2011 was a good year for projector manufacturers. 2012 and the coming years promise to be equal or better, due to the use of projectors in the learning process in educational institutions in Latin America.
Richard Santa S.
The interest of Latin American governments to improve education in their countries has become a great opportunity for the audiovisual industry in the region, especially for the market for interactive screens and projectors.
Sales of projectors for this market have increased significantly in the region in recent years, marked by public programs that seek to bring connectivity, content and, of course, large-format visualization through these equipment to schools.
One of the companies that has benefited from this industry moment is Epson. José Luis Rodríguez Otálora, the brand's leading projector specialist, told AVI LATINOAMÉRICA that an example of this trend happened last year in Colombia.
"With the Computers to Educate program, the Colombian government acquired 3,070 Epson projectors to provide classrooms nationwide. This project, without a doubt, is the most important in the country in recent years in this area."
But they're not just in the public sector. In fact, in the private sector, universities began approaching this type of technology several years ago. José Luis Rodríguez explains that the main engine of the trainings was and continues to be PowerPoint as a communication tool.
"This type of software accompanied by videos, the internet, etc., needs means that reproduce it and that allow the student to assimilate and make the most of these tools. This is the main reason why projectors have become the best communication solution in a classroom," he said.
Nowadays schools have already entered this trend, for which they are equipping their rooms with interactive projectors, multifunctional projectors, high definition projectors, among others.
And it is that the content of the teaching is increasingly digital. Most teachers are using their laptop in classrooms, so the easiest way to display teaching content is to do so through a projector.
On this aspect, adds Marco Stubits, Senior Line Director of BenQ, there are many projector connectivity options that allow teachers and students to easily connect their laptops with our models.
Features
Projectors for education have special functions that allow a longer lighting life and lower energy consumption, as well as advantages and benefits related to connectivity, lamp durability, robustness in its use, among others.
In the case of the company BenQ, says Marco Stubits, the projectors have the SmartEco function, which allows the equipment to have a longer lighting life and lower energy consumption. "This means that schools will save a lot of energy and reduce the cost of electricity, without compromising image quality or brightness."
The projectors for the education sector of this brand, that is, the references LX60ST and LW61ST, bring BlueCore, the new engine light that offers even more advantages with ultra high contrast ratio, the consumption of up to 90% less energy and the life of the lamp raised up to 20,000 hours.
In addition, the projectors of the interactive line are completely free of calibration and can be used on any wall or surface, this means that schools do not have to buy an interactive whiteboard separately.
In the case of Epson, one of the most outstanding products is the BrightLInk 455Wi which combines the features of a high definition projector and ultra short lens with the functionality of an interactive board, all in one computer.
This technology has allowed costs to fall and today more educational entities can acquire these solutions that were previously very specialized and depended on high budgets.
Advantages for students
The use of a projector in the classroom brings greater interactivity with the teacher and students. Lectures can be taught in a more interesting way and students will be actively involved throughout the lesson.
Some projectors allow the creation of interactive learning environments, the elimination of interference to the master of light or shadows on the projection, wall mounting that facilitates installation in classrooms with little space, compatibility with educational software applications, and, most importantly, turn any surface into an interactive surface.
"These benefits have generated innovation in educational institutions and the possibility of increasing communication between the student, the teacher and the contents, since they allow them to be at the forefront, taking advantage of new trends in pedagogy, based on audiovisual solutions such as the Interactive Projector BrightLink", adds the representative of Epson.
Also, the new projectors have wireless solutions, with network connection, multifunctional which play audio and video, high definition, interactive.
There are other novelties such as Epson and its "Presenter" line, which allows the user, depending on the model, to play without the need for a computer images, video and audio through DVD, CD, iPad, IPhone, iPod.
Trend in Latin America
For Marco Stubits, the trend in Latin America is directed towards short-throw projectors that bring a lot of benefits in terms of large image size from a short distance and easier installation, as well as interactive projectors.
He adds that "on top of that, more and more educational institutes are focusing more on the best image quality with XGA resolution and WXGA resolution. And now the market offers them solutions for any use scenario and budget."
A few years ago, when talking about high-definition products, they were considered only for professional entertainment solutions in small rooms or for the family. The current trend is to have Full HD projectors that combine high luminosity with high resolution, which opens the possibility to auditoriums, medium rooms, among others.
For his part, José Luis Rodríguez concludes that 2011 was an excellent year for Epson in the region, closing important projects in Peru, Panama, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia.
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