January 24th, 2012
This is one of the best articles we’ve seen regarding things you should know when replacing a projector bulb. You can access the full original article here. Of course, when you rent a projector from Projector123.com, you won’t ever have to worry about changing a bulb or performing any other kind of maintenance — we handle it all for you! Click here to rent a projector now.
Tips on Replacing a Projector Bulb
Credit: Abdul Quddoos, Articlebase.com
 To keep your projector in a perfect condition, proper maintenance should be done effectively on a regular basis. Projector bulb is the most important part in a projector and it should be given due importance for quality and effective operation. Projector lamp should be replaced at the right time for its better operation and here are some tips for changing a bulb in your projector.
If you are not using your projector regularly the chances of projector bulb not working is more and it will be very hard to change the bulb immediately at the time of using it. So it is advised to check the bulb in you projector regularly if also it is not used continuously. There are many factors responsible for reducing the life span of a projector lamp as the bulb in a projector is fragile in nature. Not allowing the bulb to cool before moving the projector lamp, storing a projector in a room with lot of temperature fluctuations or not maintaining and cleaning the filter will reduce the life of a projector lamp.
In some projectors and in the latest models indication is available if the life of the lamp is exceeded. When this message comes along, then it is the right time to replace the projector bulb. The maximum bulb life should not exceed more than twenty percent of the original life time. When you use the projector bulb more than its specified life time then there is a possibility of bulb bursting.
It is always safe to have one or two projector lamps for replacement, so the bulb can be replaced when required and the projector can be used continuously without any obstacle. Also there is a option available in the projector lamps to check how many hours the projector bulb has worked and based on this you can change your bulb accordingly. You can reset the hours when you replace a new bulb.
A normal projector bulb will work for about 2000 hours and there are lots of companies offering bulbs at different price range. The bulb is an expensive part in a projector which is can get damaged easily and so it has to be handled very carefully. While buying a bulb for your projector make sure that you buy a genuine lamp and also check the model that is required for your projector and buy the right one.
The cooling system in your projector should be proper and effective to cool the bulb. If the cooling is not effective the life of the bulb will get reduced and even sometime the bulb may explode because of ineffective cooling. Also keep the manual provided with the projector lamp that will help you to replace your projector lamps easily and also the manual will contain some tips for maintaining your projector to extend the life span.
January 19th, 2012
You love your children’s art projects, don’t you? You’ll hang them on the refrigerator or wall but what to do with all these treasures that will surely accumulate throughout each year? Parents would love the opportunity to display all of their children’s artwork, but there’s only so much room in a person’s home. That, however, doesn’t mean that you need to merely sneak these items into the trash. Create digital copies of the artwork, and then host an annual art show with a rental projector.
 Create a Digital Copy
The first thing that you need to do is make a digital copy of the artwork. A scanner works the best for this process. You simply capture the artwork, and save it to your computer. If you don’t have a scanner, you can always use a digital camera to take a photograph of the work. You may, however, have to crop the image to make the artwork appear straight.
If you are planning on user the latter method, place the artwork on a solid white or black background. Try to include this background in the shot. That way, if you do have to crop the image, you won’t be cutting off sections of the artwork itself.
Use Digital Storage Options
You want to keep all of your images in the same location. This may be a file on your computer, a DVD or a backup storage drive. Label the artwork by month and year so you can remember when it was made (and by which child!).
You also have the option using an online storage option to store your child’s artwork. For example, Flickr and Photobucket allow you to store your images via their free option (which has limited storage capacity) or the pro option (allowing you to store an unlimited number of images for a small fee). Programs like these also allow you to turn your photographs into slideshows.
Rent a Projector and Start the Party
At the end of the year or school year, gather up the family and your child’s friends for a family art gallery night. Rental projectors are one of the best ways to show off the artwork. Set up the projector screen, and play a slideshow of the digital copies of the artwork.
Or, gather up a few projectors, and display artwork individually on different walls just like a real gallery. Encourage your child to be the “artist for the night.” Invite friends and family, and have your child walk around and talk about their images. Make this an annual event that the family can look forward to each year.
