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The projector we know today all started with Christiaan Huygens' 1659 "magic lantern," Which was an early device for projecting images, usually for story telling or showing images of animals and people. -
The filmstrip projector created in 1925 was invented by educator Thomas Edison. Edison wanted to figure out a way to use motion pictures in schools. -
The "epispcope", also called the Opaque projector was invented by Leonhard Euler in 1756 to make images on surfaces more noticeable. He did this by making it reflect light from the object onto a screen. This is what lead to the common use of screens for our modern projectors. -
The slide projector is much like the magic lantern in many ways. As the Langenheim brothers created the first photographic slides in 1850. This projector was enhanced by Kodak's innovations in the 1930s. In the 1950s these types of projectors go popular as many loved looking at slides of family and sharing photos. -
The start of the overhead projector was first designed to aid during ww2 for training and communication services. This later on was spread to many areas of the world for use, making its way into many schools and businesses by the 1960's. -
Originally the first digital projection panels were an electronic sheet for overhead projectors, to make images interactive behind the glass. The light from the overhead would hit the glass and display a computer screen that you could interact with. This was a great feat leading to our LCD projectors we use today. -
inventor Gene Dolgoff created the world's first LCD video projector in 1984. This creation made home theater projection possible for consumers. Before this video projectors were quite big and super expensive for the average person. Dolgoff's ideas enabled the development of smaller and more accessible projectors, making the home theatre experience possible for everyone. -
Projectavision, Gene Dolgoff's company went public on Nasdaq, which made the more modern LCD projectors commercially available. -
Because of what we knew from our LCD projectors before we created the 1992 video projector. Which added the function to receive and process a video signal. This was a big development, as instead of just projecting computer graphics to showing fuller color, moving video. -
In the 2000's multimedia projectors came to be through the convergence of two main digital projection technologies. These are Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which matured and became affordable for mass production in the late 1990s and early 2000s. -
Mitsubishi created the first handheld pocket projector in 2005, powered by LED's. LED came from a more cheaper way to make more compact LCD DLP systems. LED's are now used in many projectors to help with smaller projections and convenient use. -
After the creation of our LCD DLP projections, as well as new LED technology in 2005 we've grown so much on enhancing the projector to what we have now. More clearer images seen in 4k, clear projection screens with better reflection, and just making the projector compact and easy for daily use. Along the way there's been many small enhancements, but no new types of projectors have come into play.