The history of the projector and the projection screen began as early as the 17th century, with a slow progression until modern times. Today, technology has advanced at an unprecedented pace, leading to more development and innovation of all kind of projectors.

Opaque Projectors

The opaque projectors are the earliest form of projectors that allow users to project materials or small objects  by shining a bright lamp on the materials. The image is displayed by directing the reflected light through the projection lens and displayed. Opaque projectors have a maximum image size of approximately 20X magnification, a minimum distance of 18 ft.

Overhead Projectors

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The overhead projector was used since the 1960’s with many purposes. A transparency is needed and can be placed on the overhead projector to project into a wall or screen.The main benefit of the overhead projector is the option to annotate the projected image while presenting, very commonly used in the classroom. 

Computer Data Projectors

In the early 1990’s, computer data projectors became popular as they combined the overhead projector and the digital projection panel into one device, making it smaller and more portable compared to other models. The earlier models of the computer projectors were big, heavy, and expensive compared to later models that got lighter and better image quality. 

Home Theater Projectors

The rise of the home theater projector became very popular as it became possible to experience the home theater movie experience with very minimal cost. For anyone that wants to set up their own home entertainment, the home theater projector can achieve a 100+ inch image for a fraction of the cost of an 80-100+ inch 4K TV. These home theater systems now compete with Cinema to play high resolution videos. To remain competitive, many cinema companies are replacing their film projectors with high-end digital projectors, which are much higher in resolution and quality. 

The 4k Projectors

The first 4K home theater projector was released by Sony in 2012 a small and portable projector that fits into the palm of your hands. These 4k home theater projectors use clusters of LEDs as the light source and are powered by battery or wall outlet. The future of pocket projectors is very promising as new technology has allowed these projectors to project a smaller pixel size, allowing for a crispier picture than ever before.