AV is my primary profession since the early 2000s and I’ve been building theaters for a living since. So it was great to see a gaming channel dedicate time to this and it’s something I thought about doing a video on as well someday. If you ever want some feedback or ideas feel free to hit me up. As a quick note on DLP, it’s the color wheel due to budget that creates the effect you showed with the fan. This doesn’t exist with 3-chip DLP projectors or DLP based LED projectors that don’t need a color wheel. So you get the best of both worlds. Higher brightness, super fast response without the motion trails of LCD tech, and no rainbow effect. They were more expensive of course, but today you can find them cheap used as well. And you’re right on about native 720p. It’s my favorite method, using a 3chip DLP to play all the older games. It looks fantastic with no processing to upscale to 1080 or 4K. New laser models and sxrd like I use in my own theater are gorgeous for film, but not they or anything else perform like a 3chip DLP for games. It’s actually still the standard today for commercial cinema.
[Try4ce] Interesting, any particular model you'd recommend for 720p gaming? As you might've guessed, I've become a little bit obsessed with the idea of having perfect displays for 720p for the long haul, but I don't know if the two I have will fit that bill forever (the Marantz is very high quality but it's also a bit dim when viewed in person... I love it though).
@@mylifeingaming Check out the Sim2 C3X lineup. They had both 720p and 1080p models using triple chip DLP and were in the 15-25K premium price category at the time. Now can be found for under 1K easily and produce a pretty stunning image. Replacement lamps are pretty available too. They aren’t designed as gaming projectors per se so it may not be as fast as the BenQ with a game mode, but the image quality is superb. I’d be curious to see how they test with a time sleuth myself. I get a lot of hand me downs so I’m using a bigger commercial unit. Stay away from those unless you need it doubling as a heater in the winter 😅
[Try4ce] Thanks! I'll definitely keep an eye out for anything like that. It's honestly sort of a silly toy-like design, so I might've overlooked it had I stumbled upon it!
@@ShmupJunkie Thanks for these super helpful comments! Dumb question: how does one calibrate these accurately to sRGB (since that was the color space target for the 720p gaming consoles for developers and the hardware)? Thanks.
It was nice when there wasn’t 80 inch flat screens. Having a 100 inch screen was very immersive. Great for single player. It was as good an lcd screen in like 2004 now it’s hard to justify. DLP was the superior hi def tech for gaming in the early days of HD. LCD used to lack contrast, plus until OLED DLP was the realer black vs lcd.
@@akalyx I dunno which is which- all I know is the other guy has some irregular motions when he talks. Maybe it’s a bit of a twitch. Just drives me crazy bc I dunno if it’s something or I am imagining it.
Isn’t it strange how a lot of these guys are all in the middle of the south and don’t give clues? No mullets, no rebel flag, no accent. Man the world is changing fast. I wonder what Walker Texas Ranger would be like today. Would he still go do karate on the satanic people? I kinda remember thinking it was unprovoked- hit that’s why it was so funny. Is worshipping a statue enough to get a spin kick in the face? I sure hope so! I hope chuck can still beat down so effortlessly. At 81 that’s pretty amazing, he should have won all our wars what happened? It’s unfortunate. I think he was busy protecting us from things we don’t need to know. He only has one known weakness- his chest hair. Bruce Lee taught us that. Hopefully it’s all gone by now and he is truly invincible. Must have been held by his chest hair in the river styx like Achilles. I am sure he had some by 2. Any real man does. He didn’t go through puberty, puberty obeyed his commands and thus by age 2 his chest hair was very thick and his mullet very Victorious. At age 3 he put the incredible hulk in a submission hold- the hulk stopped turning green!!
If it’s arts or humanities I saw a guy play wow every single day in my college stats class. Every single day- and he didn’t even have very lvl characters I think he only played in class!
I've been running a optoma hd142x for a couple years its our living room experience only on my 2nd bulb that lasted over 8000hrs. The newer projectors bulb life is expected to last 12-14000 hrs
I had an Optoma HD26 which was fantastic for 1080P and 3D content, but upgraded to an Optoma UHD30 which offers 4K HDR (through pixel shifting) and can reach 1080P 240hz when connected to a PC. The rainbow effect was noticable on the former, but it's extremely rare I notice it on the latter. Projectors can't compete with TV's on contrast and blacks, but the screen size is amazing. It puts you right in the game!
I got an Epson powerlite cinema a few years ago its 1080p and has hdmi, vga, s-video, component and composite inputs to accommodate multiple console 👍👍
I used projectors for over a decade as my primary television, and the benefits are great for gaming- especially when I used to throw Rock Band parties all the time. The drawbacks eventually turned my old projector into a novelty item- particularly the low amount of light required for good viewing, the high cost of replacing bulbs once/year, plus living somewhere with a large dedicated wall made finding the right place to live extra difficult. In the end, they’re great for parties, and I loved it when I lived alone. Now that I have kids who I share the screen with, and the desire to watch with more light in the room, I’m happy to pull it out for special occasions rather than as my primary TV.
Yep. They’re fun, but you really have to craft your lifestyle around them. Modern large-screen TVs are just so much better than the options 10-20 years ago, which makes it harder to justify the rather stagnant projector technology.
Having used old or lower end projectors in my basement, the best advice I can give is, "Don't look at the picture too hard. You'll see all the flaws and never enjoy the content." One potential long term issue with 3LCD is the prisms and/or LCD elements getting out of alignment. This will result in the image having similar focus issues as CRT projectors. Everything in the projector world is a compromise.
I had a 3LCD projector for something like a decade, and in my experience, the convergence doesn't drift over time... it's just never perfect to begin with. I still found it to be a worthwhile tradeoff to avoid the colour brightness/quality issues that come from colour-wheel DLP projectors, at least at the time.
Haven’t had any convergence degradation with my Epson, but the LCD dye has started to degrade, leading to color purity issues. And I’ve gone through quite a few lamps. I do enjoy it, but is it worth it..? Ehhh.... Hoping that laser projection will save us.
I've been gaming on a Projector for years, it's amazing. You will never go back, the screen size outweighs everything. I use my 1080p projector in my backyard during the summer against my clean white garage wall and get a 200+ inch image. It's fucking amazing. I just finished Shadow of the Colossus Remake last night this way.
Absolutely love all the hard work and professional coverage you put into these, in-depth, ML&G videos. Well done sir and have a good work week. Cheers!
They are so heavy you wouldn't believe it. Shipping alone is over $1,000 if you can't find one locally. You need a handful of people just to help you move it a few feet. Maybe 5 people I dont know. I have looked into them but I wouldn't want to buy one unless it wasn't used much because once one of the tubes goes, its done.
I’m gonna skip my usual praise of your production quality this week. Instead, I’ll talk about how I love your choice of projectors to review! Instead of making a buying guide on the “best projectors of 2021 compared”, you considered the reality of your audience. Many people will opt to use $60 projectors they found at Goodwill & others are looking to shell out a reasonable amount of cash for a good 4K projector… and you provided a thourough examination of everything in-between… who else does something like this!? You guys are so smart & it always inspire me to work harder in my own pursuits when I see your content. Please keep it up! 🙏
[Try4ce] Glad you liked the approach! Yeah, my intent was very much to assume people would not likely end up with the exact projectors I looked at here, but rather, just give them an idea of what might be in store for them if they end up with something similar.
I love the approach Try takes to this stuff. You referred to the original RT2X as the "working man's" upscaler once, and I think that mindset has taken you through so much. Like this had a real "middle-of-the-road" overview for projectors, very practical, gave your own experience, and then dabbled in what the more upscale solution would be. Just an amazing overview. Also, I have never once considered a gaming projector, and probably never will, but this is one of the best MLiG vids of the year! Hahaha
As someone who has played retro consoles using a projector only since 15 years, I can say it is a great experience - especially in multiplayer games (i.e. Bomberman).
Playing my Dreamcast or ps2 on a epson projector from about 2014/15 looks awesome way beter than my Sony or Samsung lcd tvs. A lot still have av and older style connections.
