Projector Accessories To Maintain Your Investment

In addition to the basic video projector unit, one of the projector accessories you'll need to buy is the projector screen. They come in fixed, pull-down and motorized varieties. Then you'll also have to choose between a white matte, a gray matte, a high contrast white surface or a high gain screen.

High contrast gray screens are good if you're using an LCD projector with lower contrast. High contrast white is good with a DLP projector. In addition to projector screens, you'll need lamps, mounts and other accessories to create your perfect home theater.

You'll know its time for one of these projector accessories when the image starts to dim. Some projectors let you monitor the hours of your usage so you'll be able to budget your movie watching if you don't have an extra $350 lying around.

The life of many projector lamp bulbs is about 2,000 hours, though many of the high-end models are harnessing unlimited bulb life. To get this lamp life, you should use your video projector no more than 3 to 5 hours per day in a clean, dust-free environment and change your air filter every 3 months.

Projector mounts are another of the projector accessories you'll need to consider besides projector lamps. You'll need to choose a mount that is easy to install but also safe. Most projector mounts are attached to the ceiling and come with pre-assembled hardware pieces, although a few mounts can come with accessories to attach it to the wall instead.

Some mounts have one point of attachment, while others come with multiple. A quick-release feature can be very handy if you need to replace a filter or a lamp. Be sure to choose a UL listed mount that has been tested to hold four times' its load capacity. The mounts come in everything from aluminum metal finishes to wood finishes. Check out Visual Apex, Projector Point, Perfect Mounts or Eastporters to find a wide range of mounting devices.

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Home Theater Projector

A home projector isn't for everyone. After all, you'll need to finagle installation, which isn't always easy, and find space for the enormous screen. You'll also need a completely dark, windowless room with dark walls to make the lighting work.

You'll hear the noisy whirring of the video projection and you'll need to buy accessories like projection screens and a projector lamp -- not to mention replacement bulbs. However, the experience of a home theater is so cushy, so professional, and so brag-worthy that you may not care about these drawbacks at all. For some consumers, nothing beats the home theater experience; provided that you've got popcorn on hand, of course!

Next, you must consider resolution for your projector. Resolution refers to the number of pixels used to recreate an image, so naturally the higher the resolution, the more pixels it has, the more detail you see and the more money you pay. The resolution comes in a two-number format, such as "1280 x 720," with the first number indicating the horizontal pixels and the second number indicating the vertical pixels.

The most high-end theater projectors come with 1920 x 1080 (the 1080p model), which shows all the lines of the signal in all its native, uncompressed glory. If you're just looking for a mid-priced all-around good buy, then you will likely be satisfied with a 1280 x 720 (720p model), which delivers excellent high definition images from both HDTV and Blu Ray disc players. If you want your system to work as a data projector too, then a 1280 x 768 is a good selection.

One last thing to consider when buying a projector is your installation process. Many home theater projectors now offer zoom lenses and lens shift to help the unit work with the surrounding space. A zoom lens can make the image smaller or larger. A lens shift can change the location of the projected image by moving the lens up or down.

You'll also need to consider accessories like screen mounts, cables and speakers. While this may sound very confusing, often times, you can get someone to come out to your house and calibrate everything just right to be sure you're getting the most out of your home theater experience.

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The High Performance Rear Projection TV

Electronic stores frequently display walls and walls of plasma and LCD flat panel television sets. It seems that everyone wants to have one of these mammoth entertainment systems for their homes nowadays, no matter how expensive they are.

However, the rear-projection TV has emerged from the shadows to offer lower prices and high performance. While shopping around, you will come across CRT, LCD and DLP technology, so here is all you need to know.

The LCD rear-projection TV offers an excellent picture at a far lower price than LCD flat panel television sets. You can get a 37-inch or an 80-inch projector screen to offer a larger viewing field for less. The LCD projectors are ideal for HDTV viewing and playing video games since the contrast/color saturation is so good and there is no danger of burn-in from static images, like station logos or video game settings.

A rear projection TV system's downfall, generally speaking, is that there may be a limited viewing angle. If you're seated directly in front of the TV at eye-level with the set, you'll be just fine. However, the quality may diminish if you have stadium seating or if you're watching from the side.

The third type of rear-projection TV is the Digital Light Processing (DLP) system. Like the LCD projectors, DLP projectors display images on a chip, although the type of chip used is a micro-mirror. Some movie theaters use DLP technology when showing digitally converted films stored on a hard drive or optical disc.

High resolution DLP projector chips have the ability to recreate an image as though it's on 35 or 70mm film. The color accuracy, low power consumption and high contrast makes the DLP system an attractive selection. The downside is that it will require an occasional bulb replacement.

