Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar.

[ShrooMofDooM]

I'm 15 and I'll be getting a job hopefully some time this year, and now I know exactly what I'll be spending that hard-earned money on. Totally awesome stuff here. I've been wanting to play miniatures for as long as I have been playing, but I just don't have any income. . .yet.

 

[WampusCat43]

I'm 15 and I'll be getting a job hopefully some time this year, and now I know exactly what I'll be spending that hard-earned money on. Totally awesome stuff here. I've been wanting to play miniatures for as long as I have been playing, but I just don't have any income. . .yet.

Nothing like starting at the top!

And welcome to the boards.

 

[Scribble]

700 ANSI? Sorry man - that's too dim. 800 is the bare minimum cut off - and for that you must be playing in a dim basement with led lighting bars. Incandescent or flourescent lights are out. If it was free? Well ok. But shelling out 400 quid for one of these? Nah..

You might be able to squeek out a little more usability if you did rear screen projection. But it would also be a bit more work, and involve cutting a hole in your game table/mounting a rear projections screen underneath... Then mounting the projector beaming upwards all incased in a box... So probably more trouble then it's worth?

Nice setup to the original poster.

 

[ShrooMofDooM]

Nothing like starting at the top!

And welcome to the boards.

Thanks!

 

[Steel_Wind]

Steel_Wind,

Firstly, congrats on the new born!

Been checking my dimensions in the Games Room and I definitely only have 64" from ceiling to table. I don't wish to extend that throw distance (i.e. buying a lower table) and I don't want to add a mirror to the equation. Given that limitation, can you recommend me a projector, please? I'm happy to accept a diagonal image of 38" to 42" sort of range.

I'd like the cheapest possible solution, given those requirements.

Many thanks
Blakey

Thanks. The new guy's been a handful - though mostly just to my wife. Lactation is not an available feat for my class

You wanted cheap. The BenQ PB2140 is is currently retailing (new) in Canada new for $999-$1050 CDN or thereabouts.

USA - prices are about 799-850 USD. Price in the UK via Amazon is 480.00 quid - delivered.

This is a truly mass marketed projector with a serious street presence in computer stores. It's got a lot higher penetration in the consumer market than most other projectors. You can expect that parts and bulbs will be around for a good long while for this one.

It's acceptable for the job. I would have recommended a higher resolution XGA BenQ or Mitsubishi - but you said cost was most important. Otherwise, the PB 6210 (~720 pounds) or the Mitsubishi XD110U would have been preferable but more expensive.

A few ENWorlders picked up 6210's over the past few months. Perhaps they can chime in with their results other than what's been posted, but so far they've all been very happy campers.

Given the limited throw range - you have limited options.

There are some others which are more or less the same in terms of options. The Mitsubishi SD110U was just released last month and offers similar performance with a slightly smaller picture. Price on it is a little higher than the BenQ, but it has some other features for HDTV you might prefer.

The IBM E400, again, is a close match. Same price as the SD110U, but slightly smaller picture than the BenQ.

BenQ PB2140 DLP 800x600 Stats

Image size at 56" (64" less 8" for projector and cable): 36" to 44" with Zoom (diagonal).

MSRP (USD) : Av. Street Price: $800-900 USD, $1000-1100 CDN
Brightness (Lumens) : 1600 ANSI
Eco-Mode (Lumens): 1280 ANSI
Contrast: ANSI:
**
Full On/Off: 2000:1
Weight: 4.2 lbs.
Size (inches) (HxWxD) : 3.4 x 9.4 x 7.1
Throw Dist (feet) : 3.3 - 32.0
Image Size (inches) : 24.6 - 292.7
Lens: Focus:
Manual
Zoom: Manual, 1.20:1
Optional Lenses: No
Digital Zoom: No
Keystone Correction: Digital
Lens Shift: No
Compatibility: HDTV:
1080i, 720p, 576p
EDTV/480p: Yes
SDTV/480i: Yes
Component Video: Yes
Video: Yes
Digital Input: No
Personal Computers: Yes
Networking: Wired:
No
Wireless: No
Warranty: 3 Years
Lamp: Type:
200W UHP
Life: 2000 hours
Eco-Mode Life: 3000 hours
Quantity: 1
Display: Type:
0.6" DLP (1)
Color Wheel Segs: 4
Color Wheel Speed: 2x
Native: 800x600 Pixels
Maximum: 1280x1024 Pixels
Aspect Ratio: 4:3 (SVGA)
Performance:
H-Sync Range: 20.0 - 88.0kHz
V-Sync Range: 20 - 100Hz
Pixel Clock: **
Speakers: 1.0W Mono
Max Power: 265W
Voltage: 100V - 240V
FCC Class: B
Audible Noise: 36.0 dB
Eco-Mode: 33.0 dB
Special: Special Warranty
Status: Shipping
First Ship: Dec 2004

 

[Steel_Wind]

You might be able to squeek out a little more usability if you did rear screen projection. But it would also be a bit more work, and involve cutting a hole in your game table/mounting a rear projections screen underneath... Then mounting the projector beaming upwards all incased in a box... So probably more trouble then it's worth?

