Ceiling Mount a Home Theater Front Projector Metalcraft Mounting System

Ceiling Mount a Home Theater Front Projector - Metalcraft Mounting System
By Kyle Kolbe

After I fainted from sticker shock at the pricing of the official Sanyo PLV-Z3 projector ceiling mount ($200), I found a much cheaper solution. For $36.95 I could buy a Metalcraft all metal adjustable ceiling mount off ebay.

Mounting a projector to my ceiling was easier than I thought. Heres how I did it.

Tools youll need:

* Philips Hand Screw Driver

* Circular Level

* EZ Anchor Stud Solvers

* Tape Measure

* Step Ladder

Size up the mounting hardware: The Metalcraft mounts ceiling plate is large measuring five by five inches square with six pre-drilled holes for ceiling screws. A post descends to the projector mount plate.

How I measured my room for optimum mount placement: Bisecting the width of the room, considering the airduct, and measuring eleven and a half feet from the front projector screens surface plus the half the length of the mounting plate, I placed the plate on the ceiling and marked each screw hole.

Anchored to ceiling: Wear safety goggles to avoid getting ceiling board dust in your eyes. I removed the plate and drove the metal EZ Anchor Stud Solver anchors until they were flush with the ceiling. The EZ Anchors are great because you never have to drill a pilot hole for the self-tapping anchors. I replaced the plate over the anchors and drove each #8 screw into its anchor. You may need an extra hand to hold the plate in place while you tighten the first two to four screws.

Attach the projector plate before attaching to ceiling plate: Since the mount assembly breaks into two parts, one attaching to the ceiling with a post that screws into the adjustment plate for the projector, you can screw and tighten the hex screws and plastic bushings to the projector body.

Secure the projector plate to the ceiling mount: The Metalcraft ceiling mounts post accepts a adjustable knob screw. You will need someone to help you get the screw started while they lift up the projector. With the screw tight you can rotate the projector from left to right on the ceiling post.

Fine-tuning: The Metalcraft mount allows yaw, pitch and rotation. With the hand tightening of knobs on the projector mount plate you can canter your projector perfectly on your projection screen. With the aid of a circular bubble level you can level the projector from front to back and left to right using the corresponding thumb knobs. With projector level you can then adjust your lense up and down and to the side for a perfect screen fill with no keystone distortion correction.

Caveat: The Metalcraft mount is wobbly because of the thinness of the metal used on the metal band that holds the projector mount to the ceiling mount post. When you need to change interconnects or adjust manual focus and zoom the projector rocks slightly as the metal gives. This does not cause the projector to fall out of register, though. Hey$36.95what do you expect?

The Metalcraft Mounting System for the Sanyo PLV-Z3 LCD projector (and many other projector brands and models) is a great bargain and very reliable. Highly recommended.

Father, Husband and Geek. My geeky interests have not changed since I was a kid. I still love comic books, anime, role-playing games, console video games, indie rock, imported toys and mecha models, bad American and great British sitcoms, and all the tech that lets me experience these hobbies to their fullest. Now that Im married with children, Ive had to strike a balance between supporting and pleasing my family and feeding my geekery hunger. Lucky for me, my wife is very accomodating and even geeks out with me on occasion (the ladies love Joss Whedons Firefly). My two year old likes anything that moves on the front projection screen and makes noise, so far she is easy to please. Geekwithfamily.com exists to enrich the lives of fellow geeks and the friends and family who put up with them.

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Buyers Guide to Home Theater Projectors

Buyers Guide to Home Theater Projectors
By Warren Thompson

Over the years, I have grown really attached to my home theater system. I must say, of all the rooms in the house, my own little movie theater is the one I could not live without. I am absolutely in love with my home theater system and, if you are anything like me, I am sure you will love yours too. I found, when I was initially building my system, that there was so much information to absorb. Every product out there seemed better than the next, and I found myself unsure about which to buy. Here are a few things to keep in mind when shopping for a new home theater projector.

There are two main types of projectors on the market; DLP and LCD. DLP stands for digital light processing. It was invented by Texas Instruments, and utilizes a microscopic array of over 2 million mirrors. DLP has a higher contrast than LCD, but there are some unfavorable consumer reports that note something called the ainbow effect. The ainbow effect is noticeable when looking from one side of the screen to the other, and is characterized by a sudden burst of color.

LCD stands for liquid crystal display. These projectors have three distinct glass LCD panels inside; one for each component of the video signal (red, green, and blue). While DLP chips reflect light, the LCD panels allow light to pass through them. LCD projectors produce brighter images, and they are known for having excellent color saturation. In the end, you will be hard-pressed to notice a great difference between the two types of projection systems.