This is a longshot, but any experience playing retro games on an HT2050a? It has RCA inputs and i'm hoping i can reduce the internal resolution like at 25:25 so image isn't blown out to a disgusting degree like playing N64 on my 4k TV is
That's not just a youtube video, that's a whole show, incredibly well written and produced and it deserves much more recognition and viewers that it gets!!
Thank you for explaining the rainbow effect! Back in High school I had one teacher who used a projector every class and I swore I would see colors if I moved my head from side to side. Noone else would see it, or maybe I couldnt describe it well enough to them... but I finally know I wasnt insane.
I've been gaming on projectors for years since I got my first one for holiday projected decorating. They tend to make you understand super high(4k) resolutions are not needed to Play any game. I find in some ways being able to see pixels on some mini projectors gives a pleasing and nostalgic huge gameboy screen experience. Those in focus can get a very big image as long as it can focus, and have a slight pixel blur to hide pixels. I also still game on a rear projection CRT Mitsubishi. That thing has outlived the mountains of flat panels gone Ewaste. I prefer xga ,or wvga, resolutions because they are more realistic and versatile without huge borders. Those Chinese LED projectors are good at resolution emulation like a standard PC monitor. Although with any monitor there is the dreaded not support resolution warning when using with a PC signal that isn't set within display specs. Those In focus 3 LCD models are nice. I have the XGA Lp540 and Lp640 models. I refurbished them from heat stress and neglect. New bulbs are still available. I have several LED projectors I refurbished and some I improved lighting on. Most LED types have a Cool color temperature making them have a overall blue color shift. Some got inventive like the Unic UC80 that had red, green, and white LEDs that made the image more realistic and true to color.
They might not be needed to play a game, but that 4K adds to the experience massively. What I found was that the LCD (1 or 3 chip model) projectors really wreck the image with the screen door effect. DLP all the way. A 800x600 DLP acer I was recently given knocks the socks off a 1080p LCD one I was using at the time, both in clarity and especially brightness. It was way easier to get a uniform focus from corner to the center of the screen, something LCD models struggle with a lot.
One of the best videos I ever seen in the topic. I ended up buying a InTouch IN1110a after seeing this and got an amazing unit for $100. MSRP was $2,000+
I have a BenQ tk800m and highly recommend it, an amazing gaming experience. Huge screen, very good picture that you forget you're actually looking at a projection most of the time it's that good, and low ms input lag to boot.
I have used DLP projector as my only screen at home since 2005, for games, movies, series. From 2005 to 2010 it was the Toshiba MT200 (480p DLP) and since 2010 the Mitsubishi HC3200 (1080p DLP). For DLP projectors and the rainbow effect it is worth mentioning that the color wheel can run at different speeds, and they might also have different number of colors per cycle. It varies a lot across models. While I can see the effect if I try really hard and with the correct picture (white text on black background) it never bothered me, and not a single guest have complained. In a room without windows I think most home cinema projectors would work very well, but in a normal room light control during daytime is worth investing in (black out curtains)
33:08 - when that smooth Astral Chain music kicks in.... Very interesting video on this topic. Love the facts you showed with those decade old beamers.
I had a samsung 60" dlp TV in the 2000s. People preferred playing on that then any plasma or lcd TV. Plus the light guns worked. House of the dead was just like the arcade.
Nice Video, thanks ! I am also a AV specialist, I worked a very high end audio video store for years, sold reference audio and home theater projectors. I also ran a business doing custom home theater for years. Very mid to high end gear. I've been here before, I have a few 720p projectors and even a 480p projector. I have played my NES on the side of my house well over 150" (it does get a little, well a lota blocky) with a NESRGB kit, it looks really nice. I hung up a white sheet in front of my 65" 4K (low lag model) and was playing floor to ceiling games. The experience is amazing, playing classics on such a huge screen is wild. I would go camping and setup a sheet and project on it, we would watch baseball games and bring a console, playing in the woods (with power of course) on 75" wile gaming... awesome. The key things you want to know on these things if you buy them, LAMP life, If you get $40 projector with 3000 hours on it, it will be dim and you will have to replace the lamp in it, SOME of these lamps can be $350+, so be sure you do your homework and test it if you can, you can see in the menu how much life is on the lamp. Do research on the brand and model, check display lag, and make sure it's got the inputs you need. Also look how much a replacement lamp is for it. A little plan can go a long way here. Like one of the projectors you saw it here, had DVI-D (DVI- digital) this can use an adapter and give you HDMI BUT, with no DHCP (most cases) so some content won't play or be able to be watched on it. This can be a problem on PS3, 360 and newer...but, earlier, no worries. There is some homework to do if you want to do it right. DO NOT BUY NEW projectors under $100, they are all junk... you will regret it. Spend $100 on a 4 year old USED $3000 projector you will be very happy. No question, it's fun, can be quirky time to time but, in the end it's so worth it...
This was so well-produced that I ended up watching it twice and I don't even have an interest in getting a projector lol Though if I had an empty wall in a dedicated gaming room I'd certainly consider it after watching this. Great job as always.
Very glad this video exists. I've been gaming on a sub $250 native 1080p projector for about 18 months now, and I can safely recommend it to anyone with the wall space to do so.
This was great! Reminds me of gaming in the 90's on my dad's projector. Sometimes he would let us hook up the SNES for birthday parties and mario kart 4 player split screen was great! With 100" to work with, each player still had a pretty big screen to themselves.
@@nickwallette6201 I remember it looking great but who knows. It was all period correct equipment for the time and the projector supported S video from the snes.
My friend had a crt that was as big as a widescreen (remember those?) but was not wide. It was still 4:3 and it looked so cool. I wish I knew how big it was or how they got rid of it. My parents wont even get rid of there normal sized crt "it's to dangerous to move upstairs" both TVs were in there respective houses basements. On the other hand my other friend had a crt the size of a vhs tape. it was just enough wider to allow for a vhs tape to be inserted inside. Don't know how we played agent under fire 4 player on that thing but we did. funny i have fonder memories of the small screen because we could bring it outside and play it while laying on our stomach on the grass.
Always forget you're from North Carolina. Hearing you talk about picking those projectors up from The Grid in Charlotte is a little surreal 😅, considering it's only an hour away from me. I know UA-camrs are just normal people too but this channel has always been one of my favorites, and it's just cool to be reminded of how small the world really is sometimes
ok so i just stumbled on to this video and it's good shit. i appreciate it very much because it answered a lot of fundamental questions about the technology that i didn't know i had or how to ask and you did a stellar job of getting to the damn point about what they do vs what you need. i mean this in the best way possible but i needed it explained to me like a child, slowly with normal words i recognize instead of jargon and best of all, pictures to show us what the hell you're talking about. i have 3 older projectors that my buddy saved from being thrown away at the school he works for. he actually got a lot of old but perfectly working stuff (15-17in lcds, laser printers with ink, pc's etc) and even put some of it back in use for students. he kept one and gave me 3, all 100% functional including 2 epson hd 720p office projectors (i now assume thanks to this video) with hdmi and every input source made since the year 1587. i've played around with them and they look good but i figured i would eventually need to invest a couple bucks on a screen to do right and find a good place to set up. i always hesitated to get on it because i didn't know if this was actually a viable way to play games anyways or if i was about to throw a hundred bucks at the neat thing my friend found in a dumpster.
I love this video. A lot of attention is being paid to CRTs (for good reason) but it’s great to see other display technologies given a fair shake from someone who knows and loves video.
Love to see this video. I've been gaming on projectors for a long time, while also gaming on CRT's in the same room. I think a proper projector can give a great experience for certain games. You won't catch me playing a SHMUP on my projector (I've got a Sega Blast City arcade cab for that). But I'm always playing adventure games, RPG's, some racing games, etc on my newest LG AU810 and it's beautiful and immersive playing on a 125" screen from about 8-9ft away. Projectors are great as long as you shop carefully and know their limitations.
I used to use an 800p native projector back in my college dorm to play games on my low spec laptop. I don't have the room for it now but it found a good home for my parents to project movies and sports on the garage door with an open fire during the summer. Latency was surprisingly low too. When I worked a second shift job and there was a night they forgot to put it away, I'd relight the fire and play games on it until the sun came up and ruined the picture lol This video makes me want to do that again soon before it gets too cold. It's a good opportunity to test the OSSC on it! For those curious, it's an Optoma ML300. Not a very bright one but it's very serviceable.
