The 8 Best Multimedia Lecterns and Digital Podiums
Here's how presentations go in a lot of rooms. A laptop balanced on a lectern that was built for a Bible. A projector on a chair. An extension cord taped across the floor, and someone hunting for an HDMI adapter five minutes before start time.
A multimedia lectern pulls all of that into one piece of furniture. The computer lives inside, the cables run through grommets, the cabinet locks at night, and the presenter just walks up and starts.
They range from simple rolling cabinets to lecterns with a 43 inch screen built into the front. Here's how to pick.
Before you shop
Make a list of your gear
Write down everything that will live in or on the lectern: laptop or desktop tower, monitor, document camera, projector, mixer, rack equipment. Then shop for the lectern that holds that list. It's the simplest way to avoid paying for features you'll never use (or missing the one you needed).
Rolling or fixed?
If one lectern serves several rooms, get one that rolls and locks. If it lives in a lecture hall with a floor box, a heavier fixed lectern with rack rails might be the better long-term home for your AV.
Security matters
In a classroom or a shared conference room, a locking cabinet is not optional. Equipment that can't be locked away tends to walk away.
Screen on the front, or screen for the speaker?
Some lecterns put a display on the front, facing the audience, for logos, sponsor loops, or slides. Others put a monitor or touchscreen in front of the speaker. Decide which one you're after before you start comparing.
The 8 best multimedia lecterns
Here's the list, from least to most expensive. Shipping is free on all of them.
1. Greystone GSL: best value
A lectern on top and an AV cart underneath. Two pull-out side trays hold a laptop and projector, there's a sliding keyboard tray and a drawer for remotes, and the locking cabinet has three shelves. It rolls on four casters, two locking. This is the one we'd buy for a classroom or training room on a budget. Ships in 1 to 3 business days. From $849.
2. Downview Computer Lectern: best for lecture halls
The monitor sits below the top, under anti-glare tempered glass, so the presenter reads their slides by glancing down and nothing stands between them and the room. A retractable keyboard drawer and a locking two-door cabinet for the computer tower finish it off. It's built from 14-gauge steel with a lifetime limited warranty. Ships in 3 to 4 weeks. From $995.
3. Digital Display Lectern for a 40 to 55 Inch Monitor: best for showing a logo on screen
An aluminum lectern with a monitor bracket on the front, so the audience sees your logo, a sponsor loop, or live slides. It fits a 40 to 55 inch screen on a standard VESA mount, so you can use a monitor you already own or add our 43 inch screen. It stands without floor anchors, and the top plate takes mics and a reading light. Ships in 1 to 2 weeks. From $1,525.
Shop the Digital Display Lectern
4. Rolling Multimedia Lectern: best ready-to-roll AV station
A wide desk with room for a laptop, notes, and a water bottle, plus a pull-out keyboard shelf, a locking side drawer, and a locking cabinet with two adjustable shelves underneath. Equipment can stay plugged in inside. Roll it in, unlock it, present, lock it, and roll it out. Comes in maple, mahogany, or black and arrives assembled. Ships in 1 to 3 business days. From $1,672.
Shop the Rolling Multimedia Lectern
5. Authority Solid Oak Multimedia Lectern: best solid wood
When the lectern has to look like furniture, not equipment. It's solid red oak in 28, 36, or 48 inch widths, with locking rear doors, your choice of an adjustable shelf or rack rails for AV gear, and four built-in wheels (two locking). A good fit for a university, a courtroom, or a boardroom. Built to order in about 14 weeks. From $2,700.
6. Fortress Two-Bay Teaching Station: best for teachers
A 50 inch, two-bay solid oak station that works as a teacher's desk and a presentation lectern. There's a document camera drawer, a keyboard drawer, a storage drawer, adjustable shelves in both bays, and locking rear doors. If your teacher presents all day, this gives them a real workspace. Built to order in about 14 weeks. From $3,350.
7. H2W Digital Lectern with Built-In 43 Inch Screen: best built-in display
The whole front is a 43 inch commercial 4K screen in portrait. Load a USB drive and it plays your logo or a sponsor loop on its own, no laptop needed, or feed it live slides over HDMI. It's on an aluminum frame with tilt-back casters, in silver or black. Event venues and conference centers love this one. Ships in 2 to 3 weeks. From $5,045.
8. 21.5 Inch Touchscreen Smart Lectern: best touchscreen
A touchscreen computer built into a motorized, height-adjustable stand. Presenters share their laptop or phone wirelessly, annotate with the stylus, and set the height to suit them. Two gooseneck mics are included. One heads-up: the mics need a speaker or PA you already have, since there's no built-in speaker. Ships in 5 to 7 business days. From $5,850.
See all of them in our multimedia lecterns collection.
When you just need a cart
If nobody stands behind it to speak, you don't need a lectern at all. A presentation cart holds a laptop and a projector for a lot less money. Our AV carts start at $225, and the Wizard comes pre-wired with power and HDMI.
Want to talk through your setup? Call us at 800-421-9678 and tell us what's in your AV closet.
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