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Is a projector in my Video Conferencing room a BAD Idea?

You have a larger room,  perhaps it’s already fitted with a projector and a drop down screen or maybe you are considering installing one for video conferencing. Is it a BAD idea?

The short answer is  Usually Yes. (Sorry)

Why?

  • Video conferencing needs a well-lit room so the people at the other end can see you and the people in the room can see each other and their notes/ laptops etc. Unless the projector is an expensive unit with a very high brightness (lumens) it will not be bright enough under ordinary lighting conditions for you to see the image on the screen.
  • Best practise for Video conferencing is for the centre of the screen to be at eye height for seated participants. Screens that drop down are usually mounted too high to be effective. Fine for presentations not so great for interactive video meetings.
  • Screen are usually too big for video conferencing and the close up image of a giant talking head is not what most of us want to see in a meeting.
  • Projectors don’t transmit sound so you will need an extra device like an amp and speakers. This introduces more complexity with another device to turn on and off , another remote for the users to negotiate ( and misplace) and the IT team to fix. Humans naturally look toward the source of the sound (think about where everyone looks in an audio conference- at the conference phone right?) Picture in one spot sound from another, not great!
  • Projectors often have cooling fans and add noise to the room when running
  • Content sharing is simply more difficult with projectors.  HDMI inputs and outputs and network connectivity often built into TV’s is often not in projectors and we all know that easily sharing content onto the screen is vital these days.
  • Projectors are not designed for many hrs of use every day, so they will fail much sooner than a TV or monitor designed for commercial use.
  • We’ve never met a good looking projector/ drop down screen installation ( = eyesore)

 

When we WOULD recommend one:

  • Auditoriums, large spaces when a TV is just too small
  • Content sharing from one to many
  • Streaming Presentations
  • Your boss insists it’s still a good idea

 

If you’d like to talk to one of our professional team members about the best solution for your requirements, then fill out the form here and contact us today, we are here to help!

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