Outdoor projector (well, sort of) help!
Discussion
I am totally clueless about this area of tech, so hopefully I can be pointed in the right direction.
Old photos below taken during renovation (all finished years ago now) but shows you the space I'm looking at.
Plan is to have a screen on the inside of the door, attached to the, I want to say lintel, is that the right word? That's fairly straight forward, I think? My question on screens is does it matter hugely how much you spend on one? As I've found this one, and the 90" fits perfectly in that space: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KB54XX4/ref=twister...
But it does seem rather cheap, and as with anything it seems you can spend thousands?!
Then the next question, which is obviously the big one, is which projector?! It seems there are SO many options, ranging from £1k to silly money!
I've put a photo below of our current seating setup, of course being that type of furniture it can be moved around to any configuration. Where would a projector need to sit? Could it sit on the ground in front of the seats? Would it need to be elevated (say, on a ladder platform) behind the seating? Would it need to be in the middle of the seating on one of those small tables?
In terms os usage, I think it would mostly be evening films, but I guess if the option is there to use it during the daytime if the football is on etc, that would be good too.
The sun would never be directly on the screen, which I imagine helps a bit.....the path of the sun is on the other side of the house, so it hits the sofas head on, if that makes sense.
Hopefully that's enough info to help give me some pointers? Ideally I don't think I'd want to be spending more than £1,500 here.....
Old photos below taken during renovation (all finished years ago now) but shows you the space I'm looking at.
Plan is to have a screen on the inside of the door, attached to the, I want to say lintel, is that the right word? That's fairly straight forward, I think? My question on screens is does it matter hugely how much you spend on one? As I've found this one, and the 90" fits perfectly in that space: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KB54XX4/ref=twister...
But it does seem rather cheap, and as with anything it seems you can spend thousands?!
Then the next question, which is obviously the big one, is which projector?! It seems there are SO many options, ranging from £1k to silly money!
I've put a photo below of our current seating setup, of course being that type of furniture it can be moved around to any configuration. Where would a projector need to sit? Could it sit on the ground in front of the seats? Would it need to be elevated (say, on a ladder platform) behind the seating? Would it need to be in the middle of the seating on one of those small tables?
In terms os usage, I think it would mostly be evening films, but I guess if the option is there to use it during the daytime if the football is on etc, that would be good too.
The sun would never be directly on the screen, which I imagine helps a bit.....the path of the sun is on the other side of the house, so it hits the sofas head on, if that makes sense.
Hopefully that's enough info to help give me some pointers? Ideally I don't think I'd want to be spending more than £1,500 here.....
Edited by UTH on Wednesday 22 January 07:21
I'm getting lost if so many options, but PC mag seem to rate this as excellent: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MD5YM1P?tag=pcmaguk...
I need to do more reading about how flexible these things are in terms of where it needs to sit in relation to the screen.
I need to do more reading about how flexible these things are in terms of where it needs to sit in relation to the screen.
We didn't want to spend much so I think the whole lot was done for under £300.
In hind sight it was a mistake as in low light evenings the picture really isn't the best. Later on when kit gets dark, it's fine, but we've only really used it for things like the rugby so ultimate picture quality and surround sound is less of an issue.
I can't make any recommendatIons other than keep going on your budget and you should find something reasonable.
In hind sight it was a mistake as in low light evenings the picture really isn't the best. Later on when kit gets dark, it's fine, but we've only really used it for things like the rugby so ultimate picture quality and surround sound is less of an issue.
I can't make any recommendatIons other than keep going on your budget and you should find something reasonable.
I decided to stop myself going further down the rabbit hole and pulled the trigger.
This projector:
https://amzn.eu/d/0SHI4jh
And this screen:
https://personalprojector.co.uk/products/90-celexo...
The projector seems to have many good reviews so I’m quite confident it’s going to do the job.
I’m less confident about the screen as I have no idea what makes a good one vs bad one. So many price points available!
So, we’ll see, projector arrives Friday, screen next week. I guess I can sent it all back if I’ve messed up.
This projector:
https://amzn.eu/d/0SHI4jh
And this screen:
https://personalprojector.co.uk/products/90-celexo...
The projector seems to have many good reviews so I’m quite confident it’s going to do the job.
I’m less confident about the screen as I have no idea what makes a good one vs bad one. So many price points available!
So, we’ll see, projector arrives Friday, screen next week. I guess I can sent it all back if I’ve messed up.
Looks like you've gone ahead before I've managed to read this.
