Technology is constantly evolving at a staggering rate. Over the last few years the projection industry has been no exception, with the industry experiencing a laser revolution, with laser light sources used in most large venues and cinemas, rather than the more traditional lamp light source that has been the staple of projection technology for the last 20 years.
You may have seen that we have previously written an article comparing lamp and laser to give you a good idea of the major differences and the pros and cons of each. If you haven’t seen it, then you can find it here: https://churchsoundsystems.co/learning-hub/projection-vision/quick-start-guide/
Quite frankly, projection has been in a race to keep up with flatscreen technology, where we have come to expect ultra-high definition and great colour contrast for viewing our content. Great advances have been made in the world of displays to make them as power-efficient as possible, making them a great choice for environmentally-minded consumers. However, without investing serious amounts of cash, projection is still very much the go-to option for large screen viewing, particularly in church and heritage buildings where the screen can be hidden when not in use.
Now that laser technology has evolved to have a strong foothold in the new projector market, manufacturers are spending time refining the technology further, to make this new breed of projector more compact, brighter and reducing the amount of energy they consume.
Panasonic are one of our preferred projector manufacturers due to the great balance of cost and reliability their devices offer. They offer a wide range of projectors, from ultra-compact short-throw projectors for meeting rooms, to huge 30,000-lumen projectors for cinemas.
They have just announced a revamp of their market-leading laser installation projection range, which makes the argument for choosing a laser model for your new projector even more convincing. The updated range - the MZ882 series - is innovative in the way that recycled materials have been used in the construction of the housing, with Panasonic claiming to have used up to 10% recycled resins for each projector. It also uses an eco filter which can be washed and reused, rather than replaced.
The most important upgrade to the MZ range does not come from the recycled content, but from the increased brightness that Panasonic can now achieve from the same laser light source, all while using 8% less energy to do so. 8% may not sound like a lot, but over the lifetime of the projector (20,000 hours), that will make a huge difference to the size of the electricity bill you get when running it.
During that same period, not only will a lamp projector have been serviced several times (which may not be easy if specialist access equipment is required to reach it), but you will have changed the lamp unit 5 times, creating harmful waste (lamps contain mercury and have to be disposed of safely).
This means that there is a significant ongoing maintenance cost that comes with installing a lamp projector, which isn't the case for a laser model. On average, a new lamp is around £120, but it can be far more expensive depending on the model of your projector.
Does this improved efficiency and focus on making projection as environmentally friendly as possible spell the end for the trusty lamp projector? It's hard to say, but the case for laser is only going to become increasingly convincing.
If you can afford the larger upfront cost, then the long-term benefits of a laser light source both for quality and efficiency are unmistakable. Panasonic are only one of the many companies to manufacture projectors, so we are likely to see many more new product ranges from their competitors with an increased focus on their environmental impact.
You can find more information on the Panasonic MZ882 Series by clicking here to go to the product information page on their website.
