First Baptist Church Uses Versatile Hitachi Projectors For Environmental Ambiance and Mood-Setting

	First Baptist Church in Allen, Texas, with Hitachi CP-X8170 projectors

Jeff Mize, Minister of Music for First Baptist Church in Allen, Texas, discovered Hitachi projectors after being introduced to environmental projection in late 2013. Once he realized how environmental projections can add to the dynamism of worship services, the church purchased three Hitachi CP-X8170 projectors to be installed in the 1,400-person-capacity sanctuary.

"First Baptist Church hadn't upgraded its video equipment since it was built in 2001 and was in need of some improvements," said Mize. "The environmental projections provide a way to not only modernize our services but also set the appropriate tone through colorful backgrounds, gradient fills, texture surfaces, and sometimes customized themes based on the subject of the sermon."

With the help of Camron Ware of Visual Worshiper, who assisted in the design, training, and implementation of the system, the projectors were mounted and installed on the front edge of the balcony of the church, allowing for floor-to-ceiling coverage at the front of the church.

The company says, along with its practical price point, the Hitachi CP-X8170 projector was recommended to Mize based on its sharpness and clarity. Mize stated that the church has found more than just environmental projection uses for the projectors, which have been installed since December 2013.

"We were able to project a backdrop of modern day as well as biblical cityscapes and landscapes for a Christmas production without having to build sets," said Mr. Mize. "The projectors have proven very simple to use and versatile -- we've projected words on the walls for special effect and emphasis and our youth ministry has used the projectors for interacting with Twitter."

All three Hitachi CP-X8170 projectors are networked to an upstairs control booth that is integrated with other technology regulators in the church.

Mize rented the projectors in early December 2013 in order to expose the church members to and gauge their acceptance of the new technology.

"We used the projectors for a particularly wide range of services and productions in December and just as we hoped, no one was ready to give them up after that," said Mize.

The Hitachi CP-X8170 3LCD projector features 7,000 ANSI lumens brightness, and an aspect ratio of 4:3 (XGA).

For more information on First Baptist Church, visit http://www.fbcallen.org/.

For more information on Visual Worshipper, visit www.visualworshiper.com.