Never rented a projector before? Rent one from Projector123.com. Their easy online ordering only takes a few minutes, and the projector will arrive the day before your event. Click here to discover more.
January 17th, 2012
This is a well-written article by Jeff Tyson that explains how renting a projector work. You don’t need to understand all the technology to rent a projector today from Projector123.com. Click here to discover how easy it really is! You can click here to read the full original article.
How Movie Projectors Work
by Jeff Tyson
Movies are part of every modern culture. And while movies on VHS and DVD are extremely popular, nothing replaces the larger-than-life spectacle of a grandiose film, such as “The Patriot,” filling the big screen. In the United States alone, there are more than 37,000 movie screens, a clear testament to just how much we love to go to the movies!
In this article, you will learn about the amazing projection system that makes watching a movie at a theater possible. Other articles in this series examine the theater screen and seating, the sound system and digital sound, THX and film distribution.
To show a modern film-based movie, there are five things you absolutely need:
- A way to advance each frame of the film
- A way to project the image from the film
- A way to read the audio
- A surface to project the image on
- A system to play the audio
A projector provides the first three items on our list. While movies are usually projected onto a screen, a large white wall is all you really need.
What is a Movie Projector?
A movie projector is a device that continuously moves film along a path so that each frame of the film is stopped for a fraction of a second in front of a light source. The light source provides extremely bright illumination that casts the image on the film through a lens onto a screen.
There are four major groups of parts that make up a projector:
- Spool assembly (cambers, sprockets, claw, motor, platter)
- Lamp assembly (bulb, condenser, fan, mirror)
- Lens assembly (lens, aperture gate, shutter)
- Audio assembly (optical and digital readers, infrared LED)
Spooling the FilmIt takes an amazing amount of film to make a movie. Most movies are shot on 35mm film stock. You can get 16 frames (individual pictures) on 1 foot (30.5 cm) of film. Movie projectors move the film at a speed of 24 frames per second, so it takes 1.5 feet (45.7 cm) of film to create every single second of a movie.
At this rate, you end up needing a lot of film pretty quickly. Consider these calculations:
- One second = 1.5 feet (24 frames per second divided by 16 frames per foot)
- One minute = 90 feet (1.5 feet per second multiplied by 60 seconds)
- One hour = 5,400 feet (90 feet per minute multiplied by 60 minutes)
- Typical two-hour movie plus five minutes of previews = 2.13 miles (11,250 feet divided by 5,280)
You can use this formula to figure out just how much film it took to show the next movie you go see. Just multiply the number of minutes in the movie by 90 to get the number of feet of film.
Because a feature length film is so long, distributors divide it into segments that are rolled onto reels. A typical two-hour movie will probably be divided into five or six reels. In the early days, films were shown with two projectors. One projector was threaded with the first reel and the other projector with the second reel of the movie. The projectionist would start the film on the first projector, and when it was 11 seconds from the end of the reel, a small circle flashed briefly in the corner of the screen. This alerted the projectionist to get ready to change to the other projector. Another small circle flashed when one second was left and the projectionist pressed a changeover pedal to start the second projector and stop the first one. While the second reel was rolling, the projectionist removed the first reel on the other projector and threaded the third reel. This swapping continued throughout the movie.
In the 1960s, a device called a platter began to show up in theaters. The platter consists of two to four large discs, about 4 or 5 feet in diameter, stacked vertically 1 to 2 feet apart. A payout assembly on one side of the platter feeds film from one disc to the projector and takes the film back from the projector to spool onto a second disc. The discs are large enough to hold one large spool of the entire film, which the projectionist assembles by splicing together all of the lengths of film from the different reels. Splicing is the process of cutting the end of one strip of film so that it carefully matches up to the beginning of the next strip of film, and then taping the strips together.
Once projectionists could put all of the film for a movie on a single spool, a couple of things happened:
- One projector could show the entire film.
- One projectionist could easily run movies in several auditoriums at the same time.
