fiza Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 Is or has anyone used Interactive Projectors (turn any surface into an interactive touch screen)? Any pros/cons on using them? We are looking to replace some of our standard projectors with either short-throw lampless or these interactive ones.
glennda Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 I used an epson one in my last place. worked well although the cons were then pens are heavy and the cost of replacements is high.
pcstru Posted October 10, 2012 Posted October 10, 2012 We fitted 30 SMART 40wi Projectors over the summer. They seem to be liked and well used by the teachers. Our only complaint (so far!) is around issues with the latest SMART software which I think is documented elsewhere.
Marc-Engineer Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 Yes fitten lots, most are good cost of pens can be high on some, Hitachi ones are good. Marc Projector Engineer
Chris_ Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 We've got a couple fitted. They're fine as a projector. The interactivity lets them down though - especially the software. It's much more inferior compared to the Smart and Promethean software. IMHO you're better off going for a non-interactive projector and a decent board.
Marc-Engineer Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 We've got a couple fitted. They're fine as a projector. The interactivity lets them down though - especially the software. It's much more inferior compared to the Smart and Promethean software. IMHO you're better off going for a non-interactive projector and a decent board. Er...? You normally use what ever software you want with them either the Promeathian or Smart an interactive projector is no different to a whiteboard or any make they are just a mouse. Marc Projector Engineer
Achandler Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 Maybe he means Hitachi/ Epson software is not as good as Smart or Promethean.
localzuk Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 Er...? You normally use what ever software you want with them either the Promeathian or Smart an interactive projector is no different to a whiteboard or any make they are just a mouse. Marc Projector Engineer Only if you buy an extra license!
broc Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 We switched over to using Epson interactive projectors just under 2 years ago ( we have 40+). We had a long discussion with Promethean about licences, Promethean wanted a licence per user (not projector) & they wanted silly money so we bought a site licence for RM Easiteach Next Generation at a fraction of the cost. This package is similar to the Smart & Promethean products but is hardware agnostic.... so it will work with our few remaining legacy Promethean boards too.
chazzy2501 Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 The pens are big and expensive, also they are laggy. The batteries only last 2 months (which sound ok until the lessson starts and noone has an AA about) The pens being so laggy and large it makes handwriting all but impossible (Primary school speed and size would be ok). They don't touch my old as heck Promethean Boards for speed and accuracy. The USB ones work as fast as you can move the pen making them a real viable alternative to a whiteboard.
Marc-Engineer Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 Only if you buy an extra license! If your decommisioning a whiteboard to install an interactive projector you have the licence from the whiteboard. Marc Projector Engineer
broc Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 If your decommisioning a whiteboard to install an interactive projector you have the licence from the whiteboard. Marc Projector Engineer I would test that with Promethean.... We were prepared to store the old Promethean boards or even hang them on the wall as static projection screens for the Epson projectors so we could use the licences but it made no difference; we were told we had to be actively using the board hardware with the software. We were quoted £500 per user to use ActiveInspire with the Epson projectors ..... very funny...... we paid less than £1000 for a site licence for Easiteach Next Generation.
localzuk Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 If your decommisioning a whiteboard to install an interactive projector you have the licence from the whiteboard. Marc Projector Engineer Nope. You definitely don't. The terms and conditions in SMART notebook specifically preclude this. You must buy a collaborative license to use the software with interactive technology that isn't SMART.
Chris_ Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 Er...? You normally use what ever software you want with them either the Promeathian or Smart an interactive projector is no different to a whiteboard or any make they are just a mouse. Marc Projector Engineer Like others have said, the licensing is the issue with that. Smartboards you have 4x pens and a rubber which makes them much more friendly for teachers not having to use the pen to select a different colour/tool.
broc Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 We had problems with the original pens supplied by Epson, they were replaced by later versions & they have been much better. They are definitely more chunky than the Promethean pens; feedback from staff varies, some prefer the Epson pens, others preferred the Promethean. I am not aware of any serious shortcomings with battery life. Installing the projectors requires care as they are heavy & the walls need to be robust. The ultra short throw is good for avoiding glare. Mounting height can be a problem, you need to check your ceilings are high enough. In a couple of our classrooms the sloping ceiling was too low to accomodate the Epson projector & deliver a suitable screen size at a useable height. Calibration takes longer, there are more 'points' on the screen to calibrate. Staff made the transition to Easiteach Next Generation with minimal fuss, it is available as a download for trial purposes. User feedback suggested it had a 'fresher' look & feel to it vs ActivInspire although it lacked some features. They have a user forum & encourage fedback for users. The bundled software that came with the Epson projector is very basic. The Epson networking software is handy, it lets me see the status of every projector... faults, power, temperature, lamp life & you can remotely turn them on/off on a timer & even switch source. You can push out a slideshow from a central point too, which will override whatever is being displayed. We signed up to 5 year warranty & Epson self-maintainer scheme which means we have a spares onsite & can swap projectors out & request exchange units; we have had two projectors swapped in 2 years. Screen surface is critical, a semi-gloss or glossy screen is not a good idea. I believe Epson recommend a matt finish surface. The projector can be affected by direct sunlight shining onto the screen, especially movement of a narrow shaft of light; this caused phantom movement of the mouse pointer much to the amusement of the students (but not the staff).
