The Best Conference Room Projectors

Conference presentations can make or break a sale, turn someone on to a new idea of your own making or simply wow your boss or coworkers. There are many projectors on the market. Finding the best of the best, though, means looking at all the features they offer and choosing which will work well with a particular presentation or space.

Optoma TX542-3D

The Optoma TX542-3D projector is made particularly for use in classrooms and conference rooms. It is an all-around projector that has a brightness of 2,800 lumens, meaning it will project a crisp picture on screens as big 25 feet in a room that can hold more than 100 people. It will also work nicely in smaller rooms. Its contrast ratio of 3,000:1 and high-quality lens allows it to project a very clear picture for static and moving images. It is also able to handle both 2D and 3D presentations. The projector's lamp has a 5,000-hour life span and the entire projector comes with a three-year warranty.

Htachi CP-A200

The Hitachi CP-A200 is a good projector when space is an issue, but a large picture needs to be shown. Its combination of motor-driven lenses and mirrors allows it to project an image 100 inches diagonally across from a distance of only 16 inches away. This makes it one of the best "short-throw projectors" on the market. It also has a brightness that is actually higher than its specification, though not by much. This makes it good in conference rooms of all sizes. The projector auto-corrects image distortion has four adjustable feet so it can offer a level picture on uneven surfaces. While the price tag is high, anyone in need of a short-throw projector will be hard-pressed to find a better one.

Sharp PG-D45X3D

The Sharp PG-D45X3D is a 3D-ready projector with a brightness of 4,500 lumens, meaning it can project a nice, bright image in a large room without having to dim the lights. This brightness is about 97 percent uniform, which means that any differentiation of brightness among the projected image will not be noticed. It can be connected to digital or analog computers, component video, composite video and S-video. In addition, this projector has one of the best audio systems for a projector of its size with two five-watt stereo speakers.