[Tyr]

I have a Sony D50Q for movies, so a digital projector optimized for movies will be wasted on me.


What would this group recommendation for a digital (DLP, LCD, etc) projector for computers games and maybe some net surfing and general computer use. The projector needs to run at no less than 1024X768 and be able to handle fast motion found in first person shooters.


The screen is a 4X3 100†1.3 gain. The room has absolute light control (you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face if the lights are off even if its full daylight outside) and the walls, floor and ceiling are flat black. So an extremely bright projector is not necessary. Nor does it have to be portable or lightweight. Only input needed is a single 15 pin VGA jack.


And since the bottom has fallen out of the semiconductor industry, moneys tight right now. So I’d like to keep it around $3000 or less – though if something were twice as good at $4000 I’d probably spring for it.


Thanks for any advice!


Mike



[This message has been edited by Tyr (edited 06-19-2001).]

 

[lmo]

The Infocus Lp350 is an XGA DLP 4:3 projector with 1300 lumens (brighter than you need) and, with the $200 rebate, I've seen it as low as $3300 online. That might suit your needs and budget.

 

[Gary McCoy]

I'm not real familiar with such games, but I will mention one issue with light guns - which frequently do not work with digital projectors.


If the gun is the type which senses the aim point with a photocell on the muzzle, it's not gonna work with anything except a CRT. The game console matches up the signal from the photocell with the video signal to the sweep amps in the CRT(s). It determines the aim point by where on the screen the video signals match, and it calculates based on the sweep frequency of 15.734khz and a refresh rate of 60Hz.


Of course, since digital projectors don't use sweep amps and often run at refresh rates other than 60Hz, the calculated position is totally random and in fact may never match the video signal, so you may never get off a shot.


Note that if you are using a PC joystick or gamepad with your game, this issue is not of a concern. I tripped over this problem after trying to interface an original NES to a LCD projector years ago. This is only a problem with game consoles intended for conventional TV output.


Have you tried putting a switchbox on the D50Q and using that for your games? The D50Q is rated at up to 1280X1024 which is more than you are requiring for games. A quality Extron switcher and cabling for interfacing a PC to your present projector would be cheaper than a second projector.


Gary

 

[Tyr]

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming! Also, any recommendations on who to order from?


Gary, I know the kind of guns you’re thinking of – like you see in an arcade. The only thing you use for a First Person Shooter (like TRIBES or Quake) is a keyboard and a mouse.


One thing I am concerned with is that some LCD panels might not refresh fast enough and blur the image. Is this a valid concern?


The D50Q looks absolutely beautiful with games and my Faroudja line doubler has a VGA pass through, but the static images (scores, etc) would burn into the phosphors on the tubes.


Mike

 

[William Mapstone]

Tyr,


I use a playstation 2 with my Sony 10HT LCD projector without problems of the panels not "refreshing" fast enough. There is no sign of blurring that I can notice. There are some artifacts that are more pronounced on a big screen but these are related directly to the games. (some games have more than others) SSX is incredible fun on a 8' wide screen. I am no expert but in my opinion there is no problem with playing these games a LCD projectors.

 

[luvmytivo]

I had some of the same requirements as you when I started shopping for a PJ, and I came up with the NEC VT540. I had been leaning towards the LP350 or an LT150, but the single biggest reason for the choice was bulb cost. It's omre important for games because you can put a lot more hours on a game/internet machine than you would on one you only watch movies on.

With total light control you could easily run the VT540 in econo mode (700 lumens, but it seems brighter when compared to others) and get 3000 hours from your $300 bulb. That's $0.10/hr, compared to 1000 hours from a $450 bulb for the others which is $0.45/hr.

On top of that, it's got great colors, and a beautiful image, and can be had for $3k with a 2 year warranty.

 

[phussary]

I had the pleasure of using the Infocus LP350 for a couple of weeks before I returned it. In addition to being connected to two satellite receivers and a Replay TV, I also had it connected to my PC for gaming and web browsing.


I was very impressed with the quality and brightness of the computer images. Playing games was awesome and I did not notice any refresh problems.


If I was to buy a projector for PC purposes only the LP350 would be on the top of the list. No screen door effect and excellent brightness.


I returned the unit mainly due to the color accuracy problems which seemed to be more of a problem viewing video, whereby color accuracy was not a big issue when playing a game that had artificial colors to begin with.


Watch out for LCD screens and the screen door effect. Try before you buy.


Peter

 

[JokJok]

I also am interested in a projector for PC games. I've seen that some projectors support a refresh rate of 120Hz. With such a refresh rate it would be possible to use my LCD-glasses Elsa 3D Revelator with the Gladiac Ultra (GeForce2 Ultra) to get a stereo image.

Anyone tried this?

Any suggestions?