Hello,

I'm looking at making the leap into using a projector for PC games--specifically racing sims, and have a few questions:

First off, DLP or LCD? I've read a lot of posts on this forum and haven't figured it out yet-LOL. Lag/Delay is a factor here--as is sharpness with fast moving graphics.

Secondly, it sounds like it'd be best to mount the projector above and behind, so would it be possible to 'faux mount' it on a movable tall shelf so it's easy to change the projector location, and adjust the projector angle etc. with thin books or things of that nature as a temporary way of mounting it? Having never owned a projector before, it's hard to tell whether I'll like it or not so doing a ceiling mount etc is something I'd like to avoid at first!

Thirdly, does it matter whether the native resolution is 1280 x 720, 1280 x 768 or 1280 x 800?

Thanks very much in advance.

PS Here are a few of the models that are under consideration--basically in the $800 to $1000 range:
Mitsubishi HC1600
BenQ MP730
Optoma EP1691

Hello,

I'm looking at making the leap into using a projector for PC games--specifically racing sims, and have a few questions:

First off, DLP or LCD? I've read a lot of posts on this forum and haven't figured it out yet-LOL. Lag/Delay is a factor here--as is sharpness with fast moving graphics.

Secondly, it sounds like it'd be best to mount the projector above and behind, so would it be possible to 'faux mount' it on a movable tall shelf so it's easy to change the projector location, and adjust the projector angle etc. with thin books or things of that nature as a temporary way of mounting it? Having never owned a projector before, it's hard to tell whether I'll like it or not so doing a ceiling mount etc is something I'd like to avoid at first!

Thirdly, does it matter whether the native resolution is 1280 x 720, 1280 x 768 or 1280 x 800?

Thanks very much in advance.

PS Here are a few of the models that are under consideration--basically in the $800 to $1000 range:
Mitsubishi HC1600
BenQ MP730
Optoma EP1691

I believe DLP's in general are better for gaming. I also have heard the Panasonic AX200 is a "gaming projector".

First off, DLP or LCD? I've read a lot of posts on this forum and haven't figured it out yet-LOL. Lag/Delay is a factor here--as is sharpness with fast moving graphics.
Personal preference, although if you're looking for something specifically for gaming, quick response will be helpful, so you might want to look for something like the Panasonic's "game mode" that's in some of their projectors:
http://panasonic.net/pavc/projector/products/ae3000/features2.html
Selectable Frame Response:
This function reduces the time from when the video signal is first input until it is projected (referred to as frame delay) to approximately 1/3 that of our previous projectors. The projector can be switched from Normal mode to High-Speed mode. High-Speed mode is recommended for video game use.Secondly, it sounds like it'd be best to mount the projector above and behind, so would it be possible to 'faux mount' it on a movable tall shelf so it's easy to change the projector location, and adjust the projector angle etc. with thin books or things of that nature as a temporary way of mounting it? Having never owned a projector before, it's hard to tell whether I'll like it or not so doing a ceiling mount etc is something I'd like to avoid at first!
If you want maximum flexibility, you might want to look at a model with a lot of horizontal and vertical shift. The obvious choices here are Sanyo and Epson. However, for whatever reason, DLP tends to have much less lens shift available, so you'd be limited to LCD. The degree of lens shift in Sanyo projectors will give you a lot of flexibility in where and how you mount your projector. (Quickly of the top of my head, the most lens shift would be Sanyo, Epson, Panasonic and JVC...in that order, I believe.)

Thirdly, does it matter whether the native resolution is 1280 x 720, 1280 x 768 or 1280 x 800?Absolutely. It's like buying a computer monitor. The native resolution is the best resolution for displaying PC content, especially with small text. Make sure your PC can support the native resolution of the projector, and make sure your satisfied with the level of resolution you plan to play in. Having a 1080p projector (1920 x 1080) and playing at lower resolutions won't be ideal, but it will be a lot less of a problem than trying to play games at higher resolutions than the native output of the monitor.

