SuperCinema: >60" HDTV/LCD Projector

[Seven]

Absolutely incredible. That thing looks great!

Your camera is a bit off, so i'm seeing pixelation and stuff on the picture but it looks amazing so far.

7

 

[Oroka Sempai]

LMAO, there goes any desire I had to buy a large LCD TV to use as a gaming monitor. That thing is insane! You're doing a great job!

 

[Niku-Sama]

there a way to keep the same brightness across the whole thing?
the fading out at the corners bugs me thats whats keepen me from gutting a LCD i have.

 

[Maviryk]

Bah, at work right now.

Niku-Sama, the middle of the picture will always be brighter than the edges. Please note however, that IRL it does not seem as severe. It also does not help that my camera is POS and isn't able to take night time pictures. If you crop my picture into a 4:3 image the vignetting(dim corners) would be pretty good. I used a precondenser to help even out the light.

IMO the dimness of the corners on my picture is actually pretty good, considering the fact that I'm using a 19" widescreen. If I were to do this again, I would NOT use a widescreen, but a regular 15" or a 17" instead.

Also if you notice the picture is a little concave. Since this is my first projector, my first mistake was to pick a WS monitor. In order for the corners to focus I had to arc one of the fresnels towards the triplet in order to see the text clearly in the corners.

So far, here's what has gone wrong with the project, the biggest being I chose a WS monitor.

1. Widescreen monitor:
__a. Have to choose between blurry corners or a slightly concave image
__b. Monitor is bigger- projected image is bigger - the projector sits 3-4' closer than I anticipated, so now I have to rearrange my living room again, since my projection screen is only 76" wide. It currently sits where I was planning to put the couch.
2. Front surface mirror - I tried to make one... it's half arsed. I stripped the rear of a mirror and it's not "perfect". So ordered a new one.
3. Need new desk/chair - The projected image is HUGE. I'm getting neck cramps from staring up at it. I need to sit further away on a recliner. Also need to make some sort of tray for keyboard and mouse. Won't be a problem for the X-box 360, but whenever I get my main rig going again... it's going to be annoying trying to play a PC FPS.

More pics should be coming this afternoon. I'm in the process of cleaning up the sawdust that's all over my apartment and rearranging furniture.

To do:
1. Install higher quality front surface mirror
2. Install access/maintenance panel
3. Cover projector in Marine Vinyl ($9.99/6'x3' @ JoAnn Fabrics) - it's pleather!
4. Make recliner+keyboard+mouse cockpit so that I don't get a neck cramps

 

[Maviryk]

... yea... my camera sux. maybe I borrow my friend's camera when I plug in the 360.

 

[Maviryk]

Bah.. still not done yet.. instead of writing up the project log like I was supposed to this weekend, I made the projector screen out of some blackout cloth and invited friends over. 360 is AWESOME on the bigscreen.



And just how big is that?? Hehehehe.... Here is a pic of the front of my apartment. in the right side of the pic you can see my Samsung 215 TW 21" Widescreen. That small strip of aluminum you see leaning against the screen is a yardstick.

The screen measures 100" Diagonal.

Here is the projector on a cheap plastic stand I bought for $10 at Walmart. Still not finish. But very functional indeed.

 

[-maddog-]

Nice. Reminds me a ton of tom's diy projector project.

 

[PhysX]

Bah.. still not done yet.. instead of writing up the project log like I was supposed to this weekend, I made the projector screen out of some blackout cloth and invited friends over. 360 is AWESOME on the bigscreen.



And just how big is that?? Hehehehe.... Here is a pic of the front of my apartment. in the right side of the pic you can see my Samsung 215 TW 21" Widescreen. That small strip of aluminum you see leaning against the screen is a yardstick.

The screen measures 100" Diagonal.

Here is the projector on a cheap plastic stand I bought for $10 at Walmart. Still not finish. But very functional indeed.

is that first pic nfs mw ?

 

[Maviryk]

It's Burnout: Revenge

 

[NOThelagak]

that is sweet! how much do you have in that thing? cause i just bought a projector, and i paid like 700 for it!

 

[Maviryk]

I think I have bout 700-800 invested in the projector. That's not including the $40 lense I bought which was wrong, or the $35 76" scrolling woot screen, which I couldn't use because it was too small.

I just bought the Saitek x52 flight control system (yay BB gift card from dad!), the screen does really well for space simulators and Mech games!

The project is currently on hold until I move into a new house in March. I'm going to buy a higher quality screen material to make the colors richer and give the picture more contrast, and also finish covering the thing in marine vinyl.

Also, I fixed the arc pincushion effect by modifying the projection lense to a longer focal length, that somehow gave me perfect focus in all the corners also.

Now I just need to take some time off from work to enjoy my handywork.

 

[darkcow]

so now your screen is perfectly flat?


thats sweet. because i was about to suggest maybe doing some software mods to it to reduce that effect of the ends being out of focus.

 

[Maviryk]

Yea, it's perfectly square now.. or at least as square as it can be with me eyeballing the projector being perpendicular to the screen. Compare the pics in post 40 to 46.

 

[g0dM@n]

lol... this thread rox...

 

[Breadfan]

That looks great I like the self contained setups.

I built one using an old overhead a few years back, I still use it but it's rather fragile to lug around and you're really limited in LCD size by the stage, I have a 15" 1024x768 and lose about 1/4" on either side even after trimming away some of the plastic.

I like this setup though!

FYI I made a screen using a large wooden rod with a king-size white sheet stapled too it. I roll it up when not in use and store it in another room. I used planter/pot hangers bolted to wall studs and eye hooks in the rod to hang the screen. Measured diagonally I got 120", your only limited by how far back you can pull the projector and the amount of wallspace you can get.

This is by no means perfect though, many sheets come folded with cresaes in them so it takes time for them to iron out plus they tend to "wave" from time to time.

 

[BossBorot]

this is really interesting I might try it myself later on instead of buying a tv. Keep the info comming.

 

[ChristmasGT]

not to hijack but if anyones interrested head over to LL, btw NICE results dude! i'm doing a 1080p upgrade I just got my WUXGA 15.4 yesterday, the people over on that forum are insain.

 

[BossBorot]

^ Ya ive been reading threads over there for the better part of the day now. And btw insanity is in the eye of the beholder. As I read those threads I'm a little bit let down that no one has made 3 1280x1024 projectors for a matrox tipplehead2go projection set up.

 

[Maviryk]

^ Ya ive been reading threads over there for the better part of the day now. And btw insanity is in the eye of the beholder. As I read those threads I'm a little bit let down that no one has made 3 1280x1024 projectors for a matrox tipplehead2go projection set up.

You sure? I'm pretty sure in either the finished logs or the project logs there was one going a few months ago. I don't troll there much anymore since I've gotmine working, still not completed yet...no time..

 

[BossBorot]

I looked in both the PLOG and Completed Projects subforums and havent found anything that uses the tripplehead2go I even searched for it. It might be there but I sure couldnt find it.