There aren't many restaurants or pubs in South Africa that don't have at least a television, LCD or plasma screen so that their customers can comfortably watch sporting events or general entertainment.
But, from a quality and reliability perspective, nothing comes close to excellent quality projectors and large white projector screens up against an establishment's walls.
This is according to Okkie M"oller, general manager of Co.Fi, an upmarket cocktail lounge and restaurant situated in Fourways, Johannesburg, which has three Epson digital projectors installed around the restaurant as part of its entertainment system.
The projectors were supplied and installed by Solution Technologies, an Epson-accredited reseller specialising in projectors and other audiovisual equipment.
“The fact that you can project a much larger image onto the projector screens in the restaurant just goes to show that with a projector, you're getting much more bang for your buck,” he says.
Screens today come just about any size you desire, and they can be custom ordered. The screen can be mounted on a frame and permanently hung on a wall or rolled up inside an enclosure. Some screens also have a built-in floor stand. There are also screens that are designed to be mounted high on the wall or from the ceiling, which is ideal for restaurant or pub scenarios where big screen entertainment is the order of the day.
So, whether it's the latest Super 14 matches, the upcoming Confederations Cup or the impending Soccer World Cup in 2010, watching any of the matches from an Epson projector will make you feel as though you are at the game.
3LCD projector technology
According to Epson South Africa's general manager, Albert Fayard, Epson has a range of 3LCD projectors that are ideally suited to a restaurant or pub environment because of their compact size, reliability, security and ease of use.
3LCD technology produces dazzling brightness, true-to-life colour saturation, and razor-sharp contrast for displaying digital content on a large projector screen. Vivid colours that are easy on the eyes, improved contrast levels and excellent black and shadow reproduction, bright and clear image quality for low-output lamps, natural definition for true expression of colour and light gradients: these are just some of the features of 3LCD, delivering real benefits to both business and consumer audiences.
“Our projector technology is incredibly versatile and is used in a variety of applications because it easily displays full high-definition TV (HDTV) broadcast signals. With the increasing popularity of HDTV, 3LCD's versatility confirms its top position in the video projector market,” Fayard explains.
“No matter how close or far viewers are situated from the screen, they will always be able to catch all the action in clear detail - whether it's cricket, soccer or rugby scores or any other entertainment such as MTV or FTV.”
Security and reliability:
In addition, Fayard says the projectors at Co.Fi are ceiling-mounted. For environments such as Co.Fi where the projector may need to be secured, the projector includes a reinforced security bar and hole for a Kensington lock. Password protection and a control-panel lock make this range of projectors perfect for use in schools, bars and restaurants.
M"oller says one of the biggest reasons the Co.Fi franchise selects Epson projectors over any other projector brand, for its six branches around the Gauteng area, is the fact that they are so reliable.
“We run our projectors for up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week, so it's critical that they manage to handle the workload,” he says.
“We consider the projectors as one of the key draw cards for the lounge's clientele - because when we're not showing Fashion TV on the screens, we have big sporting matches like cricket, football and rugby showing, which our clientele enjoy watching in their chill-out time here with us.”
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