When shopping for a new projector, keep your particular needs in the forefront of your thoughts. As I mentioned above, it is really easy to lose yourself in the minutiae of each particular system. Connectivity is a definitely something to be mindful of. Make sure that you are able to connect all of your components, including your gaming system. Nothing beats playing Halo in real-life size! Contract ratio is another important factor; the higher the ratio, the better the picture will be.

The brightness of your projector is another thing to consider. Light output is measured in ANSI (American National Standards Institute) lumens. You will want to avoid a projector that produces anything shy of 1000 lumens. As you are likely aware, the projection resolution is extremely important. This refers to the number of pixels that can be displayed on the screen. Go for something that is no less than 1024x768, as this will allow you to fully appreciate the depth and quality of HDTV. In the end, you should buy the projector that is in line with your needs and your budget. Soprano's is coming on right now! Time to go!

Warren Thompson is like a kid in a candy store, when it comes to home theater products. When he can drag himself away from his miniature movie theater, he writes for hometheaterfocus.com an excellent resource for information about soundproofing, digital video recorders, wiring diagrams and more.

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Build Your Own LCD Video Projector

Build Your Own LCD Video Projector
By Andrew Seltz

Mix big screen home theater dreams with a skimpy budget and you have the makings of a fantastic do-it-yourself project. Just think of how impressed all your friends will be watching blockbuster movies on a video projector you made with your own 2 hands.

It was just these motivations that landed me in front of my web browser digging for information for this project. There are a lot of cheesy websites that promise the moon and sell you a plastic magnifying lense and the instructions to stick a television into a box and put this lens on the front. You will get an image, but it will look like you made it yourself. - dark, and blurry.

Is there any way to make this work? The short answer is yes. A video projector is essentially a high resolution LCD video screen with a really bright light shining through it and a projector lense enlarging onto the screen. New portable models use very tiny, and expensive, LCDs along with sophisticated light sources and high quality lenses. If you are willing to end up with a projector that isn't quite so tiny, you can scavenge the parts you need from an LCD computer monitor and add some electronic components and relatively inexpensive lenses. For $200-$500 you should be able to create a high resolution bright projector that will really impress your friends.

The parts you need are:

• High resolution LCD computer monitor
• Projector lens (and possibly 2 fresnel lenses depending on the plans you use)
• Cooling fan(s) - bright lights get hot when you shove them in a box
• Bright lightsource (one approach to the project is to use an old overhead projector)
• Electrical power supply

There are dozens of websites with step-by-step plans for free or for sale. Some sell parts that you'll need. Two that I've found to be excellent are LumenLab and the DIY Projector Company. They both sell parts and parts kits. LumenLab sells a very nicely produced PDF instruction guide with detailed plans. DIY offers plans free, but expects that you'll buy one of their kits to actually make the projector. They both use the LCD in a box with a lamp approach.

InventGeek has a great article explaining the whole process in depth including the theory behind projectors. I recommend you check it out. The DenGuru website shows another approach to the project. They use an old overhead projector for both the lightsource and lens. You strip the LCD panel out of its frame and lay it on the projector like a transparency. Ugly, but it works! Check out their tutorial.

Break out your toolkit and get busy - and let's be safe out there people!

Andrew Seltz is a Go-To Guy! His wide range of interests and experiences have made him a walking search engine for his friends and colleagues. His passion for film and video production have made him particularly interested in Big Screen Televisions and Home Theaters. Visit his site: http://www.ColossalTV.com

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Computer Projector Rentals in New York

Computer Projector Rentals in New York
By Eric Morris

New York is renowned as the business capital of the world. People from in and around the country come to this place for various business activities. If you are planning a business meeting or conference in New York, computer projector rentals in New York will cater to all your presentation needs. Computer projectors are quite expensive, and availing it for rental will be a cost effective way to own it.

In recent years, the computer projector has become an integral part of presentations and seminars in schools, colleges and companies. Computer projectors have brought about a tremendous change in the conventional presentation. Enhanced technology and high quality presentation have led to the popularity of computer projectors among different sections of society. However, they are more in demand among students and businessmen.

With the popularity and increase in the demand for computer projectors, many companies have come forward in renting different types and models of computer projectors, especially in New York. RUSH Computer Rentals Inc. at Connecticut, G and G Technologies at New Jersey, Fort Lauderdale Computer Rental Service, and Saint Lucie Co. Civic Center at Florida are prominent computer projector rental companies. Today, almost all computer projector rental companies operate online.