Duke5A Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 We installed about 20 short through interactive projectors by Optoma. The pens, even after firmware updates and a new version of the pen, while immensely better than the first go around, are no match for an interactive board. Aside from the weight and batteries associated with the pens, accuracy is a big issue and you need a very steady hand to use it. You can forget about trying to write legibly too. If this wasn't an issue enough, the reflective surface of the whiteboard messes with the pen and will send the cursor flying off the screen at random. The technology is a good idea in theory, but not very practical in practice. Get a board of some flavor.
Achandler Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 I have used a Hitachi interactive projector, and I had the same issues many people report here now, the pens aren't accurate etc, the batteries die to fast. We bought 3 Smart LightRaise projectors (cost more) but the pens are much better, and very accurate, you don't need a stable hand to use them at all. They also charge via a USB, so no problem with batteries, as long as your staff can be trusted to charge them.
Marc-Engineer Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) If your using the board for projection you are still using their equip and if you have bought a licence for use on your computer.....hmmm i guess you see where im going but, i am sure they will say you MUST have a new licence but i think its very gray area.......... So they are saying if you ONLY change the projector you MUST buy new software even if you still have our board on the wall? I would love to see it challenged, and my money would be on the school winning. But im not a lawyer and its only my opinion. what a wondrful world we live in............ Marc Projector Engineer Edited October 23, 2012 by Marc-Engineer
localzuk Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 If your using the board for projection you are still using their equip and if you have bought a licence for use on your computer.....hmmm i guess you see where im going but, i am sure they will say you MUST have a new licence but i think its very gray area.......... So they are saying if you ONLY change the projector you MUST buy new software even if you still have our board on the wall? I would love to see it challenged, and my money would be on the school winning. But im not a lawyer and its only my opinion. what a wondrful world we live in............ Marc Projector Engineer The software now has a watermark feature, that supposedly will display on non-smart interactive devices without a license to do it properly. Now, I've not tested this but have been assured that if it doesn't exist it will soon.
broc Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) If your using the board for projection you are still using their equip and if you have bought a licence for use on your computer.....hmmm i guess you see where im going but, i am sure they will say you MUST have a new licence but i think its very gray area.......... So they are saying if you ONLY change the projector you MUST buy new software even if you still have our board on the wall? I would love to see it challenged, and my money would be on the school winning. But im not a lawyer and its only my opinion. what a wondrful world we live in............ Marc Projector EngineerIf you change the projector & continue to use the board your are licenced to use the ActivInspire software. If you turn the board off or unplug the serial/usb cable to the PC & continue to use the board as a projection screen with a 3rd party interactive projector you are not licenced. That is what our LA BSF Procurement team were told by Promethean. The ActivInspire licence you get with the board entitles you to use the software with the board. If you buy seperate ActivInspire Professional licences(one per user), you can use them on any hardware. I cannot comment about Smart. Edited October 23, 2012 by broc
SMMUK Posted January 10, 2013 Posted January 10, 2013 We are going through the same convoluted discussions in our school, we have a new school being built with over 40 classrooms but as we currently give staff an extended desktop they can display classroom work to students while taking registers and checking emails on their primary monitor without displaying them to an entire class for obvious security/child safety reasons. we already knew from a demo last year that the Smart lightraise 40w was not interactive when on the secondary monitor/projector and were pinning our hopes on the Epson 475wi but found out yesterday that it also cannot be used interactively on the second monitor, it has been referred to Epson but I'm not expecting any quick solutions Does anyone else here know of or use extended desktops as opposed to mirroring and has an alternative interactive device? Also we dont want to take our existing 20 Smartboards and do not want to pay for Smart notebook licence for every room so we are also looking for software that can open smart files we know of RM easiteach any other ?
Achandler Posted January 10, 2013 Posted January 10, 2013 Interesting we mirror our projectors so didn't realise that a second screen might not be interactive. I have never tried, though I might try this lunchtime just so I can see for myself to be honest because that sounds like a really poor feature. You can save the smart files as powerpoints but that kind of defeats the points of them being interactive.
Oaktech Posted January 10, 2013 Posted January 10, 2013 The staff attitude to our single solitary epson interactive projector is: "it's Ok... But it's not a smart board" And most of them abandon trying to use it interactively within days. We only have it because its trolley mounted and in a really flimsy portakabin which I refused to hang anything in!
SMMUK Posted January 10, 2013 Posted January 10, 2013 Thank you for your replies, interestingly I dug out an Old ebeam (classic) and installed the software and it worked on the extended desktop not sure about the software or the pen sensitivity , I'm sure its a matters of the right kind of drivers it just depends if any other manufacturers can do it
teklogic Posted January 10, 2013 Posted January 10, 2013 Just to add another thing, they don't work very well in any kind of bright sunlight. We have the epsons installed and have noticed this problem.
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