AVI Latin America had the opportunity to speak with three major manufacturers of video projectors: Dell, Panasonic and 3M; This exchange of information was carried out because this technology is increasingly used in business and academic fields and because over the years new accessories have been implemented in the equipment. The officials of these companies: Fernando Lara, of Dell; Carlos Rendón, from Panasonic and María José Fragoso and Adrián Sánchez from 3M, talked about the characteristics of the market for these products in our region, as well as the future prospects for an industry that with the passing of the days faces new challenges.
According to these experts, the Latin American market for these products is quite even and it has been possible to show that their sales have been leveraged by the preference of many countries in the region as suitable places for holding meetings and commercial meetings, events in which video projectors for presentations are indispensable. Another characteristic of the market is that in general, with the exception of Mexico, the technologies sold are of low lumen ranges (luminosity).
In the opinion of María José Fregoso and Adrián Sánchez, representatives of 3M for Mexico and Peru respectively, the Latin market for 3LCD and DLP projectors is quite even, but they emphasized that the latter are more widespread in the educational segment, while the former are preferred in the corporate part.
Returning to the issue of the preference for low-light equipment, generally 2,000 or 2,500 lumens, Panasonic's display manager for Mexico, Carlos Rendón, said that "in the sector of 4000 lumens up there is very little sold in the region, although Mexico is the benchmark at this level. We are the number one in sales in this country of equipment from 5000 lumens up" and added that the range of 2000 lumens represents about 80% of the sales of this manufacturer in Latin America, with Colombia, Brazil and Peru being the most prominent markets after Mexico.
Two technical aspects are of utmost importance when talking about projectors and should be considered by buyers: the durability of the bulb and the number of hours the equipment can spend without requiring maintenance. Without a doubt, the bulb is the most sensitive element of video projectors and its repair is generally expensive; on the other hand, maintenance is equally onerous and in some cases can be as expensive or more expensive than the projector itself.
The guests also shared the improvements that the teams of their brands have had lately. 3M has focused on improving four elements that it considers fundamental for the segment: installation, sound, control and combination with multiple sources of information. Dell has directed its efforts to maximize the benefits of digital light processing technology, lara said. Finally Panasonic has developed a system known as daylight view, which has been incorporated into the equipment for about three years. "This is an electronic system that captures the amount of ambient light and through a circuit changes the contrast, the range, the intensity of the colors; it basically self-adjusts with the ambient light captured," Rendón explained.
In conclusion, it was made clear that the professional buyer of these equipment must refine their knowledge in the field so as not to leave aside such important aspects as the reliability, durability and market support of each of the brands available in Latin America, as well as technical elements such as resolution, luminosity, contrast ratio and operating temperatures.
