My first experience with projection TV-video was a unit purchased used, you can find very cheap used video projectors online or at pawn shops. I spent less than $50.00 USD for the projector with no lamp, to make it work i modifyed a $5.00 usd Radio Shack movie projector lamp. The projector was a LCD Boxlight Revolution 13" tall, and a 84" screen homemade out of heavy white vinyl purchase from the Fabric store. This works fine and looks good after two years mounted on a wooden frame maded out of 1"x2" pine board 84" frame with one strip down the middle of the frame for screen center support. To remove the wrinkles you have to iron it before installing or wait a year or longer for it to smooth out.
TEST: You might try your projector on a wall at your home as a test to see how big a picture it projects clearly, this will give you a better ideal of the size of screen you need to create.
PROFESSIONAL SCREEN: For your home they do look better and you can find them in about any flea market (old movie screens on tripods) for real cheap price, most of these are around 48"..New pull down screens start at around $200.00,
SCREENS: Can be as basic as a wall painted with flat ultra white, most projectors mounted 10' distance from the screen work well in the basic size of 84 inch diagonal . White canvas/rubber base material with felt type backing gain is about the same as a commerical white screen 1.3 gain..
Normal White Wall 0.0 gain 20 degree view
Padded white fabric 1.0 gain 50 degree view
High contrast white 1.1 gain 45 degree view
Heavy White Vinyl 1.2 gain 55 degree view
commerical white screen 1.3 gain -- degree view
Video spectra 1.5 gain 35 degree view
Glass beaded fabric 2.5 gain 30 degree view
High power glass beaded 2.8 gain 25 degree view
METALLIC SILVER PVC FABRIC
Fabric store silver PVC Fabric, paint with a couple coats of clear laquer. The appearence of the screen was the most impressive of all the screens as far as the looks, with my projector it wasn't that bright of a picture, I would say no gain at all maybe even a loss, very disappointed.
THIS WORKS FAIRLY WELL
PEARLESCENT..To make a pearlesent or silver screen add a reflective coating of clear Laquer to white vinyl or heavey white vinyl..
Hints for buying the LCD projectors:
Projectors listed on this page do not have a TV tuner. Important must have feature is a video-audio input and output for any LCD projector, that way you can use your VCR or CD player as a TV tuner, also be sure it has a remote control. LCD projectors works great with most commerical CCD-CCTV security cameras..The VGA computer screen projector feature is on some units, look close at the software available to see if it will work ok for your computer XP ect..
Purchase a unit with at least a 3000 ANSI Lumens bulb-lamp or greater for a solid system that will impress your friends under just about any kind of conditions.
1000 ANSI Lumens Brightness...For dark room only..Mostly has the faded color look.........
2000 ANSI Lumens Brightness.........Semi-Dark room..(Standard type bulb)......................
3000 ANSI Lumens Brightness...Lighted room-Bright colors.As good or better than TV set.
Cheap low-light projectors.
A cheap to operate projector is a Kodak LC500 they use a $5.00 usd lamp number EXR good for 35 hours, Infocus projector model 550 uses a cheap $6.00 bulb to, or a Proxima LB30 - LB30+, Dukane LB30+, Dukane imagepro 7200 or 7200a, CTX EzPro 500, These type of projectors with the cheap bulbs have no brightness, a clear picture will be about the size of a medium to large TV, also the projectors models are out of production.
Mods Only For The Advanced!!
a lightware VP800 plus LCD projector with a small (400w halogen bulb=brightness of 350 ANSI Lumens) 3/8" long single end halogen 50-100 hour life sales around $6.00 with some mods and you can use a 3" single end halogens with a 2000 hour life for $10.00..
CHECKING AROUND: Projection TVs rent around $250.00 a day or 750 a week
Home cost for your own Projector Maintance To use just about any kind of digital LCD projection TV its going to cost you around $.75 to $1.00 and hour to operate for bulbs, maintenance-investment..
REBUILD OR REMANUFACTURE A PROJECTOR LAMP?
(Forget it)
They are no listing around for the voltage for a projector metal halide lamps and for a good reason. The metal halide lamp requires a ballast. The ballast should only run a metal halide lamp of the same arc voltage. DANGER! You would have to measure the arc voltage yourself (leave this to the experts) after the lamp warms up, your exposing yourself to the nasty Ultra Violet that some of these things emit and they will explode. Arc voltages of metal halide lamps are not published, because the strike voltage are several kV which will destroy your multimeter should the arc drop out and attempt to restart while you are measuring it! Either the operating or strike voltage will Assimilate you should you come in contact with live terminals! Low output Metal halides need a couple to a few thousand volts, other halides need up 30kv..Metal halide lamps come in AC or DC.
NOTE:LAMP REPLACEMENT!! Don't even check the ballest
Always replace the Ballast before installing a new metal Halide lamp as the ballast almost
always is destroyed, and may damage your new lamp if you don't replace it first.
Curtains - Drapes for the projection screen
Velvet curtains adds a sophisticated touch, dark colored cloth looks good to, look around your local fabric store ask questions they always have a deal, i have used black garbage bags as drapes, and with a staple gun fasten it around the screens wooden frame..Instant Drapes..
Velco can be a easy way to hold up your screen-drapes.
Go with the new big screen LCD Televisions
Now the prices are getting cheaper each day for the LCD. The bad side.. After one year the LCD unit went dead, was replaced for a $50.00usd fee.
Car-SUV-Limousine Installing a TV-Television Or Video Monitor!
2008...LCD Televisions work in Mobile's fine, and they are all kinds of mounting brackets that can be found on Amazon. Check and see what you can afford and the size you want, then buy one bigger. Most new LCD TV operate on a 12 vdc transformer. Don't use the transformer just direct wire the LCD to the 12 vdc vehicle wiring system with the correct polarization
+-..
The smaller LCD TV's wattage isn't a problem, on the larger 32"-52" TV's the wattage goes to 200 watt to 300 watts and more..
Noise and interference that shows on the screen and in the audio from the vehicle electrical system shouldn't be a problem on the newer cars, if it happens talk to the people at Radio Shack about line noise filters ect.
Plasma televisions range in size up to 60 plus inches, with a typical depth of 3 to 4 inches. A disadvantage is the potential for picture burn-in if a fixed image is left on the screen for a very long time (such as my surveillance camera video or any stll picture) it can become permanently etched into the screen as with most TV's. Plasma TVs are difficult to wall-mount because of their weight. lifespans (1/2 life) of the new plasma TVs are now being advertize around 30 years, the screen will have half the brightness as when new.
Disclaimer: Please note that any advice given on this site is deemed to be personal advice or brain storming, anyone seeking to follow any instructions or advice contained within this website should be advised to seek professional advice beforehand.