What are your thoughts on the two options below for my curved screen setup

[gujuboy]

Hello,
I am planning to build me a curved screen with two 1080p projectors which will give me a resolution of 3860x1080. The screen will be 10.5 ft. wide and 3 ft. deep (arc angle 30.5 degrees). I prefer to get a native 1080p projector, and unfortunately, there are no short throw native 1080p projectors under $2000 available (I am planning on getting two Optoma HD33). In order to get a screen size of 73"X41" per projector, the throw will need to be 10ft. This is not a problem since I have enough room. However, I have concerns regarding how to project the images on the curved screen. I am attaching the image of two possible configuration.
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Option 1 (projection is in parallel):
Pros:
- I can sit much closer to the screen (as close as 5.5 from the screen)
- I can have the bottom of the screen below my desk level without me blocking the screen from the projector.
Cons:
- The steep curve will make the image very blurry on the side (will it???), and I may loose lot of horizontal size due to image correction

Option 2 (projection is in criss-cross)
Pros:
- The curve is more uniform and so the image should also be more uniform
- Since the projects can go in the corners, I can increase the throw even more to get an even larger screen
Cons:
- I will have to site very far from the screen (10 ft if I want the bottom of the screen to be below my desk level and I won't be blocking the screen from the projector)
- If I want to sit closer, the bottom of the screen will have to be over my head so that I do not blow the screen from the projector (i.e., I will have to lookup while playing).

I would prefer option 1 because I would really like to have the bottom of the screen below my desk level, and I can sit closer to the screen. This will give me the most immersive experience. However, I am really worried about the image quality.
I would really appreciate if you can give me your thoughts, and if someone has setup their rig similar to my Option 1, what is the impact on the image quality?
I can always try it out myself after I get the projectors, but if I option 1 can not work, then I would consider getting 3 1280X800 or 1280X768 short throw projectors, so I want to hold on my purchase until I do some research.
Any input is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[Sean Nixon]

I think you are not going to be happy with either setup. I don't think setup A will work, a the image really needs to be projected perpendicular to the screen (as they are in setup B).

Whereas setup B is better, anything between the projectors and screen is going to cast a shadow, be it you, your panel, desk, whatever.

That's why most of us use short (or ultra short) throw projectors. And as you say, HD short throw projectors are either hard to get, or expensive.

Sean

[Bernie]

Hi,

Have you had a read of Mike's tips on Displays as there is a lot of good information that may help you decide which way to go http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/scenery_display/scenery.html

Kind Regards

Bernie.

[gujuboy]

Hello Sean and Bearnie,
Thank you both for your input. The more I think about this, the more it looks like I will have to settle for 1280X800 short throw projectors :( too bad that no one is making 1080p short throw projectors for a reasonable price.
I will review Mike's blog as well.
Cheers!

[gujuboy]

OK, so I am going to go with a short throw projector. After much research, I have zero'ed in on Optoma GT750E. This projector is made for gaming and so has one of the best response rate.
Now, base on the specs of GT750E, I have the choice of having a shallow arc (12 ft X 2.5 ft) aka Option 1 or a deep arc (10.5" X 4") aka Option 2 (image of the two options is attached).
6740
With both of these options, I get a 84" X 52" screen size per projector. Since I want my eye level to be somewhere near the center of the screen (vertically), I will need to sit about 5 ft from the screen in both of the options. This will put me outside the arc, and so I am not going to get the 180 degrees FOV (shaded area). I do feel like Option 2 will give me more immersion for flying and driving games. However, Option 1 is most probably better for First Person (or Third Person) Shooter games. Since I play shooter games more than flight sim or racing games, I would prefer the option that works better for shooter games.
Is my logic correct or will I still get the same experience playing shooter games with Option 2 as I would with Option 1? Is Option 2 better for shooter games?
Any input will be much appreciated, and my apologies for posting questions for shooter games instead of flight sim games.

[Sean Nixon]

There's no problem regards the shooter games. You're experiences here will be welcomed, be sure to document your progress here, as you'll find, no two setups are the same, that's mainly why you'll find limited feedback on your questions. Plus, not many of us are using multiple projector setups.

I've just sold my 3 projectors as although they were short throw, they weren't short enough once I built a cockpit shell, it was casting a shadow. I need ultra short throw for my setup. What's the throw ration of the Optoma's you are looking at?

[Sean Nixon]

Edit: dual post!

[gujuboy]

Optoma GT750E has a throw ratio of 0.72 with a throw distance of 1.6 - 16.4 with an image size of 32.2 - 322.4 (inches). This is not an ultra short throw, but for my setup this is perfect.

[OmniAtlas]

Someones done 2x 1080p sitting very very close to the screen

http://www.mycockpit.org/forums/video-interfacing-hardware/25373-2x-1080p-projectors-wow.html#post135413