Ask Engadget HD: Best outdoor projector setup?
By Richard Lawler 
posted Jul 8th 2009 2:10PM
posted Jul 8th 2009 2:10PM
"I was just curious to know whether you guys have any recommendation for me in terms of a very good out door projector for showing movies in a tropical climate. In addition to that do you know of any compatible system like a DVD, Blu-ray or VHS and DVD that can work with it? Thanks for your answers."
So, there you have it, anyone picked up an outdoor projection screen and 1080p PJ to go along with their fireworks show last weekend? If you've got any experience or suggestions, drop a line in the comments.
Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.
I'm eager to hear these suggestions! I have built an outdoor covered patio that is plumbed with CAT5 and HDMI.
I hope suggestions include screen set-ups. Bouncing 1080P off of the stucco wall may be less than satisfactory!!!
What about something like this:
InFocus 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector
The InFocus X10 DLP Home Theater is a revelation for home theater enthusiasts seeking Full HD quality with long standing InFocus visual performance.
Only $1,299.99
???
end of transmission.
Sorry to push my site too hard, but I did some in-depth articles on screens. There is a paint on screen that you can get, but I also like just a super white (no pigment added) FLAT white paint. No gloss. You can see in the photos on my paint on screen review below that stucco might not matter if the paint is flat enough. In my setup the wall texture literally disappears with flat enough paint. If the texture is too big you might notice it from side angles.
Especially for outdoor cheaper is definitely better for the screen...
http://www.tomorrowland.com/2008/12/30/home-theater-projector-screens/
http://www.tomorrowland.com/2009/03/03/paint-on-screen-in-depth-review/
Typically one of the drawbacks of DLP projectors when compared to LCD (or LCoS) is the lack of lens shift and zoom. The model you mention has a limited 1.0-1.2x zoom capability and lacks any lens shift. For nearly the same price as the InFocus you mentioned ($1,599 after rebate) you can get a Sanyo PLV-Z700 LCD projector with 1-2x zoom and lens shift.
The reason that this is important is the flexibility in placement that zoom and lens shift give you. Especially with an outdoor setup that could be taken down frequently, taken inside, etc. it would be nice to have that flexibility.
Looking at screens, an inexpensive solution is an inflatable screen. Walmart has a 144" 16:9 screen for less than $200.
Good luck!
To L3: That Infocus proj only has 1600 ANSI lumens which isn't bright at all especially for outdoors. Try and fit it in your budget to purchase a proj with higher lumens. Also, don't forget about audio. You would need to setup some speakers to project sound to the audience.
As far as a screen suggestion for you. I would consider an 8 foot tri-pod screen such as this:
http://www.pssl.com/Dalite-8-Ft-Matte-White-Tripod-Screen. I suggest this for you since it sounds like you're going to be doing front projection and this screen is plenty wide for a big audience. Also, if you could get a 4' x 8' black fabric, you could tuck it into the bottom portion of the screen and cover up the ugly exposed legs.
Best projector I've seen yet.. reviewed over at tomorrowland.com:
http://www.tomorrowland.com/2008/12/26/sony-vpl-hw10-part2/
But it is like 4 grand. Just take it outside for the screening and bring it back in. For ourdoors maybe cheaper is better?
Then just project onto a wall painted with flat white paint, or make your own screen with some material from Dazian. However, you probably don't want it blowing around in the wind. I'd find a surface to paint a screen on.
Dazian? I haven't dealt with them personally but 2 different clients that I was working with had to deal with Dazian and they weren't happy because in both instances, Dazian dropped the ball one way or another.
This would be a bright ray of sunshine.
You will want to spend some time at backyardtheater.com - a very good resource for what you are doing. You will find people using just about every projector you can think of with opinions on how they work in your type of environment.
We use a Dell 4100 MP for night college football games.
We bought a HUGE inflatable screen from Bed Bath and Beyond for $200.
The projector, stereo, speakers, cable box, dvd player are all on a rolling utility cart.
the coax and extension cord are zip tied together on a garden hose type spool.
We can deploy in about 15 minutes.
