9 Foot Screen Anyone?

[Lilwolf]

Well, I just traded a 1ghz athlon for the item to start my next project.  A TV projector!

One of the older ones (not a small desktop newer ones, but it's a big)... but it works pretty good.  Still trying to get a little better clerity....

But man its fun playing SF games on a 9 foot screen (wall).  3d games are a blast also!

Now I am going to build a pedistal cabinet over it, and just have it project onto the wall.  The only trouble is you can only play at night (until I get better shades in the office...).  Or I have to get my cocktail table built!

But I'm excited!

[Frostillicus]

I see those every now and then at the college salvage - does it have the three giant lenses for RGB? I always find an excuse not to pick it up(usually $$$).  That's cool you got one to work - heh you could make the worlds biggest cocktail cab and have it mounted on the ceiling pointing straight down on the floor  

I can see it now: "hey stop standing on the screen! I'm trying to kick some SF @ss here!"

[gajaman]

I borrow the projector from work fairly regularly for "boys nights". Mame is fun but the classic games don't lend themselves to such a big screen. What is most fun is the PS2. GT3 etc on a huge screen are great.

For the next session, now that I have access to 2 PS2's we are going to try and "borrow" 2 projectors for big screen two player action.

Must get out more, must get out more, must...

[Lilwolf]

I know what you mean about some games better then others.  

Pacman for instance kinds stinks.  You can really see the jaggy edges in it.  

Asteroids was hard to see, but fun.

Any game that fills up looks better.  (ie, not white lines on black).  

UT2003 was SWEET!  it gave me a motion sickness!  CrazyTaxi is also pretty sweet!.  Anything that needs real resolution to play kinda sucks (so far).

So I am trying to figure out what games are worth it.  Clarity is now what I'm working on.  I got it MUCH better then before.  Now I need to get a better wall and see if I can open it and do any hand adjusting on the individual colors.

Anyway, new toy!  

[clok]

I have a big Screen projector myself, but I use a computer LCD and a Overhead. Screen is crystal clear and i built the whole thing for under $150.  Question for you, what type of Screen are you using? This has been the place I have been adjustiong mine. First I used a white wall (worked but not great), then some Shinny paper from a friend who works at a local printing company (It hotspoted bad, (shinny spots where light is more intense)), so I turned it around to the dull side. This works pretty well, but I see a Screen with some real "gain" is the way to go. This weekend I plan on trying a new one (idea from another DIY forum) a Bedsheet stretched over a frame and painted with some gray, possibley shiny gray paint. I could just go spend $200 on a screen, but that would spoil the "I did it for cheap" thing. Post some Pics of it in action!, I will as soon as i get my new screen done. My screen is only 8'X4' ( perfect for DVD's) I do enjoy some PSX2 stuff on it also.

Clok

[BASSOFeeSH]

How long do the bulbs last, and how much are replacements?

[J_K_M_A_N]

I traded my projector for a 27" NEC monitor. (Actually, my second one.) The bulbs last for 6 months or 1000 hours on the one I had. They are very expensive! I found prices of $200-400 for a single bulb. I didn't have a good wall for it so I took the monitor. Better deal for me. I have played on it at my friends house though. He has it set for a 100" screen. Pretty cool playing Qix.

J_K_M_A_N

[Lilwolf]

my projector is about 10 years old... and has been used on and off for the whole time.  I got it for the price of a 1ghz athlon chip, board and 512 mg ram... So if it only lasts for a bit, I will still be happy (extra stuff).

As for the screen.  It's an off white wall right now.  I have a projector screen, but I haven't played with it.  But it's old (white, not grey like the new ones).

I would LOVE to hear about a cheap paper solution if you get one!

[IG-88]

I have a big Screen projector myself, but I use a computer LCD and a Overhead. Screen is crystal clear and i built the whole thing for under $150.  Question for you, what type of Screen are you using? This has been the place I have been adjustiong mine. First I used a white wall (worked but not great), then some Shinny paper from a friend who works at a local printing company (It hotspoted bad, (shinny spots where light is more intense)), so I turned it around to the dull side. This works pretty well, but I see a Screen with some real "gain" is the way to go. This weekend I plan on trying a new one (idea from another DIY forum) a Bedsheet stretched over a frame and painted with some gray, possibley shiny gray paint. I could just go spend $200 on a screen, but that would spoil the "I did it for cheap" thing. Post some Pics of it in action!, I will as soon as i get my new screen done. My screen is only 8'X4' ( perfect for DVD's) I do enjoy some PSX2 stuff on it also.

Clok

Hey Clok, would you be willing to post some plans on how you made this thing?

[radiator]

hey dolphinwaxer, head over to http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=ccb7be2c80a19ab9f12acee4d6006526&forumid=20

it's the video forum of diyAudio.com - they have loads of stuff about home-made projectors

*m

[Lilwolf]

One more update... I took it apart last night to try to get it clearer...

WOW what a difference!  There was about 50 dials inside to adjust about everything.  Man I !@# things up... I thought I shouldn't have touched any of them...

Then I plugged my computer into it again.... and ran MK2 and pulled up the hatch screen test!  WOW amazing how useful that was!!!

Now I have figured out how to adjust just about everything!  There is only one more trouble... I CANT move it in closer then 10 feet.  Not a huge deal, but makes it so I can't use my projector screen (since it is slightly smaller)..

but anyway, Now even starwars/asteroid games look good... and SF2, MK2, timepilot look AMAZING!

[scottie4442]

I also have one of the LCD panel + Overhead Projector screens.  I bought a freight damaged (durn if I can find anything wrong with it though) glass bead screens.  with my setup I can watch TV, DVD, VCR and my kids play Playstation on it.  I put about $600 into all together but I think it was well worth it, especially with the price of big screen TV's around $2000 now.  I also used the www.DIYaudio.com, go to the video section and there is all kinds of advice for doing this.  I thought about connecting my Mame machine to it bit I am using a 21 computer monitor in my cab and I find it plenty for me right now.  We have had every kind of game from Playstation to Xbox to Nintendo to Playstation2 to my game computer hooked up to the projector and they all look great in that size, my screen is 8' x 6'.  This is a great project for a console but again I don't think it would do MAME justice, besides one of the points of MAME is to look like the old arcade games that we know and love, right.

Scott Adams

[Howard_Casto]

Regarding a cheap screen solution..... Gesso might be the answer.  You can apply it directly to the wall or on a stretched cloth.  Get a matte gesso in either plain white or you can mix the white gesso with black (black is more expensive though) To make a darker surface.... be careful though as black gesso is very potient.  A 1 to 10 mixture would give a very dark grey.  

As gesso is used to base coat paintings, it's bound to reflect the light back well.  It always has for my artwork.  

[seaner]

Well, I just traded a 1ghz athlon for the item to start my next project.  A TV projector!

One of the older ones (not a small desktop newer ones, but it's a big)... but it works pretty good.  Still trying to get a little better clerity....

But man its fun playing SF games on a 9 foot screen (wall).  3d games are a blast also!

Now I am going to build a pedistal cabinet over it, and just have it project onto the wall.  The only trouble is you can only play at night (until I get better shades in the office...).  Or I have to get my cocktail table built!

But I'm excited!

AMEN!  I have one of these coffee-table sized things in my basement too.. was a great novelty through university!  Although with 20 year old picture tubes (yes, 3 tubes) it really could use some love... I'm planning on having a drive-in movie night this summer with it