New Simulator Build, Have Some Questions

[Drdick18]

Hi all,

I've been all over this site for the past couple weeks, and learned a ton of information. I still have a few questions about my particular setup.

I recently moved to a house with a 40x60 insulated, heated pole barn with 12' trusses. There are two small windows which can be easily covered to make a completely dark room. Looking at putting together a permanent sim. I'm envisioning building a 12'x24' platform with the 1' runoff near the screen (similar to user gene438). This is a budget conscious project. I was thinking the ProTee system would be the best for my setup. For the computer, I was going to get a cheap CPU with at least i5 processor, replace the graphics card with a something kickass from Amazon and an additional standalone monitor. For the projector, planning a short throw from Optoma.

Initial Questions:

1) What is the best turf to get to surround the ProTee system?

2) I was thinking about netting for the sides and above the hitting area, is this the best solution for this setup?

3) I'm planning a 12'x9' screen. Is there an advantage to 16:9 vs 4:3?

I have a lot more questions, but this will serve as a starting point.

Thanks
Andy

[FirGir]

Hey Dr,
I have a similar sized screen and I would recommend going with a 4:3 aspect ratio because you will get 27 extra inches of image height in 4:3 vs 16:9. With an image width of 144 inches in both aspect ratios, you'll get a total of 108 inches of image height in 4:3, and you'll get a total of 81 inches in image height in 16:9. There are a bunch of screen size calculator websites that will help you decide.
I use netting to protect my ceiling and it works great. If you're going to attach netting to the bottom of the trusses, you'll want to be sure the netting isn't attached so closely to the truss that the ball could bounce off the truss and back at you. Have fun!!