Anyway, for anyone else who's thinking about this ... we always say 'don't do this' to our customers! :-D There can be so many compromises on performance, its generally not worth it. A projector is a light source and in basic terms, the more powerful (greater light output) then the brighter the projector ... obviously this greater performance comes with increased costs. This light source will be competing with ambient light ... forget the sun (any projector would be unwatchable during day light hours), its ambient light in general that will effectively dilute the projectors power in respect to creating an image.
Even when specifiying a projector indoors, ambient light is always a consideration ... as basement with zero ambient light could have a less powerful projector than say a media room on the ground floor that has a high level of ambient light.
These projectors are also a faff ... it can't be in a fixed position so you'll need to set the screen and projector up each time you use it. Then there's the audio side ... I know some projectors have in-built speakers but they'll be some 5w feeble efforts.
If you want outdoor viewing, then a specific outdoor TV is the way to go ... whilst I appreciate it possibly smaller, it would get used on far more occasions (even possibly during the day). Samsung do the Terrace range - IP55 rated, so best off semi protected from the elements which can also be coupled with their outdoor sound bar which sounds decent.
Anyway, for anyone else who's thinking about this ... we always say 'don't do this' to our customers! :-D There can be so many compromises on performance, its generally not worth it. A projector is a light source and in basic terms, the more powerful (greater light output) then the brighter the projector ... obviously this greater performance comes with increased costs. This light source will be competing with ambient light ... forget the sun (any projector would be unwatchable during day light hours), its ambient light in general that will effectively dilute the projectors power in respect to creating an image.
Even when specifiying a projector indoors, ambient light is always a consideration ... as basement with zero ambient light could have a less powerful projector than say a media room on the ground floor that has a high level of ambient light.
These projectors are also a faff ... it can't be in a fixed position so you'll need to set the screen and projector up each time you use it. Then there's the audio side ... I know some projectors have in-built speakers but they'll be some 5w feeble efforts.
If you want outdoor viewing, then a specific outdoor TV is the way to go ... whilst I appreciate it possibly smaller, it would get used on far more occasions (even possibly during the day). Samsung do the Terrace range - IP55 rated, so best off semi protected from the elements which can also be coupled with their outdoor sound bar which sounds decent.
Thanks for the post - yep, I've bought the stuff, but I did make sure to check the returns policy so I am definitely prepared to send it all back if I've made some bad choices.
In response to your points (based only on doing as much research as I could in the last few days) it makes sense the idea of brightness and competing with ambient light etc. I guess the first question here is, could I be getting a better projector (in this sort of budget area) - in terms of Lumens and reviews it looks like this one might have been a better choice, but not far off twice the price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NEBULA-Projector-Autofocu...
And would I be in a much better position than the one I have ordered?
I do think that the main use for this setup will be in the evening to watch the odd film once we've put child to bed etc, so I don't think we'll be relying on it to be working brilliantly in peak daylight.
In terms of the faff, the one I've bought does seem to think it's very easy to setup - I'm fine with spending a few mins getting the area ready, bringing out an extension chord and so on.....not a problem that it won't be a case of just sit down and off we go. Am I in for a shock at how hard it is actually going to be to get set up each time?
And as for a specific outdoor TV, the issue I have is that the space I am planning on having this screen placed is (as you can see) in the gap left when the bifolds are open, so not exactly somewhere we can put a TV.
As for the sound output - not too worried. All the TV watching we do at the moment outdoors is just off the small TV in the kitchen with a UE Boom speaker connected to it outside, so we're not expecting cinema levels of immersion.
So overall my expectations are fairly low - if I can have something that's half decent at watching the odd film with the novelty of being outside under a blanket, then hopefully this screen and projector is up to the job?
Of course, if I find it's utter garbage, I'll be sending both things back for refunds and put it down as a failed attempt.
In response to your points (based only on doing as much research as I could in the last few days) it makes sense the idea of brightness and competing with ambient light etc. I guess the first question here is, could I be getting a better projector (in this sort of budget area) - in terms of Lumens and reviews it looks like this one might have been a better choice, but not far off twice the price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NEBULA-Projector-Autofocu...
And would I be in a much better position than the one I have ordered?
I do think that the main use for this setup will be in the evening to watch the odd film once we've put child to bed etc, so I don't think we'll be relying on it to be working brilliantly in peak daylight.
In terms of the faff, the one I've bought does seem to think it's very easy to setup - I'm fine with spending a few mins getting the area ready, bringing out an extension chord and so on.....not a problem that it won't be a case of just sit down and off we go. Am I in for a shock at how hard it is actually going to be to get set up each time?
