December 27th, 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, many businesses are wrapping up year-end purchases to take advantage of final tax write-offs for the year. If you’ve been considering whether you should continue to rent a projector when and where you need one, as compared to investing in this versatile piece of audiovisual equipment, here’s our quick reference guide for making the smart choice for your business or organization. Take a look at the pros and cons of each option.
 Accessibility
Are you more likely to use a projector on a spontaneous occasion (same day use), or with planning (at least two day’s notice)? For spontaneous, immediate use, owning your own projector certainly has its advantages. With absolute access, you can easily add style and flair to any presentation, and any occasion. You’ll avoid time delays and shipping costs, but you’ll also be responsible for storage and careful transport when you use the unit outside of your office building. If you’re more likely to need a projector on the road, at multiple locations, or outside of the office, then renting a projector could be the smarter way to go, since you can have the unit shipped to the location where you plan to use it.
Obsolescence
With the rapid improvements inherent in technology, there is a strong chance that today’s top-of-the-line projector purchase could end up being yesterday’s junk within just a year or two. If you don’t expect to use an LCD projector frequently (at least half a dozen times per year), then it makes more sense to rent when needed, as opposed to buying your own projector. Rental projector companies tend to stock new, high quality projectors for rental, so you won’t have to worry about obsolescence when you rent.
Cost
Always consider your bottom line, as cost is always a huge consideration in determining whether to buy or rent equipment. But before you can begin comparing costs, you must consider what situations and environments will require your use of a projector. A versatile, professional grade LCD projector will likely cost upwards of about $600. You can rent a comparable piece of equipment for under $100 per rental.
Maintenance
If you’re considering purchasing a projector, be sure to keep maintenance in mind. Projectors can be finicky, and repairs can become costly. The projector lamp must be changed (frequency depends on how much you use it) and that one service can run hundreds of dollars, even if you’re replacing it yourself.
For the easiest, most affordable way to secure an LCD rental projector when and where you want it, visit Projector123.com today.
December 22nd, 2011
Thought you might get a kick out of this holiday cartoon — Happy Holidays!
Celebrate the holidays with a rental projector from Projector123.com. Click now to learn more.
December 20th, 2011
From blended families to fresh starts, this is the ideal time of year to create a new family tradition. You may wish to resurrect an old tradition from your own childhood, swipe the best ideas from others, or completely invent something new. The key is to make it fun, and make it memorable. The word “tradition” simply means the passing on of customs or beliefs, from generation to generation. Here are some ideas to help get you started.
Start with Food
It is often said that celebrations revolve around food – especially gatherings that include family and friends. Why not create a new food tradition with your family this year? You might decide to host a cookie exchange, where each family or person bakes several dozen cookies, and then everyone gathers together to share their recipes and their treats. That way, everyone only hast to make one kind of cookie, but gets to take home many different kinds to enjoy.
Alternatively, you might add a dish to your holiday feast this year. Or perhaps, the tradition is more in the preparation of the food (or by whom), as opposed to changing a long-standing menu.
Create a New craft
Crafts are great for all ages and a great way to get to know your family better. Creating centerpieces for the table, place cards for your holiday meal, or door decorations like wreaths, welcome signs, favorite quotes or scriptures are a fun way to make your home more festive and unique.
Plan for the Future
When starting a new tradition, think about longevity. What kinds of traditions will you want to be carrying on many years from now? What traditions would you love to pass on to your children and grandchildren? Sometimes, traditions begin by accident – something new is done or added one year, and the children request it again the following year, and voila! A tradition is born. Alternatively, you can intend to create a holiday legacy that will continue long after you are gone. The choice is completely up to you.
Go Big
A rental projector is an easy and affordable way to create a fun and lasting tradition. Gather family and friends for a movie night at home, or create a DVD compilation of your favorite photos and home videos, then display it with the help of a rental projector. By renting a projector you can create a home theater – grab your favorite holiday movies and bundle up with your favorite blankets to laugh (or cry) the evening away. Pop popcorn (and perhaps string some for the tree), warm some hot cocoa and snuggle in for a cozy evening of togetherness.
After all, isn’t togetherness what the holidays are really all about? Click here now to reserve a rental projector from Projector123.com. You’re sure to be glad you did!
December 15th, 2011
Want some enjoyable and amusing fun this New Year’s Eve? Now is the perfect time to rent a projector for your New Year’s celebration. Here are our top ideas to help you get started on ringing in a new year and a fresh start.