These two factors made it less expensive to show movies because you needed less manpower and fewer projectors. This led to the birth of the multiplex, a group of several auditoriums in one theater. Since their introduction, multiplexes have grown from two or four auditoriums to 15 to 20. These super-sized theaters are often referred to as megaplexes.
Moving the Film
Once a projectionist splices the film and loads it on the feed platter, he threads the film through the platter’s payout assembly and into the top of the projector. A strip of film has small square holes along each side called sprocket holes. These holes fit over the teeth of special gear-like wheels called sprockets. The sprockets, driven by an electric motor, pull the film through the projector. Cambers, small spring-loaded rollers, provide tension to keep the film from bunching up or slipping off the sprockets.
 The film needs to advance one frame, pause for a fraction of a second and then advance to the next frame. This is accomplished using one of two mechanisms. The first one uses a small lever known as the claw, which is mounted on a bar next to the film’s path. The claw is connected to the outer edge of a wheel that acts as the crank. The circular motion of the crank makes the claw lift up and out to come out of a sprocket hole and then down and in to catch onto another sprocket hole. This causes the film to advance one frame. The speed of the sprockets is closely synchronized with the lever action of the claw to make sure that the claw is consistently advancing the film at a rate of 24 frames per second.
The second type uses another sprocket wheel mounted just below the aperture gate. This intermittent sprocket rotates just far enough to pull the film down one frame, pauses and then rotates again. Intermittent sprockets provide more reliable performance and do not wear out the sprocket holes as quickly as the claw.
The film is stretched over a couple of bars as it passes in front of the lens. The bars serve to keep the film tight and properly aligned. Depending on the projector’s configuration and the sound format used, the film will pass through an optical audio decoder mounted before or after the lens assembly. For digital sound, the film will travel through a special digital decoder attached to the top of the projector. As the film leaves the projector (or the digital-audio decoder), it is carried on a series of rollers back to the platter’s payout assembly and spooled to a take-up platter.
Projecting the Film
The key element in a projector is the light source. Carbon arc lamps have been used since the early 1900s but have a very short life. Xenon bulbs are the most commonly used lamps today. Xenon is a rare gas with certain properties that make it especially suited for use in projectors:
- In dense enough quantities, it will conduct electricity.
- As a conductor, it glows very brightly.
- It will continue to provide bright illumination for a substantial amount of time (2,000 to 6,000 hours).
Constructing a xenon bulb is a tricky process. The bulbs have a quartz envelope instead of a glass one because the bulbs get very hot. The quartz shell houses a cathode and an anode. Since the xenon gas itself is conductive, the bulb doesn’t need a filament. Instead, when a current is applied to the bulb, the charge arcs between the cathode and anode. For the bulb to shine brightly enough, the xenon must be pure and the quartz envelope must be vacuum sealed. Because of the rarity of xenon and the complicated processes involved in bulb production, xenon bulbs generally cost $700 or more each.
The xenon bulb is mounted in the center of a parabolic mirror located in the lamphouse. The mirror reflects light from the bulb and focuses it on the condenser. The condenser is a pair of lenses used together to further intensify the light and focus it on the main lens assembly. The heat generated by this focused light is incredible. That’s why film melts so quickly when the projector stops spooling it.
  As the focused light leaves the lamphouse and enters the projector, it is intercepted by the shutter. The shutter is a small, propeller-like device that rotates 24 times per second. Each blade of the shutter blocks the path of the light as it comes to a certain point in its revolution. This blacking out is synchronized with the advancement of the film so that the light doesn’t project the fraction of a second when the film is moving from one frame to the next. Without it, the film would seem to flicker or have faint impressions of the images out of sync. Many projectors use double shutters that rotate in opposite directions. This causes the light to be cut off from both the top and bottom of each frame, further reducing the possibility of flicker.
Before the light gets to the film, it also passes through an aperture gate. The aperture gate is a small, removable metal frame that blocks the light from illuminating anything but the part of the film that you want to see on the screen. Two good examples of unwanted images would be the sprocket holes and audio information along the sides of the film. Aperture gates come in a variety of sizes that correspond to the screen format of the movie.