Hi, I'm an A/V technician and I do this kind of stuff for a living. There are many things to consider when wanting to set up a projector and screen and the main thing would be what your budget is. If price is no object, then I would consider a projector from Runco. This is one of the best projectors money can buy. Christie and and Eiki projectors are really good as well. Google these manufacturers and check out their websites for more info. Also consider focal length. This determines the throw distance for a projector. Take for instance that a projector has a maximum zoom focal length of 1.7mm and you had a 10 foot wide screen. You have to multiply the focal length by the size of your screen and with the example that I gave, you would need 17 feet of throw distance to project your image. A lot of good projectors give you the option of using a wide angle lens to shorten the throw distance. This is important since you usually have to go 15 feet or more with a standard throw lens and that is a lot of distance that most people don't have in thier backyards.
As far as screens go, you would want to go with whats called a Fast Fold screen from DaLite or a comparable screen from a company like Draper. These are frame type screens that you have to assemble and disassemble every time you want to view a movie and you would need help standing it up but they come with 2 types of screen fabrics. A rear or front projection fabric. For an outdoor movie viewing, you probably would want to go with a rear projection fabric since the projector would be behind the screen. This creates more room for your guests and you don't have to worry about your drunk friends knocking over your expensive projector.
Somebody had mentioned an inflatable screen but the one I have dealt with uses a pump to keep the screen inflated and it is pretty loud. Keep this under consideration since to combat the noise of the pump, you'd have to view your movies fairly loud and your neighbors might not like that.
One last thing to consider is that what are you going to use for sound? The best bet would be to buy some DJ type speakers like the Mackie SRM 350 or JBL EON 510. These are great since they are relatively light and very durable for outside use, especially at night where moisture would get on your equipment. Also, these are self powered so you don't need an amplifier and they get loud with good bass but they are pricey at $500 bucks each and you need an audio mixer and XLR cabling.
The stuff I had mentioned is for a very high budget which most people might not have. The main thing to consider if you are on a relatively low budget and are shopping around for Audio/Visual gear is that you get a projector with the highest ANSI lumens and for an outside setup, I wouldn't go under 3000 ANSI lumens because this would totally diminish your viewing pleasure especially if its HD. A note about HD. HD is pretty new to the projector scene. Although there are a few budget HD projectors on the market, their lumen output is pretty low. The highest lumen output budget proj that I have seen is this. http://www.projectorpeople.com/projectors/projdtls.asp?itemid=24218&itmname=Optoma+TX1080
But it's an Optoma and I've dealt with this brand as well as Benq and Infocus and I find that they're pretty crappy and not durable. I would stick with a brand name and just to give you an idea of how much a 4000 lumen brand name HD projector costs, http://www.projectorpeople.com/projectors/projdtls.asp?itemid=24110&itmname=Mitsubishi+FL6900U.
It might be more reasonable to buy the biggest plasma that you could afford. Maybe something like this:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102303
Its plenty bright and then you could buy a stand with wheels so you could roll this around wherever you need it.
The key to any projection setup is lighting control. If using home theater projectors whose brightness range from 1000-2000 ansi lumes lighting control is essential. I have set up many outdoor projection events using projectors with 6500+ lumens and you could see nothing until the sun had set. So if you can wait until later ( around 9pm in California during the summer months ) you will have a great time. Also keep in mind that the brightness will decrease the larger the projected image becomes or the further the projector is away from the screen. Anything larger than 110 inches will be fairly dim unless you have near complete darkness.
Cheers,
Nick
Accurate color?...No. Good black levels? Full 7.1 surround? Nope and definitely no. Huge and awesome during the warm summer evenings while having dinner? Absolutely! It may be the most incorrect outdoor theater setup but it's one of the most fun and enjoyable I've been to.
http://forkingtasty.com/rear-window-dinner-recap/
A really great screen can be built on a very attainable budget. Blackout cloth has been used by "DIY" theater folks for quite some time -- taking it outside seems natural but finding it in large sizes is the tricky part. www.carlofet.com has some really big screens for really reasonable prices.
By far the most important consideration here is consideration - consideration for your neighbours that is, not for what will maximise your own pleasure.
It is appallingly selfish and intrusive of anyone to ruin the evenings of their neighbours by blasting their choice of movies or music into their neighbours backyards and living rooms. Anybody who did that to me would find themselves looking down the barrel of my twelve bore pretty smartish. Oh yes - it's sad truth that the only way to to teach the halfwits is by using the force of fear.
So unless you live on a five acre block, or all your guests will be wearing headphones, the answer is simple - keep the music and the movies inside. If you want to watch movies outside, go to a drive in! (And don't you be forgetting that twelve bore now!)