Need help finding the right projector

[EricOtown]

I havent been able to find a projector that meets all of my needs. I may need to compromise, but before I do, I wanted to see if anyone can recommend a projector.

I’m looking for a projector that meets the following requirements:

1. 1080p or 4K pixel shifting

2. Has enough lumens/brightness to project onto a 16’ X 9’ screen in a golf simulator room that won’t be theater dark. I will have a GC2 with HMT so I’ll need enough light in my garage to see what I’m hitting and for the GC2 & HMT to see and track the ball effectively.

3. My garage dimensions are such that I can probably mount the projector as much as 20 feet away from the impact screen.

4. My ceiling is 9’7” tall. Not sure if it’s better to have the projector mounted in front or behind of where I’ll be hitting from.

5. I would prefer not to spend more than $1,500, but I would go up to $2,500 if I have to.

I’m not sure whether I should project the image at 16 X 9 or 16 X 10 aspect ratio. Everything I’ve read says that 16 X 10 aspect ratio is optimal for simulator golf but if I project at 16 X 9, I can fill my entire screen 16’ X 9’ screen with the image. If project at 16 X 10 aspect ratio, my max image size would be 14.4’ X 9’ because my ceiling isn’t tall enough to project the 16 X 10 image onto a 16’ X 10’ screen because the largest screen I can fit is 16’ X 9’.

I guess 14.4’ X 9’ is plenty big and the advantage of 16 X 10 aspect ratio is that the view of the golf course and sky will be wider and taller relative to the image , if that makes any sense.

The main issues that I’ve run into with projectors is having enough lumens to project such a large image in a room with ambient light and not having the image washed out and also throw distance for such a large image and a farther throw distance also requires more lumens for optimal picture quality.

So what projectors would you guys recommend?

[aja]

A few comments that hopefully are of use:

2. "Theater dark" is too dark but don't expect to find a projector that will let you play in a brightly lit room either. I'd expect the room to be pretty dark but the golf experience shouldn't suffer if you have a spot light or two lighting your launch monitor and hitting area.

3. Mounting the projector 20 feet away in a golf sim is never a good idea. Projecting from that distance will likely result in the golfers shadow blocking parts of the image on the screen - not very realistic and I think for most pretty bothersome. Not to mention pretty disappointing if you've spent big bucks on a projector and then get to watch your own shadow!

4. The category of projector you need to zero in on is a "short throw" projector. It will project a very big image from a very short distance. More likely than not the mounting position would be almost directly above the hitting position. No golfer shadow and the projector is out of harms way.

I believe that there is a "sticky" topic about projectors somewhere in the forum. You'll get the benefit of lots of experience if you read all of those postings.

Good luck.

[shellman19]

EricOtown Not sure if you saw my post/review of 2 projectors I tested in great detail but thought it might be helpful for you if you did see it:

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/build-your-own/projectors/201548-infocus-in138hdst-vs-benq-th671st-part-1-of-3-how-i-picked-my-projector

Hope it helps!

[Tonysmjc]

I used the projector ppl online
they were very helpful and donna actually understood both projection and had a grasp of simulators
plus they let you return if it doesn’t work for you

im selling my Optoma EH200ST
979.00 new 1.5 years old
450.00 plus your choice of shipping