From the aperture gate, the light passes through the film and into the main lens. The lens is removable and can be changed depending on the format of the film. The two most common lenses are flat and CinemaScope. Many projectors have a turret that allows both types of lenses to be mounted, and the projector will rotate the required lens into place.
From the projector, the light goes through a viewport at the front of the projection booth and travels to the front of the auditorium until it reaches the screen. Finally, the images from the film appear on the screen.
Automating the Process
Projectionists have developed many innovative techniques to ensure that the show proceeds as it should. Cue tape is one of the more interesting and useful of these. It is a short strip of metal fastened to the edge of the film at a specific location. At the appropriate time, the film passes two electrical contacts, and the cue tape completes a circuit between the contacts. This circuit acts like a switch, and it can serve a variety of functions. A cue-tape switch can:
- dim the house lights
- turn off the house lights
- change the lens setting
- change the sound format
- change the screen masking (masking is the use of curtains to frame the screen)
- switch projectors
The last item on the list is not very relevant since most theaters now use platters, but changing projectors is the original reason that cue tape was invented. With cue-tape switches, manufacturers were able to automate the process of beginning one reel as the other ended. Enterprising projectionists soon realized that they could automate a number of other functions as well by using certain combinations of cue tape to trigger specific responses.
Cue tape has made it possible to automate many aspects of movie projection, such as changing sound formats between the previews and the movie, but new systems like Reel Automation’s Showtimer promise to greatly enhance and expand automated processes.
December 29th, 2011
Certainly there are many differences between visual and verbal presentations. As a speaker, your natural way of presenting is to choose the delivery method with which you yourself are most comfortable. If you prefer to explain things verbally (and to learn in an auditory fashion), then you may tend to overlook the need of visuals in any presentation you deliver. However, a crucial thing to remember is that people learn in many different ways, and the more ways you can incorporate into your presentation, the more likely your audience will be to remain engaged and interested.
The Visual Learner
More than half the population are visual learners, and if you don’t provide these folks with some attention-grabbing eye candy to look at, they can easily become distracted with other (unintentional) visuals – for example, your clothing, your mannerisms, or what the person sitting in front of them may be doing. You will garner more interest, and your audience will benefit from a higher retention rate of the information presented, when you provide professional quality graphics to reinforce your key speaking points.
The Auditory Learner
You can further enhance the benefits to the auditory learner by creating some audience participation. For example, many speakers will reinforce a key point verbally, then, after it’s been repeated a few times during the presentation, will start the sentence and have the audience verbally complete it. This engages the participants and reinforces learning. Music is another way to engage and retain the attention of your auditory learners.
The Hands-on Learner
Your tactile learners need some sort of hands-on activity to engage their interest. This is when flyers or handouts come in handy, allowing participants to take notes or complete a worksheet. Props that can be passed around or handed out are also useful, as well as a small card, magnet, notepad, or other representation of the information presented during your talk. During your presentation you can keep these hands-on learners engaged with comments like “if you are taking notes…” or by asking for a volunteer to participate in an exercise on stage.
 The Combo Package
The smart approach is to incorporate all three types of learning, especially since most people learn best through a combination of all three styles. A rental projector allows you to incorporate both audio and visual learning tools, and when you combine these with a handout, workbook or flyer, you’ve got a slam dunk.
The combination of verbal presentation, still or moving images in a slide show or video display format, and relevant handouts will help to ensure that you are maximizing your time in front of the audience. For your next presentation, be sure to rent a projector from Projector123.com. Click here now to learn more.
December 27th, 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, many businesses are wrapping up year-end purchases to take advantage of final tax write-offs for the year. If you’ve been considering whether you should continue to rent a projector when and where you need one, as compared to investing in this versatile piece of audiovisual equipment, here’s our quick reference guide for making the smart choice for your business or organization. Take a look at the pros and cons of each option.
 Accessibility
Are you more likely to use a projector on a spontaneous occasion (same day use), or with planning (at least two day’s notice)? For spontaneous, immediate use, owning your own projector certainly has its advantages. With absolute access, you can easily add style and flair to any presentation, and any occasion. You’ll avoid time delays and shipping costs, but you’ll also be responsible for storage and careful transport when you use the unit outside of your office building. If you’re more likely to need a projector on the road, at multiple locations, or outside of the office, then renting a projector could be the smarter way to go, since you can have the unit shipped to the location where you plan to use it.
