HDMI or VGA for laptop to projector?

[Symbiosis]

Our current hall projector is being replaced and currently all the kit is currently set up for VGA connections only (ie faceplates, cabling, 4:3 screen etc)

 

There's obviously more of a cost to upgrade everything to enable HDMI connectivity - so is it worth it?

 

The projector is mostly used for powerpoints with the odd video here and there, is there a noticeable difference in quality for these applications? I also have to consider futurebility (ie is VGA going to be replaced by HDMI)

 

Any thoughts please?

 

Thanks

[achedgy]

Personally I would get the cabling in for HDMI if you can, it is sharper and most laptops have HDMI and from what i'm seeing, less have vga (but vga isn't going away completely any time soon!!!)

[NB9457]

If you're doing new cable runs, I'd say you may as well, but I'd also keep VGA too.

 

If I were just swapping a projector and keeping the screen and so on, I'd keep VGA for the time being and use an adapter for those who require HDMI

[3s-gtech]

Interestingly, I'm just refreshing our hall projector cabling. We already have HDMI to it (active) but the VGA has been damaged so will put in a new VGA and second active HDMI, as we use lots of HDMI sources now. The picture quality over the long (20m) run is massively superior over HDMI. The projector is 1080p so it's nice having it looking crisp.

[Symbiosis]

Thanks for that 3s-gtech - interesting. Can I ask what you mean by active HDMI please?

[3s-gtech]

A normal (passive) HDMI cable is the type you use for most things, home AV etc. Active cables can boost the signal over long runs - they're powered by the port itself. Typically passive HDMI is good up to 10m or similar - beyond that you'll need active. Even then, there's an upper limit without using amplifiers.

[gbiltd]

VGA slowly been phased out

Lots of LED screens now do not have VGA connections