I am considering going with a front projector on a coffee table for an extended period of time until I can ceiling mount. How distracting is this type of setup?

The most annoying thing is the cables that you have to deal with coming out the back of the computer. If someone is waling between the table and the couch there is risk of tripping and pulling out the power chord resulting in a bad situation.

The alternative is to have the cables attached to the table in some manner that avoids that.

It's not distracting in that you notice it during a movie but above comments are something to consider.
Oh, and be careful not to knock over your drinks on the table.

If you have kids, then it could be terrible. If not, then it shouldn't be bad at all. If you keep the source and the projector on or under the coffee table, cables should not be an issue. Just buy cables just long enough for what you need so that you don't have a tangled mess. The power cord will be a hassle though since it will always be there when you need to power up the unit.

Dan

I used a coffee table setup for a number of years in a condo. We had a coffee table with a lower shelf, and put both the projector and the source devices there. We ran the power, cable tv, and audio cable down one of the coffee table legs, and used a cable cover on the run between the coffee table and under the couch.

http://cableorganizer.com/cord-covers/light-capacity-covers.htm

Make sure you get a projector with a short throw, or that you have enough throw from the front of the coffee table to your screen to fill your desired screen size.

The only real drawback is pets and crawling babies will have the beam at their eye level, which could be dangerous.

edit - ( I see Dan beat me to the punch on most of this )

Jonathan

On Nisei's comments about the spills ... if the coffee table has a skirt below the top surface ( usually part of the frame ), then it will act as a drip guard. If not, it would be easy to simply nail or glue some half-round trim to the underside of the table top.

Jonathan

also - i had mine on a table for a week while i waited for my mount to come in. the heat it put off through the vent was bothersome. not as noticable when its mounted 8 feet up.

also - i had mine on a table for a week while i waited for my mount to come in. the heat it put off through the vent was bothersome. not as noticable when its mounted 8 feet up.


But if you live in the cold winters, a PJ on a coffe table will help keep you toasty warm.;)

well then shoot, add on a xbox and a ps3 and you could heat the whole house!

Instead of putting it onto a coffee table, you could put it into a filing cabinet with rolls. That would protect in from most sides and provide stress relief for cables.

http://www.southernjoinery.com/images/case_file_cabinet_large.jpg

(you'd have to be careful with cooling)

I noticed a lot more dust and dog hair build up being so close to the ground, it is easier to work on and change settings etc.

If I was going to coffee table mount then one requirement of the projector would be horizontal and vertical lens shift.