Karaoke
Perhaps the greatest amount of joy for the night lies in getting your friends out of their shell to start off the New Year. Start the new year right with karaoke and a rental projector. You can easily connect the projector to your computer to display the words for whoever is brave enough to sing and perform. If you’re stuck on song selections, consider 80’s rock songs, current pop (get the crowd dancing to the beat they know and secretly enjoy), or 70’s love songs. Skip the old stand-bys like “Shout” and “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
 New Years Resolution
How about using a rental projector for the whole family to share their New Years resolutions? You can create your own vision board, choose images that reflect the accomplishment of your goals, and bring together family and friends to share their aspirations in a fun and upbeat environment. The power of positive thinking is even further reinforced with big-screen display and a rental projector.
Host a Decades Party
As we ring in a new year, why not host a fun and entertaining decades party? This theme is the latest rage among partygoers across the US, and what better time than on New Year’s Even? You might choose just one decade as a theme (the 1960s and its Woodstock-inspired attire, for example), or you might invite people to dress according to their favorite decade. Why not also include food from that decade? Salmon mousse and ambrosia are reminiscent of the 1970s, while sushi most definitely feels very “90s.” The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
Movie Night
Perhaps this New Year’s, you’d prefer to simply stay in with friends for a quiet and relaxing evening. You can make a movie theater of most any room with the help of a rental projector and a soft colored sheet to showcase your favorite film. Choose from new releases, family favorites, films you didn’t quite get a chance to see in the theater, or New Year’s classics like “When Harry Met Sally.”
However you choose to celebrate New Year’s this year, remember to stay safe! You can enhance your celebration with a rental projector from Projector123.com and help everyone enjoy a fun evening indoors with loved ones. Click here now to reserve your rental projector today.
December 13th, 2011
During this time of year, it’s easy to let certain things fall to the wayside – including health and fitness. If you’d rather not deal with the “holiday bulge” come January, why not cozy up and keep warm with an intense workout that’s enhanced with a rental projector.
Family Fitness
Before bellying up to another holiday buffet, why not coordinate a weekend workout for the entire family? Simply grab your favorite gaming system and enjoy some active time inside. Why stress about getting to the gym when your living room provides a convenient and adaptable location for a family workout.
Whether it’s a rigorous game with your favorite gaming system, or time-tested exercise DVDs, a rental projector is the perfect added touch to encourage everyone to get moving. Playing games or sports together allows you to exercise without feeling as though you’re dragging yourself to the gym – this way, you can enjoy fun times with family and friends while burning up those added holiday calories. Just think, playing a game is far more entertaining than running on the treadmill — you can tone your body while having a blast.
Celebrate Together
Once the workout is complete, why not reward yourself for a job well done? Rent a movie or find a new game for the family to enjoy together. You’re staying fit and making memories at the same time. Maximize your projector rental period with a variety of fun family activities, such as family movie night, gaming tournament, workout competitions, and watching old home movies.
Easy Setup and Takedown
You don’t need a projection screen when you rent a projector for family fitness or fun. Simply find a blank, solid-colored wall in your living room or den, or hang a light-colored sheet – this can be done easily with thumbtacks. Setup is as easy as 1-2-3 with a plug-and-play LCD rental projector. Rental projectors connect easily to your Wii or Xbox Kinect, as well as to your DVD player or laptop (depending on what type of entertainment you’re using your projector rental for). Takedown is a breeze, and the rental unit is shipped in a carrying case that keeps all your cables in one place, and doubles as a shipping carton.
A rental projector may be your easiest, most affordable, hassle-free way to ensure you get an extra workout in during the holiday season, and there are an unlimited number of ways that you and your family can maximize the use of your rental unit together.
With projector rentals starting at just $95, Projector123.com is your ideal choice for home projector rentals. Click here now to order yours today.
December 8th, 2011
Do you live in an area where it gets bitterly cold, where you just want to stay indoors and cozy up in the winter? This winter, why not find a fun and unique way to enjoy time spent with friends and family, making memories together and having a blast. A rental projector is the ideal way to gather loved ones and find creative ways to enjoy the warm and comfortable indoors. Here are our best suggestions:
Gaming Tournaments
This is the time of year to enjoy each other’s company, so why not start by laughing and creating fun challenges? Rent a projector and let the games begin! You can battle out frustrations, engage in some healthy competition, and improve your hand-eye coordination with your favorite games (or new releases) displayed larger than life.
 Home Movie Time
When was the last time you gathered the kids, popped some popcorn and took a trip down memory lane? Grab those old digital photos or video tapes and have a few good laughs (and maybe a cry or two). Sure, it’s sappy, but everyone will wind up thanking you for bringing up those sweet old memories. Nothing warms the heart on a chilly evening quite like the love of family and friends. Super-size your experience with a rental projector to sweeten the deal.