And as for a specific outdoor TV, the issue I have is that the space I am planning on having this screen placed is (as you can see) in the gap left when the bifolds are open, so not exactly somewhere we can put a TV.
As for the sound output - not too worried. All the TV watching we do at the moment outdoors is just off the small TV in the kitchen with a UE Boom speaker connected to it outside, so we're not expecting cinema levels of immersion.
So overall my expectations are fairly low - if I can have something that's half decent at watching the odd film with the novelty of being outside under a blanket, then hopefully this screen and projector is up to the job?
Of course, if I find it's utter garbage, I'll be sending both things back for refunds and put it down as a failed attempt.
UTH said:
Thanks for the post - yep, I've bought the stuff, but I did make sure to check the returns policy so I am definitely prepared to send it all back if I've made some bad choices.
In response to your points (based only on doing as much research as I could in the last few days) it makes sense the idea of brightness and competing with ambient light etc. I guess the first question here is, could I be getting a better projector (in this sort of budget area) - in terms of Lumens and reviews it looks like this one might have been a better choice, but not far off twice the price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NEBULA-Projector-Autofocu...
And would I be in a much better position than the one I have ordered?
I do think that the main use for this setup will be in the evening to watch the odd film once we've put child to bed etc, so I don't think we'll be relying on it to be working brilliantly in peak daylight.
In terms of the faff, the one I've bought does seem to think it's very easy to setup - I'm fine with spending a few mins getting the area ready, bringing out an extension chord and so on.....not a problem that it won't be a case of just sit down and off we go. Am I in for a shock at how hard it is actually going to be to get set up each time?
And as for a specific outdoor TV, the issue I have is that the space I am planning on having this screen placed is (as you can see) in the gap left when the bifolds are open, so not exactly somewhere we can put a TV.
As for the sound output - not too worried. All the TV watching we do at the moment outdoors is just off the small TV in the kitchen with a UE Boom speaker connected to it outside, so we're not expecting cinema levels of immersion.
So overall my expectations are fairly low - if I can have something that's half decent at watching the odd film with the novelty of being outside under a blanket, then hopefully this screen and projector is up to the job?
Of course, if I find it's utter garbage, I'll be sending both things back for refunds and put it down as a failed attempt.
In terms of a better projector, my thoughts are that it would be a waste of money if the one you've ordered doesnt work ... I think the marginal lumen increase at that budget won't improve beyond what you get with this one. And actually, lumen output is a bit like 80's car BHP .... probably taken with a pinch of salt, particularly at this end of the market. To give you an idea for anything indoors, we're looking at roughly 2000-2500lm in a room with low ambient light or 2500-3500lm for a room with high ambient light ... a few caveats here based on distance etc. In response to your points (based only on doing as much research as I could in the last few days) it makes sense the idea of brightness and competing with ambient light etc. I guess the first question here is, could I be getting a better projector (in this sort of budget area) - in terms of Lumens and reviews it looks like this one might have been a better choice, but not far off twice the price: https://www.amazon.co.uk/NEBULA-Projector-Autofocu...
And would I be in a much better position than the one I have ordered?
I do think that the main use for this setup will be in the evening to watch the odd film once we've put child to bed etc, so I don't think we'll be relying on it to be working brilliantly in peak daylight.
In terms of the faff, the one I've bought does seem to think it's very easy to setup - I'm fine with spending a few mins getting the area ready, bringing out an extension chord and so on.....not a problem that it won't be a case of just sit down and off we go. Am I in for a shock at how hard it is actually going to be to get set up each time?
And as for a specific outdoor TV, the issue I have is that the space I am planning on having this screen placed is (as you can see) in the gap left when the bifolds are open, so not exactly somewhere we can put a TV.
As for the sound output - not too worried. All the TV watching we do at the moment outdoors is just off the small TV in the kitchen with a UE Boom speaker connected to it outside, so we're not expecting cinema levels of immersion.
So overall my expectations are fairly low - if I can have something that's half decent at watching the odd film with the novelty of being outside under a blanket, then hopefully this screen and projector is up to the job?
Of course, if I find it's utter garbage, I'll be sending both things back for refunds and put it down as a failed attempt.
Your projector won't have any lens adjustment, so will need to go into a fixed position ... it will probably just come with a zoom of some description which shouldn't need adjusting once you've set it up and marked the positions of screen and projector (if possible).
There's only one way to find out and thats a test in your own environment ... but if you live in a built up area, you're up against it with the ambient light I'm afraid. You have the ability to return and I appreciate a TV isn't an option for you, it was more of a generic comment for anyone else thinking about a similar set up.
JEA1K said:
In terms of a better projector, my thoughts are that it would be a waste of money if the one you've ordered doesnt work ... I think the marginal lumen increase at that budget won't improve beyond what you get with this one. And actually, lumen output is a bit like 80's car BHP .... probably taken with a pinch of salt, particularly at this end of the market. To give you an idea for anything indoors, we're looking at roughly 2000-2500lm in a room with low ambient light or 2500-3500lm for a room with high ambient light ... a few caveats here based on distance etc.
Your projector won't have any lens adjustment, so will need to go into a fixed position ... it will probably just come with a zoom of some description which shouldn't need adjusting once you've set it up and marked the positions of screen and projector (if possible).
There's only one way to find out and thats a test in your own environment ... but if you live in a built up area, you're up against it with the ambient light I'm afraid. You have the ability to return and I appreciate a TV isn't an option for you, it was more of a generic comment for anyone else thinking about a similar set up.
Again appreciate the help here, really kind of you. Your projector won't have any lens adjustment, so will need to go into a fixed position ... it will probably just come with a zoom of some description which shouldn't need adjusting once you've set it up and marked the positions of screen and projector (if possible).
There's only one way to find out and thats a test in your own environment ... but if you live in a built up area, you're up against it with the ambient light I'm afraid. You have the ability to return and I appreciate a TV isn't an option for you, it was more of a generic comment for anyone else thinking about a similar set up.
TBH I wouldn't mind chucking a bit more budget at this if you think there is a projector option that would make a huge difference in what I'm trying to achieve. But like you say, no point me chucking another £300 or so at a 'slightly' better version of what I've ordered already.
Luckily not a built up area, it's a detached house in Surrey with a 'fairly' large garden, so lights from other houses/streets etc is next to nothing once the sun has gone down. Of course, in the height of summer that isn't until gone 9pm.....
In terms of the lense adjustment - the one I've ordered bangs on about this really clever "automatic keystone correction", which to a clueless idiot like me sounds like some really snazzy tech which does all the adjusting and focussing for me as soon as I point it at the screen. Is that actually more of a gimmick that I'm falling for?
I do have a lot of flexibility for where I actually position the projector in front of the screen.....we can position our seating setup around it if needs be, hopefully that might help?
Final question - the screen; any reason to think I've bought the wrong thing? To me a screen is basically a flat white surface, and it looks like that's what I've bought, but I'm sure there's much more to it than that?
But yes, agreed that once I've actually got the stuff and set it up, I'll then know if it's what I was hoping for or not.
Dammit, I've opened the rabbit hole again and been lead to this......
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optoma-GT2000HDR-projecto...
I know it's 'not portable' but I assume that doesn't mean I can't sit it on a small table outside plugged into the mains and use it? And to that point, what exactly DOES portable mean? Given I have the ability to pick up and move that one I linked, surely that makes it 'somewhat' portable?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Optoma-GT2000HDR-projecto...
I know it's 'not portable' but I assume that doesn't mean I can't sit it on a small table outside plugged into the mains and use it? And to that point, what exactly DOES portable mean? Given I have the ability to pick up and move that one I linked, surely that makes it 'somewhat' portable?
UTH said:
Again appreciate the help here, really kind of you.
TBH I wouldn't mind chucking a bit more budget at this if you think there is a projector option that would make a huge difference in what I'm trying to achieve. But like you say, no point me chucking another £300 or so at a 'slightly' better version of what I've ordered already.
Luckily not a built up area, it's a detached house in Surrey with a 'fairly' large garden, so lights from other houses/streets etc is next to nothing once the sun has gone down. Of course, in the height of summer that isn't until gone 9pm.....
In terms of the lense adjustment - the one I've ordered bangs on about this really clever "automatic keystone correction", which to a clueless idiot like me sounds like some really snazzy tech which does all the adjusting and focussing for me as soon as I point it at the screen. Is that actually more of a gimmick that I'm falling for?
I do have a lot of flexibility for where I actually position the projector in front of the screen.....we can position our seating setup around it if needs be, hopefully that might help?
Final question - the screen; any reason to think I've bought the wrong thing? To me a screen is basically a flat white surface, and it looks like that's what I've bought, but I'm sure there's much more to it than that?
But yes, agreed that once I've actually got the stuff and set it up, I'll then know if it's what I was hoping for or not.
You're welcome.TBH I wouldn't mind chucking a bit more budget at this if you think there is a projector option that would make a huge difference in what I'm trying to achieve. But like you say, no point me chucking another £300 or so at a 'slightly' better version of what I've ordered already.
Luckily not a built up area, it's a detached house in Surrey with a 'fairly' large garden, so lights from other houses/streets etc is next to nothing once the sun has gone down. Of course, in the height of summer that isn't until gone 9pm.....
In terms of the lense adjustment - the one I've ordered bangs on about this really clever "automatic keystone correction", which to a clueless idiot like me sounds like some really snazzy tech which does all the adjusting and focussing for me as soon as I point it at the screen. Is that actually more of a gimmick that I'm falling for?
I do have a lot of flexibility for where I actually position the projector in front of the screen.....we can position our seating setup around it if needs be, hopefully that might help?
Final question - the screen; any reason to think I've bought the wrong thing? To me a screen is basically a flat white surface, and it looks like that's what I've bought, but I'm sure there's much more to it than that?
But yes, agreed that once I've actually got the stuff and set it up, I'll then know if it's what I was hoping for or not.
Keystone in simple terms is a way of adjusting the image so that it looks 'flat' when in fact, the projector will never be dead centre ... it will be offset (possibly lower if its just floor mounted) but will adjust the image to suit (in theory). It will probably focus the image but probably (you'll need to check) zoom the image to scale.
I wouldn't be concerned about the screen, thats one thing that will just do the job. A more expensive screen won't achieve anything.
My only other option/comment if you feel that any of this doesn't work is to consider an ultra short throw projector. This would need to sit close (100mm) away from the screen and you'd need an ALR screen (ambient light reflective) to get an image. I'm not sure of costs but suspect it maybe £1.5k/£2k upwards for one of these and the screen will cost a little more than what you've paid.
JEA1K said:
UTH said:
Again appreciate the help here, really kind of you.
TBH I wouldn't mind chucking a bit more budget at this if you think there is a projector option that would make a huge difference in what I'm trying to achieve. But like you say, no point me chucking another £300 or so at a 'slightly' better version of what I've ordered already.
Luckily not a built up area, it's a detached house in Surrey with a 'fairly' large garden, so lights from other houses/streets etc is next to nothing once the sun has gone down. Of course, in the height of summer that isn't until gone 9pm.....
In terms of the lense adjustment - the one I've ordered bangs on about this really clever "automatic keystone correction", which to a clueless idiot like me sounds like some really snazzy tech which does all the adjusting and focussing for me as soon as I point it at the screen. Is that actually more of a gimmick that I'm falling for?
I do have a lot of flexibility for where I actually position the projector in front of the screen.....we can position our seating setup around it if needs be, hopefully that might help?
Final question - the screen; any reason to think I've bought the wrong thing? To me a screen is basically a flat white surface, and it looks like that's what I've bought, but I'm sure there's much more to it than that?
But yes, agreed that once I've actually got the stuff and set it up, I'll then know if it's what I was hoping for or not.
You're welcome.TBH I wouldn't mind chucking a bit more budget at this if you think there is a projector option that would make a huge difference in what I'm trying to achieve. But like you say, no point me chucking another £300 or so at a 'slightly' better version of what I've ordered already.
Luckily not a built up area, it's a detached house in Surrey with a 'fairly' large garden, so lights from other houses/streets etc is next to nothing once the sun has gone down. Of course, in the height of summer that isn't until gone 9pm.....
In terms of the lense adjustment - the one I've ordered bangs on about this really clever "automatic keystone correction", which to a clueless idiot like me sounds like some really snazzy tech which does all the adjusting and focussing for me as soon as I point it at the screen. Is that actually more of a gimmick that I'm falling for?
I do have a lot of flexibility for where I actually position the projector in front of the screen.....we can position our seating setup around it if needs be, hopefully that might help?
Final question - the screen; any reason to think I've bought the wrong thing? To me a screen is basically a flat white surface, and it looks like that's what I've bought, but I'm sure there's much more to it than that?
But yes, agreed that once I've actually got the stuff and set it up, I'll then know if it's what I was hoping for or not.
Keystone in simple terms is a way of adjusting the image so that it looks 'flat' when in fact, the projector will never be dead centre ... it will be offset (possibly lower if its just floor mounted) but will adjust the image to suit (in theory). It will probably focus the image but probably (you'll need to check) zoom the image to scale.
