Hanging and Fixing
There are basically two options for installing a plasma TV, displaying it on a stand, trolley, or similar horizontal surface; or hanging the Plasma TV (on a wall or from a ceiling, using wall mount fixtures). Most suppliers will install and fit any hangings for you, but check to make sure it is included in the price and not an added extra. Lastly, be aware of “standard” charges that apply to your purchase: Delivery charges, especially if the TV is bought online and/or set-up charges. Check and compare the manufacturer warranties for various plasma TV brands; extended warranties are always extra.
LCD or LED or Projector?
Most televisions including plasmas work by creating light but Liquid crystal display (LCD) works by filtering it. This difference results in low voltage use, allowing LCD to use less electricity and generate less heat than other televisions. LCD televisions weigh less than a plasma television of the same screen size and you can mount an LCD television on nearly any surface, giving you a great deal of flexibility. Installation and set-up are the same as for plasma TV’s.
For some pubs, a big-screen television is not enough. With one of the projectors for pubs products from BenQ, InFocus, Sharp, Optoma, Panasonic, Mitsubishi to name but a few you can get the “huge viewing experience” you want.
Projectors are great for the pub, giving you and your customers a great view by projecting widescreen video and high definition directly on a wall or on a special screen. If you receive high-definition programs from service providers, cable television or satellite, make sure you buy a projector compatible with HDTV.
There are two projector types using LCD technology (liquid crystal display) or DLP (digital light processing).With LCD projectors pass light through three small LCD panels, creating brilliant images and suit rooms and lounges with soft lighting. DLP projectors use a single digital chip that makes them lighter than LCD projectors. These devices offer crisp video performance, high contrast ratios and reduced breakdown in pixels and are perfect for use in most pubs. The last pub I had there were two separate bars and two separate systems, both worked fine for me.
When you decide to buy a projector, compare values for resolution, brightness (measured in what are called Lumens) and contrast ratio; with all these values the higher the better.
Projector Screens
Of course, once you’ve bought your big screen projector you’ll need the big screen to project the TV images on to. Manually operated screens are inexpensive, easy to install and easy to use. They operate just like a standard roller blind that you pull down and retract back up into the casing manually. Most manual screens can be wall or ceiling mounted. Powered screens are similar to manual screens in that they can be wall or ceiling mounted but instead of you pulling them down an electric motor does the work for you, with the added advantage of not having to leave the bar servery to do it!
You will also need to make provision for an amplifier and speaker system as most projectors do not have speakers and even those that do will probably not be sufficient for a busy pub full of sports fans. Projector systems will connect to your back-ground music system, if you can’t do this yourself get the supplier to do it or grab the resident hi-fi buff from the other side of the bar and get them to do it.
Most suppliers will provide a delivered and installed solution for all formats detailed above but you should check on these additional charges if you are not confident of installing it yourself.
TOP TIP – turn off all plasma TV’s, LCD TV’s and big screen projectors at the wall socket as they all use a significant amount of power whilst on standby.
If you are considering buying an Outdoor TV system see my separate article here
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