Projector Advice

[kmdietri]

I'm thinking of switching to a projector for all my tabletop mapping.

I'm just looking for advise from anyone out there who's done the same.

Any suggestions on projectors.

I've heard that mounting them vertically (to point straight down) is bad.

Is a mirror that much of a pain?

What program do you use for mapping?

Computers are not an issue at the table, currently we play 4th edition, and everyone uses a laptop and runs their character through Fantasy Grounds II and I've never been happier. So a progression away from the giant white grid with markers to a projector seems like a no brainer...

Thanks

 

[rjdafoe]

We are just starting to do this right now. We have decided to go the flat panel TV instead of a projector. Seems to work for us.

I have a gaming table, that in the next month I will be building a 32" LCD into the middle of. I will post pictures if people want when it is complete.

AS for tools, we are currently using maptool, a init program that a member of the group wrote and The Keep.

 

[falcarrion]

If your going to use a mirror to refect the projection, make sure that it is a front surface mirror. That way you can avoid ghosting. Also try and find a short throw projector.

 

[falcarrion]

We are just starting to do this right now. We have decided to go the flat panel TV instead of a projector. Seems to work for us.

I have a gaming table, that in the next month I will be building a 32" LCD into the middle of. I will post pictures if people want when it is complete.

AS for tools, we are currently using maptool, a init program that a member of the group wrote and The Keep.

Are you planning to make it multitouch display?

 

[3catcircus]

We are just starting to do this right now. We have decided to go the flat panel TV instead of a projector. Seems to work for us.

I have a gaming table, that in the next month I will be building a 32" LCD into the middle of. I will post pictures if people want when it is complete.

AS for tools, we are currently using maptool, a init program that a member of the group wrote and The Keep.

Any concerns on damaging the TV? Everything I've ever seen always says to never lay a flat panel down as it can cause the glass to crack due to the weight.

 

[Mark]

Here are some past threads on the topic -

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/122099-coolest-gaming-set-up-evar.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4th-edition-rules/238863-maptools-online-game-table-2.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/genera...ortable-digital-tabletop-roleplaying-map.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/software-computers-video-games-d-d-utilities/234400-fog-war.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/softwa...ies/249210-ultimate-digital-gaming-table.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/art-ga.../203527-suggestions-battlemaps-projector.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/softwa...ooking-free-program-use-labtop-projector.html

http://www.enworld.org/forum/softwa...ilities/173491-mapping-projector-fog-war.html

 

[beldar1215]

I have been seeing some lower cost LED projectors and wonder if they would work for this. I actually saw one at Radio Shack for under a $100. Anyone tried one of these?

Beldar

 

[Ferrety]

I've had a LCD projector pointing straight down for ~2.5 years, without any problems. I think that it has gotten ~400 hours of usage, but I might be wrong.

For ceiling, I suggest you do pay attention to the throw distance, so you can project decent sized maps. I'd recommend you to calculate the size of the projected map before making a purchase, as I got some surprises after doing that. My projector is quite lightweight, so attaching the projector to a ceiling was surprisingly easy. I used manfrotto autopole with a 1m arm, so the contraption is even portable.

For mapping, I use maptool. Usually I've got GM instance on my own machine, and one of the players control PC tokens with a laptop. Sometimes we use figures, but then zooming and moving of the maps is a bit cumbersome (I'll usually mark figures with tokens when moving the map).

I've been able to handle NPC stats with maptool with minimal work, and generally the setup is very nice. Actually too nice, as I am no longer wiling to run games without it.

I think that players are also happy with the setup, Last Tuesday we used figures, and one of the players tried to move those with a mouse

 

[beldar1215]

Ferrety,
What would be considered a good throw distance? What would this depend on?

Beldar

 

[Ferrety]

It has been some years since I bought mine, and I am not really familiar with current (or was with previous) projectors. When selecting a projector for a top down setup, I was interested in throw ratio, minimum throw distance, brightness and noise levels.

As for throw distances, you'd just like to be sure that the projector can focus on the table. If using a home theater projector, even this can be tricky as the distance from the projector to the table is going to be smaller for a top down setup than in usual setups.

With LED projectors, the distance on top down setup might actually be too much.

In previous post I actually meant throw ratio, for it determines how big screen you can have on the table. I used

Projection Calculator Classic - Throw Distance and Screen Size

to make sure that the screen on my gaming table would be big enough. Different manufacturers give different ratios, so the calculator was quite useful when selecting the model, and I did check that the results are correct.

As I did not have suitable room for a home theater, I ended up selecting cheapest portable projector that could project big enough screen for my setup (viewsonic PJ358). I think that there were some projectors that would have been suitable for both tabletop gaming and movies, but they were at least thrice as expensive.