Movie Night
Can you think of anything better than going out to the movie theater with a group? If it’s a cold and bitter evening, forget the traffic and crowds and create your own movie night right at home. Where else can you grab your favorite blanket, laugh or cry unabashedly, enjoy bottomless popcorn (at a fraction of concession pricing), and drink unlimited hot cocoa, all at your fingertips? Nothing beats movie night in the comfort of your own home. And for a family of four, the cost is surprisingly comparable to an evening out at the movie theater (but without all the crowds and hassle, and without rushing to avoid being late…plus at home, you’re guaranteed the best seats in the house).
Projects
Just because it’s freezing cold outside doesn’t mean the family has to go stir-crazy indoors. Create your own visions of art, and take plenty of pictures. The whole family can be involved with this ongoing activity. You can invite friends over to join in on the fun of making and baking. Even if you may be inclined to say you’re not an “artist,” it’s the coming together and expressing yourself that creates a joyful memory. Create a grand finale by renting a projector to show off all the pictures and relive the fun.
To begin creating memories and a new winter tradition, click here to rent a projector from Projector123.com today.
December 6th, 2011
Are you confused about the differences between DLP and LCD rental projectors? In our ongoing series on technical questions and answers about projectors, we tackle this common query.
LCD
LCD is a commonly used term, though few people can easily recall what the acronym represents. LCD stands for “liquid crystal display,” a term used to indicate that the unit contains two transparent polarized panels, with a liquid solution between them. Light shines through the panels from behind, causing an image to appear. Polarized panels will only pass light waves in one plane, and the panels are positioned at a 90 degree angle to each other, which means light from one plane cannot pass through the other panel. But when electricity passes through the liquid crystals, individual pixels are switched on or off, to produce a specific image.
With regards to projectors, LCD projectors typically send light through a prism from a metal halide lamp that separates the light into colors (green, red and blue). The video signal is essentially split by color, and the prism sorts the colors and projects the specified image.
LCD projectors are the most popular because they are lightweight and extremely portable. Typically, metal lamps are used for their ideal color temperature and ability to display a large amount of colors. Additionally, metal lamps can produce a vast amount of light in a small area, making them ideal for high-lumen outputs.
/>DLP
DLP projectors generally feature brighter, more defined display outputs than LCD, but are certainly more costly. Many businesses and educational companies prefer DLP over LCD. With a DLP projector, white light is projected through an array of movable mirrors that control the intensity of each pixel of light as well as the color.
Although DLP projectors are more expensive, they hold a distinct advantage over LCD projectors with regards to maintenance. Projector maintenance and cleaning are required to keep each unit in good functioning order. Every interaction with a projector ultimately costs time and money; therefore, it is important to understand how often you will need to maintain your projector throughout its lifetime. DLP projectors can save a bundle on time and money since no filter is required, and DLP projectors features a lamp free design.
Of course, if you plan to avoid maintenance altogether, it makes sense to rent a projector instead of purchasing one. All projectors from Projector123.com are LCD projectors, as this is the most versatile and portable. To learn more about renting a projector, click here to visit Projector123.com.
December 2nd, 2011
From business presentations and large-scale events to in-home gatherings and family celebrations, projectors can add so much more than just visual effect. With a rental projector, you can add drama, flair, pizzazz, or simply create a personalized or more customized feel in any venue.
Projector Resolution Guide
The amount of data that can be displayed on the screen at any given time is determined by a projector’s resolution. Resolution is an indicator of the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. High-resolution projectors are able to show more picture details than low-resolution projectors. Here are some basic choices.
SVGA (800×600) –While most computers still output higher resolution, SVGA can be a good option for Power point presentations or other applications that are not relying on intense detail. Ideal for a tight budget.
XGA (1024×768) – The budget standard. Many laptop computers still output in XGA, and matching an XGA projector to your XGA laptop make it positive that you won’t lose any detail.
WXGA (1280×800) – High resolution wide-screen products, usually a bit more expensive than XGA. These units are targeted for use with mid-range wide-screen laptops, which often use 1280×800. These are becoming increasingly common and are used as an inexpensive wide-screen alternative to XGA.
SXGA+ (1400×1050) – Growing in popularity, there are several offerings available in both budget and high-end. SXGA+ resolution is useful for detailed photography and data graphics, but not necessary for PowerPoint presentation and text.
UXGA (1600×1200) – These units are very high in resolution, and are detail or information intensive. Expensive projectors that support a wide range of computer equipment (few products on the market have this native resolution).
