Projector Lens, Software and Blackout

[codered11343]

I have three questions.
First, I'm going to be using a small, home projector for some projections during a show and after doing the math with where I'm going to hang it, it may not be a large enough projection. Is there any to "jerry-rig" a separate lens from a fresnel or S4 or from anything to make the image larger?

Second, Is there any software thats designed for projections that can give more effects and freedom then PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress?

Third, What's the best way to stop the ambient light that comes out of a projector without a physical barrier? Is the a setting thats standard with most projectors?

The projector that I will be using is a NEC NP40 (NEC NP40 DLP Projector).

Any help or advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

[museav]

Originally Posted by codered11343

I have three questions.
First, I'm going to be using a small, home projector for some projections during a show and after doing the math with where I'm going to hang it, it may not be a large enough projection. Is there any to "jerry-rig" a separate lens from a fresnel or S4 or from anything to make the image larger?

Theoretically it may be possible, but it is in no way practical. What are the throw distance and image size involved and what is the screen? And since that is a compact, portable $900 desktop projector, have you verified that the projector can produce an acceptable image of the size desired and with the actual screen and lighting conditions?

Second, Is there any software thats designed for projections that can give more effects and freedom then PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress?

There are many presentation software options, what specifically are you trying to do? And how much do you have to spend on any software?

Third, What's the best way to stop the ambient light that comes out of a projector without a physical barrier? Is the a setting thats standard with most projectors?

The best standard setting to prevent ambient light is "off". Seriously, the ambient light from the projector is sort of inherent, if you decrease the brightness it might drop but so will you image brightness. If you use physical barriers, be sure they do not interfere with the proper ventilation of the projector. There are enclosures that limit the noise and extraneous light and that include integrated ventilation, but that is probably not practical unless this is a permanent installation.

Any help or advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.

I think you nailed it when you started by saying "I'm going to be using a small, home projector for some projections during a show ", you are using something in an application for which it was not really intended. That doesn't mean it may not work, but there will likely be some limitations.

I would also be very careful in regards to hanging anything, how do you plan to do that?

[ruinexplorer]

Originally Posted by codered11343

I have three questions.
First, I'm going to be using a small, home projector for some projections during a show and after doing the math with where I'm going to hang it, it may not be a large enough projection. Is there any to "jerry-rig" a separate lens from a fresnel or S4 or from anything to make the image larger?

Second, Is there any software thats designed for projections that can give more effects and freedom then PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress?

Third, What's the best way to stop the ambient light that comes out of a projector without a physical barrier? Is the a setting thats standard with most projectors?

First: You might be able to find a lens adapter to fit. Canon makes a line of desktop projectors and they use an add-on lens for short throw. You might even check at a local camera shop to see if they have add ons for old 35mm cameras that might fit. Since I saw that this projector has an auto-focus, you will need to turn that off if possible. That being said, anything you add to this will add to the risk factor of flying the projector so ensure that you safety the lens appropriately even if noone is supposed to be under it!!!

Second: I second the question that we need to know what you are trying to accomplish.

Third: The ambient light coming out of the projector is often directional. When the projector is sitting on a desk the light should be mainly spilling in a downward direction and vice-versa for the flown/inverted position. They are designed that way to minimize the distraction of the audience. Be extremely careful of disturbing airflow, especially on the smaller home theater projectors. It would really suck for you to have it shut down on you mid-show due to overheating.

[ruinexplorer]

Display devices makes very good projector flyware. Check this out Display Devices - Products - Projector Mounts - Small Projector Ceiling Mounts

By the way, bouncing the image off a mirror is another way to increase the image without significant distance. This will take a lot of playing around with as there are several challenges that go along with this (including how you are going to safely mount a mirror).

[codered11343]

What I'm trying to do is some kind of spinning headline thing were they lie on top of each other, kind of like the effect you see in some old movies. I want to know if there are better software for what I'm doing then PowerPoint and OpenOffice? (I have a PC)

And some people are censured with how the projector will be hung, its not a problem. I'm planing on hanging it on top of a 1'x1' platform thats connected to a batten with 2 cyc light mounting arms that will be bolted to the platform. And of course it will be modified to the point that the projector will have no chance of falling out. And there is also a point on this projector for a standard safety change. So hanging it is a non issue.

