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The Pastor’s Guide to Video Projection and Image Magnification

    Added March 31, 2010

As published in Worship Facilities, Mar/Apr 2010

On the surface, it looks like a relatively simple process. Get a projector and a screen from your local audio-visual supplier and you’re good to go. At least that's the way it used to be. However, these days, in order to achieve the best results as well as realize the greatest value, the easiest and best recommendation is to consult your system designer or integrator when deciding what to invest in for a projection system.

The key word here is "system." A system is made up of many parts, all designed to work efficiently together. And a system designer has the best handle on which parts will make up the best system for your particular needs. Although it's always a good thing to have some background knowledge that helps you to know what the right questions are to ask in the first place, so you can make informed decisions and be good stewards with your finances.

Purchasing a video projection system is not as easy as going to the local electronics supply store and picking up something off the shelf. While projectors of all types are readily available, it's important to get the one that best suits your needs.

What to watch for

One of the common challenges for video projection in a house of worship is ambient light; that is how much light there is in the room when you want to also have projected images. Ambient light can come from uncovered windows, skylights, stained glass windows or general room lighting. The output power or brightness of the projector has to have the ability to overcome the ambient light in the room.

The output brightness of a projector is stated in American National Standards Institute (ANSI) lumens. Scott V. Burkhardt, marketing programs specialist with Canon U.S.A. Inc., says: "Many factors will determine the lumens needed, with the three key ones being screen size, throw distance [the distance from the center of a projector lens to the center of the screen onto which it’s projecting] and amount of ambient light present. Other factors that should be considered include the type of content being displayed and the audience size and demographics."

Bruce Pollack, associate director of marketing for the Professional Display Division of Sharp Imaging and Information Co. of America provides some general guidelines: "As a starting point, for smaller congregations of up to about 100, a projector with 2,000-3,000 ANSI lumens should provide sufficient brightness; for congregations of up to about 200, a projector with about 3,000-4,000 ANSI lumens would suffice; for rooms up to about 300, a projector with about 4,000-5,000 ANSI lumens should work very well; and for larger rooms (for example over 300), a projector of 5,000 ANSI lumens or more (or multiple projectors) may be necessary."

Another consideration would be what the source will be for the projection system. Will video be displayed? Is it for Image Magnification, known as IMAG, or is the primary use to display song lyrics during praise and worship (A hymnal in contemporary form.) The intended program or the predominant use of the system will help to determine the shape of the screen needed. Currently 4:3 projection screens are the most widely used, which is the aspect ratio of a standard television screen. The two other formats match widescreen HDTV output (16:9) or widescreen computer output (16:10).

Often overlooked is the total cost of ownership of a projection system. Projectors themselves can draw a considerable amount of power, though many manufacturers are focusing their efforts on making their products as energy efficient as possible. New projector owners are often shocked at the cost to replace a bulb in their units. And some projectors will employ more than one bulb to achieve their rated brightness. Regarding bulb life and replacement costs, Ben Mankin of Mankin Media in Franklin, Tenn., explains, "It all depends on the manufacturer. Some lamps are rated at 500 hours while others are rated at 3,000 hours, and the cost varies wildly. The best practice is to find the projector that will work for you, then ask how long the lamp will last and how much the replacement lamp will cost—then you can create a maintenance budget per hour of usage. So for instance, if the lamp is rated at 850 hours, and a replacement lamp costs $650, the cost per hour is about 75 cents per hour; then you know to budget at least $10 per week based on normal church usage and you know to make sure to charge lamp money for special events like teacher’s workday or wedding parties."

Check ups required

Like an automobile, regular maintenance is important to keep the projector running efficiently over time. George Tsintzouras, director of product management for the Business Products arm of Christie, says, "From a maintenance standpoint, one of the most important recommendations is to replace the projector system’s air filters at the same interval that the lamps are changed. This will help ensure the proper operation of the system and reduce downtime. While filters are very inexpensive today, many people overlook these critical service items. A clogged filter can lead to projector overheating, degradation of lamp and optical performance and frequent thermal overheating resulting in nuisance trips and shutdowns of the system."

David McCauley, director of design development for Audio Ethics, was a bit more direct and emphatic, "Clean, clean, clean. The cleaner you can keep the projector the cooler it will be and the longer it will last. Cleaning the lens is a good idea at least once a year."