This is awaken! I’d love to see a similar review for Ultra Short Throw projectors. I’d also like to see details on which projectors can do proper 24fps content without soap-opera effects, in addition to low-latency 60fps. That seems to be the real rarity in the market.
Great video guys! I don’t plan on buying any projectors myself, mostly since I’ve never liked the washed out dim colours you usually get from projectors and I prefer a good old CRT for my retro stuff or a normal LCD for my modern stuff, but the video was still fun to watch and super well made, I love the amount of detail you guys go into in every video. I used to watch your channel all the time but I don’t watch it as much anymore, I stopped taking the ADHD medication I used to take about a year ago, and since then I’ve had a lot more trouble focusing on detailed videos for long periods of time. I used to be able to watch a full hour long video with complete focus but now I really struggle with that, so I do miss your channel, I’m glad to see your channel is still going though.
Love to see Try with the BIG CONFIDENCE on camera these days. Not that either of you were ever particularly timid or anything, but there's definitely been a few level ups all around compared to the earlier videos and it comes through in screen presence and charisma. Fantastic video as always! Hitting me right in the feels with FFXIV music is cheating though 😭
Coincidentally, a couple of days ago I was just wondering what it would be like to game on a projector and whether or not it would be worth it. 👍🏿 Keep up the good work guys.
MLiG videos are my favorite gaming videos on UA-cam. So we'll produced and likeable guys. Thank you for all the content y'all produce. Love your RGB series and various controller ones. Keep it up!
I got a cheap 720p projector a few years ago, never really ended up using it much until I got a real projector screen. It was like 50 or 60 bucks from Amazon, 100 inches and has a light diffusing screen with black backing layer. It was immediately noticable how much nicer the colors were and how much light was just being wasted using the wall before. Definitely more expensive than the wall but if you like the projector, a cheap-ish screen is a solid investment imo.
Outside the cost of a projector, the screen can literally be anything you want it to be. That's the great thing if you want to max out your 150" wall or 200" you probably can on even a modest projector, I had the benq 1070, and aside from not 4k it was the definite experience.
I also have the Benq W 1070 and I've been very happy with it. I love the large picture. The main problem is the gray blacks, and that it's hard to see when there is light in the room. I'm considering switching to a LG CX 55" flatscreen, but I might use my 1070 until the lamp dies first.
While yes you can have the screen literally be anything you want it to but not projecting on a half decent screen you will be leaving LOTS of picture quality on the table so to speak. This is coming from a guy that has owned 3 projectors in the last 10 years.
There is a definite Yes and No to this. For an average person who just wants a big screen, a relatively flat, whitish wall will work just fine. You definitely won't get the BEST clarity, but for the masses, it'll still look great. Anyone who is looking to really display what their projector is made of will definitely want to invest in a proper screen material. With that being said, more expensive does not immediately mean better. Sometimes a basic or midrange screen can be perfectly fine and improve your picture dramatically. I'd probably get a screen if you're looking to use it more as a TV replacement, rather than just a fun random movie night thing. Not having a screen will definitely become apparent over time if you sit in front of it long enough.
Sigh...I was already on the fence about projectors since we visited some family members that used a really cheap one for movies for their kids. It was cheap but impressive. This video, like the CRT vids are going to send me down another rabbit hole. and I LOVE IT!
I'd like to try a projector or two, and was super tempted partway through the video, but once the negatives popped up (replacing expensive bulbs, dealing with the noise, etc), I was like, "Yeahh.. I'm good for now." Too many hassles for my tastes, but still neat to see in action nonetheless. Anyway, great episode! Learned a lot here.
@@jonhunthrop1882 compared to a silent OLED? Especially considering the screen size can rival these older projectors. Not the short throw BenQ’s size though.
No cons all pros with BenQ X3000i. Literally changed the way I play and see games. Revisited Horizon Zero Dawn and at 110", is a far better gaming experience I had over the 32" with forbidden west.
I've had a ViewSonic PJD7820HD with 100" white material Silver Ticket projector screen for eight years now, no complaints and plan on using it lifelong if I can keep getting OEM replacement bulbs. Everything from 240p to 1080p looks perfect (with framemeister and RGB of course), no lag, short throw.
The idea of a projector has always been something of a fantasy. I could see it being so perfect for large gatherings, or setting up some video outside.
So glad to see you guys doing this. Y'all know I've loved my w1070 for gaming for a long time :) I moved to a TV for my gaming setup recently, as I'm upgrading to a projector that's far laggier for movies.
Heh, so this is why I was hearing about projectors in the stream last night. Interesting proposition considering how widespread the same models of projectors are in schools, many collecting dust by now no doubt.
I was projector guy since early 2000's. And still use two for gaming and movies. One is old low resolution with all connections i need. And second NEC with native 1600*1200 which perfect for 240p 5X upscale.
I'd like to add... Dreamcast!!! A lotta old projectors are usually meant for PC, which for me has resulted in minimal input lag and native VGA in on most of the ones i've ran across at thriftstores. i got a BenQ projector for 15 bucks a while ago and simply connecting the Dreamcast to it via VGA results in an amazing picture that fills my entire wall!!
[Try4ce] Since I didn't produce this episode at home, I couldn't bring EVERY console to show, so Dreamcast didn't make the cut this time around, but yeah I'd love to see what a nice VGA projector could do. Of course my InFocus and Marantz have VGA input, but they aren't native 480p.
Just the other day I was thinking of getting a projector to watch movies outside with my kids. Now this video has gotten me more interested. Perfect timing
Old projector screens are a VERY worthy investment. I have a silver 4x3 screen I picked up for next to nothing. You can do 16x9 too, of course, but no one wants a smaller diameter and they're perfect for old games and 4x3 old TV shows.
Over lock down when my daughter put a wiimote through our plasma screen I decided to replace it with a projector. Ultimately decided on the BenQ TH685 as it checked all the boxes for me and I have learned to not be so concerned with the black levels. I love playing BOTW or Splatoon2 on it. The lag is nearly imperceptible and it performs great for 2d games like Mario Maker, Celeste and Ori. For movies if my eyes are tired I will see the rainbow effect but generally I don’t see it and it doesn’t bother me.
What I've found is there's always going to be compromise when choosing a screen material. Darker material/paint makes for better perceived black levels, but will lower bright highlights. Personally, I went with a can of Behr Silver Screen from Home Depot darkened a bit and the result is satisfactory. Also, keep in mind the light bouncing off of walls as it can negatively affect contrast.
The 'gain' (angle light is reflected at) makes a huge difference and helps reduce hot spotting. And yeah, dark, non-reflective walls are a must. The blackest black is only as dark as the darkest the screen is, and that isn't always very dark if its picking up wall reflections.
Cool video; very informative! I've been gaming on a BenQ HT2050A 1080P for 3 years. It's a beautiful picture, though like you and others have said, "don't look too closely." The rainbow effect from the color wheel initially bothered me, but no one else who has looked at it even knew what I was talking about, and now I rarely notice it, either. But, it's a wonderful experience, and it has only 16ms input lag. Playing Mario Kart 4-player split screen, with each person getting the equivalent of a 50" screen, is a lot of fun.
Awesome video. I needed something like that to remind me that projectors have unpredictable input lag, rainbows, horrible black levels, random resolution and picture processing quirks, short lamp lifespan, screen material requirements, rooms without windows, produce fan noise, heat up room and price is not friendly at all.
ya ill stick to an oled thanks. larger picture sounds cool but not once you try it he forgot to mention the speakers are behind you and can sound funny because of that.
@@807D14M0ND5 yes unlike a tv that sists in front of you a projector sits behind you so the speaker have to be where the projector is. If people are not using those speakers then they will not have any audio.
@@807D14M0ND5 and have your cable dragging all the way acrost the floor? No thanks i dont like tripping. Besides how do you even plug the speakers in? Most devices that plug into a tv dont have an audio out on them. Unless you are talking about s/pdif or whatever it is called.