Thanks for the help.

[museav]

And some people are censured with how the projector will be hung, its not a problem. I'm planing on hanging it on top of a 1'x1' platform thats connected to a batten with 2 cyc light mounting arms that will be bolted to the platform. And of course it will be modified to the point that the projector will have no chance of falling out. And there is also a point on this projector for a standard safety change. So hanging it is a non issue.

I suggest you reconsider this, you appear to possibly be missing some of the implications. You usually want a projector mounted to something fixed, not only do you need it to stay in the same position for aiming and focus but I've had projectors mounted direct to structures have problems with vibration and movement, hanging a lightweight projector on a batten seems likely to be problematic in that regards. You also probably want to mount the projector using proper projector mounting hardware that provides pitch and yaw type adjustments. Also think about how you are going to get power and signal to the projector and how you plan to control it, for example you probably want to 'mute' the projector when not displaying and image.

Along with Display Devices, other common projector mounting hardware manufacturers include Chief Manufacturing, Peerless, Da-Lite and Draper. I believe NEC even offers a mount for that projector.

[ruinexplorer]

Originally Posted by museav

You also probably want to mount the projector using proper projector mounting hardware that provides pitch and yaw type adjustments. Also think about how you are going to get power and signal to the projector and how you plan to control it, for example you probably want to 'mute' the projector when not displaying and image.

Along with Display Devices, other common projector mounting hardware manufacturers include Chief Manufacturing, Peerless, Da-Lite and Draper. I believe NEC even offers a mount for that projector.

I agree in earnest! The only problem with the NEC flyware is that it is intended for permanent installation whereas the Display Devices and other aftermarket hardware is often designed to attach to threaded schedule 40 pipe which is common in most theaters (add a cheeseborough and safety and you're set).

The other huge need for utilizing proper flyware is that projectors that are flown are usually intended to be inverted. The focal pattern of a standard desktop/home theater projector is like that of an aligator's mouth where the bottom is only slightly down and the top goes up dramatically. If you put that up in the air, you will have to dramatically tip the unit down creating a keystone nightmare (even if you have enough keystone correction to compensate, you will distort your image). Once you invert your projector as intended, the focal pattern will be correct which will minimize the amount of keystone correction you will need.

Now as to your software issue, I'll do some research on a couple programs that are on the cheap/free side of things. Usually you will find something in the worship market that will help out on this end.

Davin

[SHARYNF]

couple of things to keep in mind, the brightness of the image is directly related to the output of the projector and the size of the image, so a home projector might be fine for a smallish image but as the image gets larger it gets marginal (for instance a 1700 lumen projecto is the minimum for a 12 foot image in low ambient light.

a mirror is usually the only practical way to reduce the distance. If you draw out the triangle that you will need to place the projector at the appropriate distance from the screen to get the image size you need (assuming the brightness is acceptable) you can then fold that triangle using a mirror. To give you a rough Idea, say you need 14 feet from the projector to the screen, but you only have 8 feet of distance, you could then face the projector away from the screen, place a mirror rigidly 3 feet away from the projector angled (remember angle of incident/angle reflection) and this will have the effect of adding 3 plus 3 plus the 8 feet to give you the distance.

Here is a link

Angles of View

You can get mylar film mount it to a piece of plywood with some degree of success, remember the mirror has to be larg enough to fit the image size projected at that distance (in the above example projector 3 feet from the screen)

Sharyn

[wadeace]

depending on the brightness of the projector you might be able to just send the projector black and it wont be to visible. some projectors have a "shutter" or "no show" mode, these often still leave a little bit of light. you could pull the plug, but then you would need to go thought the start up cycle every time you need it in the show. just out of curiosity, why cant you use a physical douser to block the light?

for the software, what are you wanting the software to do. are you looking for play back options, or building the actual video file.

for control Ive used light weight software such as power point, to Que lab (mac only) to tricaster studio for show control software.

to build the file, i would suggest adobe after effects.

[waynehoskins]

1. How did I miss this thread?
2. I second the Chief hardware.
3. Where'd the guy go? Lots of unanswered questions.