A Simple Guide to Projector Setup

A Simple Guide to Projector Setup
This guide will help you setup the physical projection equipment.

Step 1: Purchase a Projector
If you do not have an digital projector, invest in one. Not only will this be useful for yourself and your church, but it will be helpful to any missionary that you have come through. You can buy projectors almost anywhere: Best Buy, Digital Projection, Optoma, and View Sonic. Projectors come in all shapes and sizes. Not sure how much you'll use it? Buy a $300 projector. Do you want to use it every service? You'll probably want something a little more expensive.

Step 2: Pick a Place to Put It
One thing to consider before purchasing a projector is where you will put it. Depending on your facilities, like if you rent a building for Sunday morning, you may want to just set the projector on a table. It's easy to take down and setup each week. If you own a church building and intend to use the projector a lot, you may consider hanging it from your sealing like our church does. It's out of the way, and always setup. If you choose the latter option, make sure the projector you purchase is able to hang from the ceiling. You may need to purchase additional supplies for this.

Step 3: Purchase and Place a Screen

The first question to ask is: Do you need a screen? Murray River Baptist Church rents a facility with white walls. They simply project onto the wall. If you do need a screen, Will it need to be moved after every service, or can it stay in one place? That will determine whether you need a free standing screen or a drop-down screen installed from the ceiling. Basically, if you plan to mount your projector, plan to mount the screen too. Check out http://www.projectorscreenstore.com/ for more information.



Step 4: Installing Your Projector
If you will put the projector on a table, no installation is necessary. Pull it out of the box, plug it in, and follow the next step. If you intend to hang it from the ceiling or plan to put it in any other fixed location read these two articles from ProjectorCentral and DoItYourSelf. The biggest thing is making sure you can fish the wires through the ceiling back to wherever your audio/visual booth is located.


Step 5: Connecting Your Computer
Most projectors connect using VGA and most laptops have it. This is a VGA Cable hookup:

If you have a Mac, chances are you have a DVI port instead. Newer Macs come with mini-DVI and older Macs come with standard. You will need one of the two following plugs for this. If your laptop did not come with it or you no longer have it, Google "Mac DVI to VGA" to purchase one.

Step 6: Displaying Your Screen
This could take a little bit of work depending on your laptop. If you have a Mac, it's simple. Open System Preferences, choose Displays, and then click Detect Display. If it's connected properly, your screen will show up. For PC, the easiest way is by pushing the F-key with a box in it. Hit this a couple times and see if your screen displays. If it does not, you may need to hold down the function key, then press it. If you do not have an F-key with a box in it then go here.

That's it. Your done.

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