. And although the laser disks were a good idea, DVDs came along to replace them and took up a lot less space. Now BluRay's are on the market, and it looks like they might just replace the DVD. So you may find yourself asking, what's next? My answer to you is the digital media high-definition player.

So what exactly is an HD digital media player? A digital media player, otherwise known as a digital media streamer, is a consumer electronic device that allows you to store, or stream your entire digital media collection from a computer source, or a computer network. Some devices output video in up to 1080P, and they output digital audio in up to 7.1 channels. They stream this all directly to your high-definition television and home theater system.

Some devices come with the ability to store information directly on the device, by way of an internal hard disk drive. Others must be connected by either hardwire, or connected wirelessly to a computer network. So potentially, the idea is that any movies, music, or photos that you have stored on your home computer, or on a computer network that you access, can now be streamed directly to living room and displayed on your HD television set in crystal clear digital audio, without ever needing any medium such as a DVD, or BluRay disc.

A good example of a digital media player is the Xtreamer HD Media Player. It provides 1080P video playback and has some very unique features that allow you to access your digital media library from anywhere in the world, as long as you can access the Internet. It also has the ability to be controlled by the iPhone.

Also the Xtreamer gives you the ability to control your media and program your Xtreamer with your iPhone. The Xtreamer is not a wireless streamer from the manufacturer, but they do offer a wireless adapter at a small additional fee. - 31846

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HD Projectors

By Dave Smith

For the very best in home cinema entertainment, the only way to go is with HD digital projectors. This would have cost alot of money a few years ago. In todays market however HD projectors can be found at similar prices to LCD HD tvs.

They offer utterly amazing quality and feeling whether used for presentations or even more popularly for home entertainment. They produce an amazing feeling and experience when watching movies and films or even playing console games i.e playstation 3. On such a large screen with such amazing quality is awesome.

A few things to consider before purchasing a HD digital projector are firstly, whether you have a sufficiently sized room. Most importantly is the ambience control you will have, This refers to the amount of light that is allowed in. Rooms with large windows or several doors will allow in light that will need to be controlled. HD projectors must be used in dark or dimly lit rooms to ensure you get the very best quality from them. Also although not vital it is strongly recommended that when using HD digital projectors you also use a screen.

Consider the inputs that a HD projector has and what inputs you need whether it is to connect a Laptop/PC, DVD player, or Cable or Satellite. Many HD projectors come with multiple different inputs which will allow a variety of devices to be used . All HD projector come with remote controls so its worth considering what you will mostly be using it for and finding remotes that can support this.

HD projectors are available in either portable or ceiling mounted. Both offer their own benefits. Portable projectors alllow you to easily transport them from place to place, whilst ceiling mounted are much prefered for home cinema as they do not take up floor space and also only have to be setup a first time for optimum viewing.

You should consider having a descent surround sound system when using HD projectors for home cinema. The sound adds so much to the cinema experience that it would be ashame to go through all the effort of purchasing and setting up a HD projector and spoiling the effect with a lame sound.

In recent years High Definition projectors have come a long way in their ability to produce stunning images, offering brighter output and higher contrast ratios whilst at the same time lowering the cost.

HD projectors are clearly the best choice providing you have the sufficient space and ambience control. - 31846

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Cheap Home Theater: How to Upgrade Without Spending Much

By Pagan Moore

When we think of a home theater system, we would always equate them with thousands of bucks. Much more, the prices of the different technologies like television sets and more are becoming pricey and definitely evolve rapidly. With its pace, obviously not all people can keep up with it. Most especially families and individuals who can't shell out that much.

If you really desired that certain home make over, but unfortunately do not have much to spare, do not worry. There are practical ways in which you can have that home theater system that you desire without spending a fortune. Much more you can even get that coveted system make over and upgrade for very reasonable prices. Here are the things you can safely do and can absolutely make drastic changes in your entertainment area.

* Recycle. This is the cheapest thing you can do for your home theater system. For example, you can turn your old speakers into your CD or DVD storage. You can simply pop it out open on one side and build some divisions giving it space. You actually do not need any carpentry skills for the things are basic and simple to make. Much more you can recycle old televisions and perform multiple-view setup catering to more than one television on the sides. Your system will not only look cool, but you can certainly save lots of money to begin with.

* Build your own. Using your creativity and building your own system infrastructure is also a good way to save money. A good example is building your own mounts. For one you can build one for your speakers as to where you would strategically place them. A piece of wood or a good platform will do and securely fasten them into the wall. You can even opt to paint the mount to coincide with the speakers color. You can actually save more than $20 for the speaker brackets. How much more of the different mounts your home theater system will have.

