Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar.

[Dax Doomslayer]

Hi Avalloc,
I'm not sure if this will work but this link came up earlier in the thread I believe and it may be something to consider . . .

http://www.airdesks.com/projectorstand.asp

 

[Nebulous]

I posted in this thread a long time ago, but god, i'm glad i looked back. It reminded me of just HOW much i wanted to to the projection thing. But, there are so many options out there, and now i'm thinking about the recessed LCD in the game table itself, which might be even better.

Much to think about.

 

[xmanii]

Seen this on Gizmodo, and thought of this thread, so I thought I would share. Of course the price tag will dissuade some buyers, but we can drool, no?


Meridian's 810 projector boldly claims to be the Reference Video System, and after seeing it for myself I think that's a fair assessment. The $185,000 box (that's right!) uses specially calibrated JVC D-ILA light engine panels to deliver a resolution of 4096 x 2400 pixels, or put simply, 10-freaking-megapixels. Compare that to 1080i's one paltry MP of resolution, or 1080p full HD's skimpy 2MP. So how does the 810 do its magic? With a very unique scaling engine.

The 810's Marvell-designed engine seen above stitches four 1080p scalers together with DVI connections to bump any digital source from 480i to 1080p up to a full 10MP. The projector can pump out a few different aspect ratios: 4:3, 16:9 and using a CinemaScope lens, 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen that's mostly used in old school films. It's also got a lamp that goes up to Hollywood-reference levels of 4000 lumens and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio which is odd since their $15K projector claims 30,000:1.

Either way, the picture projected by the 810 is pretty unreal. I stuck my nose up to the screen and couldn't see a pixel to save my life, and Meridian says that it will project on a screen up to 25 feet wide without any pixelation. The 810 comes in short, medium, and long-throw packages, as well as a very short throw package for rear-projection. It'll be available in September, if you can afford it.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

My setup is unique in fact my apartment complex will not permit me to drill into my ceiling to mount a projector.

Does anyone know of a safe/practical way to mount the projector from a beam/bar which could be run along the ceiling across the room?

My situation is similar-- I don't have a dedicated game room yet, so I either have to be able to set up and take down my rig on game night, or start looking for a new wife. (Hmm...)

So here's my solution:

My projection surface is a lightly-frosted "white" glass tabletop from IKEA. It is about 30" x 60" and stands about 36" off the floor.

If it isn't this exact model it is one very similar.

I bought a wide (24") mirror and mounted it to an apparatus composed of two 24"x24" particle boards hinged together along one edge. It sits on the floor like an "L". This allows me to adjust the mirror angle (although in practice, I've now settled on the optimum angle to it's not particularly important to be able to adjust-- unless my setup changes).

Place the mirror on the floor under the table. Place the projector on the floor aimed at the mirror. Adjust the mirror angle, and the distance of the projector from the mirror. Project the image up onto the bottom of the frosted glass.

The projected image is limited a bit in size, but it's still easily 24"x24" which is plenty of room for combat. It is also extremely bright and the colors are vibrant.

Someday I intend to have a dedicated game room (in a walk-up attic, for example) and even if I had room to project from overhead, I probably wouldn't to it at this point-- so happy am I with the results I am getting. The only thing I would change in this "dream" setup would be to get a bigger table surface and build a more permanent "Ultimate Game Table" to house the projector/mirror securely.

Of course by the time I have a game room like that, as I think I mentioned upthread, it will probably be easier for me to just buy a (cheap!) 48" flat widescreen LCD and mount that into an Ultimate Game Table.

 

[DonTadow]

My situation is similar-- I don't have a dedicated game room yet, so I either have to be able to set up and take down my rig on game night, or start looking for a new wife. (Hmm...)

So here's my solution:

My projection surface is a lightly-frosted "white" glass tabletop from IKEA. It is about 30" x 60" and stands about 36" off the floor.

If it isn't this exact model it is one very similar.

I bought a wide (24") mirror and mounted it to an apparatus composed of two 24"x24" particle boards hinged together along one edge. It sits on the floor like an "L". This allows me to adjust the mirror angle (although in practice, I've now settled on the optimum angle to it's not particularly important to be able to adjust-- unless my setup changes).

Place the mirror on the floor under the table. Place the projector on the floor aimed at the mirror. Adjust the mirror angle, and the distance of the projector from the mirror. Project the image up onto the bottom of the frosted glass.

The projected image is limited a bit in size, but it's still easily 24"x24" which is plenty of room for combat. It is also extremely bright and the colors are vibrant.

Someday I intend to have a dedicated game room (in a walk-up attic, for example) and even if I had room to project from overhead, I probably wouldn't to it at this point-- so happy am I with the results I am getting. The only thing I would change in this "dream" setup would be to get a bigger table surface and build a more permanent "Ultimate Game Table" to house the projector/mirror securely.

Of course by the time I have a game room like that, as I think I mentioned upthread, it will probably be easier for me to just buy a (cheap!) 48" flat widescreen LCD and mount that into an Ultimate Game Table.

Whoever creates a portable projector mount using tripod and lighting rig designs is going to make a bit of money in the gaming industry.

 

[DonTadow]

So I"m pissed, the bulb of the projector i bought 2 years ago x3 died, it had no more than 1000 hours on the bulb, despite the advertisement of 3,000 to 4,000. So now its off to find a better one. Now that i actually use my projector for movies and tv as well, time to find something dependable. I plan on buying a new projector because it does not seem worth it to buy a bulb when many say the bulbs for this machine last significantly less than advertised.

 

[DonTadow]

So I"m trying to decide between these two projectors. The hitachi is discontinued and is a fraction of the original $3,000 price and seems to compare well to the benq. I like the idea of Lensshift technology as my projector is at an angle from my table.

Hitachi PJTX100 UltraVision Projector \

Hitachi Projectors: Hitachi PJTX100 UltraVision 3LCD projector

BenQ W500
BenQ Projectors: BenQ W500 3LCD projector

Any opinion is apprciated.

 

[3d6+15]

My second bulb on the PB6200 exploded yesterday during the game.

I'm rather upset.

I pulled out the old OEM bulb (which had been going dim which was why I replaced it) and the projector shuts off right away.

I'm not sure if it's the old bulb or if the projector is malfunctioning. I'd hate to spend $300 to find out.

I have two weeks to figure out what I'm going to do. (Or I'll be playing D&D in the stone age that weekend. )

 

[NMcCoy]

I haven't read through this entire thread, so forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but has anyone added [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s5EvhHy7eQ]multitouch capability[/ame] to their projected maps?

 

[3d6+15]

I haven't read through this entire thread, so forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but has anyone added multitouch capability to their projected maps?

I bought a single IR pointer to play with the idea, and have a Wii, but had enough trouble synching my Wiimote to my PC that I shelved it, at least for now.