Obsolescence
With the rapid improvements inherent in technology, there is a strong chance that today’s top-of-the-line projector purchase could end up being yesterday’s junk within just a year or two. If you don’t expect to use an LCD projector frequently (at least half a dozen times per year), then it makes more sense to rent when needed, as opposed to buying your own projector. Rental projector companies tend to stock new, high quality projectors for rental, so you won’t have to worry about obsolescence when you rent.
Cost
Always consider your bottom line, as cost is always a huge consideration in determining whether to buy or rent equipment. But before you can begin comparing costs, you must consider what situations and environments will require your use of a projector. A versatile, professional grade LCD projector will likely cost upwards of about $600. You can rent a comparable piece of equipment for under $100 per rental.
Maintenance
If you’re considering purchasing a projector, be sure to keep maintenance in mind. Projectors can be finicky, and repairs can become costly. The projector lamp must be changed (frequency depends on how much you use it) and that one service can run hundreds of dollars, even if you’re replacing it yourself.
For the easiest, most affordable way to secure an LCD rental projector when and where you want it, visit Projector123.com today.
December 6th, 2011
Are you confused about the differences between DLP and LCD rental projectors? In our ongoing series on technical questions and answers about projectors, we tackle this common query.
LCD
LCD is a commonly used term, though few people can easily recall what the acronym represents. LCD stands for “liquid crystal display,” a term used to indicate that the unit contains two transparent polarized panels, with a liquid solution between them. Light shines through the panels from behind, causing an image to appear. Polarized panels will only pass light waves in one plane, and the panels are positioned at a 90 degree angle to each other, which means light from one plane cannot pass through the other panel. But when electricity passes through the liquid crystals, individual pixels are switched on or off, to produce a specific image.
With regards to projectors, LCD projectors typically send light through a prism from a metal halide lamp that separates the light into colors (green, red and blue). The video signal is essentially split by color, and the prism sorts the colors and projects the specified image.
LCD projectors are the most popular because they are lightweight and extremely portable. Typically, metal lamps are used for their ideal color temperature and ability to display a large amount of colors. Additionally, metal lamps can produce a vast amount of light in a small area, making them ideal for high-lumen outputs.
/>DLP
DLP projectors generally feature brighter, more defined display outputs than LCD, but are certainly more costly. Many businesses and educational companies prefer DLP over LCD. With a DLP projector, white light is projected through an array of movable mirrors that control the intensity of each pixel of light as well as the color.
Although DLP projectors are more expensive, they hold a distinct advantage over LCD projectors with regards to maintenance. Projector maintenance and cleaning are required to keep each unit in good functioning order. Every interaction with a projector ultimately costs time and money; therefore, it is important to understand how often you will need to maintain your projector throughout its lifetime. DLP projectors can save a bundle on time and money since no filter is required, and DLP projectors features a lamp free design.
Of course, if you plan to avoid maintenance altogether, it makes sense to rent a projector instead of purchasing one. All projectors from Projector123.com are LCD projectors, as this is the most versatile and portable. To learn more about renting a projector, click here to visit Projector123.com.
December 2nd, 2011
From business presentations and large-scale events to in-home gatherings and family celebrations, projectors can add so much more than just visual effect. With a rental projector, you can add drama, flair, pizzazz, or simply create a personalized or more customized feel in any venue.
Projector Resolution Guide
The amount of data that can be displayed on the screen at any given time is determined by a projector’s resolution. Resolution is an indicator of the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. High-resolution projectors are able to show more picture details than low-resolution projectors. Here are some basic choices.
SVGA (800×600) –While most computers still output higher resolution, SVGA can be a good option for Power point presentations or other applications that are not relying on intense detail. Ideal for a tight budget.
XGA (1024×768) – The budget standard. Many laptop computers still output in XGA, and matching an XGA projector to your XGA laptop make it positive that you won’t lose any detail.
