Digital projector ?

[ghosh]

Hi,
I was wondering, if any one of you use digital projector to view your picture on a big screen to check color, sharpness and other stuff.

Please also let me know which model do you use.

thanks
sd

[Mark_Cohran]

A digital projector injects its own issues with color, sharpness and lens aberrations, so I sure don't see it as a useful device in the aspect that you're suggesting.

[Wilt]

Unfortunately, digital projector technology sucks currently. Projectors have, typically, no better than 1280 x 1024 resolution, and if you give it a file at a resolution at other than its 'native' resolution, it uses software interpolation to display the file, usually degrading the image quality. Also, many projectors fail to faithfully reproduce all colors, so some colors display poorly. Lastly, if your photo is Portrait orientation, the projectors are rectangles with long horizontal axis, whereas they should be SQUARE to display photos equally regardless of Portrait or Landscape shot.

I agree with Mark that what you want a projector for is generally pretty poor, unless you speed a small fortune to buy a super projector!

[ghosh]

Thanks, so what you guys use to view your final picture? just the screen?

[Wilt]

Monitor or enlarged print currently for me. I do miss projecting slides, especially medium format slides! And the lack of a good solution in the digital realm for group viewing is something the industry needs to cope with because the photographic world is being short changed, as groups of photographers cannot gather and review and critique with the same degree of ease as previously with slides, unless one undertakes the digital-to-slide conversion process and the cost involved.

[miklav]

We run regular contests in our photography club, and we have entries on different media - prints, slides (very few these days) and digital files displayed with projector. We have used various projectors over the last 3 years and the quality sucks. This thing is good for presentations, some models are good for movies, but they aren't good for photographs! I believe that the best judgment of a picture can be made with a good quality print.

[Mark_Cohran]

Thanks, so what you guys use to view your final picture? just the screen?

Yes. If I need to review critical aspects of the photo, I use a 100% on the computer screen - but I use two monitors. One large Apple Cinema Display for viewing the photos and a 2nd monitor where I keep my tools palettes.

[Stocky]

Having used a wide variety of digital projectors at work I would have to agree that they aren't much good for photos. Your money would be much better spent on a nice monitor.

[Alexajlex]

I deal with projectors on a daily basis.
I'll demystify some common misconceptions.

Why do most people get poor results?
1. Cheap $500-800 projector.
2. Projector screen is not dialed in.
3. Projector is not calibrated (if it even offers that option in that price range).
4. No ambient lighting adjustment.

Lets take for example the Epson Cinema 1080p Projector.
This is a consumer unit that sells for $2500.
It supports HDMI 1.3

Great colors.
The blacks could be a bit darker (customizing the projection screen can help with this...more on this later). A nice unit that can provide outstanding results.
Once you do your calibration you get a faithful color rendition.
Would I use it to do color correction work?
Maybe if I had total control over the ambient light.
Does this mean that this will display red as pink?
No way. I think people have had bad experiences with old projectors with nearly burnt out lamps and they think that is how all projectors look.
It will render the colors very close to what a calibrated LCD would.

In the end the calibrated LCD will have an edge.
Different tools for different jobs. That being said I believe a properly setup projector, with a custom painted screen in a controlled lighting environment will provide colors that are really close to a calibrated LCD.
Would I use it to try to get an idea of what a billboard ad will look like?
You bet!!!

Many people I deal with will buy a JVC RS1 and use it for that very purpose. The color calibration is really quite good.
The calibrated LCD with a calibrator that reads ambient will be better.
One of the key component and most overlooked is the screen you project on.
It is not only what you can do by calibrating the projector but what you can do by working with the projection screen.

A custom painted screen can really make the colors be even more faithful and vibrant.

It is not unusual to talk to people that buy a JVC RS-1 which is in the $5000 range and spend quite a bit of time with color readers to create their own paint mix to paint their projection screen with.

Realize that the people that buy an RS-1 have get it to showcase their work (commercial photography, etc.) not to use it for final color correction. It is used all the time in a controlled lighting environment for rough color correction that can be viewed by a room full of people.
The biggest complains I hear are from people that want a dialed in image that looks gorgeous but have a $500 projector.

Projectors are the same as an L lenses.
You have to pay for quality.

[Alexajlex]

If you ever want to be in awe and you have a chance to see the JVC-RS1 in action.
Do it.
I've never seen black and shadow detail like this from any projector before.
Truly out of this world.