* Clean and tidy. If you already have an existing system, keeping it in good working condition can definitely extend the life of your equipment. The dust and dirt can degrade the performance of your system. Without proper maintenance and cleaning, these will be accumulated blocking important circuits. Then without you know it, your entire system will no longer work. Repairs are in fact expensive, especially dependent on the system. So, to save time and money for the repairs, it would be best to clean and do fine tuning now.

The aforementioned basic economic procedures to update and improve your home theater system are suggested. You really need not spend much for your desired home theater system. What is needed is just your own creative juices and productivity in doing these stuffs. Much more, in order to save more for home theater system better maintain each to keep the equipments prime. - 31846

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The Xtreamer HD 1080p Netword Streamer & Media Player

By Anna Richardson

Enter into a new era of digital media players with the Xtreamer 1080P HD media player and network streamer. Released just in time for the holiday season of 2009, the Xtreamer comes loaded with all the features that you desire, and new features like iPhone remote control compatibility, that lets you control your Xtreamer with your iPhone. Stream your video with full HD 1080p, TrueHD from Dolby Digital, and also DTS sound. Google movie jukebox comes standard as the graphic user interface allowing you to easily sort your movies. The Xtreamer HD is the first player to offer Blu-Ray ISO support. This network streamer is jampacked and is way ahead of its competition when it comes to features. All in all, I rate this player as a must have.

The Xtreamer is fairly impressive, and comes with a wide range of compatibility with all sorts of the video formats, and different codecs for audio playback. There aren't too many files, and file formats that the Xtreamer can't play. The Xtreamer HD 1080P solves a problem that is a complaint about some of the other digital media players, in that it utilizes Google's movie and music jukebox programs for user navigation and graphic user interface. Truly one of the most important additions to the Xtreamer HD, is the ability to play BluRay ISO files, since the price of BluRay players and BluRay movies have dropped dramatically.

On the go all the time, or just want the ability to access your network, the Xtreamer is compatible with and comes with iPhone remote control which allows the Xtreamer to be controlled by the iPhone or any mobile phone with web browsing capabilities. Sound as clear as it comes with the support for Dolby Digital Dolby TrueHD down mixing and also DTS-HD Master Audio. Hear every detail and get the full capailities of you Bluray player with up to 7.1 audio channels output supported through the HDMI output or the Digital Optical Output.

If you are so inclined, the Xtreamer HD 1080P can be either hardwired to the ethernet port of your home network or you can purchase an optional wireless WiFi adapter that will allow you to connect wirelessly to your home network. No matter which way you choose, wired or wireless, you can enjoy browsing through the menu system that is available in HD. There are also multiple supports for online live TV streams, like CNN and ESPN for example. Another must-have feature for today's digital media players, is the ability to install an internal HDD, giving you more storage room and expanded features. You can install a 2.5 inch SATA hard drive in the Xtreamer giving you maximum portability by storing your home media directly on the device. The Xtreamer is Windows 7 compatible, and it offers multilingual support. Here are some of the other features of the Xtreamer HD:

Audio/Video Outputs - HDMI v1.3a (up to 1080p), Composite Video, Stereo Analog Audio, S/PDIF Optical Digital Audio Video Files and Codecs - MPEG1/2/4 Elementary (M1V, M2V, M4V), MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPG), MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS), VOB, AVI, ASF, WMV, Matroska (MKV), AVC HD, MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4, FLV - Flash Video; Codecs - XVID SD/HD, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP@HL, MPEG-4.2, ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC, WMV9, MP@HL, H.264, BP@L3, MP@L4.0, HP@L4.0, HP@L4.1, VC-1, MP@HL, AP@L3. Audio Files and Codecs - o AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA), WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG; Audio codecs - Dolby Digital, DTS (DTS DownMix Supported), WMA, WMA Pro, AAC, MP1, MP2, MP3, LPCM, FLAC, Vorbis Realtek 128X Chipset (Special Edition) Connectivity - WIFI, UPnP, SSDP, UPnP AV, NTFS Web Stuff - Video : Picasa, Yahoo Video, CNN, NBC Today, CBS Face the Nation; Audio : Live365 Radio, iPodcast, Radiobox, ABC News, BBC Podcast, CNN News , Indiefeed, Jamendo; Photo : Picasaweb; RSS feed : Yahoo! Weather, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Xchange, MSNBC News Interfaces - 1x USB 2.0 slave, 2x USB 2.0 host, Internal SATA (Internal HDD not included) Network - Ethernet 10/100, Optional Xtreamer Wireless N USB 2.0 WiFi Adapter / Antenna - 31846

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