Not gonna lie when I saw 720p being viewed on the modern displays shown in this video, I was shocked that it looked like PS2 480i. I was surprised at the pixel shift features it had on the projectors and kind of wish most modern TVs had this feature too
Damn, 29:14 is an incredible shot! I’ve always felt that lower resolutions marry so well with scan lines on monitors capable of communicating the artists’ work, but viewing size was just a cost I accepted for clarity. That footage was like those short moments where’d I’d put my face super close, except without the brightness and focusing strain my spectacled eyes would subsequently deal with.
I'm still rocking the Optoma HD25-LV I bought back in 2012. I will say, it makes an enormous difference using a fixed frame projection screen with a black velveteen frame vs a flat painted wall. I demoed that on UA-cam way back. I still use that setup daily in my home theater to watch TV shows and movies. The DLP projector handles games really well, but since I play mostly on PC, it's not ideal due to neck strain. Crysis 2 in 3D on PC is still one of the coolest things I've played. The particles of dust, smoke, and debris floating in front of you plus the surround sound and vibration from the controller made the experience really immersive.
I used a 1080p projector for years in my game room. Had a TV as my main screen then used a surround sound with two hdmi outs to split between the TV and the projector. I loved it. Was great for group games etc. Had black out film on my windows anyway so had no issues.
The biggest advantage to using a projector screen is the microscopic light pockets built into the fabric. That’s why many “older” projector screens don’t look quite right when used with a newer projector.
So refreshing to see videos about the hobby of gaming (Super Scope and projectors) instead of the shill videos about modern retro gaming products. Thank you, Try4ce.
I think its just most people don't care about a huge size bigger than a TV. For me, size and latency is my most important aspects of a screen/projector. I am a sucker for as big of a screen as possible. I even want bigger than 100 inches. I want a movie theater in my house. My computer monitor is an old Sony 1080p 47" monitor (not a TV). It retailed for $2,000 back when it was made. While it is only 1080p and 60hz, I still want it to last forever as it will always be useful for something because its much sharper than a TV up close.
@@NirnBootMod I totally get that. What I meant by comment was that there are some projectors out there with excellent latency when using their native resolutions and these days with short throw projectors it's easy to get a large but manageable size from a very short distance away from the wall.
Movie theaters often used to have velvet on the walls. It was usually in a "non-ironed-down" double-pleat pattern and tacked with velvet wrapped trim-board at top and bottom, to hold it all in place. A bit like high-density, low-profile curtains. This dampened not only audible echo, but also "light echo". It doesn't even have to be black.. Brick red, forest green, charcoal grey; were all pretty common. Granted, that's some serious work to put into a side-side-side project...at someone else's house. lol. But, it does work well. Stage theaters do have to change out their velvet curtains every once-n-a-while, so you might be able to repurpose some, at or near no-cost. Just a thought.. Love the vids! :)
P.S. In a small room, you might actually get a very similar effect by hanging a thick, plush corduroy flat to the walls (no pleating needed). That'd be _waaay_ cheaper, and a lot less work! And, depending on how you put it up, you could probably easily take it down to wash it too.
[Try4ce] Haha I only just noticed that now that you pointed it out. Total coincidence. Similar thing happens later with me showing my mind blown and Snake detonating a bomb in the Smash intro. Total coincidence.
Great video, Try! I just recently pulled my old DLP out of figurative mothballs--Which probably should've been literal ones--to hook my newly acquired Super Famicom up to it. It's a BenQ PB8220. 2200 Lumens, 1024x768 native, Component, VGA, and RGBS input. Hell, even the built-in speaker--which I'd never used previously--is decent enough for just playing some SNES. I was impressed. I bought it new back in 2003 or 2004, and it was my primary TV until 2009. My only regret is that having it gave my sister justification to finagle my 27" Samsung CRT out of me, and now it's lost forever. (It was one of the ones so easy to RGB mod via the OSD chip I could probably do it blindfolded!) What's the least convoluted way to hook a SuFami up to an RGBS input in the form of a VGA port?
9:21 - I appreciate the fact that you took the time to put a Light Crusader cartridge in your Genesis when you could've simply loaded the game up on the Sega Genesis Mini, even if you didn't actually show footage of the game (at least, not as far as I've watched into the video). Such an underrated game.
[Try4ce] Well, the truth is it was the only real cart I had available to put in a console for the shot. :) Since this was done at my parents' house, I did rely on EverDrives to make production go smoothly. But I bought a few games at Video Game World when I went to shoot the CRT projector, and that was one of them. Only $30 CIB, which surprised me. Figured it would be more. No idea what to expect of it, but the idea of a Treasure RPG is too weird to not try. I'm not going to go into it expecting a very Treasure-like game, but maybe I'll be surprised. But I just thought it would make for a nicer shot than an EverDrive.
gaming or anything really on a projector has been a dream of mine since about 2003. about 5 years ago a guy hired to recycle the electronics from a local high school brought in a projector and asked if i wanted it....for free, or course i said yes. he ended up giving me a total of 10 or so of them and seems like 8 of them were perfect and one needed a bulb and one had issues with the dlp mirrors. several years later now and i have several 1080 "gaming" projectors, one short thrown and one long throw. about a year ago i setup the short throw in the giant room with a huge flat white wall. i set the projector on the floor and it made a image on the wall that was probably 20 feet diagonal, my nephews enjoyed gaming on it and it looked great. anyways i really like projectors
These videos are incredibly well produced. This is better than most of what you see on TV/Netflix. Thank you for making such great content!
Did you know: it IS on Amazon prime video!
Definitely agree, it feels like what a PBS program on gaming would be like.
To be fair, both Try and Coury are professional media creators.
Love love love this channel. They are a representation on how the hobby has evolved. Games are no just for kids anymore.
@@Luigi64 I think the videos were taken off Amazon prime unfortunately
AV is my primary profession since the early 2000s and I’ve been building theaters for a living since. So it was great to see a gaming channel dedicate time to this and it’s something I thought about doing a video on as well someday. If you ever want some feedback or ideas feel free to hit me up. As a quick note on DLP, it’s the color wheel due to budget that creates the effect you showed with the fan. This doesn’t exist with 3-chip DLP projectors or DLP based LED projectors that don’t need a color wheel. So you get the best of both worlds. Higher brightness, super fast response without the motion trails of LCD tech, and no rainbow effect. They were more expensive of course, but today you can find them cheap used as well. And you’re right on about native 720p. It’s my favorite method, using a 3chip DLP to play all the older games. It looks fantastic with no processing to upscale to 1080 or 4K. New laser models and sxrd like I use in my own theater are gorgeous for film, but not they or anything else perform like a 3chip DLP for games. It’s actually still the standard today for commercial cinema.
I did notice a big theater in one of your videos a while back. Thats pretty neat.
[Try4ce] Interesting, any particular model you'd recommend for 720p gaming? As you might've guessed, I've become a little bit obsessed with the idea of having perfect displays for 720p for the long haul, but I don't know if the two I have will fit that bill forever (the Marantz is very high quality but it's also a bit dim when viewed in person... I love it though).
@@mylifeingaming Check out the Sim2 C3X lineup. They had both 720p and 1080p models using triple chip DLP and were in the 15-25K premium price category at the time. Now can be found for under 1K easily and produce a pretty stunning image. Replacement lamps are pretty available too. They aren’t designed as gaming projectors per se so it may not be as fast as the BenQ with a game mode, but the image quality is superb. I’d be curious to see how they test with a time sleuth myself. I get a lot of hand me downs so I’m using a bigger commercial unit. Stay away from those unless you need it doubling as a heater in the winter 😅
[Try4ce] Thanks! I'll definitely keep an eye out for anything like that. It's honestly sort of a silly toy-like design, so I might've overlooked it had I stumbled upon it!
@@ShmupJunkie Thanks for these super helpful comments!
Dumb question: how does one calibrate these accurately to sRGB (since that was the color space target for the 720p gaming consoles for developers and the hardware)? Thanks.
Like most MLiG videos, I have zero interest in getting a projector myself yet I will watch and enjoy every second of this.
