Help me pick one of these 5 Projectors....

[devildog1205]

Sim constants....

• Raw Edge Screen is 15.8'W x 10'T (can be folded to reduce size if needed)
• Ceiling is 10' 2"
• Surrounding floor area is 16' x 15' of putting turf
• Hitting Area is a Fiberbuilt Mat
• Uneekor QED 3.5' behind ball
• Projector needs to be ceiling mounted
• Graphics Card is a GTX 1660Ti
• TGC 2019

Below are the 5 projectors that I'm contemplating for this new build. Varying prices and specs, yes. Not apples to apples, I understand. However, their all options that fit my budget and available sim space currently. Looking for input, good or bad, from users of these units. Or any other comparable units that you can recommend. Welcome any comments/suggestions you might have.

Let me know your vote! 1,2,3,4,5 or recommend another unit. Thanks!

[Sixmudd]

Sim constants....

• Raw Edge Screen is 15.8'W x 10'T (can be folded to reduce size if needed)
• Ceiling is 10' 2"
• Surrounding floor area is 16' x 15' of putting turf
• Hitting Area is a Fiberbuilt Mat
• Uneekor QED 3.5' behind ball
• Projector needs to be ceiling mounted
• Graphics Card is a GTX 1660Ti
• TGC 2019

Below are the 5 projectors that I'm contemplating for this new build. Varying prices and specs, yes. Not apples to apples, I understand. However, their all options that fit my budget and available sim space currently. Looking for input, good or bad, from users of these units. Or any other comparable units that you can recommend. Welcome any comments/suggestions you might have.

Let me know your vote! 1,2,3,4,5 or recommend another unit. Thanks!

I have the optoma 412st, and picture quality on my impact screen is not as crisp as I thought it would. If you have a premium quality impact screen, ymmv

[devildog1205]

What screen are you using?

[Holtzeeeeee]

I have the BenQTH671ST and love it. It seems like your requirements match this well since it is only a couple inches above the screen.

[devildog1205]

Thanks Brian!

[3on3putt]

Assuming #1 won't give you any shadow problems at 12 feet, it's the cheapest and will give the biggest image without sacrificing quality.

[GungHoGolf]

Assuming #1 won't give you any shadow problems at 12 feet, it's the cheapest and will give the biggest image without sacrificing quality.

The MW632ST is only WXGA resolution, so 800 vertical pixels vs 1,080 for the others (a noticeable difference).

[3on3putt]

Did not realize that. I saw 16:10 and assumed 1920x1200. I would not even consider a WXGA at that price point.

[jasonreg]

it is a great little projector and you can get them for less than half your price if you look around. Depends on the aspect ratio you are after - it is 16:10 Native.

[devildog1205]

Thanks Ron. Didn’t realize this.

[jpotas]

For what it is worth, I have your #1. Screen is 10'wide and 10'tall, minus about a 4" ramp. The image as seen is roughly 9' wide, and maybe 8'.

[mgunner0331]

I use the EH412ST, got a great deal at the time from BH $799, same screen dimensions & setup with QED, no issues here, we watch movies as well. For the $200-$300 difference in price, I would go to the 1090HDR for the laser, I believe higher lumen as well.

[devildog1205]

Nice set up. Like the screen picture and brightness. I’m assuming your throw is around 7’ 9” from screen. Looks like your hitting directly underneath that. Any issues with bounce back or screen vision being that close? If you had it to do over, would you change anything about the setup? Thanks again for providing feedback here.

[mgunner0331]

Yes, on the throw. The center of my hitting zone is 9' from the screen. Bounce back is tolerable, minimal with mid to long clubs, lofted clubs, I'm still tinkering with. I put a heavy blanket behind the screen and it may have created more tension instead of reducing it. Not really; I would have opted to get a laser lit projector as I find I use the sim at least 3-4 hours daily (golf, movies, games, etc.)

[kirkemg]

What exactly is the "mount height above image"? Also, for a newb sake with similar planned dimensions, how far do you hit from he screen? What exactly is the consideration to avoid shadows? I have an 11' foot ceiling and will be hitting into a 16x10 screen. Just not sure how far to stand and where the projector goes in relation. thanks

[3on3putt]

What exactly is the "mount height above image"? Also, for a newb sake with similar planned dimensions, how far do you hit from he screen? What exactly is the consideration to avoid shadows? I have an 11' foot ceiling and will be hitting into a 16x10 screen. Just not sure how far to stand and where the projector goes in relation. thanks

1. "mount height" refers to the vertical offset, which is the number of inches between the middle of the lens and the top of the image. So a projector with a vertical offset of 10 inches will have an image that starts 10 inches below the middle of the lens.

2. Most people are around 10 feet from the screen, give or take. The short end is about 7 and the long end is maybe 12 or so.

