Mounting projectors, flat panels, and other AV equipment is often an afterthought. Often the quickest and easiest solution is seen as the best: just attach a mount and hang the projector from the ceiling. But when you might be investing several thousand dollars in a piece of equipment, I think more consideration should be given to where it’s going to go and how you’re going to get it there.
With that in mind, I have a question for you: Why hang it when you can hide it with a Draper lift?
There are many reasons for using a motorized lift to conceal your AV equipment when not in use. I want to concentrate on three.
Security
With potential customers considering motorized lifts, one of the first areas of concern is security. Depending on the type of projector, you might have spent just a few hundred dollars … or several thousand. Are you comfortable having that much money hanging down in plain sight all the time?
When you use a lift, the projector is only in the room when it’s on. The rest of the time it is hidden away safely above the ceiling (or in a piece of furniture. And if you use key switches or virtual switches, or restrict access to the wall switch, then it can’t be lowered into the room by unauthorized people.
Aesthetics
Some people like having their tech on show all the time. They like the look of it and want visitors to see what they have. Not so with everyone.
Wires snaking down out of the ceiling, even if tied around the mount, can look messy. Perhaps the mount and projector look out of place with the rest of the room. If the ceiling is low, the projector might even feel more like a conversation piece, there above the conference table or barely above head level for your taller staffers. If there are other obstructions hanging down, such as ceiling fans or speakers, it starts looking pretty cluttered up there.
With a motorized lift, the closure matches the ceiling around it, so it blends in well with its surroundings.
Cool Factor
Let’s face it. We all like a little “cool” in our lives. What’s more cool than pressing a button and having the screen and projector lower from the ceiling, and the window shades go down as well? This “cool factor” especially appeals to those folks mentioned above who like to show off their tech. With a motorized lift, not only do you show off the tech, make it part of the show as everything moves into place.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the proper planning for a projector lift, and explaining the differences between our lifts and when each is the best solution. Meanwhile, check out the AV industry’s most complete line of motorized lifts by clicking here.
Click here to read the second of three posts on lifts, about proper planning,