WXGA (1280×800) – High resolution wide-screen products, usually a bit more expensive than XGA. These units are targeted for use with mid-range wide-screen laptops, which often use 1280×800. These are becoming increasingly common and are used as an inexpensive wide-screen alternative to XGA.
SXGA+ (1400×1050) – Growing in popularity, there are several offerings available in both budget and high-end. SXGA+ resolution is useful for detailed photography and data graphics, but not necessary for PowerPoint presentation and text.
UXGA (1600×1200) – These units are very high in resolution, and are detail or information intensive. Expensive projectors that support a wide range of computer equipment (few products on the market have this native resolution).
One of the key factors in choosing the right resolution is to ask: Is there a need for intensely accurate displaying of small visual details, or are you simply looking for a general presentation tool for text and small graphics?
Another consideration in selecting the ideal projector is its weight. If you are on the road a lot, you would want the lightest, most portable machine available that still fits your resolution needs, so keep the weight of the unit in mind.
 Home Theater Setting
Choosing a projector for the home theater setting requires further consideration, such as aspect ratio, resolution, brightness, contrast, and of course, cost. The aspect ratio refers to the rectangular shape of the video image. A standard TV has an aspect ratio of 4:3 and the HDTV standard is 16:9. As for resolution, we recommend two resolutions for wide-screen 16:9 format home theater, those being 1280×720 and 1920×1080. Regarding brightness and contrast, it depends on the projection size and the amount of ambient light in the space. Contrast is by far the single most important quality in a home theater’s projector, with the higher contrast being preferable.
Of course, the easiest route is to simply rent a projector, when and where you need it most. Click here to learn more about how you can rent a projector from Projector123.com today.
November 22nd, 2011
As usual, Japan leads the way with regards to bizarre and ground-breaking technology. This new projector will create an 80-inch screen from just one inch away — and it can be yours for only $3900. (Or you could just rent a projector from Projector123.com — click here now to read our November special.) You can click here to view the original article.
Canon projector makes 80-inch screen from an inch away
by Jay Alabaster, IDG News Service Oct 11, 2011 7:15 am
Canon’s new projector can produce 80-inch images when positioned an inch away from a screen or wall, it announced on Tuesday.
Canon announced its first ‘ultra short-throw’ projector, which can produce an 80-inch image from an inch away. The Tokyo-based electronics maker said its new LV-8235 projector will generate images of 1280 by 800 pixels at 2,500 lumens. The product is meant for boardrooms and classrooms, and can be positioned directly below or above the image it is projecting, eliminating glare in the eyes of presenters or shadows when people cross in front of the screen. It can also be set on a table top and used to project images horizontally.
The projector will go on sale in Japan and global markets this month. Canon estimated it will cost around ¥300,000 (US$3,900) in Japan. It is the company’s first projector that can create images at such a close distance, and will compete with similar products already released by rivals, such as Sanyo’s PDG-DWL2500 projector.
Canon’s proector is 38.5 cm long, and the lens projects from about 30 cm away when the edge of the unit is flush against a wall or screen. It uses a single DLP chip and can create images up to 110 inches across when moved further away. The projector offers a standard set of ports, including dual PC inputs, LAN cable and HDMI, and has an internal 10-watt speaker.
November 11th, 2011
Are you the DIY type? Perhaps you might be up to the challenge of building your own HD projector. If so, here’s what it will take (but don’t say we didn’t warn you — it would cost far less to rent or even buy a projector instead!) The full article can be found here. If you decide it’s far easier to rent (we’d have to agree!) then check out this month’s specials at Projector123.com.
How to Build Your Own HD Projector
By Will O’Brien
Been eyeballing those sweet new high definition projectors? So have we. We’re not going to feel guilty for it either, we know what we like. But if your wallet is a little light from your last Engadget inspired shopping session you might dig our how-to latest project. In Today’s how-to, we’ll start taking a look at building your own HD projector… from an LCD Monitor. This isn’t one to be missed.
