Using a projector with mame?

[LeedsFan]

I've tried to do some research on this but couldn't find much. I'm tossing ideas around in my head for a new project. Basically I want to have a much bigger viewing area without having to buy a ridiculous sized TV. I'm kinda thinking an image of about 7-10 ft. high. Sort of a full wall in a room kind of thing. Or maybe outside on a nice evening at a BBQ (wishful thinking).

I would be using the projector to watch home movies too so I don't intend to incorporate the projector into a cabinet or anything like that. But I have zero experience with projectors. I've done a little research on the net regarding the different specs etc.
I can see that they can be expensive too but that doesn't concern me (within reason) if I can get the results I envisage.

What sort of thing is most important with this kind of project in mind? Who has had experience of running Mame through a projector? To be honest I haven't even seen a modern projector working so I have no idea how good the image would be.

[drventure]

I've got an panasonic ae900u I use for my main tv. It's HD, and has +0+ screendoor effect (ie you can't see pixels at all).

EDIT: What I meant was you can't see any kind of grid around the pixels. It's a smooth picture, just like you'd expect to see in a tv or monitor.

I ran a computer through it at one point and it looked great run at the native resolution.

I know there's several threads about guys that have picked up a cheap little rolling cart thing, and bungied an amp, speakers and a projector to it to be able to roll it outside, etc. Sounds like they work pretty good, but I haven't done that.

[Bender]

Price range and resolution are good things to figure out first

I have panisonic AE4000 and it is just amazing for 2k there is nothing that comes close, trust me I've done years of research and this is my 3rd projector. If you want full 1080p that is the way to go
I've played Donkey Kong on the wall about 6ft tall. The projector is horizontal and DK is a vertical game and my screen is only that tall, you could go quite a bit taller if you wanted. It' was pretty cool but really the new games just blow your mind on the thing

[Turnarcades]

I've got experience of several cab builds using a projector - to be honest the projected surface matters more than the resolution or effects of the projector as inmy experience you can't really tell one picture from another unless you are using them at a set distance on a proper projector screen. You can pick up a decent second-hand projector from ebay for under £200 now and most are suitably bright and quiet enough for casual use.

I've built a couple of 'Projectorcades' for customers, a 'Box Arcade' with integrated projector for a friend and I'm working on a racing cabinet for my own use; last Summer I had a 'Projectorcade outside at my barbecue's, which was great for multi-player games and we also hook the Wii up to it. (Do this every Christmas as for the Wii it's the biz!)

Ain't got no pictures of the arcades I've built with them sorry, but here's a vid of me Xmas '09 with some of my family on Mario Sonic Olympic Winter Games:

[ccmathome]

I'm planing a projector cab now also going to try and make the projector with a ps1 lcd for a 50" screen. hoping that keeping it around 50" the screen door look wont be bad

[severdhed]

I love projectors.  I have a Mitsubishi HC1500 projector i use for my main TV in our family room.  It is a 720p native projector that i picked up for around $900 about 2 years ago, the picture quality is awesome at 102"

the biggest problems with projectors is lighting.  even very expensive projectors don't perfrom that well with alot of light.  If you have it in a room with heavy curtains and can make it really dark, then a projector can look amazing.  Depending on the content, they can work fairly well in moderate light conditions.  it really depends on the content....for instance, i can play New Super Mario Bros Wii with the lights on and everything is good, but the room has to be nice and dark if i want to play Bioshock 2, or you can't see what you are doing.

i have an older projector that i used as my main TV before i bought this mitsubishi..it is an infocus x1.  it has a resolution of 800x600 and is not nearly as bright as my mitsubishi.  it works pretty well, as long as it is really dark.  also, the bigger you make the image, the darker it will look.  i now use my old projector for outdoor movies.  i have two king size bed sheets that have been sewn together that we hang on the side of the house.  this setup works ok, but it needs to be pretty dark out (here we have to wait till about 9:30pm) and generally we try to watch kids movies that are bright and vivid.  this can be alot of fun when you get a bunch of people together.  i'm also thinking that this year we will be doing some back yard wii sports or something.


if you want a nice big display for not too much money, you can't go wrong with a projector, as long as you can control the light in the room

[LeedsFan]

Thanks for the replies guys. I decided to take a look at that Panasonic AE4000 you have Bender. lol.... I know I said money was not a prime concern, but I can't justify £2000 on a projector.  That should be jaw dropping performance at that price.

I was thinking around the £500 mark. Maybe £600 tops. Not having any experience with projectors I have no idea who the good manufacturers in this line. Could I still get 100" good quality image for this? If any of you guys have any links to good projector sites where I could learn more that would be handy. 

Also apologies for posting in the wrong thread (as I'm not announcing any project am I?). I meant to post this in the "General" forum. I couldn't find my own thread earlier and had to search for it. 

[severdhed]

Projector Central is a great resource for all things regarding projectors.

they have tons of reviews, projection calculators and forums....it is a great resource for anyone looking to buy a projector...


http://www.projectorcentral.com/

[Bender]

Projector Central is a great resource for all things regarding projectors.

they have tons of reviews, projection calculators and forums....it is a great resource for anyone looking to buy a projector...


http://www.projectorcentral.com/

+1 projector central is an awesome resource

you should be able to pick up a 720p projector for what you want to spend
another thing to keep in mind is that the bulbs usually have between 2,000 and 3,000 hour life and cost a bundle ($300-500) to replace
also isn't 2k $US like 1500uk (can't find the pound key)

Just two years ago you'd have to spend over 10k to get what 2k will get you today. The image quality just keeps getting better and the prices keep coming down.
I use mine on a 120" Home theater and just love it

[StudioQue]

Know it doesn't help your search, but we have a blast in the summer projecting games on the garage door when we have BBQs. Laptop, tankstick, stereo, projector. Not high-end, but plenty of fun. 

[Bender]

yeah, A buddy of mine grabbed a projector from work for the weekend back in the 90's and we played N64 games on it all night long, it was analog and the res wasn't that great, but boy was it fun, definitely turned me on to using a projector for gaming