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Overhead Projector For Academic And Business

An overhead projector is a large box that contains a light source, a cooling fan and a large lens to focus the light. Most overhead projectors also have a mirror that redirects the light forward, rather than up and transparent film is placed over the lens for display. The image is then projected onto a screen for an audience to see.

There are many things to look at when purchasing an overhead projector. To extend your lamp life by 20% and get flicker-free images, look for the "electronic soft-start power supply" feature. You may also appreciate "built-in AC outlets," which provide added connection options so you can connect to computers or LCD panels.

The "hi/lo economy switch" lets you change your brightness settings to reduce lamp stress and keep your bulb lasting longer. If storage space is limited, then you might want to look for a "fold-away design" for your multimedia projector. A "rotating head" is important if your presentation venue will change.

In high stakes presentations, an "automatic lamp changer" switch is very handy for quick, easy projector lamp changing so you don't miss a beat. In terms of brightness, something between 3,200 to 4,000 lumens is ideal, although some windowless rooms can get by on 2,000.

You can save a lot of money going with an overhead projector, rather than a home theater projector or multimedia projector. However, it's important that you consider your audience. More often than not, overhead projectors are used in academic settings from grade school to university level.

Business professionals may prefer a more advanced data projector for their advanced presentations. It's important that you consider reliability, manufacturer and warranty in whichever model you choose.

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LCD Projector For Home Theater Illumination

The LCD projector was invented in 1984 by Gene Dolgoff, a New York inventor who wanted to create a projector that surpassed the 3-CRT projectors of the time. He believed improvements could be made in terms of brightness and smoothness.

Dolgoff was credited with starting the first company specializing in LCD projectors, creating the US HDTV standards using digital projection and co-developing the ANSI standard for measuring brightness, contrast and resolution of theater projectors.

In the $4,000 to $6,000 range, the $4,895 Sanyo PLC-XTC50L is a great choice. With an ANSI rating of 5,000 lumen, it's on the higher end of the brightness spectrum. While it may be a little heavier than comparable LCD projectors, this Sanyo LCD projector comes with maintenance-eliminating features like a dual lamp system, an active maintenance filter, lens shift and noiseless operation.

The color saturation is as impressive as the luminance. This unit is not generally used in home theaters, as it's better suited as a multimedia projector or data projector.

Compared to a DLP projector, the LCD projector specializes in home theater illumination with eight segment color wheels featuring two sets of red, green, dark green and blue filters, for color accuracy and saturation. LCD also delivers slightly sharper images and better resolution when placed side by side with DLP projectors.

Also, LCD projectors consistently produce brighter screens. All the projectors with the highest ANSI lumen ratings (3,000 - 6,000) are LCD, except for one DLP model by Optoma and one by ViewSonic.

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Finding Better Projector Screens

Much attention is given to choosing the right home theater projector. Do you want an LCD or a DLP projector? Will you buy a cheaper lamp that will burn out after 2,000 hours or a costly high-end lamp that is guaranteed for at least 60,000 hours?

Which manufacturer will you select? However, buying the projector is only one component of your home theater. Almost equally important are the projector screens, which affect resolution, contrast and color accuracy.

Next, you will have to consider screen surface to determine how sharp and bright your projected image will be. Matte white surfaces are the most popular option, offering fine and vivid detail. Smooth silver or white pearl surfaces are sometimes also used for the sharpest image for video or computer, although they're not recommended for overhead projectors because hotspots may appear.

Glass beaded surfaces may be used for video, slide and film projection, but cannot portray sharp minute detail needed for computer projection. If you're in a classroom with window light and you need a screen for video and slide projection only, then lenticular surfaces may focus projected light and deflect ambient light in the best way possible.

Now that you know what to look for, let's talk about some of the top projector screens below $500 on the market. The Elite EZ Frame White is a popular projection screen on the market for $420. Setting up the screen is easy and takes just over a half hour. The surface is perfectly smooth, although the seam in the horizontal frame bars is a bit unsightly.

The Elite White doesn't reflect very much light and is 17% brighter than comparable products, although the color balance is slightly cooler. Other top performing projection screens include: Grandview Fixed Frame White, Da-lite Screen Company's Affinity HD or the Stewart Grayhawk RS.

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Finding Online Home Theater Projectors Reviews

It's clear now that high definition is certainly the way of the future. America is full of film buffs, so it's natural that nearly every household would love to have a fancy big-screen HDTV. Unfortunately, the hefty price tag of LCD television sets and plasma screen TVs are still out of reach for many consumers.

