Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar.

[WingOver]

This is what worries me about trying such a setup. One of the things I've always liked about RPGs is that they don't need much to be used. Not that I don't like all the extras to add to the game, but I don't ever want to feel so spoiled that I can't enjoy the game in its most basic form.

Paul

I used to think that too... but then I take a look at some art in Dungeon or Dragon, or my buddy's miniature collection and get inspired by how cool they look. Imagination is an integral part of D&D, but you shouldn't discount the impact of stunning visuals on the game.

I'm waiting for my bonus... I really want to get a projector.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

As a practical matter, what kind of image size do you need?


Looks like the Dell 2300MP DLP has 22" x 30" image at a throw distance of 6'.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Dell-2300MP.htm
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Dell-2300MP-projection-calculator-pro.htm

The BenQ PB6200 does a little better with a 28" x 37" image at a 6' distance.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-PB6200.htm
http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-PB6200-projection-calculator-pro.htm


Does a zoom of 1.20:1 figure into this at all?

What does "Screen Gain" mean?

 

[Boredflak]

What does "Screen Gain" mean?

Screen gain is a measurement of reflectivity of a surface. The baseline is a flat white. A screen gain of 1 is what a flat white surface would be. A screen gain of 2 would be twice as reflective, .5 would reflect half as much light, etc.

Here's a good article about it:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/projector_screens_gain.htm

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

If I understand this correctly, zoom will directly increase my image size.

From http://www.projectorcentral.com/glossary.cfm#Z :

Zoom Lens Ratio: Is the ratio between the smallest and largest image a lens can projector from a fixed distance. For example, a 1.4:1 zoom lens ratio means that a 10 foot image without zoom would be a 14 foot image with full zoom. Conversely, a 10 foot diagonal image at 15 feet with no zoom would still be a 10 image at 21 feet at maximum zoom (15 x 1.4 = 21 feet). A zoom lens is "not as bright" as a fixed lens, and the higher the ratio, the less light output.

So, approximately speaking a 1.20:1 will give us...
22" x 30" --> 26" x 36"
28" x 37" --> 34" x 44"

In comparison a standard battlemat is ~33" x 40something". Given that we get suboptimal placement plus books & snacks on our table, I suspect our effective usable area must be noticeably south of 30" x 40".

 

[Steel_Wind]

If I understand this correctly, zoom will directly increase my image size.

From http://www.projectorcentral.com/glossary.cfm#Z :

You understand it correctly. Basically, I discount the top half to top one-third of the size increase available due to zoom. Around the middle value of that available size increase is about as far as you want to push it on most models. This varies with image brighness and pixel density. A very bright XGA projector might be able to push the acceptable image size up through zooming more than a fair quality, barely bright enough SGVA projector can.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Might I suggest you are missing the obvious though? If you are using NWN, why not simply use the creature models in the game? You will have a ready made supply of hundreds of creatures, limitless PC races and you will never, ever run out. There is nothing more you will need to buy.

Admittedly, you can't use something like Tabletop Mapper with NWN digital minis, but if cost of miniatures is your concern, an all digital solution is possible.

Since you are both the NWN and projector expert I would like to pick your brain on this suggestion.

Have you any experience with computer images for monsters on screen? What kind of resolution do you need to render recognizable monsters?

A quick back of the envelop calculation tells me that typical resolution would be in the 20x20 to 35x35 pixels per square inch range (depending on particulars of the projector and set up).

Toying with some random clip images, I have my doubts that any monster icon would be recognizable at less than 30x30 and maybe not even then unless the image was designed for that purpose.

Thoughts?

 

[Lasher Dragon]

I received my BenQ PB6200 on Friday. I am very impressed with it so far. The only complaint I have about it is that it says it is HDTV compatible, but it doesn't have component video inputs. Instead, you must order a $25 cable from BenQ that converts component-style cables to a VGA cable. Of course I wasn't aware I needed it until I got the projector, so now I have to wait another week or so to see HD in action. LOL Yeah I know, I'm not a very patient person. Friday I called probably about 15 places to see if anyone had a VGA-HDTV converter cable to no avail.

The picture, even without HD, is awesome. The brightness level is quite good, even in a room with venetian blinds in daytime. Also, that wide-angle lens allows me to fill nearly an entire wall in wide-screen in my relatively-small living room. Being an avid videogamer, I spent quite a few hours on Xbox Live blasting away at people. I also watched quite a few movies w/my wife, and it was better than being at the theater. An amusing side effect was watching my cat watch the moving images on the wall. Now I can't wait to get HD and Discovery HD Theater - I imagine I'll have hours of laughter just watching the cat try to hunt the light.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to setup the projector for Saturday's gaming session. I think it is going to work superbly, I just have a few loose-ends to take care of - namely a computer (I have a few that need to be formatted and have some more RAM slapped in), a new video card, and of course a way to *temporarily* mount the projector. Hopefully I can get this taken care of in the next 2 weeks... if I don't spend too much time on Xbox Live

 

[Toscadero]

I'm not finding the Dell 2200 on their site at this time. However, they do have an 1100 that is selling for $699.00. It says that the model is new and it looks a lot like the 2200. Any thoughts on this model?

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/proj?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

 

[neocamp22]

Hi everyone!
This idea is completely awesome and I will probably try it out. My question is, what projector do I use? I have a budget of about 500-600 dollars, possibly 700. I want something about the quality of what steel_wind has. I have an 8 foot ceiling and size and weight don't matter to much, as long as I can figure out a way to hang it. Any news on the site steel_wind?

 

[neocamp22]

What do you guys think of the Boxlight SD-650z Projector ?
http://www.projectorcentral.com/Boxlight-SD-650z.htm