The History of The Projector

Magic Lantern

1659

The Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens is most recognized for inventing the "Magic Lantern". It is considered one of the oldest documented projector that is dated back to 1659. It consists of "representations by means of convex glasses with the lamp". Oil lamps and candles served as light sources for the projection.

Episcope

1756

The opaque projector, also called the Episcope, was developed by Swiss physicist and engineer Leonhard Euler. In order to project an image, an opaque material would be used to create the projected image, by shining a bright lamp onto the object from above. Mirrors, prisms are used to focus the image created by the material onto a viewing screen.

First Movie Projector - Zoopraxiscope

1879

Invented by the pioneering British photographer Eadweard Muybridge, the Zoopraxiscope would be the early start of motion picture devices. It worked as a rapid showing of still photographs in a sequence.

Slide Projector

1950

Kodak was the first company to patent the slide projector in the 1950's. Unlike opaque projectors, slide projectors require that the presented material be transferred to a 35mm slide allowing users to project virtually anything that could to be can put onto film.

Overhead Projector

1960

Many classrooms and corporations made overhead projectors popular. In order to use the projector, clear sheets of plastic would be printed out and placed on the overheads light source. It would then would be conveyed onto a wall or screen using the lamp and optics that are built into the projector.

Digital Projector Panel - LCD

1980

These projectors were smaller, affordable and digital; all characteristics that are highly appreciated by anyone interested in projection. Each panel contained the LCD screen, a cooling fan, connection ports and a full case with a glass top. Essentially they could be plugged into a computer in order to convey any image.

The Document Camera

1988

Document cameras are able to display documents and 3D objects in classrooms, research settings, medical labs, businesses, and many more areas. It was introduced by both Elmo Co. and Wolfvision at roughly the same time. These focused on projector screen applications, or TV, though today many models also support a wide variety of digital outputs.

CTD to Digital - 1990 to 2000

1990

Cathode Ray Tube's (CTD) projectors where used to generate image's. In order to project a colored image, three separate projectors would need to be used and arranged in such a way that they line up perfectly, which was a daunting task.

Home Theater Projectors

2000

Home Theater Systems are perhaps the fastest-growing projector on the market today, and projectors and projection screens can achieve the same quality and resolution of giant digital displays, often at a fraction of the cost.

Mini Projectors

2008

Various manufacturers have produced handheld projectors exhibiting high-resolution, good brightness, and low energy consumption in a slightly larger format than pico since 2008. However, most handheld LED projectors, as of December 2017, have been widely criticized for having insufficient brightness for everyday use in a normally lit room.