Home theater projectors can cost up to $10,000 just for the projection unit; however, there are also high-quality units that cost less than $2,000 and rival the television technology. Let's take a look at a few of the models that have garnered positive feedback this year.

Another review site, www.projectorreviews.com, wrote up a report of the best 1080p home theater projectors out this year. According to site editor, Art Feierman, the best video projectors under $2,100 are: the Epson Home Cinema 6100 3LCD, the InFocus X10 DLP projector, the Mitsubishi HC5500 3LCD, the Sanyo PLV-Z700 3LCD and the Optoma HD806 DLP projector.

The best projectors between $2,100 and $3,500 are: the BenQ W5000 DLP projector, the Epson Home Cinema 6500UB 3LCD/7000/7500UB, the Optoma HD8200 DLP projector, the Panasonic PT-AE3000 3LCD, the Mitsubishi HC6500 3LCD/HC7000 3LCD, the Sanyo PLV-Z3000 3LCD, the Sony VPL-HW10 LCoS or the Viewsonic Pro8100 DLP projector.

As for luxury projectors from $3,500 to $10,000, Feierman recommends the BenQ W20000 LCoS, the JVC DLA-RS10 LCoS/JVC DLA-RS20 LCoS, the InFocus IN82/IN83 DLP projector, the Optoma HD8000-LV DLP projector, the Planar 8150 DLP, the Sharp XV-Z20000 DLP projector or the Sony VPL-VW70.

There are several new technologies for home theater projectors that have come out in recent years. One of the most significant is creative frame interpolation, which reduces motion blur. If you watch a lot of action flicks or sports, try the Panasonic PT-AE3000, the Epson Home Cinema 6500UB, the Epson Pro Cinema 7500UB or the Sanyo PLV-Z3000.

Anamorphic lens emulation is another noteworthy feature found in the Panasonic's PT-AE3000, the Epson Pro Cinema 7100 and the Epson Pro Cinema 7500UB. This lens can stretch an image further horizontally to fit the screen for HDTV content and wide screen movies. A less expensive pseudo-anamorphic lens can be found in the revolutionary Panasonic PT-AE3000.

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Greeting Cards Help To Spread Goodwill

Greeting cards evolved from being sent by the Egyptians and Chinese as a way to spread goodwill, to being sent in observance of holidays. Unfortunately, they were handmade and not everyone was able to afford the luxury of sending a card because they were very expensive.

Sending a card to someone is not just limited to a birthday greeting, as they are used for everything from birthdays to religious ceremonies or even just to remind someone that they are loved.

There are two major companies that manufacture greeting cards; Hallmark and American Greetings. These two companies offer cards to fit pretty much any situation or occasion and they include enough different illustrations and themes that you are sure to find one that fits your needs.

With the increasingly available technology online, you are now able to send out a birthday greeting to someone without ever leaving home. Online greeting cards have become so popular that there are literally thousands of sites that offer hundreds of different varieties that range from sarcastic and funny to sweet and sappy, and anything else you can imagine in between.

If you have never experienced this, then go to the internet, pick any search engine and type in greeting cards, free greeting cards, electronic greeting cards or e cards and then watch what shows up.

Some of the sites offer the cards for free, while others offer a few that are free. If you want to send one of their better cards, then you may need to become a member and the costs vary when it comes to that. Still others will offer to send it for free but you have to agree to the inclusion of some type of advertising for their company.

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Better Greeting Card Tips And Ideas

Do you send greeting cards to friends and family only on their birthdays? Well sending a greeting card does not have to be limited to a birthday. You are no longer limited on what type of sentiments to send or how to send them, as this practice has come a long way since the time when only the wealthy could send a card since they were handmade and very expensive. With the invention of commercial printing and the postage stamp, it easier than ever to send out your fond wishes.

There is no limit to what you can create when you are designing your own greeting card, whether it is for a birthday greeting or any other occasion that is being celebrated. Many people enjoy making their cards and with the increase in craft supply stores, it is now even easier to make one that fits your needs exactly.

Even if you believe that you do not have a creative bone in your body, the materials that are available today will allow you to create a masterpiece, or at least the recipient will think so.

Have you ever typed the phrase free greeting cards into a search engine on the internet? If so, then you are probably aware that there are thousands of sites that allow you to send a free e cards.

Sometimes the free ones are limited and you have to join the site in order to gain access to all of them. Others will send your greeting card but it will have their advertising all over it, so just check the sites carefully before sending.

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Finding Better Karaoke CD Hit Collections

Karaoke CD software will help people who are serious about their singing to take any song and subdue the vocals, while ramping up the accompaniment. They can then infuse their own vocals and save the new version.

