Selecting the Right Projector: Resolution

Most projectors on the market today are either SVGA or XGA projectors. SVGA projectors display a native resolution of 800 pixels by 600 pixels, whereas XGAs display a higher native resolution of 1024 by 768. XGA projectors also support SVGA and all modes below. Many projectors offer compression technology to support one mode higher than their native resolution.

SVGA projectors, while still available, are rapidly being replaced by more compatible XGA units. Selecting a projector with adequate native resolution will avoid many compatibility issues. We recommend XGA projectors for these reasons:

Presentation Design:
Presentations designed at or for a specific resolution will look best on a projector with at least that resolution. For example, a PowerPoint user who creates a presentation using their XGA desktop computer will need an XGA projector to avoid having to spend time refitting the presentation to a lower resolution. You can find the resolution, or "screen area", of a Windows computer under the "Settings" tab of the Display Control Panel. On a Macintosh, go to the Monitors & Sound Control Panel.

Computer/Projector Compatibility:
The computer (usually a notebook) connected to the projector should have the same native resolution as the projector. Most notebooks sold today are at least XGA, and will not work correctly with SVGA projectors without extra effort. It is possible to set the notebook to a different resolution than its native one, but it requires knowledge specific to each notebook.

Compression Technology:
Compression technology--which allows a projector to display at a resolution higher than its native one--may be problematic because the projected image is not what appears on your computer screen. An SVGA projector compressing a 1024x768 image must drop 224 vertical lines and 168 horizontal lines to fit the same data into an 800x600 projection. This can cause detail to be lost and fonts to look malformed.

Most problems people encounter when presenting with data projectors relate to resolution compatibility. By choosing an XGA projector you avoid the majority of these issues.