If I understand HD at least somewhat, I know that to really see HD quality video shot with an HD camcorder I need to have an HD TV.

My question is, if I show video shot with an HD camcorder using a projector for a large audience, will I see improved quality, or will it be the same as video shot with a non-HD digital camcorder?

[redsox_mark]

It will depend on the projector and how you plan to connect it.

PAL SD video is 720x576. 1080i HD (e.g. the Sony HC3) is 1440x1080.

If you were to play the video from a PC say on a projector at 1024x768 resolution, HD would be better than SD (all things being equal), though you still wouldn't be getting the full resolution.

If you wanted to connect the HD camcorder directly to the projector, you would have to make sure it will at least accept the 1080i format... if it does then again as long as the resolution of the projector is greater than SD resolution you should see the difference.