How loud does my PA system need to be?

Do I need to hire Subwoofers?

What is a lighting desk?

Do I need a lighting desk?

Should I use LED lights?

Which projector should I choose?

Should I choose a LCD or DLP Projector

What does ANSI Lumens mean?

What resolution projector/display do I need?

What is aspect ratio?

What can I connect to a projector and how?

Do you install the equipment?

Can I collect from you?

How loud does my PA system need to be?

You may have heard terms such as Watts, dB, and SPL used to describe how loud a PA system is. These are all terms used to measure the power of a system and can be extremely confusing to understand so for the purpose of this explanation we will deal with real world applications to help you decide what you need to hire. If you would like more information on the technical terms, please see our resources section.

When we are asked which PA equipment is required by one of our customers we will ask a few questions to get to the answer;

What is it to be used for?
Speech? Background music? DJs? Live Music?

Where will it be used?
Small, Medium or large venue? Inside or outside?

How many people will be in the audience?
10? 50? 100? 250? 500? 1000+?

Generally speaking, for a small venue, a PA system used for speech or background music can be relatively small.

If you need a PA system for a DJ and/or live music, we recommend using a physically larger (and more powerful) system that can cope with the peaks of sound and reproduce the lower frequencies.
We may also recommend using subwoofers to extend the low end frequency response.

A few typical examples from our hire equipment list would be as follows;

Speech for up to 50 people/small venue: Yamaha Stagepass PA. £50/day

Speech for more than 50 people/medium venue or DJ for up 50 people: Pair RCF 315a powered speakers and mixer. £105/day

DJ/Live Music for up to 100 people: Pair RCF 315a powered speakers, Pair RCF 705a Subs and mixer. £200/day

DJ/Live Music for up to 250 people: Pair RCF 6001a powered speakers, Pair RCF 8001a Subs and mixer. £250/day

If you have further questions, please give us a call on 020 7232 1748

Do I need to hire Subwoofers?

Subwoofers are loudspeakers designed to cater for the low, bass end of the sound spectrum between 20Hz and 150Hz.
They generally use large diaphragm drivers capable of being driven with a lot of power.

They are not necessary for speech but are very commonly used for music, both pre-recorded and live and should be considered for these purposes particularly if it is a large room and/or when there are a lot of people or for when you want the bass to be "felt" by the audience.

What is a lighting desk?

A lighting desk is used to control all manner of lighting from the most basic: controlling dimmers for conventional tungsten lamps to creating sequences of intelligent lighting such as moving heads, and smoke/haze machines.

From the most basic to the most complex, modern lighting desks use an electronic protocol to communicate with dimmers, lights and other fixtures.

The most common of these protocols today is called DMX-512.

Lighting desks can be pre-programmed with chases so that a complete show can be stored, triggering all of the lights at the correct time.

For more information on DMX-512 and other terminology, please see our resources pages.

Do I need a lighting desk?

If you have a simple lighting situation you may not need to hire a lighting desk to control your lights.
Tungsten lights found in out Generic section can be plugged straight into the mains but will only run on full power. We do however have some small stand-alone dimmers that have 4-channel local control if simple dimming is required.

LED, scanners and moving heads also have stand alone and inbuilt options, some of which react and move to sound.

If you wish to have complete control over you lights you will require a lighting desk however.

Should I use LED lights?

LED lighting has many advantages over conventional such as far lower power consumption which is very handy if you have limited power; give off low heat, great if lights are required in sensitive situations; and colour mixing - LED fixtures often use separate RED, GREEN and BLUE LEDs. When all are on, they mix to produce white light but by controlling the intensity of each colour, millions of different colours can be achieved.

Although LEDs are improving dramatically, conventional lighting is generally considered brighter and will give a more defined beam, particularly attractive if used with smoke and haze.

LED lighting is also still more expensive than conventional per comparable fixture but if using conventional lighting, more costly dimmers, power distribution and cabling maybe required not to mention the cost of the electricity bill!

Should I choose a LCD or DLP Projector

We have both LCD and DLP projectors for hire but it's a common question; which one is best?

The answer is it depends on the application. Here is a list of pros and cons of each system. This is not a definitive list and as technology progresses the pros become greater and the cons are being rectified all the time.
If you're not sure which is best for you, please give us a call and we'll help you decide.

