How critical is a "straight" throw vs. angling the projector?

[hhk27]

My simulator room is almost complete. I just have to choose a projector and mount. I'm kind of thinking out loud here and would like to know if I made my calculations correctly.

The top of my screen is 51" from the ceiling. I'm thinking of going with a projector mount that will place the lens about 22" from the ceiling. Throw distance is 16'. That means I have to angle the projector down. have looked at a couple of projectors.

One of them (Epson 880x) has a vertical offset of +11" which means if I mounted it level, the top of the image would be 11" from the ceiling or 62" above the top of the screen.

Another (Optoma HD28HDR) has a vertical offset of -17" which means the top of the image is 39" from the ceiling or only 12" from the top of my screen.

Obviously, with the Epson, I would have set it at a steep angle and keystoning would be quite severe. I'm thinking it will be much better to have the Optoma at a light angle.

Thoughts?

[GungHoGolf]

First of all: if your enclosure has a top on it, you'll need to drop the projector down a couple of inches below the enclosure top to reach the top of the screen in order to not block the light beam. Just wanted to make sure you know that.

On to your question: it's rare to mount a projector at their exact vertical offset. Sure, it's ideal, but not worth sweating over.

Most good projectors have very smooth and extension vertical keystone correction, and it doesn't degrade the image to a noticeable amount. In my experience, BenQ projectors have smoother keystone correction than Optomas,

Do note, however, that dialing in keystone will make the image smaller (it works by shrinking the near or far edge of the image), meaning that your throw distance will increase from the spec, changing the optimal distance from your screen. The more keystone you dial in, the longer the effective throw of the projector. Get up on a ladder and test it before drilling holes in your ceiling.

Finally: neither one of the projectors you listed are great for golf sim use, due to their longer throws. Unless they are mounted very high in the room (at or over 11' from the floor), you'll likely run into player shadow issues, depending on your height and your ball to screen distance. For the same price range as the Optoma, the BenQ TH671ST should be on your short list: https://store.gunghogolf.com/BenQ-TH...NEW-p265749740

[hhk27]

There's no top to the enclosure. I do have a high ceiling. See the attachments. I've removed the two hanging lights and the ceiling fan is tight to the ceiling now.

[Deuce]

That's a really tall ceiling, which does make it a bit trickier. The way I see it, you have two options... 1) Drop a mount from the ceiling in front of your fan. 2) Mount it to the back wall with a regular throw projector. This might be the easiest option if you have a dark room, because you just build a shelf and then set it on an angled tray mount. From your measurements, it'll need to be within about 2 ft of the ceiling to not cast a shadow. This was my route, since my ceilings were two floors high.

[hhk27]

If I mount it in front of the fan, it will have to be at an extreme angle and I'm afraid the keystone adjustment would result in a too small image. I think it will have to go on the back wall.

Thanks for the comments.

[GungHoGolf]

There's no top to the enclosure. I do have a high ceiling. See the attachments. I've removed the two hanging lights and the ceiling fan is tight to the ceiling now.

I think you'll be fine with that ceiling height, even with the longer throws. To be certain, I'd choose a projector with a shorter throw like the BenQ TH671ST. It would definitely work in that room.

ps. What software did you use for that rendering and diagram?

[Deedub]

Interested in that software as well. hhk27