Achieving a Professional Visual Presentation

Presentations can be difficult at the best time when there is a lot riding on the result, so the very last thing you want to be troubling about is the audio visible element. In this article I’ll present some basic guidelines that will help you set the room layout so you can achieve the best quality projection from your presentation.

General Guide-Lines

Viewing

* For optimum viewing, the audience should be seated within:
* +30 degrees of a line perpendicular to the screen’s centre.
* They should be seated no closer then twice the image height.

Note: (If this is not possible perhaps consider multiple viewing options for the audience).

Type of Content

* Entertainment – The last row should be no further than eight times the image height.
* Corporate – The last row should be to six times the image height.
* Critical Applications – The last row should be four times the image height

Setting the Screen

To avoid obstruction of viewing he bottom of the screen should be roughly 4 feet above the floor. If the seating is staggered, or if the floor is raked you can adjust this accordingly . Try avoiding setting the screen to high. The ergonomics associated with comfortable viewing indicate no viewer should have to rotate their head more than +30 degrees from straight ahead, or lean their head no more than 25degrees from horizontal.

Seating

The planning of the seating is important so viewers can gain full sight of the projection. Regularly the staggered seating arrangement is best suited for most situations. Overall they have got to be in rows, with the minimal unrestricted horizontal clearance between plumb lines from the front of an unoccupied seat to the back of the seat in front. This clearance may vary, but is typically sixteen inches ( 400mm ). Aisles must be provided so that there are less than seven seats between any one seat and an aisle. The exit and entry doors need to be take into account when planning the layout of the seating. The layout wants to designed to:

* Allow for easy of enter into the room
* Allow for quick exit in the event of an emergency
* The row contains no more than 100 seats;
* Each doorway serves no more than three rows.
* Aisles must terminate in a cross-aisle.

Front or Rear Projection?

There are a spread of factors that will decide whether front or rear projections are best suited for your shows.

Front Projection

* Front Projection can generally provide a wider viewing-angle than rear projection. It requires: Controlled lighting (ambient light must be kept off the screen to eliminate a reduction in contrast ratio).
* Requires either a projection room at the rear of the theatre, or a platform or mount for the projector(s) out in the theatre. Note that this latter is a potential noise source.
* The projection geometry must be carefully worked out to get the best compromise between image keystoning and blockage of the light path by the audience.
* Must be accessible for maintenance. A projection booth must be dust free (positive pressure preferred), and have adequate ventilation.

Rear Projection

• Rear projection room must be dust free, and have adequate ventilation.
• Available in flexible & rigid materials. A rigid screen is more expensive than a front projection screen, and has size restrictions.
• Rear Projection Generally has a narrower viewing-angle than front projection – better for long, narrow rooms.
• Can be viewed with higher levels of room illumination, and is less immune to “wash out” by ambient lighting.

To decide whether front or rear projection will reinforce your presentation, ask yourself ‘What type of presentation do I want to give’ and “What is the purpose of the show’. If for example the show is “canned” you can consider either front or rear projection. If a live talker is interacting with the presentation, rear projection is best so the spokesman can have interaction with the photographs without being in the projector’s light path. In addition, the higher allowable room illumination allows for note-taking, etc.

Screen Width

Establish your minimum screen height based on the distance to your farthest viewer and your ceiling height. This figure might be altered based on the application ( e.g. : an entertainment application will require a larger than minimum size screen for impact ).

ADA needs

Where required arrangements will need to be made for guests who require wheelchair accessibility, and / or who have visual or hearing impairments The accessibility and size of these spaces is outlined as :

A minimum number of aisle seats will be required to have either no aisle-side armrest or an aisle-side armrest that folds up. Certain additional signage may be required. Your sound system will require the addition of a hearing-assisted system. Your emergency systems may require the addition of strobe signals or visual messaging systems. Your video and other visible show systems may require captioning.

Miscellaneous Considerations

Equipment location

Is crucial to avoid any damage. This is generally, but not always, found at the projector ( s ). This gear may include projection controllers, a show controller, video equipment, and audio hardware.

Sufficient power supply

don’t forget to provide satisfactory electrical power for this hardware and the projector ( s ). Don’t forget to permit passage for speaker cables, control signals, for example. For boardrooms and meeting rooms you will also wish to provide accessible sources ( such as VCR’s and DVD players ).

Aesthetics or Theme

* Does it require the loudspeakers and other equipment be concealed?
* How is the presentation started?
* Automatically,
* Audience-demand,
* Host-demand, and live presenter (may require random-access control or other interactivity).

Whether your presentation is for the boss or for an enormous enterprise, taking a minute to plan how you would like to supply the data can make a big difference to your audience. So take a moment a review what you are wanting to point out, how you would like to claim it and how is the best way for your audience to receive it. It may make the difference between wining that new job or losing it.

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Article by John Black