1280 x 720, 1280 x 768 or 1280 x 800 should all be fine, but keep in mind that while TVs tend to be 16 x 9, PC wide screen monitors tend to be 16 x 10. Check the supported resolutions of your PC and the games that matter to you, to make sure choose a suitable resolution. (FWIW, remember that a 1280 x 800 can display a native 1280 x 720 picture, but a 1280 x 720 monitor can't display a native 1280 x 800 picture.)

I probably gave more new questions than answers, but I hope this gives you a good starting point to help make up your mind about DLP/LCD (do you need lens shift?) and resolution (do you need 1280 x 800, or will 1280 x 720 do?). That should help you narrow down your search quite a bit.

i used an old cheap Sanyo Z3 (LCD) for pc gaming (half life 2 n stuff) and it was great, so id imagine the newer lcds are even better, i think with whatever you go with, just go with something thats not too expensive (keep it under a G id say) and has good lumens and im sure youll be impressed with whatever you get.

I also have heard the Panasonic AX200 is a "gaming projector".

I own the AX200u and can personally attest that the "gaming mode" (as well as other modes as far as I can tell) has zero lag.

For a frame of reference, I consider myself to be a very "high level" player when it comes to FPS games. I'd go pro (seriously) if I didn't have a very well paying job and house payments.

Now, I have very little projector experience so whether or not this mode does better/worse than other LCD projectors I have no idea but I can personally attest to this one.

I love gaming on my Z5! First person is tough though. You actually have to move your head and look around the screen for aiming, different from my 22" monitor where I can just adjust my eyes to aim. I have a force feedback steering wheel and pedals that I use for racing sims, and that's AWESOME!

Good luck!!!
Mike

Thanks very much for the replies all.

I'd like to ask one more question, this one making sure I understand keystone correction. The plan is to have this be a setup for racing games, and so ideally the picture would be quite low--with the bottom of the screen around 2 feet off the floor. From what I've read the projector should be mounted above, and to avoid seeing one's shadow on the screen the projector would have to be mounted higher than the center of the screen. I've attached a very crude JPEG to illustrate. From what I understand, the way to correct the picture for this is with keystone correction--is that right? In other words, would it be a bad idea to get a projector without keystone correction for this setup?

Thanks again in advance.

Thanks very much for the replies all.

I'd like to ask one more question, this one making sure I understand keystone correction. The plan is to have this be a setup for racing games, and so ideally the picture would be quite low--with the bottom of the screen around 2 feet off the floor. From what I've read the projector should be mounted above, and to avoid seeing one's shadow on the screen the projector would have to be mounted higher than the center of the screen. I've attached a very crude JPEG to illustrate. From what I understand, the way to correct the picture for this is with keystone correction--is that right? In other words, would it be a bad idea to get a projector without keystone correction for this setup?

Thanks again in advance.Digital keystone correction = bad.

The level of horizontal and vertical shift available to you will limit exactly where you can place the projector in relation to the screen, but it's much preferable to place the projector somewhere that lens shift can give you a perfect rectangular image. Using digital keystone correction means you lose 1:1 pixel mapping, and especially in games where HUD, static images and/or small text are common, digital keystone correction will noticeably impact your image quality.

I've attached a very crude JPEG to illustrate. P.S. That image shows the projector tilted down at the screen. That's bad. You want the projector's lens parallel with the screen. Imagine moving the projector to your throw distance, perfectly centered at the screen, now move the projector up/down and/or left/right to where you're going to mount it, keeping the lens pointed straight ahead. Once the projector is where you want it, use the lens shift to get the image squarely in the screen. Hope that helps.

P.S. That image shows the projector tilted down at the screen. That's bad. You want the projector's lens parallel with the screen.
Newbie question, why is it bad to put the projector in an angle? Image distortion?

Newbie question, why is it bad to put the projector in an angle? Image distortion?Short answer; Yes.

