Gaming on projectors?

[MTv Dave]

Right now I have a very small TV that a mate's wife has lent me till I get myself a proper TV. I'm not too happy about this as it means I have to pay the BBC for the ability to play games on the PS2 when I have a guest that cares about such things and watch the odd DVD, but that's my bug to bear and I don't want to start my "I don't like the BBC rant" here.

Anyways...
I'll use the new 'thing' for gaming (SCART fed from PS2 maybe a Wii, and at some point a PS3) and watching DVDs and the very rare VHS. I think of TV with more contempt than any mortal man who has ever wondered the Earth.

My choices seemed to be:
A big CRT - I like CRTs - easily the best definition and specs of anything on the market for SD/HD/ProgressiveScan feed, but they don't really make them big enough for the room without being silly deep and expensive.
LCD/Plasma - crap with an SD feed, don't look all that with HD (5 years in broadcasting has candid me on this I'll admit), too expenisive, I don't have to worry that much about the space saving I'd get.

Then my girlfriend said about getting a projector for her flat after seeing her sister's.
I've very beifly looked into them, and I'm impressed with what's out there compared to a few years ago... But there's a few things I can't find out from marketing:
What are they like for gaming?
Do you need to darken the room to use them?
What are the important specs?
Is 720p/1080i enough for the HD feed on a 360 (what's a Wii output?)
What do they cost to keep / run?
Anything to avoid?
Anything to look out for?

Does anybody out in PHland have any ansers?

[8]

I can't help you with projectors, but you don't have to have a TV license if you don't watch TV. You are fine to have a TV and use it as a monitor.

[dern]

8 said:

I can't help you with projectors, but you don't have to have a TV license if you don't watch TV. You are fine to have a TV and use it as a monitor.

A projector doesn't have a tuner so doesn't need a license on its own.

I have a second hand tw200 which is superb. I've plugged the laptop in to it and it looks great but haven't tried gaming on it apart with the ps2 which looks a bit rubbish to be honest as the resultion isn't up to it. A decent pc running the right resolution should look great though.

[RobDickinson]

Soerry I'm picky and I love my panny plasma for SD, HD and gaming.

If I could I'd get a projector though for gaming (poorer but bigger pictuer $/$).

[theboyfold]

MTv Dave said:

Is 720p/1080i enough for the HD feed on a 360 (what's a Wii output?)

Yes, 720p or 1080i is what the 360 puts out, looks great to me in 720p, not yet seen it in 1080i though. As for the Wii, I think it's jusr humble SD...

[RobDickinson]

Wii only does SD ya. 480p, tho I've heard it looks better in 480i, dont think theres even a component cable for it yet

720p on the 360 for games, moveis go for 1080i if you can.

[Edt]

I've got a panasonic AE900. It's a 720p system.. plug a mates 360 in the other night & set it to 1080i looked great.. set it to 720p looked even better (as 1:1 mapping with the projector, I expect).
The projector is bright, however a light controlled room useful; I've got blinds in the projector room. The only downside is a touch of motion blurring so if you're doing 200mph in your maclaren its harder to read the 300, 200, 100 yard braking signs. That's about it. It's FASNTASTIC believe me!

If you're anywhere near Berks welcome to have a gander I've a PS2 but yo'd get the idea...
Ed

[Edt]

Not a gaming pic.. but with room blacked out you see how bright it is


hmm.click the red x
!

Edited by Edt on Tuesday 19th December 14:48

[spidydude]

wow...

A TV LICENSE

wth is that??
is it like paying for cable??

[UK952]

on a similar point, been looking at plasma and LCD's in a few shops with HD demos. It seems that the pictures are jerky (flickery almost) when something large is moving across the screen - a passing yacht for instance. Do all flat screens do that?
Tony

[big_treacle]

Not sure on the specs of the projector, but I had one set up at my house projecting on to a massive white sheet. It was AMAZING! GT legends & BF2 on a huge screen is how it should be done

[:J:]

theboyfold said:

MTv Dave said:

Is 720p/1080i enough for the HD feed on a 360 (what's a Wii output?)

Yes, 720p or 1080i is what the 360 puts out, looks great to me in 720p, not yet seen it in 1080i though. As for the Wii, I think it's jusr humble SD...

The 360 outputs in 1080p as well

[Baconbonce]

8 said:

I can't help you with projectors, but you don't have to have a TV license if you don't watch TV. You are fine to have a TV and use it as a monitor.

Taken from the licencing web site

What if I only use a TV to watch videos/DVDs/as a monitor for my games console? Do I still need a licence?

