A basic essential in offices and businesses today, projectors have not only become technologically advanced but also more convenient with added utility.

The first projectors were the overhead projectors. The overhead projector was very basic in its make and was designed to display image and text written on a transparency in an enlarged form on a screen or a wall. Presentations were hand written or laser printed on transparency (which usually denoted a slide) which was then replaced manually as the presentation proceeded. First used during World War II for military operations and planning, OHPs soon became a popular gizmo in offices, institutions, colleges etc.

As technology advanced, overhead projectors evolved to become digital projectors. A digital projector was capable of displaying the computer screen live on a wall or screen. This revolutionized the way corporate presentations were given or even training in institutions was imparted.

Now the technology in digital projectors has become more advanced and digital projectors have become more feature rich and power packed than what they used to be. When it comes to technology, digital projectors can be broadly classified in two categories – projectors that uses LCD panel for primary colors (red, blue and green). This is the slightly older version in the digital projector technology evolution. The light for each colored pixel is transmitted as per the image on the computer screen. This image once captured from the computer is then projected on to a screen or wall. The display can be adjusted for brightness, contrast control and sharpness.

Relatively newer technology in digital Projectors, Digital Light Processing (DLP), is a breakthrough in digital projectors. A proprietary innovation of the Texas based company, Texas Instruments; the DLP used tiny mirrors instead of the panel with each mirror representing a pixel. There are red blue and green filters that adjust color in the projected image. The result is a color modulated image that appears as good as natural color to the human eyes. The DLP projectors are light in weight, have a better contrast and better sharpness.

Then there are projectors that are wireless, can be directly connected to the internet and have zoom lens as added features.

Not just presentations but digital projectors can project every thing from photos to videos to movies. Apart from the picture digital projectors can also control the audio to give you a complete package and enrich your movie viewing experience. Some of the leading brands in projectors in India are – Acer, Benq, Canon, Dell, Epson, Hitachi, HP, InFocus, NEC, Optoma, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Viewsonic including others. The price for these projectors ranges from INR 50,000 – 2,50,000 depending on the advancement in technology.