They can take advantage of pitch correctors, echo effects, mix the sound or create a CD+G with lyrics to sing on a karaoke system. Win CDG Pro 3 is a popular program that does just that. However, not everyone is so computer savvy or dedicated. Others may wish to just peruse the online offerings to get their karaoke fix.

If you would rather make your own karaoke CD or add some new mp3 karaoke tracks to your database, then a number of publications and websites have stepped up to the plate to help you out with their suggestions. Rolling Stone recommends "Don't Stop Believing" (Journey), "Since U Been Gone" (Kelly Clarkson), "Livin' On A Prayer" (Bon Jovi), "Sweet Child O' Mine" (Guns N' Roses) and "Like A Virgin" (Madonna).

According to top karaoke song resource, www.eztracks.com, the top downloads to date are "Eye of the Tiger" (Survivor), "Dancing Queen" (Abba), "Beat It" (Michael Jackson), "My Heart Will Go On" (Celine Dion), "Livin' On A Prayer" (Bon Jovi), "Angel" (Rayvon, Shaggy), "Addicted" (Enrique Iglesias), "Thriller" (Michael Jackson) and "Barbie Girl" (Aqua).

Over at www.karaokewh.com, there are a number of top-selling karaoke CDs to choose from. The Sound Choice Star Series offers a karaoke CD specializing in Journey tracks, as well as one for Kid Rock, Steve Miller, Dr. Hook and AC/DC.

If you don't feel so passionately about any of the aforementioned artists, then you can try their top-selling Hard Rock Hits Volume 4 instead, which features nineties rock like Korn, Slipknot, Coal Chamber, NIN, Tool, Godsmack, Rage Against the Machine, Spineshank and White Zombie. Backstage Karaoke has a karaoke CD with "today's classic rock" like Pearl Jam, U2, The Eagles, The Knack, Joe Cocker, Melissa Etheridge, Boyz II Men and Hootie and the Blowfish.

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Better Christmas Karaoke Party Hosting Ideas

Who knew Aunt Judy had a voice like Olivia Newton-John? Wasn't it funny when the little ones refused to sing the word "Grandma" in the "Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer" song, for fear of making Granny feel bad?

Who is the worst singer in your family? Will Uncle John belt out a melodramatic rendition of Elvis's "Blue Christmas" after a few glasses of eggnog? Christmas karaoke can be a hilarious pre-dinner or post-dinner activity to liven up this year's Christmas gathering.

Next, you'll need music for your Christmas karaoke festivities. Amazon and eBay are good places to look for discounted karaoke online, but specialty sites like www.acekaraoke.com are also great resources.

A good starter is the Music Maestro 5 CD G Christmas Club pack, which includes the scrolling lyrics and comes with 77 traditional tracks, including renditions of Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, Neil Diamond, the Eagles, Pat Boone, Mariah Carey and Garth Brooks.

For the kids, the Singer's Dream series offers 6 karaoke DVDs or CD+Gs in a bundle with Christmas Holiday Hits, Pop Christmas Party, Christmas Classics, Christmas Memories, Kids Christmas Favorites and Kids Sing Christmas. Sound Choice Karaoke also offers an eight-pack of holiday favorites for everyone from Avril Lavigne and Celine Dion to Perry Como and Nat King Cole. Forever Hits Pro also offers a great one disc Christmas collection that includes Brenda Lee, Johnny Mathis, Dean Martin and Bing Crosby.

Once you have the songs and the system, you are ready for your Christmas karaoke get together. You might want to make your karaoke fun into a game or contest by picking a few judges and awarding prizes.

You can put names and numbers into a hat to create a karaoke singer line-up, with each person singing the number of the song they have picked. By turning karaoke into a game, you can be sure everyone will get involved in the fun, adding extra encouragement for the reticent members of the family who may insist, "No, no, no, my voice is awful."

Most systems come with more than one microphone input so the extremely shy can sing a duet. There is no better way to get the family into the Christmas spirit than by partaking in the age-old practice of caroling, yet with an updated karaoke twist!

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The Karaoke Story

Karaoke has its roots in 1970s Japan. The Kobe City port was an international mecca, often referred to as "the gateway of fashion and trend." In fact, instant noodles, automated ticket gates and saunas all stemmed from this region.

Whenever a strolling guitarist canceled a gig, bar owners would bust out accompaniment tapes for their patrons to sing along to, which would up becoming a popular pastime not just in Japan, but around the world. Perhaps it was the suppression of individualism, the pent-up frustrations of working such long hours or the exportation of karaoke around the world that ensured the karaoke party never stopped.