Nice setup to the original poster.

Rear screen projection has its own problems. The central issue for all gaming applications is minimum throw distance to the projection surface. Under the table - you've got about 30-34" of throw distance. (Good luck with that) With rear screen, min thrown is almost always the kiss of death for the idea except with a very small number of possible projector units - almost all of which were LCD based and are no longer in production.

You can eBay emn from time to time - but it's generally not worth the bother. Plus you've got legs under the table so you can kick the projector, yadda yadda...

Nah. Not worth it.

 

[Blakey]

The BenQ PB2140 is is currently retailing (new) in Canada new for $999-$1050 CDN or thereabouts. USA - prices are about 799-850 USD. Price in the UK via Amazon is 480.00 quid - delivered.

This is a truly mass marketed projector with a serious street presence in computer stores. It's got a lot higher penetration in the consumer market than most other projectors. You can expect that parts and bulbs will be around for a good long while for this one.

It's acceptable for the job. I would have recommended a higher resolution XGA BenQ or Mitsubishi - but you said cost was most important. Otherwise, the PB 6210 (~720 pounds) or the Mitsubishi XD110U would have been preferable but more expensive.


BenQ PB2140 DLP 800x600 Stats

Image size at 56" (64" less 8" for projector and cable): 36" to 44" with Zoom (diagonal).

Okay, I've looked through the projectors you suggest and I think the two BenQ's are the options. I can get the PB2140 for about £480 from Amazon in the UK as you suggest. I can get the PB6210 from www.projectorpoint.co.uk for £790. Amazon do it for over £900.

The question is, what advantage will my group really see at the games table if we splash out for the 6210 over the 2140? Obviously one is XGA and the other SVGA. So we are talking resolution there. But is that really that noticeable actually when you play? One is basically almost twice the cost of the other. I suspect I can get our group to pay £500 or so for a projector to add to our game set up. But £800 might be pushing it too far. And of course I have to add the cost of the mount/stand thingy to the overall cost before I'm done as well.

Your advice in this area is very much appreciated!!!

BTW, I'm off on holiday for two weeks tonight, so will get back to this thread when I return and see what you suggest. And at that stage I might well be ready to take the plunge at make a purchase! Wahoo!

Cheers for all the help
Blakey

 

[Jupp]

I bought a BenQ PE5120 ( http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-PE5120.htm ) some weeks ago for my home cinema setup and I plan to use it for my gaming group as well. The ceiling mount is flexible enough to allow fast detachment so it wont be a big hassle to set it up for a game day. The PE5120 is a WVGA 16:9 projector that is capable of 4:3 as well. Given the throw distance we are talking about here from pojector to the gaming table I do not think that resolution will be a big issue even if you have a resolution of only 800*600. I tested it a bit before mounting it to the ceiling and the image quality is still good enough to have it usable for the gaming table.

IMO at the moment WXGA or XGA projectors are not really usable for me yet since HiDef TV or HiDef DVDs are not that widespread at the moment and its still some years until HDMI TV+DVDs will have gone mainstream. The money saved now with a WVGA is better spent in a good sound system and other stuff.

 

[Blakey]

Just for your info, I have no interest in using my projector for TV use or Home Cinema. I only wish to use it for gaming. I already have a cracking telly which is HiDef capable.

So, given a 4'6" throw distance and about a 40" screen size, what are the advantages of XGA over SVGA, and is it really worth paying the extra cash for?

Many thanks
Blakey

 

[Jupp]

You can run 1024*768 resolution with the projector without having to upscale it because it is its native resolution so your image will be super crisp. VGA PJs only have 800*600 and they will have to upscale the image as soon as the res gets higher. That means a sligh drop in image quality (and the amount of quality is depending on the qaulity of the scaler in the projector)

My advice: Stay with 800*600 and with the upscaling. If your PJ is really only used for the gaming table I wouldnt find an excuse to shell out that much money for an XGA PJ.

Edit: And resolution has nothing to do with throw distance and projected image size (in case you did not know, otherwise just ignore this *g* )