Three chip DLP^TM - Pros:
Perfect colour accuracy.
Good contrast; much greater than film theatres.
Good shadow detail.
Can provide high brightness compared to the limited brightness of single chip versions.
Overall image quality deemed as the best of any type of micro display technology.
Same technology as projectors installed in digital theatres.
Pure digital technology.

Three chip DLP^TM - Cons:
Very expensive compared to the other technologies.
Lower contrast than single chip versions.
Generally larger and always louder than single chip versions.
Lamps usually don't last as long.

Single chip DLP^TM for home theatre - Pros:
Fantastic colour accuracy.
The best contrast ratios and shadow detail.
Generally very quiet.
Very little space between each pixel creates a very smooth image, even when using lower resolution projectors.
Very few, if any, dead pixels.
Light engine failures are very rare so repairs are less costly than other technologies.
Technology doesn't degrade over time. With proper routine maintenance, DLP^TM projectors consistently provide just-out-of-the-box performance. (DLP^TM is the only technology that makes this claim).
Colour uniformity is the best of the technologies.

Single chip DLP^TM for home theatre - Cons:
It is more expensive than LCD technologies given comparable projector resolution and brightness.
Home theatre DLP's only reach a maximum of 1500 lumens of brightness.
On some DLP^TM projectors, viewers can detect a colour breakup effect called the "rainbow" effect. This rarely occurs with home theatre DLP's.

Single chip DLP^TM for business - Pros:
Provides higher brightness than home theatre DLP's.
Excellent contrast and shadow detail.
Generally produces reduced noise levels.
Very little space between each pixel creates a very smooth image even when using lower resolution projectors.
Very few, if any, dead pixels.
Light engine failures are very rare so repairs are less costly than other technologies.
Technology doesn't degrade over time. With proper routine maintenance, DLP^TM projectors consistently provide just-out-of-the-box performance. (DLP^TM is the only technology that makes this claim).
Colour uniformity is the best of the technologies.
Cheaper to purchase, based on resolution and brightness, than true home theatre DLPs.

Single chip DLP^TM for business - Cons:
Colour saturation is not as good as LCD or home theatre DLP^TM machines.
Colour separation effect, AKA "rainbow effect," can be apparent on these projectors and can be distracting to watch, although most people don't notice the effect.
Advanced menu screens for image adjustments are rare in business machines, although some manufacturers do offer them.
Most, but not all, business machines won't offer HDCP enabled digital inputs.
These machines are only offered in 4:3 aspect ratios.
True 720p resolution projectors not offered.
LCD - LCD or liquid crystal displays are the oldest type of micro display technology used in front projection. Since the only real differences between an LCD projector for home theater and one built for business are the resolution and menu options, we won't differentiate between the two here.

LCD Projectors - Pros:
Can be very bright even in home theatre applications.
True high definition models are the least costly of any technologies.
Great colour saturation.
Home theater models are usually feature-rich.
1000 lumen and lower models will usually have long lasting lamps.

LCD Projector - Cons:
Dead pixels are common.
Contrast ratios are usually lower than those on DLP^TM projectors although by using recent dynamic iris technology much greater contrast can be achieved.
Shadow detail and absolute black levels fall short of DLP^TM powered projectors.
Panel convergence problems (where the three LCD panels don't align properly producing a noticeable color halo around each pixel) are common in cheaper machines.
LCD panels are organic and lose image quality over time. The less the machine is used each day, the less of a problem this is. Projectors that are used for over eight (8) hours a day can exhibit problems fairly quickly.
Colour uniformity across the image is lower than that of DLP^TM powered projectors.

All of our Sanyo projectors are LCD and can be found here.
Our Panasonic projectors are all DLP and can be found here with the exception of the PT-AE3000E.
Our Christie projectors all use the latest in DLP technology and are found here.

Which projector should I choose?

At Event Projection, we stock a large range of different projectors for different applications. When choosing a projector, there are several factors to consider;

What is it to be used for?
As well as common applications like business presentations and movie screenings, projectors can be used in many exciting applications from digital signage and advertising to club visuals.

How large an image do you want to produce?

This is an absolutely critical question to ask when deciding which projector you need to hire as the bigger the image, the bigger and brighter projector is required. See What does ANSI Lumens mean?
How much other ambient light will be present when you use the projector?

As with image size, before deciding which projector you need to hire it is important to know how bright the location will be. The brighter the ambient light, the brighter a projector you need.
See What does ANSI Lumens mean?