Depending on the need, rental companies offer computer projectors for short and long term rental. Generally, these companies lend computer projectors for a day to 3 years. The rental rates will be based on the model and the duration of the rent. For example, a 3M 955 overhead projector is charged $65 for a day, while a higher end computer projector will be charged $200 a day. Thus, it is always important to determine the duration and the model you need before getting it for rental. Computer projector rentals are always a viable option, especially for a short period.

The rental rates fluctuate from one state to another. Still, the rental rates in New York are considerably lesser than other states in the country. Hence, computer projector rentals in New York are the best option to avail cutting edge technologies at very reasonable prices.

Computer Rentals provides detailed information on computer rentals, laptop computer rentals, computer projector rentals, desktop computer rentals and more. Computer Rentals is affiliated with Laptop Computer Sales.

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Benefits of a HighQuality LCD Projector Lamp for Your LCD

Benefits of a High-Quality LCD Projector Lamp for Your LCD
By Enreek Kahlon

In terms of multimedia presentations, LCD projectors have proven to provide impressive image quality and high resolutions. However, if your projector suddenly fails to work and you need to present a proposal with potential clients, it could cause your business to lose money, or worse, it could cause your job.

The most common problem of projectors is the sudden burn out of LCD projector lamps. Fortunately, these LCD projector lamps can be easily replaced. Although anyone can replace the lamps for your LCD projector, choosing the lamp can be an overwhelming task. You need to ensure that the type of lamp you buy is compatible with your projector.

A high-quality LCD projector lamp should be able to operate for over 4,000 hours. However, the measurements of lamp life are not reliable because the lamp can still work, even if it becomes dimmer. For this reason, you need to check the peak lamp life listed in most manufacturers of LCD projector lamps, which provides users with information of the total brightness a particular lamp could provide.

Choosing a high-quality lamp for your LCD projector should be your first concern, instead of price. Compared to the affordable halogen lamps that last about 70 hours, metal halide lamps can work up to 500 hours. Meaning, the more expensive LCD projector lamp you choose, the longer-lasting life it would provide.

How to Choose an LCD Projector Lamp

There are only two types of lamps used in LCD projectors metal halide and tungsten halogen. In order to choose a quality lamp, you have to understand how each one works.

A metal-halide lamp provides better brightness, but lower consumption of power. Be aware that lamp wattages do not reflect the brightness. Metal-halide LCD projector lamps are more efficient because it could provide your projector with a very white light until the end of its life.

On the other hand, tungsten-halogen lamps produce whiter lights because it runs at a higher temperature than other lamps. Although the white light will become yellow during its lifetime, it provides a longer lamp life because of its low-pressure and high temperature features.

Although metal-halide LCD projector lamps are more expensive, they could provide over 2,000 hours compared to the tungsten-halogen lamps 70 hours of operation. Be aware that lamps of your projectors could last longer when you operate them in economy mode, which automatically cools down when the projector becomes idle.

How to get the best LCD Displays, TVS, computer monitors and more. This is must read before you decide to buy... LCDs and LCD Displays, at http://www.dreamtekk.com

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Auditorium LCD Projectors

Auditorium LCD Projectors
By Ken Marlborough

Auditorium LCD Projectors are generally up to 40kg in weight, with 3,000 lumens (a measure of brightness) and above, have SVGA (brightness range from 1700 - 2000 lumens) or XGA (brightness range from 2000 - 3000 lumens, are more expensive than SVGA) native resolution. Auditorium projectors are mostly LCD projectors and usually come with a ceiling or rear mount facility. They usually have motorized zoom lens, are generally operated via remote control and offer multiple input and output ports for both PC and video. Auditorium LCD Projectors generally require external speakers and are targeted at spacious venues like theaters, auditoriums and convention halls.

In other words, auditorium LCD projectors are heavy duty, and super bright, allowing them to provide the added illumination for very large applications. These projectors deliver high brightness that can be used in a wide range of places. They generally come with a lens shift function and a wide range of optional, interchangeable lenses also contributes to installation ease. These LCD Projectors have a variety of functions for high picture quality and network compatibility is also included. Providing realistic colors, sharp contrast, and super bright images, they enable presentations with persuasive impact in a variety of situations.

Some factors which help in choosing a better Auditorium LCD Projector are: Lumens, Resolution, Lens Power, Keystone Correction, Scanning Frequency, Contrast, Lens Throw Ratio, Aspect Ratio, Image Offset Range, Computer Compatibility, Video Compatibility, Image and Mouse control, Projection Modes, Color Reproduction and Lamp Life.

