Use DIY Projector as Regular TV Daily??

[macker123]

I am going to be building one of these DIY projectors, but I need to be able to use it daily as a TV too. Which basically means I need a simple, hassle free setup that does not take minutes to start up, but seconds.

Is it safe, realistic to use these overhead projectors setups daily for a few hrs as a regular TV. Obviously I am aware of the bulbs etc., but I would build a custom enclosure with a metal halide bulb.

How fast do those DLP projectors start up?

 

[kl899]

my Elmo OHP takes about a minute to reach full brightness.

 

[zardoz]

I use my HTPC lots as a regular TV (only really big ) that is to say on a daily basis. When my 2 brand new lamps burn out in my 3M9550 I'll be retrofitting with MH...then I won't turn the darn thing off at all

zardoz

 

[Negative Design]

hey Zardoz me and u have the same idea but im feelin a lil nervous about retro. my OHP so i will wait for you to do it 1st lol i'd like to know when you do it please let me knwo how it goes.


-JimmY-

 

[zardoz]

Neg..I don't think it will be too long before I roast these lamps....hehe..I use my PJ LOT'S

Keep you up to date as it goes down.

zardoz

 

[ap0the0sis]

macker123 ,

im curious as to why you cant wait a minute or two for the projector to start up? are you in that much of a hurry? anything that is a projector weather its DIY or retail will take some time to start up and reach full brightness... even your tv takes a little bit to turn on and reach full brightness.

are there any projector startup races? i guess some people are just impatient.

ap0

 

[Negative Design]

Thank you Z, ....maybe one of us should create a thread and lets put our thoughts together, I'll tell you what my plans are and u tell me urs? good idea?

 

[verbose mustafa]

Halogens start up fast, but becuase of the high heat and short life, they suck. Metal halide is realy the only way to go.

 

[Video Freak]

yea even my proxima 9210 takes a min( it has a counter) untill the bulb has gone up to full brightness, so its not a instant on per say. L8er

 

[Myren]

its my daily video game hookup.

i gotta throw this thing on my home automation network so i can turn it on and off at whim. the system in my dorm is halogen, so it just snaps on and off (and cooks popcorn too!).

 

[verbose mustafa]

Yea, im thinking of converting my broken oph in to a convection oven. Of coarse it would cost $0.12 to run an hour.

 

[jcbklyny]

Why not...

As soon as I was happy with my picture I sold my 35" Television. My DIY is it. I cant understand why anyone would go back to a regular television after building this project. (Although, I'm not using an OHP... so my case might be different.)

As for quick startup... dame man, your telling me that the 1-2 minutes or so it takes to get to full brightness is too long for you to wait? Even if you bought a commercial unit... your gonna wait more then a few seconds my friend! Like it or not.

 

[qwkbird]

you asked about dlp...
my x1 starts up in 5 seconds.
my panel and overhead took 20 seconds to set up, and then each time i changed the channel with the tv-3000, i still had to re-align the image with the screen. some channels were dead on, some were half on the screen half not. maybe others had better luck with different panels...

 

[kl899]

and then each time i changed the channel with the tv-3000, i still had to re-align the image with the screen. some channels were dead on, some were half on the screen half not. maybe others had better luck with different panels...

that's really weird. i have a tv-4000 and an nec 1545v, and i've never once had that happen to me.

 

[qwkbird]

that's really weird. i have a tv-4000 and an nec 1545v, and i've never once had that happen to me

it was the panel - nview 350
the auto signal detect never picked up anything from the tv-3000,
so i had to manually set to vga graphics, so each time i changed the channel it would re align it self with the incoming data, so instead of being in the correct vertical hold position to show the complete 4:3 screen picture, it would look like the vertical hold was off and the image would be like with the top half at the bottom and the bottom half at the top with the black bar separateing them. nothing big, but meant no "channel surfing" just pic one show-align-and watch.
instead of using the tv-4000 with the x1, i went with basically the same thing offered from best buy-except a little better in the product construction quality.