Widescreen Gaming Forum

Currently I have a

XD350 DLP Projector
•DLP™ Display Technology
•2500 ANSI Lumens
•1024 x 768 Native Resolution
•4:3 Native Aspect Ratio
•2000:1 Contrast Ratio

I am wondering how this stacks up to the newer projectors out there. I use a 120"x96" Da-Lite glass bead screen. To be honest I have never had the greatest results in flight sim games since the targets are a bit hard to see. Is my screen partly too blame? Possibly the high gain might hurt when trying to see small slightly shaded objects from a background like trees? upping the resolution to is max compressed 1600x1200 does not help, also not sure but it seems like frame rate suffers using the projector , is there a lag when using a projector.

My other question is now that projectors like mine are pretty cheap, would it be worth getting two more. My main worry is that using 3 screens will require I put them in almost a box arrangment, 70 degree angle due to space limitations, most setups I see have closer to a 20 degree angle. would this give an unnatural look?

sorry allot of questions asked here but i feel like have hit paydirt finding this forum. other that can understand! :)

Hi rich0550, if you care much about the game experience two or three projector will give you "unbelievable" effect. But the price is not only the extra projector also you need some blending hardware or software. Another choice is to merge you serveral outputs carefully and with some noticable "seams". I suggest you to search some pictures for "edge blending" and you will get some understanding on the results.

It a mix of things. Some of it is the screen material but most of it has to do with just using 1024x768 in a large projection. In my particular setup, I have an image that is projected 5 foot tall centered on a 8 foot standard sized ceiling height room. That leaves 1.5 foot at the top and bottom of the projection as black area. 1024x768 at 5 foot tall will lose contrast and brightness, but in order for your experience to be immersive it's part of the tradeoff.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

Hi rich0550, if you care much about the game experience two or three projector will give you "unbelievable" effect. But the price is not only the extra projector also you need some blending hardware or software. Another choice is to merge you serveral outputs carefully and with some noticable "seams". I suggest you to search some pictures for "edge blending" and you will get some understanding on the results.

The issue is that entry level edge blending is 10x the price NTHUSIM is. I am happy to tolerate a pixel or 2 overlap on my projection edges just to not have to pay that price premium.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

I've gone through a number of projectors over the years and i could never go back to a low resolution like that.
I would really think about getting a full hd projector so you can run 1920x1080 native. the difference is huge compared to 1024x768.
I use my projector for a lot of games and flight sim,space sim and driving games are superb. and the quality of my hc5000 is at least or not better then my 24" samsung monitors.

You can buy fullhd projectors starting at a little under a grand but i would definatly go for a single fullhd instead of 3 4x3 low res ones

_________________
intel x79
2 way 780ti's under water
Intel 4760 extreme @ 4GHz
3 x 42 inch screens @5860x1080
16 gigs xmp ram @2200

I've gone through a number of projectors over the years and i could never go back to a low resolution like that.
I would really think about getting a full hd projector so you can run 1920x1080 native. the difference is huge compared to 1024x768.
I use my projector for a lot of games and flight sim,space sim and driving games are superb. and the quality of my hc5000 is at least or not better then my 24" samsung monitors.

You can buy fullhd projectors starting at a little under a grand but i would definatly go for a single fullhd instead of 3 4x3 low res ones

We all have different motivations for builds. My particular motivation is room size 180 FOV. That simply doesn't work very well using 1080p entry level projectors because none of them have a short enough lens throw to pull off triple mount within the 180 degree screen arc. You show me three 1080p projectors with 0.6:1 lens throw and $800 price point per projector and I'll buy em. :wink:

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com

very iinteresting shoot i paid $2500 for my xd350u 5 years ago i have seen them for as low as $350 now, always dreamed about 3 projector setup, amost have the space for three large 116" screens.

with prices so low its really tempting to give it a shot. What happens if your kind of boxed in by the displays?? do you need to have the pretty much straight across if you have them 50 60 degrees does it make the games look unnatural? warped?

very iinteresting shoot i paid $2500 for my xd350u 5 years ago i have seen them for as low as $350 now, always dreamed about 3 projector setup, amost have the space for three large 116" screens.

with prices so low its really tempting to give it a shot. What happens if your kind of boxed in by the displays?? do you need to have the pretty much straight across if you have them 50 60 degrees does it make the games look unnatural? warped?

It's hard to say. Every game behaves differently with their camera settings. This has always been an issue with surround-screen gaming though and isn't anything new with projection. I know that really isn't an answer, but every game behaves differently with their FOV options and camera controls. It's hard to give a generalized answer that fits everything.

_________________
Brad Hawthorne
Product Manager
Nthusim Pty. Ltd. | www.nthusim.com