Building your own projector isn’t a new idea. Disassemble a desktop LCD display, put a really, really bright light behind it and add some optics and voila! you’ve got a projector. The real question: is it worth it? Since you might be a little leery of dropping several hundred dollars on parts and gutting a nice display because people you don’t know on an online forum said so, we’re going to do it for you.
If you’re hell-bent on doing all the research yourself, there are couple of places to check out. Lumenlab recently made access to their forums free. Alternatively, The DIYaudio forum users have some interesting ideas.
Lumenlab has put together a nice document describing the details. We’ll give you our short version here. The design is really quite simple. The light source is reflected towards the LCD. A Fresnel lens behind the LCD straightens the light so the maximum amount will pass through the polarized LCD. Another Fresnel focuses the light towards the projection lens.
 The LCD is key to the project. The latest crop of LCDs is cheaper and better than ever. Notably, the contrast ratio has been increasing. It’s important to choose a display that can be disassembled easily and won’t have any inconvenient electronics in the way. Size does matter. LCD size will affect the lenses required and obviously the size of the completed enclosure. For our build, we chose the Samsung 940MW-SV Silver 19-inch 8ms Wide-screen LCD Monitor with built in TV Tuner. This beauty has a contrast ratio of 700:1 and a .294mm pixel pitch. The 16:10 screen has a 1440×900 native resolution, so it will display 720p natively. The built in scaler supports 1080 input as well.
We have to give props to the guys that are using the WXGA screen that’s usually only found in laptops to achieve native 1080 resolution. There was enough interest for these that they actually had a custom controller built to support it.
More importantly, our LCD accepts almost any input. It sports DVI (With HDCP support), VGA, Component, S-Video input and even coax for the built-in TV tuner. We should be able to hook up just about any HD gear we want to this display. We run standard definition video through our video scaler, but there’s just not a good way to push a HD signal into the PC from an external tuner like our HD Tivo.
To maximize the light aimed at the screen, we’ll add a reflector just behind the bulb. Some use Ikea napkin holders, but we opted for this reflector from Lumenlab. It’s coated with a dichroic material that reflects visible light, but allows infrared heat to pass through.
The light source is a 400 Watt Metal Halide bulb. You can score these at the hardware store, but for the best color we want one that puts out light that’s a similar to daylight as possible. That means a bulb with a color temperature of 6500 Kelvin (and hopefully an even spectral output).
The Mogul base of our MH bulb is quite a bit bigger than the average light bulb.
To ignite a Metal Halide bulb, some interesting voltages are needed. To produce them we’ll need a ballast. These things come in a few flavors. The coil type are cheap, but produce a humming noise that might interfere with your viewing pleasure. Electronic ballasts are preferred because they’ll protect the bulb better and don’t produce annoying noise. Our 400 Watt MH electronic ballast cost $100+shipping from HID hut. (They shipped it five minutes after we ordered!) We didn’t expect it, but our ballast came with a ceramic Mogul base.
Back to our diagram we see that the LCD is sandwiched between a pair of Fresnel lenses. The lenses need to be at least the size of the LCD, if not bigger. The only source we could find with big enough Fresnel lenses is Lumenlab. The Projection lens needs to be matched to the Fresnel lens on the same side of the LCD.
Since we required their large lenses anyway, we ordered a set of matched Pro lenses. The ‘Pro’ lens kit includes both Fresnel lenses and the projection lens.
Now that you’ve got the general idea of what we’re doing, it’s a good time to start crunching numbers to get a rough idea of what we’re looking at. Lumenlab has a couple of calculators built just for figuring things out. Focalcalc runs under windows. Remember that if you’re entering the width of the LCD diagonally, then the screen width is a diagonal as well. If you prefer other OSs, there’s a php version that runs under most web browsers.
Lumenlab took about a week to ship out their backorder, once they did, our stuff got here in record time. The star of the order was this ‘pro’ lens. It costs about four times as much as its little brother, but it’s the way to go if you’re using a large LCD like we are.
We compared the picture quality from the HDMI and component outputs from our HR10-250. There was simply no question that the digital signal produced a much cleaner picture. Unsurprisingly, 720p output from the TiVo produced the most pleasing results.