These projectors generally have a specially designed auto focus lens, which allows for quick and easy switching between multiple screens with minimal user adjustments. Their automatic color correction feature provides true color reproduction even when projecting onto colored or textured walls for a perfect presentation anywhere. Some of them have a 3-D Reform technology, which lets one set up the projector virtually anywhere in the room and still get an aligned image.

While choosing the right LCD projector for an auditorium, the dimensions of the auditorium, the ambient light conditions and the distance where the projector will be placed from the screen should considered and projectors whose specifications exceed the requirements should be considered.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

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Understanding Projector Screens: Be Careful You May End Up With TOO Bright An Image!

Understanding Projector Screens: Be Careful, You May End Up With TOO Bright An Image!
By Andrew Ghigo

Today's compact yet powerful front video projectors may leave you with a too bright an image to watch! This being especially so if you intend to watch a projected image in a darkened room which after all, is most often the case with a home theater setup.

Defining Screen Gain

Prior to proceeding with our discussion, it is important that one has a full understanding of what the term screen gain is all about.

It may sound strange that we talk about gain when in reality a projector screen is nothing more than a passive device. Yet there is - it is all a question of how the screen surface distributes the reflected light.

Screen gain is a measurement of the reflectivity of the screen surface. It measures the ability of the screen to direct incident light back to the audience.

The gain number represents the ratio between incident light and reflected light. A flat matte white surface has a gain of approximately 1. A gray screen has a gain less than 1 and therefore, it attenuates incident light. Reflective screen surfaces have gains greater than 1; these projection screens direct more incident light back to the audience.

Gain is always measured in front and perpendicular to the screen at the point of maximum brightness; this represents peak screen gain and occurs at the zero viewing angle perpendicular to the screen surface.

For a screen with gain greater than one, the gain drops as one moves to the side and view the screen at an angle to the perpendicular drawn from the center of the screen. The angle at which screen gain falls to half the peak is referred to as half gain viewing angle. A person viewing the screen from this angle will see the image half as bright as the person seated at the center. The more one moves further away from the center, the dimmer the projected image will be.

The higher the peak screen gain, the narrower the supported viewing angle. This is the price one has to pay for a higher screen gain - the higher projector screen gain at the center is in fact achieved by directing more light towards the center viewing positions rather than allowing for a uniform reflected light over a wider angle of view.

Projected Image Brightness:

Matching the projection screen gain with the ambient light and the video projector output is essential if you want to ensure that you will end up with a correct level of projected image brightness.

This is an extremely important issue. Do not forget that a basic requirement for a great movie experience is a comfortable environment. This means that the time one spends watching a movie should be as comfortable as possible. Exposure to a bright projected image is uncomfortable on the eyes - even when this is for just a few minutes, least imagine when watching a two-hour movie.

A Tricky Matching Process!

Ambient Light Conditions, Image Brightness & Screen Gain

A projected image is at its best when viewed in total darkness - this helps take away any visual distractions - rendering it easier for the viewer to get deeper immersed into the movie action.

In the home, achieving a completely darkened room is almost impossible except in the case of the dedicated home theater setup. The amount of ambient light present has an impact on the resultant projected image contrast. This calls for the need to increase the image brightness to maintain the correct level of image contrast.

The tricky issue is to arrive at the correct level of image brightness for a pre-set level of ambient light. This in view that projected image brightness is a function not only of the projector output, but also of the screen gain, and image size.

The explanation that follows should help you get a better understanding of the relationship that exists between these three inter-related parameters.

Display Brightness and Screen Gain

The brightness output level of your projector is a measure of the projector output power in terms of light intensity. Please keep in mind however that the resultant projected image brightness is a different issue. Image brightness falls in proportion to the area of the projected image size - the bigger the projected image is, the dimmer it will look for a fixed level of projector brightness.

The projected image brightness - more specifically the Luminance level for a projected image, is a measure of the light reflected from the projector screen area. It is measured in foot-Lamberts, and is defined as:

ANSI-lumens of your projector divided by the square footage of Screen.

(Note that one foot-Lambert is equal to 1 ANSI lumen per square foot.)

To arrive at the actual level of light reflected from the screen surface, the above result must be multiplied by the projector screen gain.

A useful reference here is what has been defined as 'sufficient brightness' by the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers, also known as SMPTE.

In standard 196M, the SMPTE determined sufficient brightness for showing motion pictures in a darkened room using a unity gain matte white projector screen, as 12 - 22 foot-Lamberts. In practice, the luminance target level is set to about 16 foot-Lamberts, while the average bright scene brightness level in a movie theater is typically 60% to 75% of this target value.

