Outdoor Projector Setup Ideas Appreciated

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  Davo1111 on 24/11/2019 - 21:53

  are your neighbors going to be cool with this?

  • 

    theHMASfriendship on 24/11/2019 - 22:04

    -1

    I haven't checked with them

  • 

    Cul8r on 24/11/2019 - 22:04

    Hi David,

    Fortunately yes, let’s say they’re a long way away and most of the time actually invited too.

    Now that I’ve answered yours, any assistance on my questions is appreciated.

• 

  mversion on 25/11/2019 - 00:13

  +1

  Perhaps this might do?
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-NJa8ijpVk

  • 

    Cul8r on 25/11/2019 - 13:51

    Isn't that thing interesting! quite like it, thanks so much ill dig in deeper to this one - price point is amazing!

    Upon inspection it appears it might only be 500 lumens which would be effective for a dark room but ambient lighting may hurt this… given the cheap price point i will look into it though, it has some very good features that ive wished ive seen in other devices!

    Thank you mversion

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  ESEMCE on 25/11/2019 - 08:16

  +1

  I've done similar to what you propose against a galv shed with an old Epson XGA Office projector, Laptop computer and some 2.1 Logitech computer speakers. It was great fun and after the first 5 minutes your brain filters out the roller door ribs.
  Neighbors were merely intrigued!

  That projector was 2000 lumens (with a new bulb) and screen projection would have been around 4m diagonal.
  At night it was fine, useless in the day though.
  My current projector is 2500 lumens and while you can watch inside with the curtains open, it's still washed out. Projectors need dim light spaces to be effective, so forget about watching daytime or Summer evening sports events outdoors.

  Any projector will do the job at night. Epson and BenQ dominate the more budget range of PJ's. They each use different projection technologies, so have a read up on that.

  Keep your eye out on the Epson and BenQ Australia Seconds shops for bargains. My TW5600 was bought from Epson earlier this year for $680 delivered.
  https://www.epson.com.au/shoponline/shop/BrowseProducts.asp?…
  https://www.epson.com.au/shoponline/shop/BrowseProducts.asp?…
  http://shop.benq.com.au/projectors.html

  This BenQ might be your best bet for daytime viewing
  http://shop.benq.com.au/sh940-factory-refurbished.html

  • 

    Cul8r on 25/11/2019 - 14:04

    thanks so much for the share, i had zero idea on the seconds option! some of those price points are great, really good idea.
    I am quite interested in the SH940, looks great on the spec sheet.

    thanks for sharing regarding your experiences on lumens… its such a funny number measure that it helps when its put into perspective with real world experience.

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  Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 25/11/2019 - 08:50

  +2

  Hi OP,

  I did this at my old house so I can give a bit of insight. Don't spend too much money as you'll likely use it a few times over summer and then pack it away - especially with our winter weather down here. I'd put the money towards a home theatre room inside, or a nice concealed build in the lounge room if you don't have a theatre room. Ie. roof retractable PJ, in wall/ceiling speakers, and tensioned (very important!) retractable screen.

  You want a lot of lumens. LOTS. There is still a lot of radiant light sources at night. Forget about watching sport during the day unless you spend ~$7500+ on a venue projector. My local has the footy on weekends in the beer garden and their ~5000 lumens commercial projector is still very average in daylight. Something with 3000+ lumens will give an acceptable picture at night. But not great.

  I'd be recommending something like this. Heaps of lumens, cheap as via the Epson clearance centre, good resolution, cheap bulbs, and easy to recover your cash when you inevitably resign to watching movies inside.

  Keep the screen size at max 140" (I think your garage door is 170" diagonal?) and try and keep the projector as close as possible and rely on the optical zoom if available.

  Sound is also very important. You aren't in a theatre room so you'll need volume so everyone can hear dialogue etc. Midrange is also important because bass disappears outside. You want large speakers to try and counteract this. Have a look at cheap Accusound floorstanding packs. There's a few packed listed around Melb for $300-500 (ebay). Just pull them out and use, then pack away when the movies are over.

  In the end, my humble recommendation is to hit up the Moonlight Cinemas or Openair Cinemas in Melbourne a few times over the summer period and save your cash for a theatre room inside :)

  • 

    ESEMCE on 25/11/2019 - 09:08

    Didn't notice OP was in Melbourne!
    I'd just assumed at least Sydney or further north!

  • 

    Cul8r on 25/11/2019 - 14:23

    +1

    HAHA i love this "hit up the Moonlight Cinemas or Openair Cinemas in Melbourne a few times over the summer period and save your cash for a theatre room inside". bit of a trek but not the end of the world.

    i may take on your advise, just not all of it ;)

    i have had some time to mull over some of this and i think dialing back the budget will not be a bad thing - your comment only furthers this. i may look for some cheaper projectors which can crank out some light.

    150" will be more than enough, the epson youve shared looks quite good - ill read up on scubacoles comment about different technologies… hopefully it'll help sway me i the right direction, epson vs benq.

    thank you, i didnt think about the soundstage. i have heard the 251s a while ago and they sounded amazing, having said that they were partly enclosed… might need to find somewhere where they're out and see what dialogue sounds like. ideally my setup here would be permanent as we are always playing music and are always outside with a little portable speaker and extension leads.

    • 

      Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 25/11/2019 - 20:51

      Oh, read your location at Melbourne. Not anymore?

      Don't spend too much as then if it doesn't pan out you'll get most of your cash back selling it off. Will also keep your other half on side if you embark on future projects ;)

      One other thing I forgot to mention. Bugs. They love light sources in the dark. I never found a solution for that.