-
You need to notify us in writing that this is the case and one our Enforcement Officers may need to visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

Please write to us including your name, address and the reason you believe that you don't need a licence at:

TV Licensing
Bristol
BS98 1TL

I suspect they won't just take your word for it though

Edited by Baconbonce on Tuesday 19th December 13:51

[trooperiziz]

Baconbonce said:

8 said:

I can't help you with projectors, but you don't have to have a TV license if you don't watch TV. You are fine to have a TV and use it as a monitor.

Taken from the licencing web site

What if I only use a TV to watch videos/DVDs/as a monitor for my games console? Do I still need a licence?

-
You need to notify us in writing that this is the case and one our Enforcement Officers may need to visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

Please write to us including your name, address and the reason you believe that you don't need a licence at:

TV Licensing
Bristol
BS98 1TL

I suspect they won't just take your word for it though

Edited by Baconbonce on Tuesday 19th December 13:51

They can say what they like, 8 is still correct.

[MTv Dave]

trooperiziz said:

Baconbonce said:

8 said:

I can't help you with projectors, but you don't have to have a TV license if you don't watch TV. You are fine to have a TV and use it as a monitor.

Taken from the licencing web site

What if I only use a TV to watch videos/DVDs/as a monitor for my games console? Do I still need a licence?

-
You need to notify us in writing that this is the case and one our Enforcement Officers may need to visit you to confirm that you do not need a licence.

Please write to us including your name, address and the reason you believe that you don't need a licence at:

TV Licensing
Bristol
BS98 1TL

I suspect they won't just take your word for it though

Edited by Baconbonce on Tuesday 19th December 13:51

They can say what they like, 8 is still correct.

Maybe, but given I'm rarely at my gaff during the week, I'm not sure the BBC Gestapo would work weekends and I really can't be arsed with writting to them I won't chase this avenue.
I just want to stop paying them and have NO kit in my house to give them reasonable doubt. Most projectors I've seen don't have an in-built tuner so I wouldn't have a device at my property that could receive the TV signal, therefore they can do what they want, they won't get my money!

[MTv Dave]

UK952 said:

on a similar point, been looking at plasma and LCD's in a few shops with HD demos. It seems that the pictures are jerky (flickery almost) when something large is moving across the screen - a passing yacht for instance. Do all flat screens do that?
Tony

Depends on the bandwidth of the feed - HD needs up around 4 times the data of SD for a single frame, but MPEG compression can help with that, but MPEG isn't good at dealing with fades of large movement across Macroblocks.
Also older LCD and even newish Plasma devices can have slow response times, which leads to 'smearing' like you saw. This is why I still think CRTs are the best things you can get, and the HD CRTs aren't too expensive, just seem to be limited to about 32" due to the manufacturing process and bulk.

[MTv Dave]

Edt said:

I've got a panasonic AE900. It's a 720p system.. plug a mates 360 in the other night & set it to 1080i looked great.. set it to 720p looked even better (as 1:1 mapping with the projector, I expect).
The projector is bright, however a light controlled room useful; I've got blinds in the projector room. The only downside is a touch of motion blurring so if you're doing 200mph in your maclaren its harder to read the 300, 200, 100 yard braking signs. That's about it. It's FASNTASTIC believe me!

If you're anywhere near Berks welcome to have a gander I've a PS2 but yo'd get the idea...
Ed

Sounds good, I'll look into the model (which sounds a bit familiar). The room is long, but average width with big windows at one end which already have curtains and the other has glass doors to a very light room. Sounds like I may need to sort that out.

[Edt]

Ideally you want to control the light as much as poss.. think of a cinema. You can watch the ads with some house lights on, but main attraction they dim. Saying that, for game I often have a lamp in the far corner, just so you can see where the beer etc is, doesnt harm the overall spectacle. And it IS spectacular, that picture of mine is about 8 feet across. Tiger Woods is life size !

[MTv Dave]

The AE900 looks very good, the side-by-side comparisions I've read are favourable to it, and it's not madly expensive, I just need to work out where I'll put it, the screen size I will use and the cost of the screen, amp, speakers, decent DVD player (the PS2 probably isn't the best in the world :P) and where the wires will go, and I will hopefully have a big screen by Easter (damn and blast expensive Christams and these PH EuroHoons!)

Thanks for the advice guys!

Edited by MTv Dave on Thursday 21st December 12:04

[byff]

I've got a mate that simply does not own a TV. Despite that, he regularly gets the TV detection van round and has also had threatening letters ordering him to pay up.

They simply presume that everyone has a TV so if an address doesn't match up with there records of who has a license, that address will be pestered until they get a license regardless.

Anyway, back on subject, games look awesome on a projector, but you do have to darken the room if you want really good definition and the projector needs to be set up and placed in the correct position to keep its throw ratio correct.