COMMON RESOLUTION STANDARDS
SVGA	800 x 600
XGA	1024 x 768
HD2	1280 x 720
WXGA	1366 x 768
SXGA	1280 x 1024
SXGA+	1400 x 1050
UXGA	1600 x 1400
HD	1920 x 1080
QXGA	2048 x 1536
2K	2048 x 1080

Native resolution is the measure in pixels (color dots or picture elements, for the layperson) of the standard image your computer is designed to produce and project to a screen.

Most computer screens and television monitors have a screen ratio of 4:3 - four pixels wide for every three pixels high. But in the computer world, some notebooks have a 5:4 ratio and in the television world, the emerging HDTV standard requires a screen ratio of 16:9. That means the selection of a projector has to take into account the kinds of information you will be projecting, from standard PowerPoint slides to full-motion video or live feeds.

Compatibility between your source computer and the projector is also at issue. One of the most basic ways to simplify and even improve visual performance is to make sure your computer has the same resolution specifications as the projector you will be using - or, conversely, to buy (or rent or specify) a projector whose resolution matches your computer's.

As a presenter, you needn't strain to master all the numbers and acronyms - just the ones that involve your computer/projector combination. For example, it's easiest to mate an XGA projector to a notebook with an XGA screen, an SXGA+ to an SXGA+, rather than plug together systems with two different standards and trust to the electronic sprites inside each to reconcile themselves to a common interface.

You may find yourself in presentation situations in which there's a mismatch between your computer and the projector being provided for you. However, most modern projection systems feature compression and expansion software for automatic scaling between different resolutions.

Try to avoid compression situations: Times when your computer must move down the scale to project through a projector with a lower resolution standard. Visuals present best when projected by a system that has the same resolution standard as the one in which they were created.

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