Widescreen Gaming Forum

Seems to me the greatest stumbling block for builds like this so far is projector base cost. Looks like the short-throw lens technology is there with decent lumens ratings, but I'd prefer seeing $599 projectors not $999.

About the screen design...
I'm uncertain yet on the tactic I should use as far as screen shape. The polygon design like above has advantages as far as focusing. A true circular screen would feel a lot more seamless but you're fighting lens focus issues in areas on the screen. I'm a bit neutral about the issue at the moment and probably need some debate about it more before I settle on the screen geometry. Sol7 can pre-warp and edge blend just fine for both examples.

Optoma EX525ST vs. Sanyo PDG-DXL100...
Looking over the user manuals for both it looks like they share some of the same components...namely the same lens and focus ring and the same remote? That makes me think the same OEM is manufacturing these 2 different projectors and selling them under these two different brands. The odd thing is the interface panel and the back connector configurations are different. One has HDMI while the other is DVI-I.

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Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Project cost and required space aside, I think you may have a problem throwing 180-degree or larger fields of view at sims. Most rendering engines aren't set up to provide this much view all at once (although you can turn your virtual head), and thus sims may choke in this situation.

What title(s) do you plan on using?

Project cost and required space aside, I think you may have a problem throwing 180-degree or larger fields of view at sims. Most rendering engines aren't set up to provide this much view all at once (although you can turn your virtual head), and thus sims may choke in this situation.

What title(s) do you plan on using?

I'm coming at this a bit backwards. I am starting with a 20 foot long section of real F-84F and working the project from there. As an F-84F isn't exactly an aircraft that people fly much in flight sims I'll probably have to implement my own F-84F add-on with whatever I use. Sure, Alphasim has an old F-84F freeware, but the instrument planel layout is different than my aircraft and a few other issues are there too.

Undecided at this point. It's too early in my simpit design to definitively say. Possibly DCS: A-10, FighterOps and FSX. Most of the build cost on this is projector cost. That's why I'm selling my 3 current projectors and getting 3 new short-throw ones. As is, I could do a triple-projector setup right now, but I want to eventually do 5 projector and not have to use an ungodly large room for it. Throw distance is playing a major role in this design so far. I might just go 5870 but then do the projection by designating the front screens as an SLS single area but projector 4 and 5 as independent projector cameras in-game. I am aware of 3d engines simply messing up over 180 degrees and I'll have to account for that also.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

I'm going to throw in a projector suggestion for this thread, the one in my signature. The Sharp XR-10X. It's specialty is short throw.

DLP, 2000 Lumens (1750 on Eco-Mode plenty bright with a room @ 15% on a screen that's ~0.8 reflectivity), 3000 hours per bulb, $500 refurb, less used.

I've gotten great results, no visible screen door effect at any throw distance I tried on it, and it says the throw is 5 and a half feet minimum, but I tried it shorter without a problem. The 1.15:1 lens zoom helps fill in space that you need to fill in without making the image distorted or crappy. The projector includes 16:9 display mode for 720p and 1080i, it just letter-boxes the image, but with it being DLP, there's less than 5% light being reflected in those spaces, so you won't even notice them at all.

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I'm going to throw in a projector suggestion for this thread, the one in my signature. The Sharp XR-10X. It's specialty is short throw.

DLP, 2000 Lumens (1750 on Eco-Mode plenty bright with a room @ 15% on a screen that's ~0.8 reflectivity), 3000 hours per bulb, $500 refurb, less used.

The price is right, but the lens is the deal breaker on that one. Doing an 8 foot high screen would take 19 foot 7 inches with the Sharp XR-10X, while the Optoma EX525ST has a throw of only 6 foot 5 inches. Really, looking strictly at the specs, the Optoma EX525ST, Acer S1200 and Sanyo PDG-DXL100 are the only projectors sub-$1000 with the ideal lens throw. Of that, only the Optoma EX525ST is readily available in the US. I'm really stuck as far as projectors with the Optoma's spec and price range. I'd love to find a few used EX525ST, but they've not been out long enough to see any used on ebay yet.

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Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Well if you want to talk about short throw distance look at the SHOWWX LaserPico projector (only 6", yes inches!):
http://www.microvision.com/showwx/specs.html



Resolution is low, but its laser so it can go on angled surfaces without focus issues. Its also only going to be around $400-500 so getting like 4 or more of these for HD resolutions could be economical.

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10 Lunens at 848 x 480 for an 8 foot tall height of screen isn't gonna cut it. The projector needs 2000+ Lumens not 10. Also need at the very least 1024x768 resolution -- frankly I'd prefer 1280x1024 native or better. The second or third generation of that might be very promising though as laser isn't going to need lens throw.

To pull what I have in mind off is simply difficult to achieve. The technology is borderline not there yet. We're looking at the first generation in much of this technology.

In an ideal world we'd have 3000 lumen 1080p projectors with 45,000 hour LED bulb life that short-throw 96" tall at 5 foot lens throw for sub-$1000. I suppose that might occur in a decade from now, but I'm purely dreaming at the moment with that spec requirement.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Can you remember to PM me when you find that projector? ;)

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Dipping bags at Mach1.9

Can you remember to PM me when you find that projector? ;)

hehe, will do...but don't hold your breath, :lol:

Tentatively, I'll have some data on the Optoma projector and the 5870 "Six" card in about the next month. I figure it would be best for me to buy only 1 of the projectors initially and prototype a single section of the screen as to validate this is all plausible. That way I'm not knee deep in purchase regret if the specs are in error. I'm mostly curious to see how 1024x768 DLP looks at 8 foot tall. I'm used to LCD projector at 5-1/2 foot tall projection. LCD shows the screen-door effect, while I'm not sure how DLP handles the pixels yet. My only consistent projector experience is with the InFocus SP5000's I've owned for few years now.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Durring my daily digging around I ran into a Paul Bourke projection webpage that is directly applicable to this situation.



http://local.wasp.uwa.edu.au/~pbourke/miscellaneous/cylmapper/

I have access to a mac, so this would be ideal for me to do the screen and projection layout design on. Just hope I can get a copy of the app. In the examples in that webpage he's using only 5 projectors to achieve 360 degree coverage, so EyeFinity should work ideal for this.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com