One of the key factors in choosing the right resolution is to ask: Is there a need for intensely accurate displaying of small visual details, or are you simply looking for a general presentation tool for text and small graphics?
Another consideration in selecting the ideal projector is its weight. If you are on the road a lot, you would want the lightest, most portable machine available that still fits your resolution needs, so keep the weight of the unit in mind.
 Home Theater Setting
Choosing a projector for the home theater setting requires further consideration, such as aspect ratio, resolution, brightness, contrast, and of course, cost. The aspect ratio refers to the rectangular shape of the video image. A standard TV has an aspect ratio of 4:3 and the HDTV standard is 16:9. As for resolution, we recommend two resolutions for wide-screen 16:9 format home theater, those being 1280×720 and 1920×1080. Regarding brightness and contrast, it depends on the projection size and the amount of ambient light in the space. Contrast is by far the single most important quality in a home theater’s projector, with the higher contrast being preferable.
Of course, the easiest route is to simply rent a projector, when and where you need it most. Click here to learn more about how you can rent a projector from Projector123.com today.
November 29th, 2011
Looking for something fun and interesting to do with family and friends? Why not coordinate an exciting gaming tournament? A gaming tournament is a great way to gather neighbors and friends while entertaining every member of your family for a full weekend for one low price.
From adults to little ones, everyone is sure to love the fun and excitement that comes with a rousing gaming event. Here are our easy tips for planning this family fun.
Plan ahead (just a little)
Whether it’s over winter break or just for the weekend, a projector rental can really enhance a gaming event. Be sure to get input from everyone – kids and adults. As a family, decide when to host your tournament, what the rules will be, which games will be played, how the winner will be determined, and what prizes will be awarded.
Winner might be decided by most challenges won, a round-robin style playoff, most points awarded, etc. Out of fairness, you might want to select a new game that no one in the family has played, so that frequent players don’t get the home-play advantage.
With regards to prizes, it’s important to get input from all the family members. Keep in mind – it’s not necessary to spend a lot of money on prizes. In fact, sometimes the best prizes are the ones that cost nothing. Consider awarding the winner the privilege of a whole day without chores, or staying up (or out) extra late one evening. Perhaps it’s as simple as bragging rights as family champion.
Go all out
Build up some anticipation for the event, and plan food and snacks for your gaming tournament. Put it on the family calendar and prioritize this event as special. Plan at least a week or two ahead, which should give you plenty of time to arrange for that projector rental (not to mention a little friendly smack-talk!)
Set the stage, choose the location in your home and get ready to have some fun. It only takes a few minutes to handle rental projector setup, and you’ll want to position your unit directed towards a blank wall. Be sure to feature plenty of comfy seating for players and spectators, and keep the phone and computer off-limits during this family bonding time. If you don’t have a blank wall to use, you can easily hang a light-colored solid sheet instead (white works best, but beige or gray will suffice).
If you as a parent don’t plan to participate, why not let the kids invite a few friends and make it an informal party? It’s a fun and affordable way to keep them entertained for hours.
Remember to rent a projector from Projector123.com for the best service at competitive pricing. Click here now to reserve yours today.
November 22nd, 2011
As usual, Japan leads the way with regards to bizarre and ground-breaking technology. This new projector will create an 80-inch screen from just one inch away — and it can be yours for only $3900. (Or you could just rent a projector from Projector123.com — click here now to read our November special.) You can click here to view the original article.
Canon projector makes 80-inch screen from an inch away
by Jay Alabaster, IDG News Service Oct 11, 2011 7:15 am
Canon’s new projector can produce 80-inch images when positioned an inch away from a screen or wall, it announced on Tuesday.
Canon announced its first ‘ultra short-throw’ projector, which can produce an 80-inch image from an inch away. The Tokyo-based electronics maker said its new LV-8235 projector will generate images of 1280 by 800 pixels at 2,500 lumens. The product is meant for boardrooms and classrooms, and can be positioned directly below or above the image it is projecting, eliminating glare in the eyes of presenters or shadows when people cross in front of the screen. It can also be set on a table top and used to project images horizontally.
The projector will go on sale in Japan and global markets this month. Canon estimated it will cost around ¥300,000 (US$3,900) in Japan. It is the company’s first projector that can create images at such a close distance, and will compete with similar products already released by rivals, such as Sanyo’s PDG-DWL2500 projector.
Canon’s proector is 38.5 cm long, and the lens projects from about 30 cm away when the edge of the unit is flush against a wall or screen. It uses a single DLP chip and can create images up to 110 inches across when moved further away. The projector offers a standard set of ports, including dual PC inputs, LAN cable and HDMI, and has an internal 10-watt speaker.
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