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The world's crappiest projector.

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edited November 2007 in Technology
So Digg told me that the world's crappiest projector was reviewed. And I clicked on the link to see the review in the hope to get some laughs. However, once I clicked the link and saw the page the first thing I thought was: Aperture Science Hand Held Portal Device. Now I shall wait for a pictures of a mod of this projector projecting a portal on the wall.

In the mean time I think we can discuss in this topic: Projectors. What are your opinions about projectors? Would you buy one if they were affordable? Would you hook it up to your computer? Or just ignore that projectors exist and just stare at light emitting screens?

Imo projectors are neat, sadly they are pricey and the image quality is far from amazing. At least, as far as I know.

Comments

  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    I researched and purchased one about 4 years ago for my church. We had received a ton of cash as a grant for youth activities and what was left over came to me to decide on how to spend.

    For around $1800 we ended up with a very nice projector, 100" screen, surround sound system and a bunch of cables and such. The system saw heavy use and the bulb finally gave out last weekend.

    Projectors are great for watching movies and other intermittent uses but I would not use one to replace a TV.
  • xenomousexenomouse
    edited November 2007
    A friend of mine got a projector a few years back and used it as his main TV for quite a while until he found a good deal on an HDTV.

    Edit: That thing was awesome for Halo.
    Post edited by xenomouse on
  • Jain7thJain7th
    My family has a projector. It's really nice because they devoted a whole room to the projector and a surround system. The enjoyability mostly comes down on how dark it is outside or how good you can keep out sunlight, and on the brightness of the projector and on how much light the canvas (?) throws back at you.
  • VigaViga


    Edit: That thing was awesome for Halo.
    My brother has one from the school he works at. Playing Halo on there was epic. We also watched fansubs on it.
  • Jain7thJain7th
    I also like hooking my laptop up to the HD projector. But I still haven't found an easy way to get the audio from my haedphones plug into the amplifier (now I use my old PC speakers).
  • AprecheApreche
    I also like hooking my laptop up to the HD projector. But I still haven't found an easy way to get the audio from my haedphones plug into the amplifier (now I use my old PC speakers).
    What kind of holes are on the other end? You probably just need cables/adapters from Radio Shack.
  • DaveDave
    Yeah. Just get 1/8th to RCA converter. You'd be able to get it from any radio shack.
  • Jain7thJain7th
    edited November 2007
    But right there starts my problem, in Austria there are no radio shacks and as I don't use the projector often (it's mostly occupied by my parents) I feel/felt no need to look for a store selling such things.

    Hopefully I can do my Zivildienst in New York, as it should be a good way of setting foot there and make it easier for me to stay and work there an even longer time of my life.
    Post edited by Jain7th on
  • AprecheApreche
    But right there starts my problem, in Austria there are no radio shacks and as I don't use the projector often (it's mostly occupied by my parents) I feel/felt no need to look for a store selling such things.
    No Radio Shack? There must be some sort of electronics store.
  • Jain7thJain7th
    There are but the big store in Klagenfurt manages to not have the things I'm looking for and the stores of which I think that they probably had the adapter are time eaters o get to because I would go 15 min per bus, get out, walk 10 min, shop, walk back, wait for 30 min and then go by bus for 30 min :( (both cars my family has are almost always occuied so no luck with my drivers license)

    (If you ask yourself where I live type diex (in austria) into Google Maps and you're 15 min per car away from were I live, or, with a shortcut through the forest about 30 min per foot, I actually have to walk through the dark forest quite often to get home at a reasonable time.

    And I go to school at the BRG Viktring near Klagenfurt, I get up at 5 am to go to school.)
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    Projectors are awesome, depending... You get a huge screen, that dollar per inch of viewing area, can't be touched by other display technologies. My 720p projector throwing 106" picture looks fantastic. Most projectors have no speakers (see Jain7th's problem), you need a darker room, and you usually need a much longer cable run from the projector to your A/V devices. I also would not want to use a projector as my primary TV viewing device.

    If you have the space, and are willing to spend the time and money to set it up correctly a front projector can't be beat.
    sadly they are pricey and the image quality is far from amazing. At least, as far as I know.
    There was a 720p projector on woot today for $899. Mine was $1800 with the screen. The same projector today is about $1200, with a brighter lamp. Price wise projectors aren't bad at all. Picture quality depends on a couple things. First and foremost is the amount of light that gets into the room. Most home theater projectors will wash out with much ambient light. If you have a dark room, you are using an appropriate screen size for the projector, and you have the picture calibrated, you will have a picture as good as any LCD or DLP.

    I'm not bragging here, I just love my theater, I put a ton of hard work into it. People are constantly amazed when they see my projector (including me). I've had 2 friends buy projectors after I got mine. Again it's not for everyone, but I'll always have one, now that I know what it's like. Pic and with in wall surround speakers and from the front.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    A 720P projector? I have never heard of such a thing.

    When I picked out the one for the church many years ago it was listed with the computer resolutions it was capable of.
  • AprecheApreche

    When I picked out the one for the church many years ago it was listed with the computer resolutions it was capable of.
    720p is the same as 1280x720. My tiny laptop has a resolution of 1280x768.
  • Jain7thJain7th
    Great work am_dragon, the room looks great, some time ago my father bought some seats from the movie theatre he always went to in his youth, sadly the room he uses for the projector is not really long, so a couch does a really good job. It's amazing how little surround sound speakers bought in a set can give you a great experience and it feels funny when you feel the wind in your face from the sub woofer when something blows up.

    720p has a nice resolution for working with a PC, PAL and NTSC were pretty much unusable for anything except movies (from a PC users perspective). It gives you enough space to operate a newer OS.
  • am_dragonam_dragon
    edited November 2007
    A 720P projector? I have never heard of such a thing.
    When I picked out the one for the church many years ago it was listed with the computer resolutions it was capable of.
    Projectors are often connected to computers for presentations so when looking for a "business projector" like the one for your church, most have 4:3 computer resolutions like 800x600, 1024x768, or 1280x1024. There are many "home theater projectors" out there that are either 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p) the 2 ATSC standard resolutions for high definition video.
    My tiny laptop has a resolution of 1280x768.
    Exactly, and the recommended viewing distance is 3 times the screen height. My projector is as sharp at 13 feet as your laptop is at 2 feet. That should give you an idea of the picture quality.

    BTW be careful if you try to use a projector as a portal gun, you could easily burn the crap out of your hands. Projectors run very hot.
    Post edited by am_dragon on
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Ahh.... Yes, I was looking at business projectors at the time
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