It was nice when there wasn’t 80 inch flat screens. Having a 100 inch screen was very immersive. Great for single player. It was as good an lcd screen in like 2004 now it’s hard to justify. DLP was the superior hi def tech for gaming in the early days of HD. LCD used to lack contrast, plus until OLED DLP was the realer black vs lcd.
like most MLiG videos, i have zero interest in "try4ce"
@@akalyx I dunno which is which- all I know is the other guy has some irregular motions when he talks. Maybe it’s a bit of a twitch. Just drives me crazy bc I dunno if it’s something or I am imagining it.
Isn’t it strange how a lot of these guys are all in the middle of the south and don’t give clues? No mullets, no rebel flag, no accent. Man the world is changing fast. I wonder what Walker Texas Ranger would be like today. Would he still go do karate on the satanic people? I kinda remember thinking it was unprovoked- hit that’s why it was so funny. Is worshipping a statue enough to get a spin kick in the face? I sure hope so! I hope chuck can still beat down so effortlessly. At 81 that’s pretty amazing, he should have won all our wars what happened? It’s unfortunate. I think he was busy protecting us from things we don’t need to know. He only has one known weakness- his chest hair. Bruce Lee taught us that. Hopefully it’s all gone by now and he is truly invincible. Must have been held by his chest hair in the river styx like Achilles. I am sure he had some by 2. Any real man does. He didn’t go through puberty, puberty obeyed his commands and thus by age 2 his chest hair was very thick and his mullet very Victorious. At age 3 he put the incredible hulk in a submission hold- the hulk stopped turning green!!
In the middle of class, but this is more important.
I’m working but feel the same way!
Good thinking there
You'll probably learn more here if I'm being honest.
Exactly! Work will have to wait
If it’s arts or humanities I saw a guy play wow every single day in my college stats class. Every single day- and he didn’t even have very lvl characters I think he only played in class!
Impeccable timing. I've been looking into getting a projector for the last week 😄
I love it when things work out like this. Good timing indeed.
I've been running a optoma hd142x for a couple years its our living room experience only on my 2nd bulb that lasted over 8000hrs.
The newer projectors bulb life is expected to last 12-14000 hrs
I had an Optoma HD26 which was fantastic for 1080P and 3D content, but upgraded to an Optoma UHD30 which offers 4K HDR (through pixel shifting) and can reach 1080P 240hz when connected to a PC. The rainbow effect was noticable on the former, but it's extremely rare I notice it on the latter. Projectors can't compete with TV's on contrast and blacks, but the screen size is amazing. It puts you right in the game!
I got an Epson powerlite cinema a few years ago its 1080p and has hdmi, vga, s-video, component and composite inputs to accommodate multiple console 👍👍
I used projectors for over a decade as my primary television, and the benefits are great for gaming- especially when I used to throw Rock Band parties all the time. The drawbacks eventually turned my old projector into a novelty item- particularly the low amount of light required for good viewing, the high cost of replacing bulbs once/year, plus living somewhere with a large dedicated wall made finding the right place to live extra difficult. In the end, they’re great for parties, and I loved it when I lived alone. Now that I have kids who I share the screen with, and the desire to watch with more light in the room, I’m happy to pull it out for special occasions rather than as my primary TV.
Yep. They’re fun, but you really have to craft your lifestyle around them.
Modern large-screen TVs are just so much better than the options 10-20 years ago, which makes it harder to justify the rather stagnant projector technology.
Having used old or lower end projectors in my basement, the best advice I can give is, "Don't look at the picture too hard. You'll see all the flaws and never enjoy the content."
One potential long term issue with 3LCD is the prisms and/or LCD elements getting out of alignment. This will result in the image having similar focus issues as CRT projectors. Everything in the projector world is a compromise.
I had a 3LCD projector for something like a decade, and in my experience, the convergence doesn't drift over time... it's just never perfect to begin with. I still found it to be a worthwhile tradeoff to avoid the colour brightness/quality issues that come from colour-wheel DLP projectors, at least at the time.
Haven’t had any convergence degradation with my Epson, but the LCD dye has started to degrade, leading to color purity issues. And I’ve gone through quite a few lamps.
I do enjoy it, but is it worth it..? Ehhh....
Hoping that laser projection will save us.
I've been gaming on a Projector for years, it's amazing. You will never go back, the screen size outweighs everything.
I use my 1080p projector in my backyard during the summer against my clean white garage wall and get a 200+ inch image.
It's fucking amazing.
I just finished Shadow of the Colossus Remake last night this way.
Absolutely love all the hard work and professional coverage you put into these, in-depth, ML&G videos. Well done sir and have a good work week.
Cheers!
CRT Projectors... I'm not dissapointed with that not being covered... because this is the first time I ever learned about it.
They are so heavy you wouldn't believe it. Shipping alone is over $1,000 if you can't find one locally. You need a handful of people just to help you move it a few feet. Maybe 5 people I dont know. I have looked into them but I wouldn't want to buy one unless it wasn't used much because once one of the tubes goes, its done.
@@NirnBootMod That's when the usable tubes can be modified for an ossiliscope.
I’m gonna skip my usual praise of your production quality this week. Instead, I’ll talk about how I love your choice of projectors to review! Instead of making a buying guide on the “best projectors of 2021 compared”, you considered the reality of your audience. Many people will opt to use $60 projectors they found at Goodwill & others are looking to shell out a reasonable amount of cash for a good 4K projector… and you provided a thourough examination of everything in-between… who else does something like this!?
You guys are so smart & it always inspire me to work harder in my own pursuits when I see your content. Please keep it up! 🙏
[Try4ce] Glad you liked the approach! Yeah, my intent was very much to assume people would not likely end up with the exact projectors I looked at here, but rather, just give them an idea of what might be in store for them if they end up with something similar.
I love the approach Try takes to this stuff. You referred to the original RT2X as the "working man's" upscaler once, and I think that mindset has taken you through so much. Like this had a real "middle-of-the-road" overview for projectors, very practical, gave your own experience, and then dabbled in what the more upscale solution would be. Just an amazing overview.
Also, I have never once considered a gaming projector, and probably never will, but this is one of the best MLiG vids of the year! Hahaha
[Try4ce] Thanks! I think in the end it ended up being more about my fascination with matching native resolutions than projectors in particular, hah.
I'm glad that you tested the 720p projectors, I had a feeling finding one would make retro gaming enjoyable on a big screen.
As someone who has played retro consoles using a projector only since 15 years, I can say it is a great experience - especially in multiplayer games (i.e. Bomberman).
I used to have a similar model to the marantz. It was very immersive for single player. Got me through 2 console generations. Ps2, Xbox then 360.
Playing my Dreamcast or ps2 on a epson projector from about 2014/15 looks awesome way beter than my Sony or Samsung lcd tvs. A lot still have av and older style connections.
This is a longshot, but any experience playing retro games on an HT2050a? It has RCA inputs and i'm hoping i can reduce the internal resolution like at 25:25 so image isn't blown out to a disgusting degree like playing N64 on my 4k TV is
That's not just a youtube video, that's a whole show, incredibly well written and produced and it deserves much more recognition and viewers that it gets!!
Pretty much everything these guys do is on this level too. One of the best retro game sources out there
Thank you for explaining the rainbow effect! Back in High school I had one teacher who used a projector every class and I swore I would see colors if I moved my head from side to side. Noone else would see it, or maybe I couldnt describe it well enough to them... but I finally know I wasnt insane.
Fantastic episode! I have a couple cheapo ones I've been meaning to try, this might just be the catalyst
Been gaming on a projector for many years - it's great and I have yet to regret anything.
I've been gaming on projectors for years since I got my first one for holiday projected decorating. They tend to make you understand super high(4k) resolutions are not needed to
Play any game. I find in some ways being able to see pixels on some mini projectors gives a pleasing and nostalgic huge gameboy screen experience. Those in focus can get a very big image as long as it can focus, and have a slight pixel blur to hide pixels. I also still game on a rear projection CRT Mitsubishi. That thing has outlived the mountains of flat panels gone Ewaste.
I prefer xga ,or wvga, resolutions because they are more realistic and versatile without huge borders. Those Chinese LED projectors are good at resolution emulation like a standard PC monitor. Although with any monitor there is the dreaded not support resolution warning when using with a PC signal that isn't set within display specs. Those In focus 3 LCD models are nice. I have the XGA Lp540 and Lp640 models. I refurbished them from heat stress and neglect. New bulbs are still available. I have several LED projectors I refurbished and some I improved lighting on. Most LED types have a Cool color temperature making them have a overall blue color shift. Some got inventive like the Unic UC80 that had red, green, and white LEDs that made the image more realistic and true to color.
