I am looking to buy a projector to use in projecting video onto walls etc (art installation) however,?

Question

I dont know a great deal about them except I need to go for 2000 lumens or more.. The thing that I want to clarify is whether you need extra speakers or sound systems with some projectors or is there a particular kind i need to play just through my laptop. thanks,

Answer 1

Probably pretty much any projector will work for your needs.   Just make sure it has speakers.  The sound from a projector really won't impress anyone though.  They tend to sound a bit "tinny".

If you are planning on mounting it to the ceiling, you will also need a ceiling mount and an cables to run the VGA signal and audio from your laptop.

If you want a really nice installation, you probably should consider having a local AV installer do the job.  They will help you pick out the projector and they probably will do a nice job on the installation.

Answer 2

Think of a projector as a monitor -- only image, no sound.

So... in order to do what you want, you'll connect the projector to your laptop's "Monitor Out" (or something similar), most likely a VGA or DVI connection. Then, you'll need to connect the laptop's audio output (most likely an 1/8" jack) to a either a set of powered speakers or to a receiver (to which speakers are connected.)

Answer 3

Projectors are like computer monitors -- they display the image but not the sound.  This generally doesn't matter since the sound is often handled by the computer and plugged in speakers (or a home theatre audio system), and the source for the images can be a cablebox, satellite receiver, game console, DVD player or Blu-ray player or computer.

There are a number of things to consider in buying a projector.

Brightness is one. Why do you say you need 2000 lumens?  You could be right, but that's a suitable amount for a medium sized screen in a room with ambient light. If you plan on a light controlled venue or a large screen or long projection distance you might need more or less brightness. Keep in mind that when calibrated for accurate colour brightness is usually much less than the rated level.

You should also consider mounting flexibility. projectors with wider range zoom lenses and "lens shift" give more flexibility than those without ... but add to cost.

Resolution and native aspect ratio (ratio of width the height of the image) are also considerations. The higher the resolution the finer the detail that can be seen ... but also the higher the cost. For widescreen video use a 16:9 aspect ratio is preferable to a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Input flexibility is a factor to consider, but if you intend to use a laptop as the source most projectors will do. Look for "VGA input" for simplicity. For use with a home theatre (DVD or Blu-ray player for example) you would want HDMI, DVI or at least component inputs.

If portability is a concern, consider weight and size. Projectors acan vary from a couple of pounds to over 20 pounds ... and widely in bulk.

See the link for an article on choosing a projector for photography presentations.