Multiple Ceiling Mounted Projectors on Spherical Screen

[deya]

Hi all,

I am new to the DIY Projectors. However, I would like to design several projectors, 3-5 projectors, ceiling mounted, projecting an image on a spherical screen, overlapping images. The distance from the Projector to the screen is expected to be 5 meters, trying to reach an image width of at least 3 meters. This will end up covering 15 meters.

As there many options and different products, what is the best option, or where should I start at thsi stage ?
Is it better to use 17 '' lcds, with LL Pro Lenses, and Veture ED28 lamp..etc for a 1280x1024 resolution. (How to simply reach this size with this distance, given 17'' monitor, with the best quality that could be achived at this distance, and brightness..)

In all cases, as there different ways of doing the proj, what do I need to shop for, to start with the 1 or 2 projectors at this stage ?

What I think is needed:
1. Lens Kit, such as the LL Pro Lens.
2. UV Filter.
3. Fan Thermo. controller for auto fan startup.
4. LCD 17''
5. Venture 400w ED28

Do I need to get ikea napkin reflector, or precondensors, or anything that I should include in my shopping list !

Thanks in advance,

[deya]

With the above question, can anyone help or guide me to the right specs and directions.

Thanks in advance,

[v1d9uy]

well if youre gunna use the 17" lcds yer gunna be out atleast $100 for each lens so ... $500 plus the cost of the lcds = not cheap plus the right lighting my ballast 400watt high preasure sodium was $36 shipped plus $50 for each bulb ushio ss400d, plus fresnels id say ... $60 per pj soo total assuming you can get the lcds for around $150 each ... thats almost $2000
not includeing shipping for lcds or box matterial id use a 15" lcd that way you can use a $30 lens and cheaper easier to find fresnels less box material and hopefully a lil cheaper lcds but i would use the same lighting. now 5 meters isnt very far witch means it should be really bright .. on the other hand thats a steep angle to project at .. and i dont think you could do enough keystone correction to fix it. but i may be wrong id think around
10ft would be better. other problem is 3 meters is a perty small screen. iv got a sharp OHP panel 10.5 " diagnaly 15ft from the wall i get a 120" diagnal screen .you could get a good res 7" lcd and a 250 watt light setup and still get what you want .. .. i think plus it would be a much much smaller box to try and hang. but there are alot smarter peaple here than me so maybe someone will correct me : )

[chevy1965usa]

Im sorry to be the bringer of bad news but some one needs to. Im currently the assistant to the lead software engineer for a simulator that is being made/designed for the military. I cant go into the specifics of the project but it involves multiple projectors being projected onto a sphere (almost a sphere) screen. This is not a trivial problem we actually had to get an over seas company along with the some optical/CS engineers from USC to work on this problem for us. What they came up with is a piece of software that works in conjunction with some very special projectors. In all, it cost the tax payers a few million dollars in research to accomplish this. Edge blending and optical corrections of the highest order are needed to solve this problem. The projectors alone will cost about 20k to buy and that doesn’t include the software. I don’t mean to burst your bubble but this may be a bigger more complex task then you had originally thought If you are still interested in this project I could maybe give you some contacts that will be able to push you in the right direction. Dont let me discurage you from building a regular diy projector

[deya]

Hi all,

Thanks for your email and support.

I understand that it is not an easy problem, but if I want to implement with different vendors at this stage, the cost will be prohibitive. In addition, there are no products in the low end market that will match this criteria, either in luminus or lamp life.

So, If I want to give it a try, from where should I start ?

Thanks again for your help.

[v1d9uy]

well it would help some to know what exactly what yer doing and why ? what it will be used for etc...

[deya]

Can you please provide me with your contacts or the co. contacts ? I sent you a PM, not sure if you have received it.

Thanks in advance,

Originally posted by chevy1965usa
Im sorry to be the bringer of bad news but some one needs to. Im currently the assistant to the lead software engineer for a simulator that is being made/designed for the military. I cant go into the specifics of the project but it involves multiple projectors being projected onto a sphere (almost a sphere) screen. This is not a trivial problem we actually had to get an over seas company along with the some optical/CS engineers from USC to work on this problem for us. What they came up with is a piece of software that works in conjunction with some very special projectors. In all, it cost the tax payers a few million dollars in research to accomplish this. Edge blending and optical corrections of the highest order are needed to solve this problem. The projectors alone will cost about 20k to buy and that doesn’t include the software. I don’t mean to burst your bubble but this may be a bigger more complex task then you had originally thought If you are still interested in this project I could maybe give you some contacts that will be able to push you in the right direction. Dont let me discurage you from building a regular diy projector