Thread: video projector suggestions?

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Hi. I'm looking into getting a projector, primarily for use with Hallowindow (http://www.hallowindow.com/). Maybe someday for use with singing statue busts, but I doubt it. Since projectors can be fairly expensive, I'd like to hear input from those that use Hallowindow - what works and what doesn't. Is native SVGA resolution (800x600 pixels) good enough, or do I really need to get XGA resolution (1024x768)? I've read that I should probably get a brightness of 1000 lumens or more (I guess 2000 lumens is preferred according to Mark's Hallowindow site), and a contrast of 1500:1 or greater. Does this sound right? As for brands, it seems some folks suggest InFocus and Canon, and I've found a few used ones online for under $300 reportedly without too many hours of bulb usage. Also, how can I estimate how large the image on the screen will be for a given distance I have the projector from the screen - I only have about 10 to 11 feet to work with. I know, lots of questions. This is new territory for me, so any input and suggestions would be appreciated.

P.S. Have a happy Thanksgiving, regardless if you can help or not!

I saw a $99 one at cvs the otherday with rca inputs.

Thanks for the tip, Calloween. The price sounds great, but I'm first trying to find out what projector specs I need for the Hallowindow program to look decent. I've heard projector requirements for Hallowindow are more than for singing pumpkins/busts, but am not sure just where the line is for brightness, contrast, and resolution - what's worked for people who use Hallowindow and what hasn't looked so great. I also have no good feel for how large a projected image I will get for being 10 feet away from a screen. The biggest window I would project on would be about 6 feet by 6 feet.

I ordered optoma brand just last week-pk301 model. Its not the same one in the video, but it still looks awesome. Check out this link.

YouTube - Hallowindow Demo

Forgot to mention the one in the video goes for about $179 the pk301 goes $350. You might get it cheaper on black friday or cyber monday!!

Typically I throw at least 2500 lumens at my window for Hallowindow. My ToT is from 6pm to 8pm so for the first 45 min it is still very bright outside. Yes that pico looks good in pitch dark outside conditions, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't see it very well in dusk type situations.

Hey there. Just went through this discovery a while ago.

I love the Infocus IN26. It's about 4-5 years old and is plenty good for Hallowindow. It has 1700 lumens, 2000:1 contrast and it's native ratio is 1024 x 768 (4:3). I love it! Plenty bright and sharp picture. I would think that the 800 x 600 should still be good enough because viewers are usually in the street so they are far away enough that it should still look sharp to them. But I have not tested that so don't rely on my opinion. For the throw, I have a standard sized room and I had to place it nearly to the back of the room to get the right throw. Throw depends on two things. What the size of the window is and the distance of the projector's throw to the window. You can find the specs of a projector's throw, measure the size of your window and then use the calculator that is usually included at the manufacturer of the projector's site. Here is Epson's: http://www.epson.com/alf_upload/land...ce-calculator/

What I found really matters is the brightness. I took a very old projector (Dwin) that has 1000 lumens and it looked terrible! The image was bright enough to be seen but dim enough to not really catch attention. I don't recommend that brightness. Go for higher lumens (at least 1700). Brightness is the key here.

I just bought a new projector (for other reasons) and it was simply spectacular! It's pricey but boy do I love it. It's an Epson EX7200 ($700). It has 2600 lumens and that made a dazzling picture. It was incredibly bright and crisp and what an attention getter! Completely overkill but DARN! did it look great from the street. It's a 1280 x 800 but to make it fit onto the shape of my window I had to put it to the 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a 2000:1 contrast ratio. For the standard sized room it was placed more towards the center of the room so the throw is really flexible.

Thanks matrixmom, ElGuapoGuano, and Terra - this helps a lot! Sounds like a less bright projector could work if your setup was dark (in front of and behind the screen). But, like ElGuapoGuano, we get many ToTs at dusk when there would be too much light to make it pop. Plus I may try Hallowindow on our corner windows with the screen/shower curtain liner behind both windows and a dimly front lit mannequin on the window side of the screen (thinking of a devil with Hallowindow's Fire playing behind it), so will opt for higher brightness levels (2000+ lumens).

For contrast I'll probably look for 1500:1 or higher, plus use a black scrim like the Hallowindow blog suggests.

Thanks also for the Epson chart on throw, Terra. I now see how they're spec'ing that in the throw ratio. That alone may eliminate some projectors I was considering. BTW, one of your earlier Halloween videos was where I first saw the Hallowindow Eye playing in an upstairs window, and thought it looked really wicked.

Thanks again for everyone's input. I feel more informed about what I probably will be happy with than when I started. Still am surprised at the cost of many projectors out there. Here's a website for others, like me, who are new to projectors that I thought was helpful in comparing units and reading their user guides: http://www.aboutprojectors.com/projector_search.php
And keep an eye on projector bulb costs - they're rated to last for 2000 hours or more, but can be very expensive to replace.

I thought I'd post a few more sources of info on projectors, since selecting one that's right for you can be a little daunting at first. The sight I used the most in my search was projectorcentral.com. They have a good search by feature option to help you narrow down choice to projectors that have what you select, their info listing of makes and models is large, plus they have user's guides to the various models as well as projector calculators so you can determine if a projector will work in the space you have. They also give some street prices, seller options, and user and editor reviews on many models.

Another site I used less, but was still helpful, was projectorreviews.com. This site gave some nice examples of the video capability of the projectors, but was more limited in what models they covered.

And I had no problems with the place I bought my projector, bhphotovideo.com (and I'm not affiliated with them in any way). They had good store reviews, a decent return policy, and very competitive prices.

I ended up getting a short throw projector to give me more options in placing my projector. I also decided to get a projector that would be good for watching movies, so it's a bit overkill for Hallowindow. I tried it out one night projecting the Hallowindow "Eye" on a $2 Walmart shower curtain liner hung over our front window. When I went outside to see how it looked, some of my neighbors were outside cheering at the giant green eye that was checking them out! So I ended up showing them a few more Hallowindow clips. BTW, "Fire!" looks like a real fire blazing away - awesome for a scene from Hell I want to do this year. "Ghosts" would also make a great backdrop for our cemetery.

I picked up a Viewsonic 2400 lumen from Fry's for 350.00
It will cost a litttle more if you want HDMI. Compnent input or PC is fine for the stuff we are using it for.
Pete