LCD projector screens (1 Viewer)

[KeithA]

Hi all,
I have some newbie'ish questions about using my new LCD projector in my small apartment... I've been using it primarily as a big computer screen (a cordless optical mouse came on the market just in time ), but I'd like to also be able to use it in a make-shift home theater type setup. Projector is 900lumen,XGA,400:1 contrast... Questions are:
Is it possible to use a flat second surface mirror to reflect the projected image? (the variety you find for bathroom walls at home depot) How much do you lose in terms of brightness and sharpness? Large first surface mirrors I've seen are too expensive for me and harder to care for I would imagine.
My projector accepts component signals only through a special cable that goes to the HD15 connector that my computer connects to. I'd rather not be pulling the connector every time I want to switch. What would be the best way around this? Options I see are to use those mechanical VGA switchboxes (which would probably introduce ghosting in my monitor signal... what would it do to the component signal?) or run the DVD signal over Svideo.
I've seen it suggested a number of times to use one of those radio shack AV selectors as a poor man's component video source switchers. Does that work in reverse? (1 video source, 2 outputs)
Would an acoustically transparent screen be too low in gain for this projector? Are they much more expensive?
How acoustically transparent is a stretched thin bedsheet? I like the cool factor of having a center channel behind the screen (altho watching a bedsheet might remove the cool factor).
Thanks for any info... I have the projector. Now I just need surround speakers, a receiver, a screen...

 

[Allan Jayne]

A bathroom mirror should work fine, although you may get some slight ghosting. The projector will need a left to right swap feature.
A non-powered VGA (switching only, no amplification) switch box will work fine in forward or in reverse. Assuming the component video lines use the same pins as RGB, there should be no degradation of component over what it might do to RGB. You may need to jiggle the knob to get the connections to make solidly. You may need small male to female adapters between the cable plug and the box jack.
A switch box will probably not introduce any more ghosting than an A/V receiver.
I am using two VGA switch boxes and some VGA Y-cables to allow three VGA sources to feed two monitors (big and small). So long as only one source is connected to any one monitor at any given time, there is no problem.
Connections: Common of switch box 1 to monitor 1. Common of switch box 2 to monitor 2. PC to Y cable which feeds both box 1 input A and box 2 input A. S-video to VGA converter (iScan) to Y cable which feeds both box 1 input B and box 2 input B. Game VGA output to Y cable which feeds both box 1 input C and box 2 input C.
You can project on anything. The purpose of a good screen is to not absorb (or aim into the ceiling and floor) too much light and therefore yield a brighter picture from the point of view of the audience, with less power consumption and wear and tear on CRT guns. A bedsheet is not too good since a lot of light goes behind (stand behind it and everything you see is light not benefitting the audience).
Other video hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm