For a small audience--one or two people--your laptop LCD display may do the job. But because you will need to see the images and work the mouse, a separate monitor or projector is preferable.

Monitors

• Standard desktop color monitors (14-17 inches) are suitable for viewing by up to six people, but they are cumbersome to transport.
• Large-format presentation monitors (up to 45 inches) can handle audiences of 25 or more, but they are not portable in any sense.

• Excellent for audiences of 50 or more individuals.
• Often installed in presentation facilities or auditoriums.
• Will fit in an airplane overhead compartment or under the seat.
• Can be rented at most presentation venues.
• Typically weigh 15 to 22 lbs.
• Transportable -- conveniently shipped.
• Mostly LCD technology.
• Advantages: brightness, image size.
• Disadvantages: weight, cost, size.

• Suitable for audiences of 2 to 100.
• Exclusively LCD technology.
• 10-12 pounds. Note: anything over 12 pounds cannot be considered truly portable.
• Brightness and image quality could vary widely between models.
• Exclusively LCD technology.
• Advantages: compact, light weight, simple to use, reliable, cost effective.
• Disadvantages: small size limits brightness.

To determine how large an image you will need to project, estimate the distance to the back row of seats and divide by 8 to get the recommended image height, e.g., 24 feet (farthest from screen) divided by 8 = 3 feet recommended minimum image height.

If you have a fixed screen size (image height) you can reverse the formula to determine the optimum viewing distance. Multiply the image height by 8 to get the maximum distance. Multiply by 2 to get the minimum recommended distance. For example, an image 3 feet high is best viewed between 6 and 24 feet.