I got into this idea around the start of June. I researched some, and figured out what I needed(and what I could afford). I settled on the OHP+Projection Panel method. I bought an nView Spectra on eBay about a month and a half ago. It's not the greatest panel, in fact some would call it crap, but I like it. Mine is in great condition. No burnt out pixels, very little dust collection and almost no physical wear. Yesteday the Elmo OHP I ordered came in. To my delight, it seems almost new. It still smelled like burning plastic when I turned it on. It still has the original ENX-5 Bulb in it. As is, it outputs 2900 lumens. It can do 4000 with an FXL bulb, but I don't really think it's necessary. I set it all up in my barn (wich serves as a worskshop). It's hooked up with a great sound system(If anyone wants the specifics I can post, but to be brief it vibrates enough so that the furniture creaks 🙂 ). The result? Awsome. It's projecting 110" diagonal right now, and it will be about 125" once I get a workbench out of the way. The image is clear, bright, and in-focus without much screen-dooring at all. I've watched LOTR: Special Edition, some Chobits, and a few Episodes of the Sopranos, and It Kicks ***. All of the really dark scenes in LOTR showed up fine, they were not too dark, I could make everything out perfectly clear. All in all it cost about $130(US). One of my best investments ever 🙂 . If anyone can tell me how to take photographs I'd be happy to post some result photo's, none of mine have come out at all.
I've also owned the Spectra panels, so I know what you mean. They are the most durable panel you could ever hope for. I've even heard of people using them as wheel stops for their trucks that don't have parking breaks, and the LCD is still fine afterwards.
I think that the burning smell was probably some oil left on the bulb from someone who had touched the bulb while installing it (bad news with halogen bulbs). If you're happy with the current setup, then I HIGHLY recommd upgrading to an FXL-5 bulb. They're supposed to be brighter than the 4000 lumen FXL bulbs and also have whiter light, which is a definite plus for projection. Let me know if you'd like a source for them (I think I can get them for about $8).
Do you have a digital camera? It's really really hard to take pictures of most DIY projectors with digital cameras because so many of the dig.cam. are really bad at capturing in the dark. Try turning a dim light on in the room so that the camera has something to focus on. It will make your projection look a little washed out, but this is nearly the only way to get a sharp image of the projection.
I think that the burning smell was probably some oil left on the bulb from someone who had touched the bulb while installing it (bad news with halogen bulbs). If you're happy with the current setup, then I HIGHLY recommd upgrading to an FXL-5 bulb. They're supposed to be brighter than the 4000 lumen FXL bulbs and also have whiter light, which is a definite plus for projection. Let me know if you'd like a source for them (I think I can get them for about $8).
Do you have a digital camera? It's really really hard to take pictures of most DIY projectors with digital cameras because so many of the dig.cam. are really bad at capturing in the dark. Try turning a dim light on in the room so that the camera has something to focus on. It will make your projection look a little washed out, but this is nearly the only way to get a sharp image of the projection.
I'll try with a little light... I have a really cheap($50) digital camera from a few years ago, so I'll borrow my brother's much better one. The Spectra panels are great, they are really durable, and the image isn't too bad looking when it comes down to it. Although I still haven't figured out what the phone jack is for, or how the "OHP ON" and OHP OFF" buttons on the remote work. 😕
Spectra Panel
The phone jack is for an accessory cable that you can purchase that allows you to use RCA inputs or interactive pointer systems. I've never seen any of these accessories, so I assume that they weren't popular when they came out or that they were incredibly expensive. Most of these projection panels ranged between $3,000 and $9,000 when they first came out, so I can imagine that most companies weren't willing to by a lot of accessories unless they really needed them.
The on and off buttons on the remote were tricky for me too as I recall. I think that once you turned off your computer or whatever you were using as input, only then could you use the off button on the remote, but I don't remember for sure.
Good luck with those pictures - looking forward to seeing your results and especially what the inside of your theater/barn/workshop looks like.
The phone jack is for an accessory cable that you can purchase that allows you to use RCA inputs or interactive pointer systems. I've never seen any of these accessories, so I assume that they weren't popular when they came out or that they were incredibly expensive. Most of these projection panels ranged between $3,000 and $9,000 when they first came out, so I can imagine that most companies weren't willing to by a lot of accessories unless they really needed them.
The on and off buttons on the remote were tricky for me too as I recall. I think that once you turned off your computer or whatever you were using as input, only then could you use the off button on the remote, but I don't remember for sure.
Good luck with those pictures - looking forward to seeing your results and especially what the inside of your theater/barn/workshop looks like.
Photos, Finally!
Opening Credits of The Sopranos. This is Pretty true-to-life. The colors are a little better in real life, and it's a good deal brighter too.
Opening Credits of Chobits. A good shot, shows the quality pretty well, except the colors are better looking in real life.
A Picture of the OHP and the panel. Not as big and ugly as I thought it would be.
Not bad, huh? I wish I could take a video of the projector in action, but the digital cam I used is kinda old and you can't take movie clips with it 🙁 . If anyone wants to see something else, I'd be glad to take more photos.
I have a feeling the image quality will greatly improve when I get a decent screen surface, as it is projecting onto a dirty grayish wall.
