A single projector or three LCD displays

[bravaldi]

Hello!
So I am in the process of designing my simpit and keep going back and forth over whether I should get a single short-throw projector or 3 24" LCD displays for my visual display. My design requires me to pick one and pretty much don't look back. I know the strengths and weaknesses of both, but there is honestly no better way of really finding out then asking you guys that have already tinkered with this and know what is the best option. What's the consensus here? What would you guys do? For the projector, I am looking at a Dell s300. For LCD displays, I haven't made up my mind yet, but I believe that they're going to be 3 24" displays most likely using eyefinity.In either option, they're going to be inside an enclosure. I play Falcon, but I do want something that will greatly enhance the use of future flight sims. Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

Regards,
Jose

[Neil Hewitt]

What throw length do you have available? Presumably you can make a projected image as wide, or wider, than the three 24" panels stitched together? With a short-throw projector this should be do-able.

The projector solution has some plusses - no visible border between panels (as there isn't one), no need to rely on EyeFinity working, the overall lower pixel count will probably result in a higher framerate (FS/FSX are CPU-bound, not GPU-bound, I know, but three x 24" panels is still a lot of pixels to push if your card isn't higher-spec). You can use a curved screen (with correction from Sol7, say) for greater immersion. You can probably get a wider field of view using just one 16:9 (or in this case, 16:10) projector than with three panels, albeit at a lower res.

OTOH, the LCD solution can be done in a much smaller space (no need for throw length) and the picture isn't dependent on ambient light. The monitors will have a much longer life than the (usually very expensive) projector bulb. The cost will be lower.

From a realism POV, I think projection works better because there is some physical distance between the enclosure window and the screen, which helps to improve your perspective. Obviously you won't get proper parallax effect with a 2D screen but it's better than nothing.

If it helps, I was going to go the LCD route in my project but have reconsidered and will now go with a single 16:9 projector, even though it will involve fun with mirrors. I think it will be worth it.

NH

[flatlandpilot]

I choose for HDMI tv's they give a lot of "inches" for the money
and keep the pixelcount low.

When I had the "throw-lenght" the sol7 project looks very promising,
and I agree with Nielh, space between the window and the projection screen is nice,
as is software free bevel-less projection.

combining a moving pit and sol7 projection would be my "perfect mix",
but finding (3 the same) short-throw projectors is difficult or expensive.

3x24" monitor >>> 5760 x 1200 pixels
2x32" hdmitv >>> 2732 x 768 pixels (the not HD display's)

[bravaldi]

Thanks for both of your replies.
The Dell s300 projector seems like a very good fit for my project. It has a short-throw lens that can display a 90" image at a distance of about 3.5 feet, making it ideal for an enclosure. At a relative low price of $899 US, 5000 hour bulb life on economy mode, 1280x800 resolution and $150 bulb cost, it seems like the ideal projector for this project. There are other factors I still need to account for when using a projector in an enclosure (heat, fire, discomfort), but I believe that I can probably find workable solutions and precautions for all of these problems.

I enclosed a Sketchup screenshot of my current design. As you all can see, it is very generic, but more geared toward fighter jets. I primarily play Falcon, but I am looking into other sims currently out there (I purchased a copy of FSX and LOMAC recently) and in the future (DCS: A10, FighterOPS). THe width of the enclosure is about 8 feet wide by about 5 feet depth and just under 6 feet height. I believe that this design will work with the Dell s300, but now I'm running into other issues. First is size. Even though my design can detach into two pieces so that it can fit in a doorway (the larger piece can be rotated into and out of a room due to the curved shape of the display), it is still very big regardless and will take up alot of space. Weight is going to be another problem. I haven't estimated that yet, but it is definitely not going to be light. It is because of these reasons that I am reconsidering the 3 LCD monitor option (or more with eyefinity) which will significantly reduce the footprint of my design at a loss of real estate for the image. Also, the bezels in the middle are really annoying. :-(

Maybe I can reduce the with of the pit from 8' to 6'? That's why I need to make up my mind and stick with it; once I start building, it's going to get expensive to change my mind in the middle of construction. That is why making a decision between the projector and multiple LCD displays is very important to this project. Any critiques or tips on my simpit design or any more advice on my display dilemna is certainly welcome.

Thanks everyone for all of your help!