Look into this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_control_lens)for clear, illustrated examples of what happens when you put the camera/projector at an angle, as opposed to using lens shift.

peteer01--thanks for the info. Very helpful!

So from your info, because of the limited screen adjustment options, a DLP (which I was hoping for) would not work for having the bottom of the screen only 2 feet off the floor with the projector mounted above the viewer.

So that leads to one more question: I was looking at the BenQ MP730 projection calculator page, and it says that for a 50" diagonal image (which is my uneducated guess for being approximately life-size for a racing game) the projector should be mounted 3 feet higher than the top of the screen. I've attached a JPEG with the projection calculator specs. Does that make sense?

Again, much appreciated.

peteer01--thanks for the info. Very helpful!

So from your info, because of the limited screen adjustment options, a DLP (which I was hoping for) would not work for having the bottom of the screen only 2 feet off the floor with the projector mounted above the viewer.

So that leads to one more question: I was looking at the BenQ MP730 projection calculator page, and it says that for a 50" diagonal image (which is my uneducated guess for being approximately life-size for a racing game) the projector should be mounted 3 feet higher than the top of the screen. I've attached a JPEG with the projection calculator specs. Does that make sense?

Again, much appreciated.3 inches

LOL--oops! I feel like I'm in Spinal Tap...

But it would be 3" above the top of the screen, which might make this an acceptable setup?

LOL--oops! I feel like I'm in Spinal Tap...

But it would be 3" above the top of the screen, which might make this an acceptable setup?

Just looking briefly at your idea, you would need to mount the PJ quite low from the ceiling to get the image down to only 2 feet from the floor.

If you are mounting on the ceiling, you need a PJ with a large image offset like the most DLP PJs. If you want to shelf mount it and shift the image you would need an LCD like the Epson/Panasonic/Sanyo.

Let me look over your ideas and replies again and maybe you can explain in a little more detail.

Why limit yourself to 50"? You could just buy a Visio LCD and be done with it if you only need 50".

Things needed to help you:

1. How far the PJ will be from the Screen
2. How high the ceiling is from floor
3. Whether you want to mount to avoid shadows while seated and playing or even if someone stands up.

Here's some more info:

Attached is a JPEG of what I thinking of for the projector mount: some type of height-adjustable shelf. In the pic there are actually 3 projectors and they're LCD's.

Replying to reconlabtech:
1) I'm not sure how far away from the screen the projector will be--the size of the room would allow up to 10 feet, 14 feet if the room were rearranged
2) see picture from above
3) would like to avoid a shadow while playing, but if there is a partial shadow it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Also regarding the Visio idea, I've read that the lag from LCD TV's is quite high when it comes to PC games. Bigger than a 50" image would be good too of course!

Here's some more info:

Attached is a JPEG of what I thinking of for the projector mount: some type of height-adjustable shelf. In the pic there are actually 3 projectors and they're LCD's.

Replying to reconlabtech:
1) I'm not sure how far away from the screen the projector will be--the size of the room would allow up to 10 feet, 14 feet if the room were rearranged
2) see picture from above
3) would like to avoid a shadow while playing, but if there is a partial shadow it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Also regarding the Visio idea, I've read that the lag from LCD TV's is quite high when it comes to PC games. Bigger than a 50" image would be good too of course!

Ok, so is that image what you would like to do and project from say 10 feet away?

Yeah--the last pic illustrates the general idea, with 1 projector instead of 3. The budget says 'no' to 3 projectors...

50"? Haha, my friend, double that when you get your PJ. Then pat yourself on the back and welcome to the wonderful world of front projection PJs!
:D

Yeah--the last pic illustrates the general idea, with 1 projector instead of 3. The budget says 'no' to 3 projectors...

Get yourself the Sharp DT-510 from TigerDirect and mount it on a shelf behind you at about 4 or 5 feet up. This will give you a 90 to 100 inch screen from 10 feet away. Enjoy!

The Sharp DT-510--I haven't read anything about that one. I'll check it out. Thanks again for all the info.