Projector Resolution Guide
Understanding Video Projector Resolution
Projector Resolution refers to the number of lines of picture image displayed on the screen or another way to explain it is the number of dots of light (or pixels) that appear on a screen to make up a projected image. This relates to the sharpness or clarity of the image projected; the higher the better. Projector resolution is usually quoted with two numbers,such as “1920×1080 projector resolution”, where the first number refers to the number of pixels from side to side across the screen, and the second number refers to the number of pixels that are vertically spaced from top to bottom. There is much more to know about “projector resolution” and the more you know the smarter your final choice will be when selecting the right home theater or business projector.
Native Resolution refers to the true resolution (non-compressed, non-expanded) of the projector. Higher is not necessarily better here it is more important to match native resolution of the projector to the resolution of the input signal or signal coming from your source (eg. DVD, Computer, PC).
Native Resolution is the actual physical resolution of the projector, the projector will never be able to display more actual pixels then its true resolution.
Maximum Resolution
You may be curious to know what exactly is maximum resolution? Well, this number has nothing to do with the projectors physical display but instead has to do with the signal formats. Computer and video signals come in a wide variety of resolution formats. Each projector is programmed to recognize these different formats. And the maximum resolution is the highest resolution signal that the projector has been programmed to process and display.
Converting Non-Native signal formats to its Native Resolution
Most likely a projectors fixed resolution will rarely match the exact resolution of the incoming signal. Therefore, the projector must resize the signal’s image internally, either through shrinking (compressing) or stretching, to map it onto its own fixed resolution LCD or DLP panel. This process is commonly refereed to as scaling.
EXAMPLE of Compression or Scaled down:Lets assume you have a projector with a native resoltuion of 1280×720 projector resolution that is capable of displaying an HDTV 1080i signal. This means that the projectors physcial pixel matrix is 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels high. However, each from of video for an HDTV 1080i signal contians 1920×1080 pixels which is allot more than the projector has on its physical display. So in order for the projector to display the incoming signal (1080i) the projector must compress it into a 1280×720 format. It can do this because it has been programmed to do the compression from 1920×1080 to 1280×720. Also to be noted if the projectors has been programmed to accept the highest signal of 1920×1080 resolution and compress this into its native display, then 1920×1080 is known as the maximum resolution.
EXAMPLE of expanding or Scaled up: Sometimes the incoming signal format is smaller than the native resoltuion of the display. To highlight, lets assume you have a native XGA resolution projector, and you are dispalying a standard NTSC televiosn signal. In this case your projector has a native 1024×768 pixel array, but a regular NTSC television signal is only 640×480 pixels. This means the projector must “scale” or expand that television signal up from 640×480 pixels to 1024×768 pixels in order to display the full frame image.
You should be aware that the term compression is less commonly used these days. Mostly you will hear about the term scaling which refers to any conversion of a data or video signal to a projector’s native display format, whether it is being scaled up (expended), or scaled down (compressed).
Furthermore, no matter if you scale up or scale down you will lose quality of the picture.You are always better off to try and match the native resolution with your input signal format. Though the maximum resolution specification that is stated by projector manufacturers is a welcome piece of information you sometimes better off to ignore this spec as the fact is that even though a projector can accept a higher resolution signal does not mean you will get the sharpest image.
What resolution would be most appropriate for what I’m using it for?
| Projector Resolution | Presentation Information
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| SVGA800×600 | This is a very popular resolution for projectors because of their attractive cost. SVGA is good for projecting simple graphics and presentations, or for use in low cost home theatre systems. | |
| WVGA854×480 | An excellent way to achieve a native 16:9 aspect ratio and keep the cost down, WVGA is good for the entry level home theater environment. Since most DVD’s are still sending a 480p signal at best, these projectors actually produce an outstanding display for that medium, since no scaling is required. | |
| WSVGA960×540 | Another home theater 16:9 aspect ratio display, but with slightly higher resolution than WVGA for a more detailed picture. | |
| WSGA1024×576 | WSGA inches closer to high-definition display, best for home theater 16:9 aspect ratio display. Many entry-level to midrange home theater projectors feature this resolution to achieve only slightly scaled HDTV images at a reduced price. | |
| XGA1024×768 | XGA is currently the most common resolution and is suitable for the higher resolution images that most presenters prefer from videos, spreadsheets, and graphics. | |
| WXGA1280×720 | Featuring native HDTV resolution, WXGA is currently the most popular hi-quality resolution for use in 16:9 home theater environments since HDTV and equivalent content can be viewed without scaling. | |
| SXGA1280×1024 | SXGA projectors are considered very high resolution for computer and presentation graphics, and are notably more expensive than XGA. These products are targeted for high-end workstation applications. They are used primarily for command and control, engineering and CAD/CAM applications where acute resolution of small details is important. | |
| WXGA1366×768 | Hi-resolution home theater projectors, featuring a 16:9 aspect ratio, can take advantage of WXGA’s balance between resolution and cost. | |
| SXGA+1400×1050 | SXGA+ is a resolution that is appearing more and more on laptops and flat panel displays. The additional “screen real estate” and enhanced detail are ideal for road warriors and boardrooms alike. | |
| WXGA+1400×788 | A widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) version of SXGA+, this resolution provides enhanced clarity for high end computer applications, but is still outstanding for home theater. | |
| WSXGA1600×900 | WSXGA features the extremely hi-definition and vivid picture of a hi-resolution home theater (using the 16:9 aspect ratio) display. | |
| UXGA1600×1200 | UXGA is for very high resolution workstation applications that are detail or information intensive. These are high-end projectors that support a broad range of computer equipment. | |
| UWXGA1920×1080 | 1920 x 1080 is the highest widescreen resolution available today for home theater projector applications. This makes the system suitable not only for high-end home theater use but also for critical viewing venues such as museums and post-production screening rooms. No scaling is required for 1080i/1080p content so this resolution is ideal for today and tomorrow’s highest definition content. | |
| QXGA2048×1536 | QXGA is for extremely high resolution workstation applications that are very detail or information intensive. End users who need extreme detail displayed on a huge screen will find what they need at this resolution. |
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