New Sim Build - Projector Question

[LHensh]

Hi all,

I'm taking the plunge into my first sim having read lots of great advice on this forum.

My first attempt will be a minimum budget version to ensure I get a good amount of use out of it before I invest in some of the changes I would need to make for a more expensive version (i.e raising the ceiling to be able to swing lower than a 6 iron)

With the low budget in mind, can anyone advise what entry level projector I should be looking for?

My screen will be 8ft x 10ft and I plan to have my mat around 8ft from the screen to give an immersive feel.

I am keen for the image to fill the screen and not leave blank bits at the top/bottom.

Based on the above would I need a short throw projector, or can I pick up a cheap standard projector that will do the job?

Here is one I have my eye on which is selling second hand on ebay for about £60.

https://www.whathifi.com/benq/tw523p/overview

[3on3putt]

With a screen size of 8x10 you will need to manipulate the image a little in order to get any projector to fill the screen. A 4:3 aspect ratio would give you an image of 10 feet wide and 7.5 feet tall, which would come pretty close to filling it. If filling it all the way is super important you can stretch the image a little in your graphics card.

As far as that projector, the throw ratio is way too big. It looks like it has a throw ratio of 1.5 which would never work for your space because you'd have to mount it a good 15 feet away to fill your screen and that's going to put your shadow all over the screen. For a 10 foot wide image from around 8 feet away, you'll need something with a throw ratio in the ballpark of 0.8.

You obviously have a really short ceiling, which can present other issues for projectors. What are the exact dimensions of the room? (height, width and length).

[LHensh]

Thanks for the reply.

My room is 30ft long, 11ft wide, and just 8' 4" ceiling.

As its in the garage, I have the space above the ceiling joists which I can use to mount the projector so that it is situated just below the ceiling.

I have come across a second hand BenQ which gives me a better throw distance for my intended height. The projector in this case would be about 1.5 feet behind me. Would this still likely cause shadow?

https://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-MS612ST-projection-calculator-pro.htm#calc

[3on3putt]

With 11 feet of width, you will have to hit from slightly off-centered. That, coupled with a low ceiling, can complicate things if you mount the projector at the same distance as your hitting spot because it puts the projector right in the path of your backswing and/or follow through. (Because the projector will be sitting basically over the top of your body). The best place for a projector is right over the golf ball because that keeps it out of the way of the club's path. But if you did that while being off-centered you would need some lens shift to square up the image on the screen. (That projector you linked to does not have lens shift.)

If you were to mount it 1-2 feet behind you like you suggested ..... You might be okay as far as shadows. I can't say for sure, and I'm not good enough at math to calculate it. However, it will still likely be in the way of your backswing because it will be aligned with your body (more or less), not that far behind you and mounted low.

Honestly, anytime someone has a low ceiling and has to hit off to the side, a floor mounted projector is often a good solution. Since you will be off to the side, the projector can sit in the middle and won't interfere with your chips and putts. (It will be in front of the mat aligned about with your feet so you will be hitting around to the side of it). That of course requires finding a projector with an even shorter throw ratio than the one you linked to because it has to go in front of the mat, not behind it.

You're in a tricky situation because most high definition projectors that have throw ratios short enough for you have large vertical offsets. And most projectors with short vertical offsets have a little bit longer throw ratios. There aren't many that have the best of both worlds.

One thing you could do is run the aspect ratio as 16:10 or 16:9. You'll lose a little bit of vertical image size but you'll have a much easier time putting a projector in the right spot. 16:10 and 16:9 can be mounted closer and the vertical offset is less of an issue since your losing vertical image size anyway.

Take this BenQ just as an example = https://www.projectorcentral.com/Ben...ulator-pro.htm

In 16:9 you could mount it 7.6 feet away and fill your screen horizontally with a vertical image size of 67 inches (compared to 90 inches in 4:3). So it will be a shorter image. However, it will be a much better image quality because you'll have a 1920x1080 resolution, which is night and day compared to the 800x600 one that you linked to. I would take the smaller but way better image every time.

Another thing you can do is run 4:3 but just not fill the screen horizontally. Take this one for example = https://www.projectorcentral.com/InF...ulator-pro.htm

Mount it just over 6 feet away on the floor. In 4:3 you can go 111 inches wide and 84 inches high. It has a vertical offset of 12 inches, so the image would start 1 foot up from the bottom of your screen and extend all the way to the top.

Lastly, you could just go wit standard definition which will make it fairly easy to find options. This one for example would work just fine for you =

https://www.projectorcentral.com/Vie...ulator-pro.htm

Put that one 6 feet away on the floor or ceiling and give you the full 120 inch by 90 inch image.

If you do go with anything less than an HD resolution, don't spend more than about $200 for it tops.

I know I've been rambling a lot here so I'll sum up your options the way I see it:

1. Get a projector with some horizontal lens shift and mount it above the golf ball (which will be off-centered) and use the lens shift to slide the image back to the center. Probably the hardest and most expensive option.

2. Mount on floor and use 16:9 or 16:10 instead of 4:3 to open the door for more options.

3. Mount on floor and use 4:3 but just don't fill the screen entirely from left to right.

4. Go with a standard definition option.


If you do decide to make a bigger investment one day by raising your ceiling, then you can also change out the projector to get something that will really work for your space.

[3on3putt]

Where are you located? Now that I think about it, I might actually have an old projector that might work for your space that I will sell for cheap. Been meaning to post it online for sale but just haven't gotten around to it.

[LHensh]

Thank for all the detail. Lots for me to work from. I'm based in the UK

[3on3putt]

Meh that might be a little far to ship my projector haha.