Projectors [RW for gaming - not starship ;)]

B

BP

Mongoose
Anyone have any experience with handheld, or micro LED projectors (even just from store displays)?

Have an older portable NEC - its very bright (outdoor visible when bulb new) - but very loud and hot for tabletop use, not to mention bulbs run ~$300 and 'bumping' projector or losing power could burst hot bulb, ruining unit. I do not like taking it places just for entertainment.

I'm interested in how visible they really are as the objective lumens really don't indicate what humans subjectively perceive. I assume they are unusable in ambient sunlight (even indoors), but wonder if they at least show dimly with indoor lighting (like fluorescents in a store).
 
Here are a few informations and reviews:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/pico_projectors/index.php
 
Thanks!

Just started looking back into this today (current ~US $300 bulb dimming). Hoping the market is maturing enough to give a decent product.

Till large enough ePaper comes about - thinking a custom made telescoping clamp on L fixture would allow using one of these to project ~ D-sized (A1 ISO?) maps. :D
 
Ah - found a candidate: Microvision SHOWWX+ Laser Pico Projector.

Battery sounds good (typical and extras < $30) and lasers have advantages (besides sounding cool) and direct support for iDevices (useful for my own developments - not all apps support alternate displays).

$399 list is a bit high - but favorite distributor has it listed for 30% less (which makes it $17 less than a new lamp for my existing projector).

I'll wait a few months to see how they do in the market and with hopes to see one in action as one reviewer mentioned 'curved' (pinching) projection, which sounds odd given 'lens' free aspect (on the flip side, the laser projection should appear focused even on curved surfaces!).

The PK301 is also interesting - but I suspect the LED bulb generates more heat than the 3 LED lasers, both technology wise and because it supports technically 'brighter' projection (though, again, such specs have to be taken in context). Plus, its just not as tiny...
 
I'm interested in how this turns out for you. Through the years I've contemplated buying a projector for gaming, but could never get past the price.

My hopes were to hang it above the dining room table from the ceiling fan and run a cord to my laptop. I would probably have to send my wife to a spa each gaming night so she doesn't have to see such a thing. It would be a great tool to have all of my starship maps, adventure maps, world maps, etc projected onto the table for use with miniatures or pointing out locations.

What I REALLY what is one of those coffee table touch screens, but that is a dream, the above is feasible for me.
 
Uh... just make sure to turn off the breaker to the ceiling fan! :lol:

Seriously, my projector was a business expense (for onsite training contracts), but I have enjoyed it for several years watching movies and even for a couple of years as a primary display (till higher res large LCD TV's became so 'cheap' compared to the darn lamps).

BTW: no need for going to the ceiling fan if they have keystone features as they don't have to be centered over tabletop...

As to the 'coffee table' touch screens, they are doable with a projector and inexpensive camera (free plans and software exists for that). There have been quite a few RPG implementations, from D&D on the expensive MS Surface to various university 'experiments' (Warhammer on one IIRC) and a number of home-brew types.

I seriously contemplated doing this with my current projector - but a number of practical factors dissuaded me from the attempt. I couldn't find a back projection material that didn't hot spot (my projector is too bright); high lamp costs; the noise and heat problems to deal with (doable, but more effort) and mostly doubted I had the time to invest. :cry:

I did toy with using a WII remote/LEDs on glove and the projector (there is some C# code online free for this). It worked ok, but I never used it for roleplaying as it seemed like it would be too disruptive (especially as I only made one glove!) and I lost interest in it.

Then I played with an iPad and checked out the development tools and I liked the portability, PDF reading and the multi-touch. For the time being ;)

Anyway, I'll surely update if I buy one of these...
 
Looks like I'll be waiting a bit. After more research -
  • Microvision has higher res model slated 'mid-2011' (eh)
    Direct solid state green lasers might be in this year
    Laser speckle effect is supposed to be reduced
With the green solid state laser forthcoming (today's are done with frequency doubling and the like - limits resolution), a lot of other players (including Optoma) will be expanding into the laser projection line.

They have the advantage in fewer parts - esp. without a need for focusing. They also are more energy efficient than using LED lamps - which also means less heat (greater life expectancy/lack of fan requirements) and maybe better battery.

The biggest downside is brightness (though they offer higher contrast and color gamut), which is ultimately limited by Class 2 laser certification.
 
BP said:
The biggest downside is brightness (though they offer higher contrast and color gamut), which is ultimately limited by Class 2 laser certification.
Click to expand...
I think you would hate to be responsible for someone's reduced visual
acuity, so this disadvantage actually protects you and your financial as-
sets. :wink:
 
Most certainly - the certification isn't a disadvantage! ;)

The current approach using micro-mirrors results in lower brightness limits due to the possibility they can fail. For safety, regulatory agency will assume worst case resulting in focusing full intensity of collimated beams.

Other scanning methods could avoid this - but are less likely to be employed for market and technical reasons. The LEDs don't have collimated light - so they can actually be 'brighter' given the same DLP technique. With the disadvantage of lower contrast, their brightness being over a larger area individually, and the need for focusing.
 
Reading this I've been digging through my bookmarks looking for all the sites on the WiiRemote Whiteboard project.

The one video I can't find is of the group who has a nice home built setup. They built a table with a translucent white top and mounted a projector underneath. The projector was hooked to a laptop running maptools, displaying the map and tokens which was visible to the players. Then an IR lightpen was used to treat the tabletop as a giant touchscreen. (and you could hook your computer to that lovely 48+ inch TV and use that as the screen if you wanted...mmmm HD Adventuring)

Here are some of the links I do have:
See the lightpen/WiiRemote in action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s5EvhHy7eQ
His Software
http://johnnylee.net/projects/wii/
A smaller under table projection from Austria
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJFI0Hspqgw&feature=related
Making the IR Pen
http://www.terracode.com/IR_Pen/DIY_IR_Pen.html
Nice sized screen using $12 plexiglass (hard to hear)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ngrsTJ5o8w&feature=related
Making the IR LED Pen (nice)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScAE37_f8GU&feature=related

The only reason I haven't just done this myself is a lack of space in my small apartment. My wife would kill me if I even suggested it.
 
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