LCD panels/projectors

[Mary-Ellen Mort]

Recommendations for purchasing an LCD panel:

I've purchased one and used many. I have a few suggestions (rather than 
recommendations).  

Test the panel! Test it with the system you plan to use it with most.  If
you plan to take it on the road, be sure and test it with the portable
computer you are going to use. The panel I bought wasn't highly
recommended, by the dealer or elsewhere (I found some buyer's guides
articles in computer magazines.) But this panel displayed best with my
Toshiba laptop. It had a crisp, clean picture and I've never regretted 
buying it.

Second, the dealer will try to convince you that active color is essential.
That's not been my experience (and it would have added 2 thousand dollars to 
the cost when I bought 3 years ago.)  If you aren't running videos, you 
probably don't need active color. Of course, if you can afford it, go 
ahead. It's hard to tell what we'll want to do a year from now.

Some LCD panels with passive color will NOT diplay mouse trails and other
artifacts that get in the way of a static presentation like the web or a
Power Point presentation. (You have to test to be sure.) Dealers will tell
you they will.  But take an afternoon at a dealer who handles multiple
lines and test all of them! 

(If you are willing to test a passive color screen, you may be able to 
buy an older unit for a substantial price break.)

If you can't afford  an integrated unit (LCD and projector in one), you 
may also have to buy a high power projector. If you plan to travel, you'll 
want a portable projector.  If you plan to travel a lot, you'll have to 
schlepp everything....so the integrated unit (with a low weight) may be 
neccessary. 

And it's not just the weight of the panel and the projector when you 
travel. In my experience, you also have to take along a surge protector, 
100 foot extension cord, 100 feet of phone cord. Pretty soon, that's 
real heavy.

If you're only going to use it in one room, investing in a good screen 
will make a substantial difference in the picture and give you a good 
display even with light in the room. (It's deadly to have to display in a 
completely dark room--the audience drifts off and you stumble over your 
controls...)

So think about how you plan to use the panel--at home or on the road. How 
many different computers are you planning to use it with? And try everything 
out multiple times before you buy!

Mary-Ellen Mort
memort at netcom.com