Opening Credits of The Sopranos. This is Pretty true-to-life. The colors are a little better in real life, and it's a good deal brighter too.
Opening Credits of Chobits. A good shot, shows the quality pretty well, except the colors are better looking in real life.
A Picture of the OHP and the panel. Not as big and ugly as I thought it would be.
Not bad, huh? I wish I could take a video of the projector in action, but the digital cam I used is kinda old and you can't take movie clips with it 🙁 . If anyone wants to see something else, I'd be glad to take more photos.
I have a feeling the image quality will greatly improve when I get a decent screen surface, as it is projecting onto a dirty grayish wall.
I hear that! I have owned a few of just about every nView projection panel and they are built tough (spectras are all steel). I'm glad to see results with the original spectra model. Your results prove that 1000's of colors will work just fine. Nice!
1000's of colors do work fine, but I definetly wouldn't go lower than 12-bit(4096 colors) wich is what the Spectra is. I've seen pannels with less than this in action, and while they may be fine for dorky PowerPoint presentations, anything else is gonna hurt. The lack of colors is noticeable in some cases, specifically in close up shots of people. For almost all toons and movies, It's barely noticeable, if at all. I showed it to a friend, he thought it was at least 16-bit color, he was very surprised to learn it was only 12-bit. Games can look ok(Vice City, Counter-Strike), but some look like crap(UT2003). I would definetly reccomend a lower-end pannel like this to anyone that doesn't have a lot to spend, or just wants something cheap to get started with.
When I compare the pics I posted to the real thing, they really don't do it justice. It's quite a bit more focused and much brighter in real life. I'll try to get some better pics tomorrow.
Anyways, my experience(so far) with DIY projection has been great. I've had no problems. Nothing to troubleshoot, nothing to fix. I have a 120" Screen to watch now. While the image quality doesn't compare to the lower end LCD pojectors, neither does the pricetag. 🙂
When I compare the pics I posted to the real thing, they really don't do it justice. It's quite a bit more focused and much brighter in real life. I'll try to get some better pics tomorrow.
Anyways, my experience(so far) with DIY projection has been great. I've had no problems. Nothing to troubleshoot, nothing to fix. I have a 120" Screen to watch now. While the image quality doesn't compare to the lower end LCD pojectors, neither does the pricetag. 🙂
I used to use a Spectra so I know what you mean about how it works well for some stuff and lacks color for other things. Overall it's a pretty nifty panel for an intro projector or for watching the news and playing most video games on.
Those photos look pretty good, although I really think you'd benifit from a better light source that is more pure white. I'm mostly experienced with metal halide light sources, but have also used FXL-5 bulbs with pretty good success.
Those photos look pretty good, although I really think you'd benifit from a better light source that is more pure white. I'm mostly experienced with metal halide light sources, but have also used FXL-5 bulbs with pretty good success.
The bulb I was using quit out today. I ordered four FXL-5 bulbs, for about 8 bucks a piece. They're brighter, and cheaper in the long run, so I think it was worth the slightly higher price. 100 hour life, and now I will have 4000 lumens, wich should be a big help. I'm also gonna tape over some screws and stuff in the wall(you can see them in the photos), then paint the wall matte white with some leftover paint. After this, and with the new and brighter bulb, the difference should be night and day. I'll be sure to do a before/after comparison 🙂 .
A Word about FXL bulbs
Be careful with those FXLs - they need an 84v input voltage, so your projector needs to currently have that output at the lamp socket. If it doesn't have that output, then you can simply put a dimmer knob somewhere in the circuit, but you'll need to be careful not to turn it up too far - you'll go through bulbs in a hurry if you do. I once plugged an FXL into 120v and it popped right away before even getting bright. An $8 mistake, but still a pain.
Be careful with those FXLs - they need an 84v input voltage, so your projector needs to currently have that output at the lamp socket. If it doesn't have that output, then you can simply put a dimmer knob somewhere in the circuit, but you'll need to be careful not to turn it up too far - you'll go through bulbs in a hurry if you do. I once plugged an FXL into 120v and it popped right away before even getting bright. An $8 mistake, but still a pain.
I know my projector can take FXL's, I can't imagine FXL-5's are any different. There's a switch that says Normal and HI, I wonder if this is the voltage?
Edit:
FXL Bubls take 82v, FXL-5 take 86v. The datasheet says it takes FXL bubls, but it says the output is 120v. It must have something to do with that switch that says Normal and HI. I'll try to find the manual, it should have more info.
PDF Specsheet
Edit:
FXL Bubls take 82v, FXL-5 take 86v. The datasheet says it takes FXL bubls, but it says the output is 120v. It must have something to do with that switch that says Normal and HI. I'll try to find the manual, it should have more info.
PDF Specsheet
Your hi and low switch should differentiate between 82v (hi) and some lower voltage around 70v. If your data sheet says that your projector has an output of 120v, I'll bet that is referring to the power connector on the side of your OHP for plugging in your LCD panel. The FXL-5 should work very nicely for you because I think they last longer and also have a higher color temp. Also, if your OHP is giving 82v to the lamp holder, then your new 86v lamp will last that much longer because of it. I once found a site that has a table of over and under voltages compaired to how they affect the life of a halogen bulb - you'd be surprised how much difference a couple of volts above or below recommend can really make!
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