Projector Ergonomics Essentials
An easy guide to figuring out which projector is best for your space, where to position it, and how to maximize your unique setup

By Art Feierman

With massive dual projection screens and room to seat 5,000 worshippers, 19,000-member West Angeles Church in Los Angeles required an advanced projection setup. Two 12,000 ANSI lumen LIGHTNING 15sx projectors by Digital Projection (Kennesaw, Ga.) were installed by American Hi Definition. According to Digital Projection Director of Marketing Communications Tim J. Butler, the idea was to project bright images onto the two 24" x 14" screens despite a lot of natural light. As with any worship application with considerable ambient light, special consideration was granted to balancing lighting and projection equipment. "Only projectors with extremely bright and resolute image characteristics can combat contrast-damaging light from stage effects and/or stained glass windows," Butler says The two units were mounted high at the rear of the auditorium relative to screen height. Careful use of enhanced projector control functions not available on all brands of projectors (lens shift and projector positioning) was required to avoid keystone on the projectors.

Churches come in infinite sizes and shapes, making it almost impossible to provide one or two general projection solutions. Plus, within each church, there may be multiple intended uses. Not every church will need to permanently mount its projector; in fact, many prefer a more temporary solution so they can use their projector in the sanctuary, then move it elsewhere when needed.

To figure out which projector is right for your church, let's start by breaking down some key facility considerations, then looking at how they affect your decision.

Sanctuary. Ceilings are often "cathedral" style, which makes it awkward to mount projectors near roofs. Instead, some churches mount them at suitable heights on back walls. The biggest drawback to this approach is the need for a long-throw lens, which typically increases the cost by $1500 to $4000, and even more for large, expensive $50,000+ units.

Screens. Screens come in different sizes and materials, each with its own advantages. Some churches use motorized screens; others with actually mount permanent flat screens to reduce cost.

Brightness. Many sanctuaries are moderate to very bright, which requires many lumens for quality, visible images. The combination of screen size and ambient light determine how bright a projector needs to be. (For a moderately bright sanctuary that seats 1,000 people, and a 15-foot diagonal screen, for example, plan on a projector with a minimum of 2000 lumens.) If you only want to project song lyrics and announcements, however, your images can be high contrast, and less lumens may be adequate. Showing videos, on the other hand, will require even more than 2,000 lumens.

Interfacing. Most projectors today offer at least one computer and two video inputs, and even more in the 2000 lumen range and beyond. If you plan to "drive" your projection system with a desktop computer, make sure it features a monitor output for the computer's monitor so the operator does not need to be in position to see the screen.

Accessories. There are many issues and benefits to consider, from long, high quality cables and distribution amplifiers that boost the strength of data and video signals over long runs, to sound reinforcement, remote mousing and document cameras ideal for displaying quick announcements.

Classrooms and multi-purpose rooms. Generally, these environments offer better lighting control, so it's easier to come up with affordable solutions.

Portability. The ability to move the projector from room to room can be a major benefit. For this purpose, a moderately priced projector ($2000 to $5000) does the job well.

Labor. A significant percentage of churches seek expertise when they purchase their equipment, then turn to their congregations for basic installation. As long as a job is well thought-out, this works fine. Most congregations can find electricians, carpenters and other professionals to handle basic projects with little difficulty. However, for complex jobs with sophisticated controllers, complicated lighting control and multiple sources, it's a good idea to bring in a seasoned installation company or full audiovisual integrator if budget allows.

Projector types

Different projectors work better in different environments. Let's look at how room positioning affects your buying options.

Front-of-the-room projectors sit about where overhead projectors sit, and aim up at the screen. Although most of these units feature some keystone correction, using a lot deteriorates image quality. Virtually all front-of-the-room projectors are zoom lens-free. (A front-of-the-room projector will need to be positioned about five feet from a 6-foot diagonal screen.) In many conference room environments, cable extensions are necessary since presenters may be seated more than a few feet away from the projector if they are using a conference table.

Mid-room projectors are the preferred solution of most users. More uniform images are projected when these units are placed farther back, which keeps the projector close to the computer but also offers flexibility. Most mid-room units feature zoom lenses, which leaves room for movement regarding distance from the screen. This benefit is ideal if a projector will be used in a variety of rooms. (For a 6-foot diagonal image, a mid-room projector is positioned as close as eight feet or as far as 15 feet from the screen.) I'm unaware of any zoom lens offering that much range, but some units allow between eight and 11 feet whereas others offer 10.5 feet to 15 feet and so on.

There really isn't such a thing as an inherently back-of-the-room projector, but some do come equipped with mid-room lenses (or no lenses at all) or offer optional long-throw lenses, meaning they can be placed far from the screen. Most of these are zoom lenses because every back-of-the-room situation is likely to be different from the next. These units are good for permanent mounting in large spaces--a projection booth, some classroom environments, churches and a variety of others. This type of installation will certainly require a video amplifier from the computer since distances (cable lengths) will be great. A long-throw lens is generally not the best choice if a projector will be used in many different locations, however. More and more high-power projectors are offering optional long-throw lenses--NEC, Sanyo, Epson and Sony, to name a few--and many others can use lenses made by third parties, which offer multiple lenses for dozens of projectors.

Ceiling-mount projectors

Typically, ceiling-mounted projectors are mid-room units. Since these models offer a certain amount of optical correction for keystoning, they mount upside down and feature invert image capability. Mounting the projector right side up and projecting at a downward angle overexaggerates the keystone correction, doubling the problem.

Christ Memorial Church in Poulsbo, Wash., needed multiple projectors to bring its sanctuary to life. Three Boxlight MP37t units were installed on beams high in the ceiling to project images onto three large screens and monitors during services and on special occasions. Another projector like these was installed in the church's Fellowship Hall in December.

Almost all projectors are ceiling-mountable. If the screen won't be mounted level with the projector, look for a unit with adjustable keystone correction, either optical ("lens shift") or digital.

If you've decided to ceiling-mount your projector, virtually every unit offers at least one mounting kit option, which usually consist of two major pieces: a harness for the projector and a mount for the ceiling. Most feature adjustable height so a projector can be mounted where you need it relative to the ceiling tiles and the "true" ceiling above. Some projectors offer a variety of mount options, but platform mounting is also an option, either a simple shelf or a motorized one. Fortunately, today's projectors are so light that ceiling reinforcement is rarely needed, making installation easy. (A projector and mount typically weighs less than a household ceiling fan.) And instead of paying expensive contractors, most companies now have their own facilities where they perform the actual mounting.

Before we get into the how-to's of rear-screen projection, let's look at its key benefits. For one thing, rear-screen projecting is less affected by ambient light. As a result, you can project brilliantly in environments that are otherwise significantly washed out. Secondly, it's nice and neat. There's no projector in the middle of the room, no cables running everywhere, and no one walking in front of the unit or partially blocking the image.

There is, however, a drawback: rear-screen projection requires room behind the screen--typically about as much distance as the width of the screen. (For example, to project to a 6-foot-wide screen, you'll need between five and seven feet of depth.)

Most of the projectors on the market now offer a "Reverse" option for use in a rear-screen environment, such as a projection booth behind the screen. Space limitations behind the screen may necessitate the short throw of a front-of-the-room projector, or possibly a mid-room unit. If the distance is really tight, you may need a projector that accepts a short-throw lens. Another alternative is to use a mirror system that artificially "increases" the distance.

Art Feierman represents San Clemente, Calif.-based distributor Presenting Solutions. Log on to www.presentingsolutions.com for more advice, or call (800) 701-9869.