buddhafrog
First Post
I want to see a pic of that baby in use. Sounds nice. Post it.
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Projector Advice
- Thread starter kmdietri
- Start date
I want to see a pic of that baby in use. Sounds nice. Post it.
No
3catcircus said:
I don't think I am going to worry about it. We are talking about a max size of 32, maybe even a 26 LCD TV. I have seen these in all kinds of strange angles. I suppose it could be a problem, but I would worry more if it were larger screen.
We are not going to be physically touching the screen as there will be a plexiglass sheet over the opening for the TV
buddhafrog said:
It will be a little while, looking like sometime next month at this point in time before I can get one I like at a good price, and then modify the table to support it.
You can count on pictures when it is done though.
Stormonu
NeoGrognard
Personally, I have tried using an 19" LCD screen on the table for a "mat", however, due to someone spilling a drink on the case I put it in (ever after we'd had a discussion of no drinks on the table...) I didn't pull it back out (luckily, the case save the screen). I've wanted to use a projector, but the lowest cost projector I've seen is about $800. Has anyone seen cheaper, yet fair quality projectors?
Well the first suggestion is read the 1st thread Mark linked to. It has a huge amount of great info on these type set ups and include lots of pics.
I personally have been using a projector for over 2 years now. The first year plus I had a custom built rig that I hung it off the wall up at the ceiling so I could pull it down. There should be pics of that on the above mentioned thread.
About 8 months ago I mounted it to my ceiling and it stays there all the time. I have vaulted ceilings so the projector is mounted parallel to the ceiling and has a small mirror in front to redirect the image down. I did this so it would be less intrusive and so the the heat from the bulb would not be rising up through the projector if it hung straight down. I believe I'm getting around 9ft of throw distance which gives us a 30" by 40" image to work with. The down side of the large playing area is that each inch on the map only gets 20 pixels to deal with so the images are not super detailed but vastly better than when I was using Tac-tiles. And none of the people I game with have complained.
I have the power and VGA cable running in to the ceiling. I set up a plug in the attic using the line from a light fixture that had been removed. The VGA cable runs down to a wall plate plug that I can then plug a shorted VGA cable into which plugs into my laptop I'm using.
I use photoshop for making and displaying my maps since it has the layers feature to hide items.
JD
I personally have been using a projector for over 2 years now. The first year plus I had a custom built rig that I hung it off the wall up at the ceiling so I could pull it down. There should be pics of that on the above mentioned thread.
About 8 months ago I mounted it to my ceiling and it stays there all the time. I have vaulted ceilings so the projector is mounted parallel to the ceiling and has a small mirror in front to redirect the image down. I did this so it would be less intrusive and so the the heat from the bulb would not be rising up through the projector if it hung straight down. I believe I'm getting around 9ft of throw distance which gives us a 30" by 40" image to work with. The down side of the large playing area is that each inch on the map only gets 20 pixels to deal with so the images are not super detailed but vastly better than when I was using Tac-tiles. And none of the people I game with have complained.
I have the power and VGA cable running in to the ceiling. I set up a plug in the attic using the line from a light fixture that had been removed. The VGA cable runs down to a wall plate plug that I can then plug a shorted VGA cable into which plugs into my laptop I'm using.
I use photoshop for making and displaying my maps since it has the layers feature to hide items.
JD
Just a little update on the project that I mentioned above:
I decided to go the projector route instead of the LCD TV. I found a Samsung L220 (Samsung L220 Samsung Projectors) It is a short throw projector.
The first step is to get it to display from under the table. After that, I am going to work on the multi-touch display using the wii remote.
I will post updates on how it is going. I already have a 4' x 8' gaming table that this will be built into.
I decided to go the projector route instead of the LCD TV. I found a Samsung L220 (Samsung L220 Samsung Projectors) It is a short throw projector.
The first step is to get it to display from under the table. After that, I am going to work on the multi-touch display using the wii remote.
I will post updates on how it is going. I already have a 4' x 8' gaming table that this will be built into.
Steel_Wind
Legend
In my experience, top down projection is preferable to bottom up projection.
There are a number of reasons for this. The projector can be cheaper with top down projection as throw length is not as huge an issue as it is with bottom up projection. The table requires no special modifications when used for top down, whereas bottom up has a number of significant (and expensive) design issues which can make use of the rest of the table -- as a table -- problematic.
But the biggest issue in favour of top down projection is that it allows you to put things on top of your projected map surface. THIS IS NOT A BUG -- THIS IS A FEATURE.
It's a feature because with top down projection, you can use simple blank (as in plain white) 3d "terrain" to add height to your projected map. Just putting down a few layers of "stepped" overlapping blank foam core where the dais is indicated on the map, or for building raised walkways over a portion of the map are very cool - as they reflect whatever map feature is projected on to them. You can do some amazing things using this approach, and the 3D terrain you have to "build" for such an effect takes almost no time whatsoever to build. I recommend experimenting with this approach. Try it - you'll like it!
