Epson shines a spotlight on five projection trends for 2024

Optimising hybrid meeting rooms
With more employees in the office this year, companies are re-evaluating meeting room spaces and looking for new ways to create successful work environments that allow in-person and remote employees to feel part of a collaborative and productive workplace.

When it comes to enhancing modern meeting spaces for optimal collaboration, it is imperative that all elements – including technology and the room itself – work cohesively together. Aligning with this, technology in these spaces is becoming more intuitive to better integrate as one complete ecosystem, from the camera to display technology and even the furniture.

On the display front, in particular, projectors are redefining the way people connect in hybrid meetings as a versatile solution with flexibility and scalability to accommodate various environments. Allowing for the large and ultra-wide (21:9 aspect ratio) viewing that other display technology struggles to provide as a cost-effective solution, the demand for projectors is on the rise in these spaces to ensure everyone can participate, and no content is sacrificed.

Resolution jump for immersive experiences
We will continue to see immersive experiences pop up around the globe. In fact, many of the installations are becoming even more sophisticated and demanding. The need for adaptable, higher-resolution projection at a cost-effective price is on the rise, as the experiential market continues to grow and end users look for the right technology to make installations more realistic – from small, intimate settings to large-scale immersive experiences.

Brighter projectors that can deliver vibrant colours using three-chip technology and 4K resolution are especially important in situations with larger display sizes where pixel density is important, or if the audience is close to the display. Epson’s three-chip 3LCD projection and new 4K Crystal Motion technology will play a vital role in these experiences, ensuring a wide colour gamut, impeccable detail and excellent colour accuracy, to better enhance the realism behind the display and deliver the content in the way the artists intend it to be seen.

Projection moves outside – permanently
Although we’ve seen a tremendous increase in large-scale outdoor projection mapping in recent years – whether on buildings or lighting up festivals – these types of installations have typically been temporary in nature.

Over the past year, there has been an increase in interest from civic governance and city organisations in taking these projects from temporary to permanent. The value in transforming community spaces, buildings and so on is starting to shine as these projects are drawing community members together, bringing them to downtown areas and ultimately stimulating the economy by driving more foot traffic to local businesses.

Producing magical moments that take people away from their phones and into the real world, we are seeing creative artists around the world use projection technology to bring communities together for special experiences.

There is an immense amount of potential in this permanent outdoor installation market and today’s projectors are well equipped to help drive it forward. More projectors are being built for high-impact displays and live events with integrated features and software for easier installation, fleet management and content delivery, along with higher brightness and better resolution in smaller chassis.

In addition, robust projector enclosures are available, like those made by Tempest, that are designed to optimise projector performance across various environments, including harsher weather conditions, making them ideal for permanent outdoor installations.

Evolving education technology
The evolution of technology in education spaces is certainly not slowing down. As an integral part of learning today, educators and students deserve new and improved ways to display and interact with classroom content – but to be successful, these tools need to be flexible and user friendly.

One thing that cannot be denied is the disconnect in today’s education technology between AV and IT and various domains. Most educators and students are not technology professionals and prefer classroom solutions that are simple to use and that work easily with the various programmes, software and other hardware to which educators have grown accustomed.

Historically, there has been a limit to seamless integration across various technology solutions within today’s classrooms. However, projector manufacturers, including Epson, are working towards solving some of these problems with their latest classroom display technology.

More options for aspect ratio, including ultra-wide 21:9 and 16:6, enable educators to enjoy split-screen at larger image sizes and provide a better experience with remote lesson participants.

Projection elevating faith-based settings
The demand for immersive and engaging experiences is on the rise in faith-based settings, with projectors becoming more sought after in these spaces as powerful visual media tools that can help excite and entice communities with big and bright displays.

Projectors can breathe new life into faith-based spaces and enhance historical infrastructures without physically changing the built environment. Traditionally, faith-based communities work within limited budgets and, luckily, today’s projector manufacturers are offering a wider range of options that are designed to be reliable and to meet virtually any budget requirement.

There is power that comes with being fully present during worship and Epson is committed to providing the technology to power immersive experiences and make that kind of presence possible.