I have an Optoma MovieTime DV10 projector upstairs for my kids. We love it. But right now it's sitting on a Little Tikes plastic table which is not so aesthetically pleasing...

My wife wants a coffee table, not just a TV stand (it has to look good from all sides in the middle of the room), and I would like something with a lower shelf--maybe even a small drawer, and I am looking for suggestions.

Thanks.

I also own and love the MovieTime. But I never keep it out. We keep it in the case until we're ready to use it. Of course I have 5 small kids, and I don't think it would last very long if it was out and exposed to them. My big question for you though is: What do you do with the power cord? When we watch a movie, I litterally have it looped around one of the legs of the coffee table because I don't want it pulled by someone's errant foot.

The great feature of the MovieTime is that can be removed from the case and set up in minutes. We've taken it to friends' homes, on vacation, virtually anywhere we might be that we can watch a movie. Make sure you use it outdoors-there's nothing like a 'real' drive-in movie in your backyard.

Jim

My youngest is almost 10, and they seem to take pretty good care of it, so yeah, I've left it out and haven't yet had a problem (knock on wood...). I don't even bother doing anything with the power cord--just emphasize for them to not trip. Guess I'm playing with fire, eh?

As for the cord, my short term goal is to get some kind of flat power cord and run it under the carpet. My long term goal is to install a floor outlet with power, ethernet, TOSLINK to get the sound out, and probably HDMI (not for this unit obviously--just future proofing). Then run all the cabling through the sub floor (this is all upstairs) and bring it up to an outlet on the back wall.

I have used and loved the portability of this projector as well, whether in a condo, a friends house, or out back on a sheet, it is always a big hit--which is kind of why I want to keep the coffee table setup as opposed to a rear shelf or something (which wouldn't work anyway, as the room is way too big given the short zoom range on this unit). I want to be able to pick it up and throw it in the case with no fuss.

What do you place it on when you do watch a movie? Do you already have a coffee table or something else? This is all set up in a big "game room" so I really don't have a regular set of furniture in there--just the couch. So that's why I am looking for a standalone coffe table type piece.

I just use our regular coffee table in the family room and shoot the picture to a green (yes green!) wall. The picture's fine. I also have a Greywolf screen mounted in the basement, but we rarely use the projector down there. In the basement, the projector sits on the ground because of the aggressive offset of the Optoma.

One other note. I wouldn't recommend running a power cord under the rug. That's against code for a rather good reason-it's fairly dangerous. Cords often generate a lot of heat, and under a rug, there's nowhere for that heat to dissipate. Additionally, when the cord's under a rug and hidden, there's no way to tell if it's ever damaged until it's too late and there's a fire.

Jim

power cords get hot, eh? I've never noticed that before, but okay--I guess that idea is out.

Yeah, we've put it up against some wierd colors and heavily textured walls as well, and it still looks great--especially for casual viewing. When I first heard of this projector, I thought it sounded kinda cool, but couldn't imagine that I personally would ever want such a unit. I definitely know better now... :)