Hi,
I've been asked to produce a photo montage for what is expected to be a pretty large audience at an engagement party/dinner.
I'm not responsible for providing the display devices, nor for setting them up, but I've been asked which of these 2 might be best for displaying the montage:
- a Dell 2400MP 3000 Lumens projector with a separate screen, or
- a Panasonic 50 inch Plasma HDTV.
There may be as few as 2, or as many as 4 of whatever device is decided upon, though it seems the cost difference between the 2 devices is a factor.
At the moment, my plan is to deliver the final product in 1080p on a thumb drive, but I know little about the display end of things.
I've never used a plasma device of any kind, but my instinct tells me that the Panasonic HDTVs might provide the best image to the audience, and that the extra screen(s) required for a projector would take up considerable space in the venue while being a potential safety hazard. I don't know if a venue has been chosen yet.
I don't know for certain if one will provide a better experience for the audience than the other. Does one work better if viewed in dim light? No light?
Can anyone offer pros/cons/benefits/drawbacks of using either?

All input is greatly appreciated.

Projector - assuming the projection screens are bigger than the plasma. Quality is rarely critical unless your screen size is massive. The one I did a couple of weeks ago was on a fast fold screen, and as many of the images were from years before, the quality was quite variable - so I edited it at 720p and for backup dumped a copy to a DVD. When testing, the backup DVD was perfectly usable. I played back in the end from the 720 file on the macbook, but it wasn't critical. and furthest distance was probably 25m? Doing the same thing again this weekend, and there is lots of ex-VHS footage, so the whole thing edited in SD this time.

It depends on the environment.

If there are windows/sunlight at all, go with the TVs.

The projectors will need a certain distance to fit the screen. This model needs about 15 feet of space to fill a 100" screen, for instance.

The monitor will display a higher quality image with better contrast and color.

But that is almost totally irrelevant, because a 50" screen will seem remarkably tiny in a large conference room or banquet hall. The projectors will permit much larger screen sizes, which is much more likely to make an impression on the audience than that last little bit of dynamic range.

If you're expecting more than about 10 people per display, go with the projectors (and arrange to darken the room if possible to support them).