ANSI (American National Standards Institute) lumens refers to the brightness of a projector. Fundamentally speaking, the higher the number the brighter the projector. How bright the projector is governs how big a screen it can be used on and/or how much ambient light is bouncing around in the room. If you are projecting onto a 6' wide screen a 2000 lumen projector should be perfectly adequate even in normal office lighting conditions but if you had a larger screen or much brighter room a more powerful projector would be necessary.

As a rule of thumb, to achieve a bright image with good contrast in normal office lighting, allow about 500 lumens/meter².

Typically home cinema projectors range from 1000 - 2000 lumens because most people don't have a screen any bigger than 6' - 8'. Our Panasonic PT-AE3000E projector is 1600 lumens and looks amazing on a 10' screen in a fully darkened room!

The same is true if you need to hire a projector for your office meeting but because there is likely to be more ambient light a more powerful projector may be required.
We have 2000 lumen Sanyo XW57 projectors for hire, ideal for our 6' screens and 3500 Lumen Sanyo XP41 projectors for larger screens and/or more ambient light.

If you need to hire a projector to be used on a much larger screen we have Panasonic DLP projectors that go up 10000 lumens, Sanyo LCD projectors up to 15000 lumens and Christie DLP projector up to 18,000 lumens.

If you require brighter projections than a single projector can provide, it is possible to double stack projectors, effectively doubling the brightness.

Resolution dictates the definition and detail of an image and refers to the number of pixels in each dimension, horizontal and vertical, that a device can display and is simply the physical number of columns and rows of pixels creating the display (e.g. 1024×768). Various resolutions are typically referred to by standards such as VGA, XGA, etc.

In terms of projector hire or plasma screen hire, what you are looking for when deciding on a projector is the "Native Resolution". This is the physical number of pixels that the machine actually outputs onto the screen. All of our projector resolutions on the site are shown as native resolutions. Many projectors and video displays can process higher resolutions from an input device such as a computer but they cannot output higher than their native resolution.

When hiring and projector or plasma screen, you should take into account what you are going to be showing. For example if you are looking for a projector to hire for a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation where the content is usually big bold text and graphics you probably do not need a particularly high resolution projector. If you are showing photographs that have lots of detail or screening a film, particularly if it is from a HD source such as a Blu-ray player, then a projector with higher resolution will give you a far more detailed image.

We have a range of projectors with various resolutions. The lowest resolution machine we supply is 1024X768, known as XGA. This has been the most common computer screen resolution for several years and is more than adequate for most users.
We do not supply projectors with lower resolutions than this such as SVGA (800X600).
We also have SXGA+ (1050X1400) Panasonic projectors which are an excellent choice for users wishing to show very fine detail and a range of full HD (1080X1920) projectors for the latest in digital cinema such as the Panasonic PT-AE3000E and Panasonic PT-DW10000E.

The Aspect Ratio of an image is the width divided by the height and are expressed as x:y.
The most common today are 1.33:1 also known as 4:3, TV format and 1.75:1, commonly expressed as 16:9 or HDTV which are found in both projectors and computer monitors.
Even wider formats such as 2.35:1 are also used in feature films.

We supply both 4:3 and 16:9 projectors and screens as well as 2.35:1 and custom screen sizes.

You can connect virtually any electronic device that produces a still or video source to a projector or Plasma/LCD display from a DVD player or laptop to a video camera or video games console.

At the lower end of the market projectors and displays will commonly have a VGA input for connecting a PC computer and a composite video input (yellow phono connector) that you can use to connect domestic DVD players, video recorders etc.
Moving up the market you will find more inputs from DVI and HDMI inputs for connecting to digital outputting devices such as Blu-Ray players and also HD-SDI for connecting professional video equipment.

When ordering equipment from us, please let us know what you want to connect to it so that we can arrange the correct cables and advise you of the suitability of the equipment.

We can always install our equipment for you if required. Please note that charges will apply depending on the complexity and time required to do so and we will only rig equipment form safe points.

Can I collect from you?

Collection is always welcomed during normal Monday to Friday office hours.
If equipment is required for weekends we advise collection on a Friday afternoon and return on Monday morning.

Please note that all collections must be paid for by credit card over the phone in advance. We need your full name, address and phone number to do the invoice and these must be the same as your credit card billing address. Credit card details will be retained and charged if items are returned late of damaged or if items are missing.
On collection you will need to provide ID. This must be a passport or photo driving licence which we will photo copy. Please note that these are the only items of ID we accept and we will not be able to release the equipment without one.