They might not be needed to play a game, but that 4K adds to the experience massively. What I found was that the LCD (1 or 3 chip model) projectors really wreck the image with the screen door effect. DLP all the way. A 800x600 DLP acer I was recently given knocks the socks off a 1080p LCD one I was using at the time, both in clarity and especially brightness. It was way easier to get a uniform focus from corner to the center of the screen, something LCD models struggle with a lot.
The fact that a gaming channel made the greatest projector deep-dive I’ve ever seen, is pretty funny.
One of the best videos I ever seen in the topic. I ended up buying a InTouch IN1110a after seeing this and got an amazing unit for $100. MSRP was $2,000+
Your family's got a lot of love to share with ya, Marc. It really shows. I might think about getting a marantz...
I have a BenQ tk800m and highly recommend it, an amazing gaming experience. Huge screen, very good picture that you forget you're actually looking at a projection most of the time it's that good, and low ms input lag to boot.
I have used DLP projector as my only screen at home since 2005, for games, movies, series. From 2005 to 2010 it was the Toshiba MT200 (480p DLP) and since 2010 the Mitsubishi HC3200 (1080p DLP). For DLP projectors and the rainbow effect it is worth mentioning that the color wheel can run at different speeds, and they might also have different number of colors per cycle. It varies a lot across models. While I can see the effect if I try really hard and with the correct picture (white text on black background) it never bothered me, and not a single guest have complained.
In a room without windows I think most home cinema projectors would work very well, but in a normal room light control during daytime is worth investing in (black out curtains)
33:08 - when that smooth Astral Chain music kicks in....
Very interesting video on this topic. Love the facts you showed with those decade old beamers.
I had a samsung 60" dlp TV in the 2000s. People preferred playing on that then any plasma or lcd TV. Plus the light guns worked. House of the dead was just like the arcade.
That's interesting, everyone says they only work on CRTs. I'll have to look into it
@@devourerthegoop2887 ua-cam.com/video/4Ul3KudM-dw/v-deo.html
My TV made that one look like crap. It was a samsung hl series.
@@josephanarchy1454 thanks! I'll give it a look
absolutely love how you explained who this video is for.
I never thought about playing games on projectors. So kudos to introducing me to the idea Try.
I really like the guerilla handheld shot in this video. Oh and thanks to your hard research, I think I know what to get next. Thanks!
Nice Video, thanks ! I am also a AV specialist, I worked a very high end audio video store for years, sold reference audio and home theater projectors. I also ran a business doing custom home theater for years. Very mid to high end gear.
I've been here before, I have a few 720p projectors and even a 480p projector. I have played my NES on the side of my house well over 150" (it does get a little, well a lota blocky) with a NESRGB kit, it looks really nice. I hung up a white sheet in front of my 65" 4K (low lag model) and was playing floor to ceiling games. The experience is amazing, playing classics on such a huge screen is wild.
I would go camping and setup a sheet and project on it, we would watch baseball games and bring a console, playing in the woods (with power of course) on 75" wile gaming... awesome.
The key things you want to know on these things if you buy them, LAMP life, If you get $40 projector with 3000 hours on it, it will be dim and you will have to replace the lamp in it, SOME of these lamps can be $350+, so be sure you do your homework and test it if you can, you can see in the menu how much life is on the lamp. Do research on the brand and model, check display lag, and make sure it's got the inputs you need. Also look how much a replacement lamp is for it. A little plan can go a long way here.
Like one of the projectors you saw it here, had DVI-D (DVI- digital) this can use an adapter and give you HDMI BUT, with no DHCP (most cases) so some content won't play or be able to be watched on it. This can be a problem on PS3, 360 and newer...but, earlier, no worries. There is some homework to do if you want to do it right.
DO NOT BUY NEW projectors under $100, they are all junk... you will regret it. Spend $100 on a 4 year old USED $3000 projector you will be very happy.
No question, it's fun, can be quirky time to time but, in the end it's so worth it...
This was so well-produced that I ended up watching it twice and I don't even have an interest in getting a projector lol
Though if I had an empty wall in a dedicated gaming room I'd certainly consider it after watching this. Great job as always.
Lols fwiw so true same ykwis
What I love about possibly owning a high-end short throw projector is pairing it with a powerful gaming laptop to share with friends on the go.
Which ones?
Best channel out there. I cry over the intro song all the time
Very glad this video exists. I've been gaming on a sub $250 native 1080p projector for about 18 months now, and I can safely recommend it to anyone with the wall space to do so.
This was great! Reminds me of gaming in the 90's on my dad's projector. Sometimes he would let us hook up the SNES for birthday parties and mario kart 4 player split screen was great! With 100" to work with, each player still had a pretty big screen to themselves.
I did that once, about 6 years ago. SNES Mario Kart looks pretty rough on a huge screen. ;-)
@@nickwallette6201 I remember it looking great but who knows. It was all period correct equipment for the time and the projector supported S video from the snes.
My friend had a crt that was as big as a widescreen (remember those?) but was not wide. It was still 4:3 and it looked so cool. I wish I knew how big it was or how they got rid of it. My parents wont even get rid of there normal sized crt "it's to dangerous to move upstairs" both TVs were in there respective houses basements.
On the other hand my other friend had a crt the size of a vhs tape. it was just enough wider to allow for a vhs tape to be inserted inside. Don't know how we played agent under fire 4 player on that thing but we did.
funny i have fonder memories of the small screen because we could bring it outside and play it while laying on our stomach on the grass.
Always forget you're from North Carolina. Hearing you talk about picking those projectors up from The Grid in Charlotte is a little surreal 😅, considering it's only an hour away from me. I know UA-camrs are just normal people too but this channel has always been one of my favorites, and it's just cool to be reminded of how small the world really is sometimes
ok so i just stumbled on to this video and it's good shit. i appreciate it very much because it answered a lot of fundamental questions about the technology that i didn't know i had or how to ask and you did a stellar job of getting to the damn point about what they do vs what you need. i mean this in the best way possible but i needed it explained to me like a child, slowly with normal words i recognize instead of jargon and best of all, pictures to show us what the hell you're talking about.
i have 3 older projectors that my buddy saved from being thrown away at the school he works for. he actually got a lot of old but perfectly working stuff (15-17in lcds, laser printers with ink, pc's etc) and even put some of it back in use for students. he kept one and gave me 3, all 100% functional including 2 epson hd 720p office projectors (i now assume thanks to this video) with hdmi and every input source made since the year 1587. i've played around with them and they look good but i figured i would eventually need to invest a couple bucks on a screen to do right and find a good place to set up. i always hesitated to get on it because i didn't know if this was actually a viable way to play games anyways or if i was about to throw a hundred bucks at the neat thing my friend found in a dumpster.
I love this video. A lot of attention is being paid to CRTs (for good reason) but it’s great to see other display technologies given a fair shake from someone who knows and loves video.
Love to see this video. I've been gaming on projectors for a long time, while also gaming on CRT's in the same room. I think a proper projector can give a great experience for certain games. You won't catch me playing a SHMUP on my projector (I've got a Sega Blast City arcade cab for that). But I'm always playing adventure games, RPG's, some racing games, etc on my newest LG AU810 and it's beautiful and immersive playing on a 125" screen from about 8-9ft away. Projectors are great as long as you shop carefully and know their limitations.
Duddde you totally nailed showing the rainbow effects, well done!!!
I used to use an 800p native projector back in my college dorm to play games on my low spec laptop. I don't have the room for it now but it found a good home for my parents to project movies and sports on the garage door with an open fire during the summer. Latency was surprisingly low too. When I worked a second shift job and there was a night they forgot to put it away, I'd relight the fire and play games on it until the sun came up and ruined the picture lol This video makes me want to do that again soon before it gets too cold. It's a good opportunity to test the OSSC on it! For those curious, it's an Optoma ML300. Not a very bright one but it's very serviceable.
