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Step 1
Decide the size and the lighting conditions of the room you plan to use your projector. This will affect how bright the projector's lamp needs to be to get the best results. If you're going to only use it in a small, dark conference room, you can get by with only 700 lumen--that's the strength of your projector's lamp. As the room gets bigger and brighter, you'll need more lumen. A home theater only needs 700 to 1600 lumen. A large conference room with normal light, for example, needs 1200 to 2000 lumen.
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Step 2
Think about what kind of audio options you want. Not all multimedia projectors come with the same ports. Some will only have audio in ports. This will let you play sound through the projector's speakers. If you're hoping to hear sound throughout a large auditorium, you'll need a projector that has audio out ports as well. These will let you tap into a surround sound speaker system.
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Step 3
Check to make sure your multimedia projector has the right amount of resolution. If you're using a slide presentation, you need to have a 800x600 pixel resolution projector. In home theaters require about 855x480. Presentations with architectural and CAD drawings need between 1025x770 and 1280x1025. Using the correct resolution will get you the best results from your projector.
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Step 4
Decide what you want to hook your multimedia projector up to. All projectors come with one RGB in (computer) port. Some come with more than one. This would be handy if you expect to have many different presenters using the projector. One person could set up while the other presenter finishes. If you want to use your multimedia projector in a home theater, you will need a projector with a composite or S-video port. Composite ports are for older VCRs and DVD players. S-video ports are for newer ones. Luckily, most multimedia projector manufacturers have made it simple: If the projector has a composite port, it has an S-video port too.