I wouldn't be concerned about the screen, thats one thing that will just do the job. A more expensive screen won't achieve anything.
My only other option/comment if you feel that any of this doesn't work is to consider an ultra short throw projector. This would need to sit close (100mm) away from the screen and you'd need an ALR screen (ambient light reflective) to get an image. I'm not sure of costs but suspect it maybe £1.5k/£2k upwards for one of these and the screen will cost a little more than what you've paid.
I'm actually in the middle of watching this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac8kW226oCM), and am now learning about ALR, UST etc, so 20 mins ago I had no idea what it meant, now I get it!
My projector arrives tomorrow, screen arrives next week, so hopefully I can give it all a test by next weekend with plenty of time to send it all back and start again, or bask in the glory of a nice little garden setup. Gut feeling is it'll be somewhere in the middle......
I wouldn't be buying a projector from Amazon. Go to a specialist like https://www.projectors.co.uk/
You will probably pay a lot less, for a better projector.
You will probably pay a lot less, for a better projector.
Road2Ruin said:
I wouldn't be buying a projector from Amazon. Go to a specialist like https://www.projectors.co.uk/
You will probably pay a lot less, for a better projector.
Sadly being as clueless as I am about all this I went with what reviews were saying and that one was well reviewed and at around £500 seemed a good option. You will probably pay a lot less, for a better projector.
Despite requesting it arrive today, it’s now coming tomorrow.
As above though can easily send it all back
If short throw is your thing the it might well work for you.
The thing with projectors, is if you don't want to throw away your money, you HAVE to do your research, including focal length. You need to decide where it'll live, and how far from the screen, plus, the noise, plus, are you doing it for movies or sport? Plus, the technology. I don't "know" laser, but I have found DLP gives the best cinematic experience, vastly more so than LCD.
Lots of measuring and consideration needed, but I do know that £700 or less buys you a fantastic DLP PJ.
The thing with projectors, is if you don't want to throw away your money, you HAVE to do your research, including focal length. You need to decide where it'll live, and how far from the screen, plus, the noise, plus, are you doing it for movies or sport? Plus, the technology. I don't "know" laser, but I have found DLP gives the best cinematic experience, vastly more so than LCD.
Lots of measuring and consideration needed, but I do know that £700 or less buys you a fantastic DLP PJ.
Griffith4ever said:
If short throw is your thing the it might well work for you.
The thing with projectors, is if you don't want to throw away your money, you HAVE to do your research, including focal length. You need to decide where it'll live, and how far from the screen, plus, the noise, plus, are you doing it for movies or sport? Plus, the technology. I don't "know" laser, but I have found DLP gives the best cinematic experience, vastly more so than LCD.
Lots of measuring and consideration needed, but I do know that £700 or less buys you a fantastic DLP PJ.
I guess it'll live in a cupboard etc when not being used, and only used when we want to watch a film whilst sitting on the outdoor furniture on the patio. Distance from the screen is flexible up to about 5 metres I'd say, as we can put it on a small coffee table anywhere from where the screen is to where the tree is in the photo on the first post. The thing with projectors, is if you don't want to throw away your money, you HAVE to do your research, including focal length. You need to decide where it'll live, and how far from the screen, plus, the noise, plus, are you doing it for movies or sport? Plus, the technology. I don't "know" laser, but I have found DLP gives the best cinematic experience, vastly more so than LCD.
Lots of measuring and consideration needed, but I do know that £700 or less buys you a fantastic DLP PJ.
It'd be great if it was any good at having the football on during the day when I'm at the BBQ, but that's not a deal breaker as there is a TV on the wall in the kitchen that I usually hook up to my bluetooth speaker.
So, short answer, films in the evening when we want to sit outside, other than that it'll be stored away. Distance from screen not an issue
Ranger 6 said:
Budget approach as mentioned earlier. The screen is hung on fence panels with an old (dust) sheet behind it, and the projector is on a plastic box on the table. Source is from a laptop streaming iPlayer, with a Bose BT speaker for the sound.
Useless in daylight.
Oh great thank you, that's very helpful to see an actual setup. Useless in daylight.
How dark are we talking for it to be useable? Say height of summer, are you waiting until gone 9pm, or is it workable from 8ish?
Griffith4ever said:
You can project early dusk, it'll just be a bit washed out, depending on your projector. The darker it gets, the better it gets, obviously.
Well my projector just turned up, annoyingly the screen won't arrive until next weekMight try and find a wall I can have a play on!
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