We picked up a pair of new cables to get our video signals to the new photon gun. A 25 foot HDMI to DVI-D cable for our TiVo and a new 25 foot SVGA cable for the HTPC. No, the HDMI-DVI cable wasn’t that expensive.
Before we add up all our parts, keep in mind that this is an Engadget build. There are plenty of ways to save money on this project, but we’re feeling sassy. (And we’re hoping to build something worthy of replacing a venerable Sony VPH-1272Q CRT projector.)
Let’s recap all the parts we bought so far:
- Samsung 940MW-SV $330 from NewEgg (We spotted them at Sam’s Club too)
- Pro Lens Kit (2x Fresnels and projection lens) $199 from Lumenlab
- Pro Reflector $15 from Lumenlab
- Ceramic Mogul Base $10 from Lumenlab (We scored an extra with our ballast)
- 400Watt 6500K Metal Halide bulb – $50 from Lumenlab
- 400Watt MH Electronic Ballast $99 from HID Hut
- 25 foot HDMI to DVI cable $37 from Monoprice [For our HR10-250 HD Tivo]
- 25 foot VGA cable $8 from Monoprice [For our HTPC]
Total parts cost far: $748 (This thing better work…)
Left to buy: Enclosure, cooling fan and a few finishing touches.
Given the cost, why build your own? Replacement lamps for commercial projectors cost around $300 each and only last a few thousand hours at most. The lamp in our projector should last about 10,000 hours and costs $50 to replace. You can build your own projector for far less than we’re spending. LCDs with bad backlights are cheap, and the lenses needed for the smaller LCDs are only $60 for a matched set. You can scrounge them up from surplus shops, but you’ll spend some time hunting them down and getting things right.
We’ve geeked out, ordered a load of parts and scared our editors with the hardware tab. Next time we’ll gut our sweet new LCD and give you all the details on doing it yourself. Then we’ll move on to designing, testing and building our enclosure. When it’s all done, we’ll give it a thorough review.
November 8th, 2011
 If you are considering buying an LCD projector for your home or office, you should weigh the pros and cons of renting versus buying. While a projector has many uses and benefits, it is a costly piece of equipment that requires quite a bit of care and maintenance, so it pays to consider whether renting or buying is best for you.
Frequency of Use
The first major factor to consider in whether to rent or buy a projector is how often you plan to use it. Considering that professional quality projectors can cost $1000 or more, with average annual maintenance costs of around $150, it may simply make more sense to rent a projector when and where you need it, as opposed to having a costly piece of AV equipment sitting around collecting dust. You should also take into consideration the high cost of replacement parts, should your unit require them. For example, a projector lap costs approximately $350 to replace. If your business is considering making this purchase, keep in mind the possibility of obsolescence, as well as equipment depreciation. When you rent a projector, you’re paying only for actual use (often under $100 per rental), and the headache of maintenance and upkeep becomes someone else’s problem. Additionally, renting a unit ensures that you have up-to-date equipment, and there’s no fear of obsolescence.
Location / Environment
If you’ve decided that you will use a projector often enough to justify the investment in purchasing equipment, the next key question to ask is: where are you most likely to use a projector? Will you primarily use the projector only in your own conference room for in-house meetings? If so, this could be a wise purchase. Otherwise, if you intend to travel to client sites, off-site meetings or out-of-town trade shows, it will probably make much more sense to rent a projector where and when you need it. If you purchase the equipment to transport from place to place, you now have to focus on training and educating staff on the proper use and transport of this delicate device. You will also want to get a smaller, more streamlined unit for easier carrying from location to location, and you will need a solid, protective carrying case. Additionally, traveling staff may encounter additional delays when going through airport security with such a device, which creates an added hassle (as opposed to rental companies, who can ship a rental projector to the location of your choice, thereby bypassing any problems in airport security).
If you do choose to rent a projector, trust the professionals at Projector123.com. We’ll deliver a professional grade rental projector at a fraction of the cost of owning your own unit. Click here now to learn more.
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