ChurchIT – Supporting ministry with IT

So, you’ve borrowed or hired a projector, found someone enthusiastic enough to operate it and decided that it will improve the worship and teaching in your church. Next stop the local Curry’s (or AV shop if you’re feeling posh) to buy the first projector you find? Best stop a while and think. Buying a projector for a church is very different to one for a home cinema.

Firstly a word of thanks to Steve Rushton from DM Music for a very informative chat, which was very helfpul, especially with regards to the proper placement of a projector. There are several locations to consider, the projector itself and where it is operated from.The ideal projector position is directly infront of the screen, often high up out of the way. There is some flexibility possible as modern projectors can compensate for not being directly in front of the screen.

Don’t get carried away with hiding a projector. Bulbs need replacing and the dust filters cleaning. Bulbs wear out gradually loosing their brightness in the process. After somewhere between 1000 and 2000 hours a bulb will only be about half as bright as when it was new.

Keeping dust out of the filter helps keep the bulb cool and improve its lifespan. If you’re feeling really extravagent, there are some projectors that can do this by themselves.

Speaking of which, the screen is just as important as you won’t be able to see much without it. As a rule of thumb you need to add 1 foot to the width of the screen for every 7 feet you expect people to be sitting aways from it. I’ve seen motorised screens that are completely invisiible when not in use, so they can be discreet.

Don’t forget to the point from which the projector will be operated. This is normally by the sound desk as the two jobs often go hand in hand. Speaking from (very busy) experience, there’s a lot to be said for dividing the work up.

You need to consider what will be connected to the projector. A computer is normally sufficient for showing words and playing video but the less technically inclined may appreciate a simple DVD player (though check material is legal to play first). Problems can also occur when cables are too long. This can be solved, but it adds to the overall cost.

DM Music can be contacted on 0844 980 9822 or info@dmmusic.com. The website at www.dmmusic.com includes plenty of information in addition to products to buy.

First published on The Sheep Dip,  a Christian-run website offering quality material for church newsletter and magazine editors to use for a small fee.