Projector Problems

All,

I know this problem isn't directly related to Proclaim, but since everyone here is a Proclaim user and likely using a Projector to display it, I'm hoping I could find some solutions from the Proclaim community.

We've recently switched to Proclaim as a church. Prior to that, we used Powerpoint with slides that were black backgrounds with white text. This combination of white on black still looks find, but now that Proclaim has infinitely expanded our potential backgrounds, I've realized one of our projectors as an issue.

On any color background that isn't just plain black, white text causes white lines to radiate out from either side of the text. I've attached a picture so you can see what I'm talking about. I've messed with all kinds of settings on the projector to no avail.

Have any of you experienced this before? Do you think it is just a bulb issue that can be easily fixed with a replacement? Or is it something more sinister? I really want to avoid replacing the projector.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide!

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

Mark Barnes

What's the connection to the projector: VGA, DVI or HDMI?

Mike Binks

Hi Ben

I can't see the problem you describe on your photo but I did notice in a church I was in recently that some letters had short lines sticking out to the left and corresponding black lines indenting from the right.

At the time I wondered if it might be a facet of the font that was in use. I think if it was the bulb that was at fault you would have a more general effect over the whole frame.

Is you projector an LCD one - I don't really understand how they work but it might then be a misfiring pixel problem?

Mark Barnes

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972354#Comment_972354

I can't see the problem you describe on your photo

The top one is the easiest to see, but it's on every line.

Mike Binks

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972364#Comment_972364

I can't see the problem you describe on your photo

The top one is the easiest to see, but it's on every line.

Thanks Mark - I was looking for a completely different effect. The rub is that I still can't offer any useful advice. :-(

Justin (Faithlife)

What's the brightness settings on your projector and/or computer? The slide up there seems a lot brighter than the original slide, which may be something necessary for your environment. Unfortunately I'm not sure if this is an indication of a problem physically with the projector.

Ben Hein

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972347#Comment_972347

Mark: it’s VGA. Thanks!

Ben Hein

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972377#Comment_972377

Brightness is high because of the environment. When you turn brightness down, the lines lessen, but they’re still noticeable.

Mark Barnes

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972389#Comment_972389

Mark: it’s VGA. Thanks!

I thought it might be. I'm not an expert, but I think the most likely scenario is interference in the cabling. If you can, test with a laptop using the existing cabling. Then hold the same laptop near the projector and use a different, shorter cable. That will at least help you diagnose whether the cabling is the issue.

Ben Hein

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972392#Comment_972392

Mark - thanks. You asked if it was VGA, HDMI, etc. If it was HDMI cabling, would there be less interference? Does VGA cabling somehow lead to more interference?

Mark Barnes

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972462#Comment_972462

Mark - thanks. You asked if it was VGA, HDMI, etc. If it was HDMI cabling, would there be less interference? Does VGA cabling somehow lead to more interference?

It's not quite that simple, I'm afraid.

VGA is an analogue signal. HDMI and DVI are digital signals. When digital signals degrade, the projector can barely put the picture together. So you never get mild signal degradation with digital signals. It either works or it doesn't. So your problem couldn't have been caused by the cabling if it was a digital signal.

The VGA signal is actually much more robust. For example, you can have a much longer cable length than with digital. However, you can sometimes get some interference. And when it degrades it does so fairly gracefully (you'll still get a picture, even if it's not quite right). The disadvantage with analogue is that the signal has to be converted from digital to analogue by the laptop, then back to digital by the projector. That introduces potential source for error. An analogue cable is also limited in resolution, although, in practice you can often get to full HD even with a VGA cable.

The issue looks like it might be interference (the white text effectively bleeding across the screen), which is why I suggested it's worth checking a different cable. (Equally, it might be something else. But testing the cable is a great first step to diagnosis.) If you have the capability, you could also check with a HDMI while you're there. But judging by the location of the projector, and the length of cable it looks like you're need, you wouldn't be able to permanently route a HDMI cable to the projector. For long cable lengths with digital, you have to go for CAT6, which is a whole new story!

Ben Hein

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/972472#Comment_972472

Thanks for the detailed response, Mark.