Why do you need to install a projector

Here at e flat minor we install projectors in all manor of places from boardrooms to training rooms, school classrooms, reception areas, lecture theatres and even in someones home. But why? Why go to all this length to have a projector fitted to the ceiling, surely it would be more useful if it was portable so it could be taken about and used in more places?

In many respects this is a valid arguement; projectors are now getting smaller and smaller and with a wide choice of projectors now weighing less than 1kg there is even more reason than before to carry one around with your laptop. On that basis everyone would have a projector and therefore there would be no need for installations.

However, the days where everyone carries around a projector and a laptop are certainly not here today and unlikely to be for the forseeable future. This is where the installation of a projector becomes a good idea. There are several advantages to an installed projector which we will explore below. However, the main reason, and indeed the main benefit of an installation, is that the equipment is always available. Without a projector fixed into the boardroom, anyone wishing to give a presentation either has to have their own machine or book one out from an IT department. Having done so there is then the matter of setting it up, which means cables trailing over the table trying to fit the image on a screen which has a mind of its own when you try to set it up.

All these little problems are probably things you could do without just before you are going to give an important presentation to the board or to your best prospect in a few minutes time. This is precisely where an installed projector comes in. Firstly the equipment comes with the room. If you book the room, you have already gauranteed yourself a projector. Not only that you dont need to worry about how to plug it or align things or worse, worry that someone might trip over a stray cable. Simply enter the meeting room, plug your laptop into the convenient socket on the wall, turn the projector on and hey presto your presentation is ready to go.

So from a business perspective there is your main advantage; the equipment is available, you need very little technical expertise to make it work and it all looks professional and slick in front of your audience.

On a practical note there are a couple of other benefits to installing a projector on the ceiling. Firstly becuase it is physically attached to the building it is therefore rather more secure than something sitting in a bag in a cupboard with a convenient handle! Thats not to say that installed projectors are not stolen, sadly they are. Even with secure cages and alarms nothing is safe nowadays it seems. However, the fact remains that an installed projector poses more of a problem for your average thief than a non installed projector. Our advice on security, however, has always been secure the premises first rather than the projector becuase if someone gets as far as your boardroom or classroom then no matter what type of projector security there is, it is unlikely to be sufficient.

Finally there is the consideration of the lamp. Projector lamps are still somewhat expensive and can nowadays be 50% or more of the cost of a replacement machine. Consequently people are now replacing projectors more than lamps. However, given this the emphasis is still on preservation of the lamp you have. Most projector lamps run for 2-3000 hours which is a lot of presentations! The most common cause of lamp failure is movement of the machine when it is on or still hot. This factor is totally eliminated by having the machine installed becuase of course it never moves.

E Flat Minor offer a range of installation services for business and education users from projectors and interactive whiteboards in the classroom through to projectors with electric screens and room control systems for the most demanding corporate environment. To find out more call our installation team today on 01749 674767.