3. Shadows come into play if the projector is mounted behind you and not high up enough. With 11 foot ceilings, you shouldn't have many limitations with projector mounting. You could mount a couple feet in front, directly over the ball or a few feet behind.

[kirkemg]

Thank you. Is there a particular distance that a 16X9 screen needs the projector to be to fill the screen cleanly?

[3on3putt]

No. Each projector will be different. A 16x9 screen could be filled with a projector 8 feet away or 28 feet away. It all depends on the throw ratio of the projector. This particular projector has become fairly popular with golf sims (along with the 1080 as well) = https://www.projectorcentral.com/Opt...ulator-pro.htm

Use the image size and throw distance sliders to see how the distance affects the image size.

[14MPH]

kirkemg I’m newbie like you so thanks for asking these questions
3on3putt is the projector mounted parallel to the floor or is it pointing downwards slightly, with keystone used to adjust the image on the screen? Would this affect “mount height”? Not sure I fully understand the significance of mount height wrt projector position and sim experience, but I’ve not investigated this in depth either.
I did come across this that suggests avoiding keystoning if possible as this affects image quality. But still confused about MH as the same projector in other uses could be placed on the floor for example so how does MH come into this? I am presuming all or most projectors can be placed anywhere, just that for sim and cinema experience, it is better to mount the unit. http://www.bigscreenforums.com/forum...fm?which=19396

[3on3putt]

The projector mounts parallel (not tilted). It's just the way the image shoots out of the lens so that you can mount the projector out of the way (like up above on the ceiling or down below on the floor). As opposed to having a projector that sits on a table and projects straight out where it would obviously be in the way.

Vertical offset for a floor mount works the same way as for the ceiling, only now with the bottom of the image being a certain distance above the lens.

Ideally, you won't use any keystone. You may have to use a little bit to square things up if it's not mounted in the exact right spot.

[devildog1205]

For what it is worth, I have your #1. Screen is 10'wide and 10'tall, minus about a 4" ramp. The image as seen is roughly 9' wide, and maybe 8'.

Thank you for the comment and pic!

[Sixmudd]

The projector mounts parallel (not tilted). It's just the way the image shoots out of the lens so that you can mount the projector out of the way (like up above on the ceiling or down below on the floor). As opposed to having a projector that sits on a table and projects straight out where it would obviously be in the way.

Vertical offset for a floor mount works the same way as for the ceiling, only now with the bottom of the image being a certain distance above the lens.

Ideally, you won't use any keystone. You may have to use a little bit to square things up if it's not mounted in the exact right spot.

I have a floor mounted short throw projector about 8 feet from the screen. Keystone setting is at -9

i think this may be one reason why my image isn’t as crisp as I’d like

[gojoholo]

kirkemg
I am presuming all or most projectors can be placed anywhere

Unfortunately the opposite is true. Every projector will have a "sweet spot" that it wants to be in, for a given size of screen. This will vary between projectors, which is why you will see lots of posts on this website advising people to go to projector central to find the best projector for their setup. Some projectors give you a bit of leeway with positioning through

1. Zoom (allows you to vary the distance to the screen)
2. Lens shift, either vertical or horizontal (allows you to vary the mount height or left/right position of the projector)
3. Keystone. The poor man's alternative to lens shift.

So, if your projector wants to be 8ft from the screen, but it has zoom you will be able to move it a bit further away, or closer. The amount you can move it depends on the level of zoom it has. If you have vertical lens shift you can have your projector a bit higher or lower than the perfect mount height, without loss of picture quality. Similarly horizontal lens shift allows you to have the projector offset from the centre line, without loss of quality. Keystone achieves a similar effect to lens shift, but achieves it digitally instead of optically, so picture quality can be affected.
In my case I have a ceiling mounted TH671ST. I needed the projector to be mounted a bit higher than its "sweet spot". It doesn't have lens shift so I have tilted the projector down slightly (otherwise the top of the picture would be above the top of my screen). If left unadjusted the picture wouldn't be rectangular, which is where keystone comes in. By adjusting the keystone I get a regular shaped image, and the projector at the height I want, at the price of a tiny drop in image quality. The drop in quality will vary from model to model. The 671 is pretty good in this regard.

[devildog1205]

Thank you Gojo. This is insightful. Makes perfect sense.

[jasonreg]

Well Explained!

[14MPH]

gojoholo Thanks for that!

I can see why I have shied away from technical details and concentrated on renovating the room first, with screen set up next and sim gear to the last. Hopefully I’m not on the wrong path here! Budget, screen size, screen type, throw ratios, 4k, projector / sim / lighting positioning etc - you change one thing here and something else moves on the other side! Somewhat daunting! 😳