In the 1980s, Pioneer started churning out karaoke songs on laserdisc. Japanese companies like Victor and DKK followed suit to produce English karaoke hits. When CDG karaoke came out, playing accompaniment tracks and bouncing lyrics across TV screens, the karaoke craze had officially hit America.

Hudson marketed one of the earliest mainstream karaoke machines, the "TurboGrafx-16," which sold for $400 and enjoyed a very short shelf life before dying off. In the early nineties, DK Karaoke produced a collection of ninety-nine karaoke hits, containing everything from Bel Biv Devoe to Lenny Kravitz, which became the standard in every venue. Entertainers hired for parties, weddings and other events added karaoke to their rosters, thus solidifying the pastime as a fun party activity.

The popularity of karaoke bars has greatly increased. "For people who don't sing but like to watch, the show has given them a reason to have a drink and stick around for a few hours," says Grant Tucker, a veteran karaoke host in Glendale, California.

Although, the crowd is also more discerning with many more "Simons" than "Paulas," which may send the trend from the public sphere into private living rooms with the advent of Playstation's Karaoke Revolution.

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Finding Karaoke DVD With Better Hits

While the CD G continues to be one of the most popular formats for at home karaoke, the karaoke DVD is a sensible choice too. In addition to having scrolling lyrics moving across the screen, many video karaoke discs feature special bonuses unavailable on any other format.

For example, Abba's karaoke DVD is a video biography that goes from the band's creation to their last performance. The Beatles karaoke edition features bonus interview clips. Additionally, the "Original Footage Music Video Karaoke DVD Pack" (found at www.acekaraoke.com) shows music videos and live performances to provide added value for buyers.

Rather than buy a karaoke system, multi-functional karaoke DVD players range from $30 to $200 and play regular DVD movies too. The best karaoke DVD players will accept CD G (CD Graphic) format, which is the kind that plays songs and scrolls the lyrics on the bottom.

Karaoke DVDs scroll lyrics too, but there are many more CD G karaoke songs available to buy. The VocoPro DVG399K ($110) has 5.1 Dolby Digital output to get the most from your speakers, two microphone inputs, digital key control to alter your voice and accepts CDs, CD-Rs/mp3s, DVDs and CD+Gs to give you maximum versatility.

Did you know you can create your own customized karaoke DVD? Simply go to www.powerkaraoke.com and download the free trial or the full-version karaoke software for $49. You may be able to fit up to 300 songs using this customized method. However, your computer will need to have: Windows XP or Vista, a DVD-burner drive, a 1 GHz processor or better, at least 512 MB RAM, a 32-bit display, and you will need to buy CD-DVDs as well.

You may also need software that can convert your existing mp3s into CD+G tracks or else you'll have to buy special karaoke songs. This method is only recommended for extremely computer savvy individuals who don't mind putting in the time to learn the software. For everyone else, there are pre-made karaoke DVDs and CD+Gs ready to use.

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Playing Karaoke Revolution Video Game

The Karaoke Revolution game brings all the fun of a karaoke party right into your living room through PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360. Many of the concepts in the game, originally developed by Scott Hawkins and Sneaky Rabbit Studios, were incorporated into Rock Band. The Japanese version of the game is also slightly different, without all the competitive judgments of its American counterpart.

Ideally, you will score enough Karaoke Revolution points to win a diamond record (100,000 points). Each of the karaoke songs is divided into 30 to 50 phrases. A meter fills up and goes from red to green to show how well (or how poorly) you are doing.

If you manage to fill the meter to green several phrases in a row, then you will create a combo and be awarded double points for your next phrases (until your phrase meter is red again). The blue meter will indicate how you are doing at holding the notes and maintaining the proper pitch. As you win points, you will receive bonuses. You'll be able to unlock characters, outfits or songs. As with any game, there are very skill levels, allowing you the ability to beat the game in several different ways.

One downside to Karaoke Revolution is that the karaoke songs have not been leased, so they are all performed by cover bands and artists, rather than the originals. If you think this will really bug the crap out of you, then you may want to consider Sony's Sing Star series, which features only original artists and music videos.

However, Sing Star is not without faults too. Critics say this karaoke system doesn't engage players enough because it splices so many music videos in, rather than allowing the user character creation or avatars.

Also, some of their karaoke CDs are better than others, with Sing Star, Sing Star Party, Sing Star 80s and Sing Star Rocks faring very well, compared to Sing Star Abba, Sing Star Vol. 1 and Sing Star Vol. 2, which were considered "a loosely thrown together collection of what the charts say is cool, with little regard for what will make a karaoke party fun."

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