DLP Projector Case Study
Superior Alternative
Clayton County Public Schools makes TI DLP projectors a centerpiece of its 3,200 “21st century classrooms.”
Clayton County Public Schools
Client
Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) is the fifth-largest school system in Georgia and 113th largest in the nation. The district serves more than 49,000 K-12 students in 59 schools, across 143 square miles.
Challenge
Eliminate limitations of LCD projectors and CRT TVs by deploying vivid, clear display technology in 3,200 classrooms; eliminate filter-maintenance issues and costs.
Solution
A three-phase deployment of fixed-mounted Mitsubishi DLP projectors, providing superior image quality and significant cost savings.
Results
Dramatically improved image clarity and universal accessibility for teachers while eliminating the high cost of filters and related maintenance.
A recipient of the Center for Digital Education’s 2008 Digital Education Achievement Awards for its Internet/intranet portal, CCPS is among the nation’s leading proponents when it comes to technology adoption. The school district extends its commitment to technology advancements by providing modern audiovisual display equipment to its 3,200 classrooms.
Our media and maintenance people don’t need to be on ladders changing filters. That alone saves us hundreds of thousands of dollars.
–Dr. Angie Bacon,
Chief Information Officer, Clayton County Public Schools
According to Dr. Angie Bacon, chief information officer for CCPS, the mandate was to ensure the deployment of 21st century classroom technologies. “We strive to implement technology that enhances the delivery of education in a responsible, accountable manner,” she said. “Previously, each classroom had its own 20-inch television monitor to view DVD videos. These TVs were on carts and even when moved to the center of the classroom, they were too small to be effective. So the district gradually began to accumulate a hodgepodge of projectors purchased by different departments that had secured grant monies. There were no standards, so there was an array of LCD projectors. Only a few were mounted – most were on carts, and there were cords to the laptops which created safety issues. Teachers needed to sign up for these carts a week or two in advance to ensure availability. As a result, their use of computers and projection in the classroom involved too many compromises and limitations.”
Dr. Bacon also noted that their LCD projectors presented significant maintenance and quality issues for the district. “LCD projectors required a lot of upkeep,” she explained. “Our media specialist had to change the filters regularly, or else we would be out of warranty, and change bulbs that were not lasting a long time. That was a non-trivial expense for us and the work orders created a significant backlog.”
The move to DLP
At the request of the former CIO and the district’s superintendents, Dr. Bacon undertook a complete review of the video-projection market, aiming to identify and recommend a districtwide standard for classroom audiovisual display technology. The project would be funded over a three-year period. The first decision was to choose an underlying technology standard: Texas Instruments DLP technology. “We researched DLP technology and – compared to what we’d experienced with LCD – it was apparent to us that DLP was a superior alternative,” Dr. Bacon said. “When we wrote our RFP, we specified that DLP was our preference.”
We researched DLP technology and – compared to what we’d experienced with LCD – it was apparent to us that DLP was a superior alternative.
–Dr. Angie Bacon,
Chief Information Officer, Clayton County Public Schools
Driven by the RFP, CCPS partnered with CompuTrac, a leading regional reseller of technology in the education market, to purchase and install ceiling-mounted DLP projectors. Dr. Bacon emphasized the convenience of the new DLP projectors : “With the Mitsubishi XD-500, we can change bulbs while the projector is still mounted. We don’t need to pull the projector down and realign it.”
CCPS' first wave of DLP projectors and 85-inch projection screens were installed in 800 classrooms last year. This year, the district will deploy an additional 1,000 DLP projectors. Next year, another 1,400 DLP projectors will be deployed to classrooms across the county.
A clearer picture for every classroom
From a quality, reliability, and affordability perspective, CCPS is very pleased with the performance of the DLP technology in its classrooms. “Unlike the LCD solutions we were using, DLP technology doesn’t present the compromises and trade-offs we endured. First, the picture quality is much better with DLP. There’s no color fade, the contrast is sharp, and the picture is very clear, even in classrooms with a lot of ambient light. When you’re working with a word processing document or numbers in a spreadsheet, the picture remains very bright and clear from any location in the room, even on large screens.”
“Our media and maintenance people don’t need to be on ladders changing filters,” she said. “That alone saves us hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
A new level of student engagement
According to Dr. Bacon, the on-demand availability of audiovisual technology in the classroom is providing new dimensions to the school curriculum. “We have extensive professional development courses for our faculty,” she said. “So we’re working to ensure that they’re comfortable with the technology and have good options for integrating it into their classroom culture. For instance, we’re showing how they can use DLP projectors to give what we call ‘virtual field trips’ to faraway places. It’s creating a new level of student engagement that has our faculty excited as well.”