Pacific Media Associates, a high-tech research firm specializing in projectors, recently released a report that shows front projection system sales stronger than ever. Third-quarter shipments hit 2.4 million units worldwide, a 13 percent increase over Q3 sales in 2010.

PMA divides the projector market into three segments:

• New Era – sub-500 lumens, which include projectors suitable for home theater use and portable applications
• Mainstream projectors – 500 to 4,999 lumens, including commercial models for corporate boardrooms, hospitality applications, and churches and higher-end consumer models
• High-end – 5,000 lumens and up, used in digital cineman and including Wide XGA and Wide UXGA projector models

Growth in the New Era Market as Prices Continue Dropping

The New Ear market showed 30% growth, according to the PMA report, outperforming the overall market in both revenue and units sold.

Mainstream Projectors, Slow But Steady

This product category, driven largely by sales in the corporate, government and education arenas, saw sluggish growth but did turn positive in Q3. Growth in this category was driven primarily by 3D projectors at price points competitive with 2D models, with worldwide sales of 3D-ready projectors expected to reach 2.5 million in 2011. It remains to be seen whether 3D projection systems will do any better than 3D HDTVs in the future. Ultra-short throw and interactive projector models also contributed to growth in the category.

High-End Projectors Selling Well

Digital cinema applications continue to grow, with the PMA report showing more than 60,000 installations worldwide, leading to solid growth in high-end projector sales for Q3 2011.

Time for a Projector Upgrade?

Today’s projectors interface with other video technology to offer image combining across multiple screens and projectors, edge-blending, even the ability to display images from multiple sources on a single screen.

Projectors can be a cost-effective solution for sports bars looking to immerse visitors in the game experience with a super-large screen at a price much lower than a plasma monitor of the equivalent size.

The right projector in your corporate boardroom, hotel conference room, sports bar, nightclub or even a church helps your message be seen as well as heard. Having the right amount of lumens for the lighting conditions in the space is the key. Once that important factor is determined, the sky’s the limit. It all depends on what you want to do to make your visitors say “Wow!”