This is awaken! I’d love to see a similar review for Ultra Short Throw projectors. I’d also like to see details on which projectors can do proper 24fps content without soap-opera effects, in addition to low-latency 60fps. That seems to be the real rarity in the market.
Great video guys! I don’t plan on buying any projectors myself, mostly since I’ve never liked the washed out dim colours you usually get from projectors and I prefer a good old CRT for my retro stuff or a normal LCD for my modern stuff, but the video was still fun to watch and super well made, I love the amount of detail you guys go into in every video.
I used to watch your channel all the time but I don’t watch it as much anymore, I stopped taking the ADHD medication I used to take about a year ago, and since then I’ve had a lot more trouble focusing on detailed videos for long periods of time. I used to be able to watch a full hour long video with complete focus but now I really struggle with that, so I do miss your channel, I’m glad to see your channel is still going though.
Came for the scanlines... Leaving satisfied!
Love to see Try with the BIG CONFIDENCE on camera these days. Not that either of you were ever particularly timid or anything, but there's definitely been a few level ups all around compared to the earlier videos and it comes through in screen presence and charisma. Fantastic video as always!
Hitting me right in the feels with FFXIV music is cheating though 😭
Coincidentally, a couple of days ago I was just wondering what it would be like to game on a projector and whether or not it would be worth it. 👍🏿 Keep up the good work guys.
MLiG videos are my favorite gaming videos on UA-cam. So we'll produced and likeable guys. Thank you for all the content y'all produce. Love your RGB series and various controller ones. Keep it up!
I got a cheap 720p projector a few years ago, never really ended up using it much until I got a real projector screen. It was like 50 or 60 bucks from Amazon, 100 inches and has a light diffusing screen with black backing layer. It was immediately noticable how much nicer the colors were and how much light was just being wasted using the wall before. Definitely more expensive than the wall but if you like the projector, a cheap-ish screen is a solid investment imo.
Outside the cost of a projector, the screen can literally be anything you want it to be. That's the great thing if you want to max out your 150" wall or 200" you probably can on even a modest projector, I had the benq 1070, and aside from not 4k it was the definite experience.
@@TheVisualNovel it wasnt life changing watching an anime Movie that took over a decade to make... ON YOUR CEILING?
I also have the Benq W 1070 and I've been very happy with it. I love the large picture. The main problem is the gray blacks, and that it's hard to see when there is light in the room. I'm considering switching to a LG CX 55" flatscreen, but I might use my 1070 until the lamp dies first.
@@CousinKinoko good luck with that, almost 6 years and 10k hours and that lamp is still going.
While yes you can have the screen literally be anything you want it to but not projecting on a half decent screen you will be leaving LOTS of picture quality on the table so to speak. This is coming from a guy that has owned 3 projectors in the last 10 years.
There is a definite Yes and No to this.
For an average person who just wants a big screen, a relatively flat, whitish wall will work just fine. You definitely won't get the BEST clarity, but for the masses, it'll still look great.
Anyone who is looking to really display what their projector is made of will definitely want to invest in a proper screen material. With that being said, more expensive does not immediately mean better. Sometimes a basic or midrange screen can be perfectly fine and improve your picture dramatically. I'd probably get a screen if you're looking to use it more as a TV replacement, rather than just a fun random movie night thing. Not having a screen will definitely become apparent over time if you sit in front of it long enough.
Sigh...I was already on the fence about projectors since we visited some family members that used a really cheap one for movies for their kids. It was cheap but impressive. This video, like the CRT vids are going to send me down another rabbit hole. and I LOVE IT!
I'd like to try a projector or two, and was super tempted partway through the video, but once the negatives popped up (replacing expensive bulbs, dealing with the noise, etc), I was like, "Yeahh.. I'm good for now." Too many hassles for my tastes, but still neat to see in action nonetheless. Anyway, great episode! Learned a lot here.
They're not that loud, just turn up the volume
@@jonhunthrop1882 compared to a silent OLED? Especially considering the screen size can rival these older projectors. Not the short throw BenQ’s size though.
No cons all pros with BenQ X3000i. Literally changed the way I play and see games. Revisited Horizon Zero Dawn and at 110", is a far better gaming experience I had over the 32" with forbidden west.
I've had a ViewSonic PJD7820HD with 100" white material Silver Ticket projector screen for eight years now, no complaints and plan on using it lifelong if I can keep getting OEM replacement bulbs. Everything from 240p to 1080p looks perfect (with framemeister and RGB of course), no lag, short throw.
The idea of a projector has always been something of a fantasy. I could see it being so perfect for large gatherings, or setting up some video outside.
So glad to see you guys doing this. Y'all know I've loved my w1070 for gaming for a long time :) I moved to a TV for my gaming setup recently, as I'm upgrading to a projector that's far laggier for movies.
Thanks for showing such a massive variety of games.
Heh, so this is why I was hearing about projectors in the stream last night. Interesting proposition considering how widespread the same models of projectors are in schools, many collecting dust by now no doubt.
I was projector guy since early 2000's. And still use two for gaming and movies. One is old low resolution with all connections i need. And second NEC with native 1600*1200 which perfect for 240p 5X upscale.
Man that Marantz VP12S2. Amazing projector. We had a VP12S3 for about 15 years. Played retro games pretty well straight off of analog connections.
Gaming on different projectors has made me Adapter Man. What a rabbit hole.
I'm a phone-watcher for most of UA-cam, but I always bust out the big screen for MLiG. Your quality is always top notch!
I'd like to add... Dreamcast!!! A lotta old projectors are usually meant for PC, which for me has resulted in minimal input lag and native VGA in on most of the ones i've ran across at thriftstores. i got a BenQ projector for 15 bucks a while ago and simply connecting the Dreamcast to it via VGA results in an amazing picture that fills my entire wall!!
[Try4ce] Since I didn't produce this episode at home, I couldn't bring EVERY console to show, so Dreamcast didn't make the cut this time around, but yeah I'd love to see what a nice VGA projector could do. Of course my InFocus and Marantz have VGA input, but they aren't native 480p.
My Man 👍 He wanted to be a film's director as a Kid. Very well produced, congratulations!
I still play my games on a 720p monitor I got for free on Facebook Marketplace... But I still enjoy watching these videos!
The rainbowing segment was some fantastic editing work.
I’m so glad you did this! Just purchased the BenQ tsi700 projector and it’s amazing.
Just the other day I was thinking of getting a projector to watch movies outside with my kids. Now this video has gotten me more interested. Perfect timing
My primary display mode these days is projection; loving this! Planning on adding a 480p pico projector for N64, Wii, PS1/2, etc.
Old projector screens are a VERY worthy investment. I have a silver 4x3 screen I picked up for next to nothing. You can do 16x9 too, of course, but no one wants a smaller diameter and they're perfect for old games and 4x3 old TV shows.
same here, cant wait to try the Sinden Lightgun on it when it arrives. Can finally Play Mad Dog McCree like it was intended lol.
Over lock down when my daughter put a wiimote through our plasma screen I decided to replace it with a projector. Ultimately decided on the BenQ TH685 as it checked all the boxes for me and I have learned to not be so concerned with the black levels. I love playing BOTW or Splatoon2 on it. The lag is nearly imperceptible and it performs great for 2d games like Mario Maker, Celeste and Ori. For movies if my eyes are tired I will see the rainbow effect but generally I don’t see it and it doesn’t bother me.
Great video and great work!
What I've found is there's always going to be compromise when choosing a screen material. Darker material/paint makes for better perceived black levels, but will lower bright highlights. Personally, I went with a can of Behr Silver Screen from Home Depot darkened a bit and the result is satisfactory. Also, keep in mind the light bouncing off of walls as it can negatively affect contrast.
The 'gain' (angle light is reflected at) makes a huge difference and helps reduce hot spotting. And yeah, dark, non-reflective walls are a must. The blackest black is only as dark as the darkest the screen is, and that isn't always very dark if its picking up wall reflections.
Cool video; very informative! I've been gaming on a BenQ HT2050A 1080P for 3 years. It's a beautiful picture, though like you and others have said, "don't look too closely." The rainbow effect from the color wheel initially bothered me, but no one else who has looked at it even knew what I was talking about, and now I rarely notice it, either. But, it's a wonderful experience, and it has only 16ms input lag.
