How to Choose the Right Conference Room Display for your Business

LONG BEACH, Calif., Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- How do you choose between a flat panel display or a projector in your conference room? Having the most cutting edge technology, increasing meeting productivity and maximizing conference room space are often key factors in the decision making process. When considering the right tools to enable your staff to work most efficiently, Epson is providing businesses, IT and facility managers with five tips to keep in mind before making a purchasing decision.

1. Readability: Looks can be deceiving – though a flat panel may seem large, once mounted in a conference room, reading a spreadsheet or presentation during a meeting on a flat panel can still be difficult. Before purchasing, sit in the furthest seat from the display wall to calculate the ideal display size for readability, given typical font sizes used in presentations. Many times a 60- or 72-inch flat panel won't be large enough, even for a small conference room designed to seat four to six people, while a projector can offer a diagonal image up to 100-inches.
   
2. Connectivity: Though typically less expensive, consumer flat panels do not always provide the connectivity required for business meetings. Commercial-grade flat panels and business projectors deliver advanced connectivity options, including VGA, USB, HDMI, and even wireless, to accommodate business display needs.
   
3. Resolution: Not all flat panels are designed to support the varying resolutions used in an office environment. As such, it can be difficult to sync a computer, tablet or smart phone properly to ensure the best image quality for a presentation. In addition, navigating setup features on a flat panel can be confusing, while unfamiliar menus may include terms employees find complicated. Business projectors are designed for use with computer inputs and office programs, making them much easier for plug-and-play meetings.
   
4. Flexibility: Flat panels can look sleek on a wall, but once installed, they aren't going anywhere. Portable projectors provide the flexibility to move from room to room. In addition, users can increase and/or decrease image size depending on the room and presentation needs. Users can also place a projector where convenient – even off to the side of a room – using setup features to change the image size and shape. 
   
5. New Projectors = New Features: Projectors today offer many of the features businesses typically associate with flat panels, including video conferencing and the ability to fit in small rooms. Projectors offer all the inputs to connect to video conferencing equipment, and some offer split screen features, allowing users to see both people and content at once on a larger image. In addition, there are several ultra short-throw projectors available that can be mounted just inches from the wall, making them ideal solutions for a small room. Providing images as large as 100-inches diagonal, these projectors don't even need a screen – just project directly onto a wall or an already installed whiteboard.

"Most people associate projectors with large meeting rooms, however projectors are an excellent solution for small and medium rooms as well," said Claudine Wolas Shiva, senior marketing manager, Projectors, Epson America, Inc. "We've heard that many companies buy a consumer flat panel for a conference room, only to be disappointed by the quality, image size and difficulty of operation. A projector designed specifically for business needs provides all the essential elements for a meeting space – large display size, high image quality, connectivity options, and ease of use – and oftentimes at a lower price."

For more information about display options, Epson offers this video that highlights the differences between projectors and flat panel displays for business environments.

About Epson Business Projectors
Epson projectors offer advanced setup and connectivity features designed for integration into small- to medium-sized conference rooms. The BrightLink^™ Pro collaborative whiteboarding solutions are designed to revolutionize meeting and classrooms by transforming any flat surface, such as existing whiteboards and tables, into digital whiteboards and interactive spaces. The EX-series offer high brightness and a suite of custom features that enable flexible positioning and stress-free setup. The VS-Series are designed to provide small businesses with high-brightness at low costs. The PowerLite^® 1700-Series are sleek models designed for mobile professionals, weighing less than four pounds and are as thin as a laptop at 1.7-inches tall.

About Epson
Epson is a global innovation leader dedicated to exceeding expectations with solutions for markets as diverse as the office, home, commerce, and industry. Epson's lineup ranges from inkjet printers, printing systems and 3LCD projectors to industrial robots, smart glasses and sensing systems and is based on original compact, energy-saving and high-precision technologies.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 73,000 employees in 94 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates. Epson America, Inc. based in Long Beach, Calif. is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: www.Epson.com.

You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (http://twitter.com/EpsonAmerica) and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/EpsonTV).

Note: EPSON and PowerLite are registered trademarks and EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. BrightLink is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. All other product brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks.

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SOURCE Epson America Inc.