Projection Systems
Our church used slides in the 1970's to augment worship on occasion. We bought a small 6 foot square rear-projection screen on a hard frame. Then we used a regular slide projector with a zoom lens for our images. It seemed to be pretty good back then, but there were some considerations we overlooked.
First, your typical slides are mounted in such a way that the film bows. Slide projectors have lenses that are designed to correct for this when projected from the front, but they distort the image when projected from the rear. The correction for this is to use glass-mounted slides and a rear projection lens designed for un-bowed slides.
Second, we overlooked the issue of having a screen big enough that text would be readable.
Third, we did not attempt to hide the projector from the congregation. A standard A/V industry item is called a "dress kit" which adds fabric to the sides, top and bottom of the screen. This is usually adequate for hiding the projector, and for catching any spill over light from the edges of the projected slide.
The smart thing we did was to use rear projection since this provides more light for the projected image. Also, rear projection is less vulnerable to room lighting. You don't want room lights directly on the screen, but in some situations, the lights can be left on.
Since we were using slides and lots of pictures, we went with a square screen. This meant that each picture left black space on the screen, but there was no light spilling over the edges of the screen into the eyes of the congregation.
But this was what we had to do 30 years ago. What would we use today?
For rear projection, we would use a computer/video projector. It takes so much time to prepare slide film (glass mounts) that the labor alone would be prohibitive if you were to do this every week. And there is the cost of film, developing, and the special glass mounts. Contrast this with the fact that a preacher or secretary can prepare information on a computer, preview it on the computer, and then simply project it via computer connected to the projector. Not only is this a big labor saver (when compared to producing rear projection text on slides), but it allows revisions up to and during the event.
The screen would again be rear projection if the room allows it. Instead of a square screen, we would use one with a ration of 3 high to 4 wide. This is the proportions of NTSC video and computer monitors. This means that we have chosen to never project a vertical slide. Instead, we will scan a vertical picture into the computer and crop it to computer monitor proportions (or accept black screen on the sides). We would also want a screen that is as large as possible so that text is easily readable.
Okay, so where do I buy this system? You need a company that seems to be pretty helpful to churches. The most important thing that they must do is to bring a video projector to your sanctuary so that you can see it in action before you buy it. This is very important. It is difficult (perhaps impossible) for me to give you a formula for how many lumens are needed in your sanctuary. It depends on lighting conditions, size of the screen, sunlight, rear room illumination, windows, and screen placement.
Sample projectors and street prices
| Make & Model | pixels | Lumens | pounds | contrast | est. price |
| Sanyo PLC-9000NA | 1024x768 | 2100 | 34.6 | 350:1 | $11,000 |
| Epson PowerLite 7200 | 1024x768 | 1000 | 13.7 | 300:1 | $8,000 |
| Epson PowerLite 5300 | 800x600 | 1200 | 13.8 | 350:1 | $6,500 |
| Sharp XGE3000U | 1024x768 | 600 | ? | 100:1 | $11,000 |
| Sharp XGNV2U | 800x600 | 700 | 14.6 | 200:1 | $5,500 |
For our church, I am estimating about $12,000 for a 2100 lumen projector and about $3000 for a 9x12 foot rear projection screen and accessories. But, I can't know for sure until I see what 2100 lumens looks like on a screen this size in our sanctuary during daytime and with the room lights on.
I do not work for any of the company(s) listed below, nor do I have any interest in them except that they provide good support for churches. If you find other companies that are good, let me know and I will include them here.
Westek Presentation Systems
http://WWW.WESTEK.COM
Los Angeles: (310) 563-1661; 880 Apollo
St, Suite #222, El Segundo, CA 90245
Orange County: (714) 752-4061; 2465 Campus
Drive, Ste. F, Irvine, CA 92612
San Diego: (619) 623-0222; 6224 Ferris
Square, San Diego, CA 92121