Should I go with LCD, HDTV or something else when showing clients images

[joe_dolen]

<p>I'm currently in the process of building a new studio and I'm wondering what people's thoughts are about ways to show clients their images in the sales meeting. Right now I own a small studio and I show a slideshow and lightroom presentation on my 21 "iMac. In the new studio I plan on using the iMac to run a projector, lcd, plasma, or something else. I'm looking for input to see if anyone has suggestions about what I should use. My main concerns are that I want everything calibrated, and I want my images large (maybe 20x30ish), and I want them to look exactly how they do on my iMac. My budget is around $2,000 and the space is large, so there are no real size limitations. Thanks so much!</p>

<p>-Joe </p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>For Sales meeting you could use an ovehead projector as an inexpensive way to show your presentation.<br />Connect your computer VGA output to a LCD projector, and display the same thing on a large slide projection screen.<br />Perhaps every conference room has a white wall, or a drop down large screen for thiis exact purpose. Some conference facilities provide rented LCD projectors. It would be least expensinve to rent one for half a day or so.<br />Slide projections are less used now, but their display large screens are usable for projection from a laptop or desktop computer.<br />Not sure if your iMac has a HDMI video output port. If it does, then a large LCD TV would be good choice if it is already in the large room you mentioned. It wiill need to be at least 46" or 55" large TV to make impact in large room. Set your laptop for 2 monitor operation. Some HD LCD TVs have also DVI or VGA input signal socket, so you could possibly use it, instead of HDMI.<br>

Perhaps quality of presentation will be better from full HDMI signal quality than the use of projector?</p>

<p> </p>

[Mattman944]

<p>If you want the best possible quality, I would avoid a projector. I have never seen a projector that looks any where near as good as a high quality LCD monitor.</p>

<p>TVs can be very good, but I think the better monitors are better. If you want the image to be as good as your imac, why not just buy a large apple monitor?</p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p> I have never seen a projector that looks any where near as good as a high quality LCD monitor.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Except for a proper slide projector.</p>

[joe_dolen]

<p>Thanks guys! I considered the large apple monitor, but the largest they have is 27" and I'm looking for something that would be around 46". Do you know if you can calibrate an LCD tv with a calibration device such as colormunki? I guess while I'm on that subject, has anyone used colormunki, and what are your thoughts? Thanks!</p>

[steve_t.1]

<p>Well, NEC makes up to a 30" desktop monitor, and they have very wide viewing angle capability so you don't have to sit dead on in front of it, and are calibrated with NEC's own Eye 1 Display 2 built and customized calibration system (SpectraView II). The 30" may exceed your budget a bit (at least if you buy from NEC, other retailers may have lower prices). I think a top-shelf computer monitor for photography purposes with clients will give a truer representation of the image than any television set ever could. Why hamstring yourself by showing your work on a TV set? Show it on the best display possible, even if that means a smaller viewing device. (It's all relative, the bigger the screen, the farther away from it you need to be, and the farther away you are the lower the image quality may appear.) Heck, for the budget you have, you could do about 4 of the NEC Multisync P211W BK SV monitors with SpectraView II that I use at home, $550 at B&H Photo- http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/612998-REG/NEC_P221W_BK_SV_MultiSync_P221W_BK_22_Widescreen.html</p>

<p>Actually, you'd only need one of these models, because it would have the calibration device, which should (verify with B&H) also calibrate the other two models which go about $50 less without the calibration device- http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/602072-REG/NEC_P221W_BK_MultiSync_P221W_BK_22_Widescreen.html</p>

<p>You could arrange these four 22" monitors at a large conference table so an easy 7-12 people could view your work up close and comfortable (2-3 people per monitor) and not have to concentrate on a big TV set that may not give as good of an image.</p>

<p>Oops, I guess this idea depends on whether or not your computer can drive/calibrate that many monitors, and to that question I have no idea. Would each monitor then need calibration, or would calibrating one then calibrate all by default?</p>

<p>Start here at NEC- http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/Series/?series=f52d7f47-df4d-4223-b75e-c23e8b085ed7</p>

<p>Food for thought. Good luck with your new endeavor.</p>

[brad_smith8]

<p>Plasmas have wider viewing angles and great black levels. Compare in-store and you'll see what I mean.</p>

[joe_dolen]

<p>Steve, definitely some food for thought! Thanks so much for your insight. My plan is to have an area (about 8'x8') in the corner of the studio with a couch and a couple of comfy chairs and a coffee table. So maybe you're right in saying that I don't need anything over 30". Thanks for posting those links! I really appreciate all the feedback guys!</p>

[gbaida]

<p>"Do you know if you can calibrate an LCD tv with a calibration device such as colormunki"?<br>

I have quite satisfactorily calibrated an LG LCD (IPS panel) TV connected to my PC via DVI/HDMI adapter/cable with X-rite i1 Display (version 1) colorimeter. </p>

[joe_dolen]

<p>Thanks Gleb.</p>

<p>I think I made my decision. I'm going to go with a 27" iMac. At $1699 it fits in my budget, will be large enough for clients to view, and heck it doesn't hurt to have another iMac hanging around the studio. Plus, I know absolutely nothing about TVs and projectors, but I do know my way around a Mac, as I use them everyday. Thanks everyone for all your input, as always I really appreciate the feedback on this forum!</p>