Display brightness is in itself an entirely subjective term; whats more, it is all relative to the amount of ambient light falling on the screen surface.

The following rules of thumb would surely come to assistance in this respect:

The contrast ratio between the projected image and the ambient light level falling on the screen should be at least 5:1. This is necessary for the eye to perceive a real impression of brightness. If this contrast ratio is not achieved, the projected image will not be considered of adequate brightness level.

When viewing takes place under normal ambient light conditions, the luminance level should be close to 50 foot-Lamberts. This level of luminance is derived from the fact that SMPTE indicated a target level of image brightness for a CRT TV as 50 foot-Lamberts, this in view that a TV is normally viewed under normal ambient light. One may argue that TV is a totally different technology this is true, but this target level for image brightness or luminance, still holds good for most circumstances.

How does all this translate in practical terms?

If one is viewing an image in typical very low ambient light conditions (say less than 2 foot-candles - equivalent to approximately 22 Lux), then the minimum required light level illuminating the screen surface should be around 10 foot-candles to achieve sufficient image contrast.

For a matte white projector screen surface with a screen gain of one, this translates to a minimum of 10 foot-Lamberts in terms of light reflected from the screen for image brightness. This is close to the SMPTE typical requirement for average luminance when viewing pictures in a darkened room.

Similarly, if viewing were to take place under normal ambient light room conditions (typically 10 foot-candles or 110 Lux), applying our first rule of thumb to achieve the required contrast level would result in a luminance level of 50 foot-Lamberts (approx. 540 Lux) for the same matte white projector screen surface. This is also in line with the target luminance level detailed in rule 2 for viewing under normal ambient light conditions.

Note:

• Light illuminating a surface is measured in lux (Lx = lumens/m2), or foot-candles.
• Light reflected from an area (luminance) is measured in candelas/m2 (cd/m2) or foot-lamberts (fL).

Now, lets consider as an example what will happen with different projector screen gains for say a given 1000 ANSI-Lumens projector and a 100 diagonal screen size.

Projector Screen Gain 1 1.5 2Image Luminance in foot-Lamberts304560

It is clear that our 1000 ANSI-Lumens projector would produce a too bright an image when the latter is viewed in a darkened room, even when using a standard matte white projector screen with unity gain. Similarly, use of this projector in conjunction with a projector screen surface having a gain of 2 may result in a too bright an image even when viewing takes place under normal ambient light conditions.

Andrew Ghigo A Telecoms/Electronics engineer by profession, with specialization in digital switching and telecoms fraud management systems.

Editor and publisher of http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com - a site dedicated to all home theater enthusiasts with the scope of serving as a comprehensive home theater guide to home theater systems, product reviews and home theater design.

This article is an excerpt from a series of guides appearing under thehome theater screens section of the site.

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Used LCD Projectors

Used LCD Projectors
By Ken Marlborough

Apart from the usual used LCD projectors, those which have been used from some considerable amount of time by someone and are now for sale, there are some other categories of used LCD Projectors.

One of these categories is called demo projectors - projectors that have been used sparingly in-house for customer demonstrations. The majority of demo projectors generally have 90% or more of the original lamp life remaining at the time of resale. Demo models that are still in production ship with a full manufacturer's warranty. The length of warranty varies on demo models that are no longer in production.

Another category is refurbished projectors - projectors are most often the source of best projector deals. These projectors have been returned to an authorized factory service center and restored to meet manufacturer's original quality standards. Refurbished projectors feature new lamps, yet the warranty varies by manufacturer.

Yet another category is bargain buys - projectors that are new, factory-sealed units and are priced less than US $1500. These projectors are typically SVGA resolution, are portable, and feature an adequate amount of brightness for most any environment. Because of their budget price, the length of warranty on these projectors varies.

There are several Web sites that sell used LCD Projectors over the Internet. However, when buying over the Internet, one should not only look at the security of the mode of payment, but also about the vendor who is selling the product on the Web site. Generally, some people who have bought a product from a vendor leave a comment about the quality of service and product sold by the vendor; these comments are often very helpful in eliminating the vendors with a poor track record.

Finding a used LCD Projector is not difficult, what is though, is narrowing down to decide on a projector that meets the requirements, comes from a vendor who can be relied upon, and is at available at the best price among all the Web sites on the Internet that sell used LCD projectors.

LCD Projectors provides detailed information on LCD Projectors, LCD Projector Rentals, LCD Projector Lamps, LCD Video Projectors and more. LCD Projectors is affiliated with Cheap LCD TVs.

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