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Message: <blockquote data-quote="OnlineDM" data-source="post: 5269770" data-attributes="member: 90804">Following in the footsteps of <a href="http://www.rpgenome.com/page.role-playing-wargaming-articles/diy.b.2399.r.1.html" target="_blank">Sean Pecor</a> and a GM named Ian from my friendly local game store, I plan to build a portable projector rig for RPG mapping (mainly D&D 4e).  I know that there have been several threads on this topic in the past, so I thought I'd share <a href="http://onlinedm.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/projector-purchased/" target="_blank">my experience</a> as I go along in order to help others who might be considering this approach.Step 1: Background research.  I read Sean's article about his setup, as well as threads from EN World where other people talked about their rigs.  I considered using a flat-panel TV (it would certainly be easier and possibly not much more expensive), but rejected that idea for three reasons:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It would be very heavy and tough to carry to a convention site</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">It would likely have its VGA input on the back, which wouldn't work if I wanted it to lay on its back on a game table</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I would cry if someone were to spill a drink on it</li> </ul>I thus settled on the projector approach.  I talked to Ian at the local store about his setup, and I also talked to a buddy of mine from my bowling league who works with high-end video rigs for a living.  I learned that I was on the right track.Step two: Picking the projector.  Based on my research, I knew I would need a short-throw projector - that is, one that can project a good image without having to be, say, six feet away from the projection surface.  Since I plan to suspend this thing maybe 30 inches above the tabletop, it had to be short throw.  I also wanted pretty good brightness.  My bowling buddy suggested I look for 4,000 to 6,000 lumens if I wanted to be able to use the projected map in a bright room (like a store or convention).  Well, the brightest I could find on a short throw was 3,500 lumens, and that would have been REALLY expensive.  Even 3,000 lumens was pricey, so I settled on 2,500 (eek).  I also, as you might guess, didn't want to spend crazy amounts of money - the less, the better.I settled on the <a href="http://www.projectorcentral.com/pdf/projector_spec_5688.pdf" target="_blank">ViewSonic PJD5152</a>.  It's short-throw, it's lightweight, it's 2,500 lumens and it costs $464 from Buy.com (via Amazon.com).  My only real concern is the resolution: 800 by 600.  I know that Sean and Ian both used higher resolution, but I'm just not convinced that I need it for a static map that won't be very big (I'm guessing around 3 feet in length, 2 and a half feet in height).  We shall see.  Buy.com apparently has a 30 day return policy, which I'm glad for!The next steps, after the projector arrives, will be to test it out manually (holding it over a table) and then, if that goes well, building a rig to hold it (probably following Sean's example pretty closely).  I'll be using MapTool for the maps, since that's what I'm already using for my online games.  I'll extend the desktop on my laptop to stretch onto a second monitor (the projector), open my main session of MapTool on the laptop screen, open a second session on the projected screen and connect to the main session via that second session.  I'll then put the second session in full screen mode, and I'm all set!Wish me luck!</blockquote>

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