Whether you are installing a 20,000-lumen projector in a concert venue or a 7,000-lumen unit in a conference room – laser projectors are becoming lighter, more compact, and easier to mount.
In addition to being smaller, today’s laser projectors are also quieter than previous generations, making them ideal for many education, seminars, corporate, or houses of worship settings where excessive noise would be distracting.
Multiple Lens Options
Whether you are looking at an interchangeable equipped 3LCD, 1-Chip DLP, or 3-Chip Panasonic projector, there is a wide range of lens options available, including ultra-short throw. This provides nearly gapless throw-ratio coverage, making it easier to place the projector as far away or as close to the projection surface as you desire.
Ultra-short throw lenses have been growing in popularity because they allow the projector to be placed between the viewer and the screen, which helps reduce the possibility of shadows, making them great for museums and art exhibits.
To further simplify setup and adjustment, most of the zoom lens options offer motorized zoom, focus, and lens shift, as well as lens memory.
Physical Installation and Placement
In many edge blending and projection mapping applications, the projectors are mounted at odd angles. Panasonic laser projectors support 360-degree installation, which is great for applications where an orientation other than traditional landscape placement is required. The unit can be installed universally at any angle. Tilt-free, roll-free, and portrait installations are also supported.
The projector can be rotated freely (360°) to point up or down depending on the installation requirements and can be rotated and installed on its side to create a portrait image. Since Panasonic laser projectors can be installed on a wall, ceiling, or floor pointing in any direction, this gives exhibit designers the maximum amount of flexibility to be creative in designing engaging and immersive experiences.
Connectivity
Another major challenge when installing a projector, especially in a large venue, is getting the video signal from the source to the projector. Panasonic laser projectors include DIGITAL LINK, which utilizes HDBaseT to transmit uncompressed full HD video and control commands through a single inexpensive CAT5e or higher STP cable for distances up to 150 meters (492 ft.) in Long Reach mode using a Panasonic ET-YFB200G DIGITAL LINK Switcher. DIGITAL LINK is based on HDBaseT™ so the projector is compatible with a wide variety of HDBaseT transmitters from manufacturers like Gefen, Extron, and Atlona.
Setup and Control Software
As we mentioned earlier, Panasonic Connect is striving to provide IT managers, facilities teams, as well as A/V system designers and integrators with all the tools necessary to deliver a great visual experience. Therefore, they offer a complete suite of setup and control software. Panasonic Connect software options simplify installation and monitoring and, at the same time, reduce/eliminate the need to utilize 3rd party software in a wide range of applications.
Monitoring and Control Software
In many applications, there could be dozens of projectors scattered around a large building, campus, or museum. Panasonic Multi Monitoring & Control software gives facilities and IT teams the ability to check status, perform various projector operations, and immediately be alerted to projector abnormalities for quick troubleshooting of all the projectors at once. It’s easy for your administrator to select individual projectors or projector groups to check detailed information such as the usage hours of the projector light source, the current input, and any errors.
Early Warning Software
If you upgrade to Panasonic Early Warning Software (ET-SWA100), you will be provided with real-time monitoring, abnormality detection, and notification before servicing is required. You can even set up a networked projector to send an email alert if there is a problem. The email will list the name of the projector experiencing a problem and detailed information about the issue.
Projection Mapping and Edge Blending Software
Projection mapping masks the image digitally to light up non-traditional and sometimes three-dimensional objects. This is often used for concerts, museums, and other digital signage applications. Panasonic projectors have basic projection mapping and edge blending capabilities built-in. For complex installations where more precise adjustment is desired, Panasonic also offers several software options.
Geometry Manager Pro Software
Geometry Manager Pro is free software that is downloadable from Panasonic PASS (Projector & Professional Display Asset Support System) website or their projector support page. Using this software allows you to perform real-time geometric compensation and other fine adjustments and corrections that cannot be handled on the projector side. This software can be used for multiple screen set up.
Stepping up to the Geometry Manager Pro Upgrade Kit (ET-UK20) adds some functions and enables more flexible adjustment that can further lower installation time and maintenance costs.
For those who desire an even quicker and more efficient way to adjust multiple projection-mapped or edge-blended projectors, Panasonic offers the ET-CUK10 Auto Screen Adjustment Software. Utilizing an externally connected camera, this software will automatically perform geometry correction, edge blending, color-matching, black and white balancing, and brightness adjustment.
While you could make these same adjustments manually using one of the Geometry Manager Pro software versions, Auto Screen Adjustment software takes just a few minutes. Check out the video below showing how simple it is to utilize.
