The Chalkboard Evolution

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More than ever, educationtion in a classroom environment depends largely on the ability to show information to many people at one time. It's the same premise embodied by the trusty chalkboard--except that chalkboards are losing ground to projectors and panels that allow educators and administrators to communicate with students and university workers in new ways.

So what to choose? That's the primary question facing administrators and educators. LCD panels, plasma screens and digital light processing (DLP) projectors are evolving fast. And buyers in the higher-education market can easily suffer information overload as they juggle products, features and options to best suit their classroom requirements.

"It's not just going in and selling the product," says John Roy, a sales consultant at St. Louis-based Conference Technologies. "End users are actually wanting us to educate them."

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
In spaces such as classrooms, conference rooms and auditoriums, projectors have two primary advantages: size and accessibility. A typical projector can easily project onto a 300-inch-diagonal surface for easy viewing by any student in a large classroom. And now, with the addition of 802.11 wireless capabilities, students can use those projectors to share their own information--particularly helpful in seminar-oriented courses.

"What we're hearing is that the projector is becoming the hub of collaborative learning," says Jeff Muto, program manager of the projector business at display vendor ViewSonic. "It's becoming a much more interactive classroom. Students are becoming more engaged. They're retaining information better."

Muto says ViewSonic's Wireless G Presentation Gateway (WPG-150) is a standard device that can be combined with projectors to let users share information wirelessly. The WPG-150 supports any projector, LCD TV or large-screen display with a VGA or DVI connector. The company's ViewPen remote control allows lecturers to guide presentations hands-free.

Many new projectors can link to a network also, which means a single university employee could monitor the lamp life, maintenance requirements and general status of 50 to 100 campus projectors, says Bob Guentner, product manager for projectors at NEC, which offers a few network-capable projectors of its own.

Roy says higher-ed buyers can install a networked, remotely monitored projector in a classroom for less than $1,000, about one-third what it cost only three years ago.

Although projectors might sound a little old-fashioned, the technology does have its advantages. Matt Childs, another sales consultant at Conference Technologies, says higher-ed business is split 50-50 between LCDs and DLPs. With the latter, less maintenance is generally required and handy features continue to emerge. For example, Panasonic has a projector that automatically changes its filter, saving big hassles for end users who have to manage a large inventory.

By contrast, an LCD can fade or yellow after three or four years, Childs says, resulting in a bit of a comeback for DLPs.

But perhaps the most important factor to consider in a display purchase is the content. If computer or CAD graphics need to be displayed, an LCD tends to be the preferred solution, while lower-cost projectors might be better for PowerPoint-type presentations.

Jason Redmond, a spokesman for display technology at Samsung, says key factors for higher-ed users to consider when weighing projectors are the ambient light of the room and the size of the audience. Poor natural lighting and a large audience can require a more powerful projector, which will cost more.

Next: Beyond The Classroom

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