Playing Mario Kart 4-player split screen, with each person getting the equivalent of a 50" screen, is a lot of fun.
Yeahhhhhh we're gonna need more content that involves your dog from here on out please.
In college we had a projector in the basement, so we played a ton of Xbox One down there. Biggest screen was the wall. Haha
Good night! That opening shot kills! As always, Try is putting on a clinic in cinematography.
Awesome video. I needed something like that to remind me that projectors have unpredictable input lag, rainbows, horrible black levels, random resolution and picture processing quirks, short lamp lifespan, screen material requirements, rooms without windows, produce fan noise, heat up room and price is not friendly at all.
ya ill stick to an oled thanks. larger picture sounds cool but not once you try it
he forgot to mention the speakers are behind you and can sound funny because of that.
@@bland9876 Speakers behind you? The ones build into some projectors? I don't think anyone is going to use those!
@@807D14M0ND5 yes unlike a tv that sists in front of you a projector sits behind you so the speaker have to be where the projector is. If people are not using those speakers then they will not have any audio.
@@bland9876 You can just use external speakers or headphones :)
@@807D14M0ND5 and have your cable dragging all the way acrost the floor? No thanks i dont like tripping. Besides how do you even plug the speakers in? Most devices that plug into a tv dont have an audio out on them. Unless you are talking about s/pdif or whatever it is called.
I have been gaming on my Ben Q HT1085ST for a couple of years now and I love it!
Thank you for making this video, I've been thinking about a projector for a bit now.
Great video. Someone who is not a complete noob but will knows the kind of things that a noob like myself would want to know or understand.
Not gonna lie when I saw 720p being viewed on the modern displays shown in this video, I was shocked that it looked like PS2 480i. I was surprised at the pixel shift features it had on the projectors and kind of wish most modern TVs had this feature too
Damn, 29:14 is an incredible shot! I’ve always felt that lower resolutions marry so well with scan lines on monitors capable of communicating the artists’ work, but viewing size was just a cost I accepted for clarity. That footage was like those short moments where’d I’d put my face super close, except without the brightness and focusing strain my spectacled eyes would subsequently deal with.
I'm still rocking the Optoma HD25-LV I bought back in 2012. I will say, it makes an enormous difference using a fixed frame projection screen with a black velveteen frame vs a flat painted wall. I demoed that on UA-cam way back. I still use that setup daily in my home theater to watch TV shows and movies.
The DLP projector handles games really well, but since I play mostly on PC, it's not ideal due to neck strain. Crysis 2 in 3D on PC is still one of the coolest things I've played. The particles of dust, smoke, and debris floating in front of you plus the surround sound and vibration from the controller made the experience really immersive.
If you want 720 to look great without upscaling you need a 720p plasma TV. I owned one for years and the picture was GORGEOUS.
I used a 1080p projector for years in my game room. Had a TV as my main screen then used a surround sound with two hdmi outs to split between the TV and the projector. I loved it. Was great for group games etc. Had black out film on my windows anyway so had no issues.
This channel always reminds me that my hobby is pure hell.
Like doing hard drugs. The high is crazy good but the consequences are immense.
The biggest advantage to using a projector screen is the microscopic light pockets built into the fabric. That’s why many “older” projector screens don’t look quite right when used with a newer projector.
God I love all this talk about resolution and the game footage captured.
Thanks for the video. I love the "mind blow" moment, very nice use of the music and its just really fun.
So refreshing to see videos about the hobby of gaming (Super Scope and
projectors) instead of the shill videos about modern retro gaming
products. Thank you, Try4ce.
I have a 1080p projector paired with a 5x Pro. Looks super awesome! I would recommend it! I have no issues with input lag either!
Oh shitttt. So happy you guys made this. I feel people sleep on projectors too much
I think its just most people don't care about a huge size bigger than a TV. For me, size and latency is my most important aspects of a screen/projector. I am a sucker for as big of a screen as possible. I even want bigger than 100 inches. I want a movie theater in my house. My computer monitor is an old Sony 1080p 47" monitor (not a TV). It retailed for $2,000 back when it was made. While it is only 1080p and 60hz, I still want it to last forever as it will always be useful for something because its much sharper than a TV up close.
@@NirnBootMod I totally get that. What I meant by comment was that there are some projectors out there with excellent latency when using their native resolutions and these days with short throw projectors it's easy to get a large but manageable size from a very short distance away from the wall.
@@RonkeyRong I want cinema size or as close to that as possible. Would be cool to make your own Drive-In movie theater in your yard.
Movie theaters often used to have velvet on the walls. It was usually in a "non-ironed-down" double-pleat pattern and tacked with velvet wrapped trim-board at top and bottom, to hold it all in place. A bit like high-density, low-profile curtains. This dampened not only audible echo, but also "light echo". It doesn't even have to be black.. Brick red, forest green, charcoal grey; were all pretty common. Granted, that's some serious work to put into a side-side-side project...at someone else's house. lol. But, it does work well. Stage theaters do have to change out their velvet curtains every once-n-a-while, so you might be able to repurpose some, at or near no-cost. Just a thought.. Love the vids! :)
P.S. In a small room, you might actually get a very similar effect by hanging a thick, plush corduroy flat to the walls (no pleating needed). That'd be _waaay_ cheaper, and a lot less work! And, depending on how you put it up, you could probably easily take it down to wash it too.
Best projector review I've watched in ages. Always love your videos.
Great video! The dual resolution support blew my mind! Also appreciate that you were able to demonstrate the rainbow effect
2:04 lol, I appreciate the effort for this shot
[Try4ce] Haha I only just noticed that now that you pointed it out. Total coincidence. Similar thing happens later with me showing my mind blown and Snake detonating a bomb in the Smash intro. Total coincidence.
Great video!! This has to be one of my favorite gaming channels on UA-cam!!
Great video, Try! I just recently pulled my old DLP out of figurative mothballs--Which probably should've been literal ones--to hook my newly acquired Super Famicom up to it. It's a BenQ PB8220. 2200 Lumens, 1024x768 native, Component, VGA, and RGBS input. Hell, even the built-in speaker--which I'd never used previously--is decent enough for just playing some SNES. I was impressed. I bought it new back in 2003 or 2004, and it was my primary TV until 2009. My only regret is that having it gave my sister justification to finagle my 27" Samsung CRT out of me, and now it's lost forever. (It was one of the ones so easy to RGB mod via the OSD chip I could probably do it blindfolded!) What's the least convoluted way to hook a SuFami up to an RGBS input in the form of a VGA port?
Incredible video, got me rethinking everything about my setup
9:21 - I appreciate the fact that you took the time to put a Light Crusader cartridge in your Genesis when you could've simply loaded the game up on the Sega Genesis Mini, even if you didn't actually show footage of the game (at least, not as far as I've watched into the video). Such an underrated game.
[Try4ce] Well, the truth is it was the only real cart I had available to put in a console for the shot. :) Since this was done at my parents' house, I did rely on EverDrives to make production go smoothly. But I bought a few games at Video Game World when I went to shoot the CRT projector, and that was one of them. Only $30 CIB, which surprised me. Figured it would be more. No idea what to expect of it, but the idea of a Treasure RPG is too weird to not try. I'm not going to go into it expecting a very Treasure-like game, but maybe I'll be surprised. But I just thought it would make for a nicer shot than an EverDrive.
gaming or anything really on a projector has been a dream of mine since about 2003. about 5 years ago a guy hired to recycle the electronics from a local high school brought in a projector and asked if i wanted it....for free, or course i said yes. he ended up giving me a total of 10 or so of them and seems like 8 of them were perfect and one needed a bulb and one had issues with the dlp mirrors. several years later now and i have several 1080 "gaming" projectors, one short thrown and one long throw. about a year ago i setup the short throw in the giant room with a huge flat white wall. i set the projector on the floor and it made a image on the wall that was probably 20 feet diagonal, my nephews enjoyed gaming on it and it looked great. anyways i really like projectors
Tried guitar hero on a projector at a party. It was unplayable due to input lag. Turned me off of projectors since then. Great video as usual!
I mean you get what you pay for. Cheap TV gives you unplayable rhythm games as well.