The idea of putting something like a 42" inch widescreen TV laid flat on a custom designed table would certainly be an interesting approach. Four years ago - it was cost prohibitive. Now? It's only as expensive as projection technology was four years ago, which is to say, "entirely doable".
Four to six years from now? I expect the size we could manage with this approach will exceed 50" and come close to 60" for under $1,000.00, all-in. That's pretty damn cool. Add multi-touch either via Wii-mote or some other surface manager? Even *Cooler*.
I highly doubt the flat panel would be adversely affected by being laid flat as old style tube monitor might be. The main issue to watch for is that heat will rising within the unit to the screen surface and not out the "top" of the back grill. I'd add some active fan cooling inside the flat panel if you are going to explore this method. A few PC fans should fix you right up.
When I first started the Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar. thread, there were only a handful of us using projectors to game. Since that time, there are now hundreds of groups who have adopted projectors into their games. In the intervening five year period, the cost of projection technology has dropped to less than half -- and approaching a third of what the cost of what it was initially. It's getting damn cheap folks.
For less than $300 (and sometimes closer to $200) you can pick up a used serviceable XGA projector off of eBay to use for tabletop projection. New projectors are in reach for $500-$800 without much difficulty. This is especially so with XGA format projectors as the home market moved to 1080p widescreen format.
Whatever the case, I wish you and your group the very best and hope that projection finds its way into your group's play style without too much trouble. Projection is not for everyone - and it's not for every game system, either.
As long as you prepare your game and how you will use the projector well and are patient in developing your skills in using it at the table, I am confident that your group will love it and will be reticent to play without it.
It does require a learning curve - and some patience from the players during the initial stages of integrating it into your gaming session. Once that hump is over with - it's pretty much smooth sailing.
Enjoy.
There are a number of reasons for this. The projector can be cheaper with top down projection as throw length is not as huge an issue as it is with bottom up projection. The table requires no special modifications when used for top down, whereas bottom up has a number of significant (and expensive) design issues which can make use of the rest of the table -- as a table -- problematic.
But the biggest issue in favour of top down projection is that it allows you to put things on top of your projected map surface. THIS IS NOT A BUG -- THIS IS A FEATURE.
It's a feature because with top down projection, you can use simple blank (as in plain white) 3d "terrain" to add height to your projected map. Just putting down a few layers of "stepped" overlapping blank foam core where the dais is indicated on the map, or for building raised walkways over a portion of the map are very cool - as they reflect whatever map feature is projected on to them. You can do some amazing things using this approach, and the 3D terrain you have to "build" for such an effect takes almost no time whatsoever to build. I recommend experimenting with this approach. Try it - you'll like it!
The idea of putting something like a 42" inch widescreen TV laid flat on a custom designed table would certainly be an interesting approach. Four years ago - it was cost prohibitive. Now? It's only as expensive as projection technology was four years ago, which is to say, "entirely doable".
Four to six years from now? I expect the size we could manage with this approach will exceed 50" and come close to 60" for under $1,000.00, all-in. That's pretty damn cool. Add multi-touch either via Wii-mote or some other surface manager? Even *Cooler*.
I highly doubt the flat panel would be adversely affected by being laid flat as old style tube monitor might be. The main issue to watch for is that heat will rising within the unit to the screen surface and not out the "top" of the back grill. I'd add some active fan cooling inside the flat panel if you are going to explore this method. A few PC fans should fix you right up.
When I first started the Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar. thread, there were only a handful of us using projectors to game. Since that time, there are now hundreds of groups who have adopted projectors into their games. In the intervening five year period, the cost of projection technology has dropped to less than half -- and approaching a third of what the cost of what it was initially. It's getting damn cheap folks.
For less than $300 (and sometimes closer to $200) you can pick up a used serviceable XGA projector off of eBay to use for tabletop projection. New projectors are in reach for $500-$800 without much difficulty. This is especially so with XGA format projectors as the home market moved to 1080p widescreen format.
Whatever the case, I wish you and your group the very best and hope that projection finds its way into your group's play style without too much trouble. Projection is not for everyone - and it's not for every game system, either.
As long as you prepare your game and how you will use the projector well and are patient in developing your skills in using it at the table, I am confident that your group will love it and will be reticent to play without it.
It does require a learning curve - and some patience from the players during the initial stages of integrating it into your gaming session. Once that hump is over with - it's pretty much smooth sailing.
Enjoy.
Last edited:
Deepfire
First Post
I use a cheapass LED (ACER I guess) projector headup above our gaming table (which fortunately is silverwhite). I can not use it in bright sunny daylight (we have a very sunny flat) - but as we only play in the evening/at night, that does not really matter. Imagine a 2.5m x 1m Table with a 0.8m x 1.2m illuminated area in the middle. It looks great with minis.
I use the projector with my macbook as a 2nd screen - with preview for photos (cthulhu for instance), photoshop, dundjinny and a lot other stuff.
Works excellent, all in all I payed maybe 250 Euros for everything (Beamer, looooong VGA Cable, some screws to fix that thing over the table, some cables).
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