An eye toward future growth

Getting the most from your equipment over an extended period of time is an important aspect in technology purchases for houses of worship. And unfortunately, these days many high tech items are obsolete almost from the time you purchase them. So what would be the most cost effective projection solution to invest in now? And what should be considered to account for congregation growth as well as not having the technology become obsolete?

Edgar Jimenez, associate product manager for the Business Projectors division of Epson America, says, "There are several features to look for when purchasing a projector to help ensure you are future-proofing your investment. One of these is WXGA resolution, which provides 16:10 widescreen images for full support of widescreen notebooks. In addition, since most users are familiar with USB connectivity, having a projector that can display video and audio from their PCs to their projector is a great benefit and can help in reducing the training, given that most are volunteers. To determine which projection solution is appropriate to invest in ultimately depends on how it will be used."

Another important part of the overall projection system is the screen. Aside from the various sizes available, there's the choice between front or rear screen projection and there are also a few options regarding the screen surface itself. And how do you determine what size would be appropriate for your facility? Pollack advises, "As a rough rule of thumb, the height of the screen should be a minimum of 1/6 the distance from the screen (in the front of the room) to the last row of seating in the room. For example, if the length of the room is 50 feet, the screen should have a minimum height of approximately 8.33 feet (or about 100-inch height). The width would be calculated based on the aspect ratio (or “shape”) of the screen. Most common aspect ratio screens would be 4:3, 16:9 or 16:10, where the first number in this ratio is the width of the screen and the second number is the height."

Front vs. rear projection?

What would be the determining factors on whether to do front or rear projection? Does sanctuary size figure in? Thomas E. Stewart, vice president, CFO and owner of Stewart Filmscreen Corp., weighs in, "There are many factors as follows; ambient light is the most important consideration related to the sanctuary and whether you choose front or rear projection systems. Front projected images tend to wash out (lack of contrast) when there is ambient light falling on the projected image. The worst-case scenario for ambient light is light from untreated windows coming from directly behind the congregation. Slightly less offensive, but still very undesirable, is to have ambient light close to and above the front projection screen. Rear projection can give the viewer much higher contrast between light and dark parts of the image, thereby giving the image more ‘punch’ (better color saturation) so the image will hold up well with higher ambient light."

Matte white screens are the most commonplace and generally provide the widest viewing angle, though other compositions available can offer higher "gain." Gain is a measurement of the reflectivity of the screen surface. Typically the trade off in a higher gain screen is a narrower viewing angle. Gray surfaces can offer more contrast, although usually at the cost of gain. There are also optical screens available that provide a very high gain with a wide viewing angle, and these are ideal for use in high ambient light conditions. This technology is relatively new, though.

A closer look at IMAG

Referred to previously in this article, IMAG has it roots in the entertainment industry for large-scale events and concerts, with the idea being that it was difficult if not impossible for the people with seating far away from the stage to see anything going on, on the stage. The application of IMAG became popular in megachurches with the intent to provide a sense of intimacy to the service (bringing the pastor closer to the congregation), where having the pastor "connect" with the congregation is very important. Initially, IMAG was rarely used in churches smaller than 1,500 seats or so. However, the technique has become more popular and its use is more widespread and effective in churches where there might be obstructed view seating (regardless of size). One might also see IMAG techniques applied in video venues or satellite churches where there is a local praise and worship band and other pastoral staff, while the senior or teaching pastor appears at the multiple locations via video.

However, Tsintzouras cautions that IMAG should be used judiciously. "IMAG systems are typically appropriate in large spaces where the congregation seating arrangement prevents everyone [from seeing] the front clearly. These often require cameras, operators and a backend control board system to manage the content. There are simple system solutions and vastly complex ones. Philosophically, in places of worship, IMAG systems should only be used to enhance the viewing of the message. This means in large venues or in remote ones; the technology should be there only to serve as an aid to viewing."

McCauley concurs. "IMAG is a great tool when you have a really big space where people are far away from the pastor and cannot see facial expressions or hand gestures. The real IMAG shot is from about the belt line up, so that it is a bigger view of face and hand movement. It’s really just to help people connect."

Tsintzouras says, "An effective church projection system, regardless of its size, must be bright, flexible, reliable and meet the needs of the church leaders and congregation, and all fit within a defined budget. To ensure that all requirements are achieved, the first step is to hire an experienced system integrator to specify what is really required. This valuable step will help to ensure that the right equipment is specified up front, which avoids costly upgrades or replacement purchases later, provides a smoother experience during the installation phase of the project, and ultimately delivers the right solution fit for your congregation’s needs."