Guide to Portable Projectors

Research portable projectors and presentation software to find the best features and prices

By Aileen Harris, Publisher, BroadcastAtlanta.com

1. Size and weight. To truly be portable a portable projector should weigh less than 6 or 7 pounds. The smaller the portable projector, the easier it is to pack and transport. An ultra-portable projector should weigh less than 5 pounds.
2. Brightness. A portable projector with more than 2,000 ANSI lumens is best to provide crisp images for areas with a lot of ambient light. Portable projectors with 1,500 to 2,000 ANSI lumens will do fine in areas with some ambient light. For the presenter in a dark room, 800 ANSI lumens will fit the bill.
3. Connectivity. Obviously, the more connectivity ports the portable projector contains, the more flexibility you will have. Does the portable projector have a USB port or outlet for video? What about wireless capability?
4. Resolution. Portable projectors offer a variety of resolutions: SVGA (800 x 600), XGA (1024 x 768), SXGA (1280 x 1024) or UXGA (1600 x 1200). The larger the resolution, the sharper the presentation.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Compare portable projector prices and features

Do some research to find the portable digital projector, portable overhead projector or ultra portable projector with the features that fit your needs and the price to match your budget. When reviewing digital portable projectors, consider if you want an LCD portable projector or a DLP portable projector. An LCD portable projector typically projects sharper images and is good for projecting details like numbers, while its DLP counterpart provides a higher contrast and is especially good for projecting video images.

I recommend: Check out Lap Top Magazine’s portable projector buying guide, which compares portable projectors at different price points from a number of manufactures including Dell, Casio, Sony and Hitachi. PC Magazine offers a comparative look at ultra portable projectors weighing less than 5 pounds. Once you find portable projectors that catch your interest, use The Projection Pros comparative guide to size them up. Their guide allows you to compare three portable projectors of your choice at a time.

Search for deals on portable digital projectors and ultra-portable projectors

You can buy a portable projector online at a discount price.

I recommend: Tiger Direct has portable projectors for sale often at reduced prices. NexTag consolidates portable projector deals from a variety of online retailers. Check Bright and Sleek for portable overhead projector brands.

Remember presentation software for your portable projector

If you don't have it already, you will need to purchase presentation software to dazzle your audiences with lively presentations on your portable digital projector.

I recommend: If you want to try something other than the widely-used PowerPoint to create winning presentations, consider Impress, an open source presentation software. For Mac users, Apple offers Keynote, which features cool text effects, voice over recording and animated images. PowerPoint users who need powerful compression software should try NxPower Lite. Perspector lets you add 3D graphics to your PowerPoint presentations.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be on the lookout for micro-portable projectors; smaller than ultra-portable projectors, micro-portable projectors will fit in your pocket and connect to your smart phone or hand held computer.