SXGA+ and HD projectors

[Crispin]

I need a projector for 50% PC work and 50% TV/film. On the film side I'm not that fussy (though I do want to throw out my current telly), but for the PC side I am presently using SXVGA+ resolution (1400 x 1050) on a 12" x 9" laptop screen. I need this projected onto a wall with at least 3' x 3' image size. If I use a 1280 x 720 HD projector (e,g. Optima HD70) which is what I can afford, what kind of quality can I expect compared with what I see on my laptop for both photographs and for general desktop/word processing applications? Do these projectors have VGA sockets?

 

[BMXTRIX]

Best practice is to match the output resolution of your PC to the native resolution of the projector. There is zero added benefit to sending a higher resolution to the projector than the projector supports. You end up with a softer image than you may like and subpar quality.

The projector itself needs to be checked as well to ensure that it accepts WXGA+ resolution prior to purchase.