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Ordered the 4805 (1 Viewer)

John DeSantis

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After seeing all the comments I took the Plunge and ordered the InFocus 4805. I'm a bit nervous as this is a big purchase for me.

I can't afford a comercial screen right now but saw a few posts about making one. What would be the optimal size for this unit? The wall I'll be using is about 9 X 7 and I have a MAX distance of 16 feet if I need it to place the Projector.

Also MAX Height is around 7 Ft. I would like to ceiling mount the Unit. Do I have enough room?

Thanks for any suggestions
 

Duane_T

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John, for measurements on screen size, distance, ect. check out the placement calculator at the link below. That should give you an idea. The general recommendation for seating distance is 2x screen width, but it could be more or less for you.

I just picked one up Wednesday and won't be able to finish the room its going in until the first week of July, but it looks good even shooting on a dark blue/grey wall right now.

http://www.infocus.com/service/sp480... rightness.xls
 

John S

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The numbers for the 4805 seem to add up just fine for what your looking for really.
 

John DeSantis

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Duane:
Excuse my ignorance, but the chart is a bit confusing to me. Would I select a screen size and then calculate the distance to mount the Projector? I guess I'm wondering what the optimum size would be without having to zoom etc. which would affect the image.... At least I think
that's what happens.

Basically, I'm wondering what is the best size, if there is one.

Thanks
 

terence

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John DeSantis,

That will depend on your needs, but 90" seems to be the best size for the 4805. Some people have gone 100-110 w/ no problems, but i'm sure they sit far back enuff where SDE is a non issue.

I like this caulator

SP 4805 Caculator!
 

John DeSantis

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OK, just a few more questions. Is the 90" a diagonal measure?

Also, don't quite understand some of the chart. What's the "screen Gain" spec? Long throw, short throw? Should I be concerned with these?

Thanks again
 

Parker Clack

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Screen gain is the value set to a screen that will be representative to its overall increase in the brightness of the image you are projecting on it. For example a wall painted wall will have a basic gain of 0. The higher the gain of the screen the overall brightness of the picture. Then you start getting into the problem with higher gains causing you to get the best picture straight in front of the screen. If you set off to the side of the screen you wouldn't have as bright a picture.

So if you are setting on a couch at the back of the room looking straight on to a high gain screen your picture will be very bright. If on the other hand you are setting in a chair to the left or right of the screen the image will be much dimmer to your eyes.

The 90 inches is the diagonal of the screen. I have found it best to get an idea of where you are wanting to mount the projector in the room. Then project an image on the wall your want to have your screen. Measure the height and width of the projected image and you can take this measurement and come up with the diagonal size of the screen to use. Lets say you end up with a projected image size of 6 foot tall x 8 foot wide. This would result in a 120 inch or 10 foot diagonal screen size.

Long and short throw refers to the lens of the projector. A long throw lens will allow you to put the projector further back into your room. A short throw will allow you to use the projector in a room where you don't have as much space to mount the projector in.

Say you have a 15 foot in length room. You could mount the projector closer to the back of the room with a long throw projector. On the other hand if you have an 8 foot room you could use a short throw projector and not have to worry that you don't have enough distance in your room to get the projected image size that you want. All projectors will have a measurement that is used to give you an idea how close or far back you want the projector given the size of your screen.

If you go here you will see a graph of the distances you can have the projector at a given screen size.

Parker
 

John DeSantis

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Thanks Parker. That was helpful.

I would like to ceiling mount the 4805 at about 18 Ft. So that seems like it would work OK as the wall is 9X7. Also, this distance is from the front of the lens, correct?

The Gain issue seems to be a trade off as you describe. Since everyone seems to rave about the Brightness etc. with even home made screens or just a wall, I think I would lean towards something low Gain and get uniform brightness etc.

If I were to just Paint the wall, what finish would be best? A pure white Satin or flat..........

Just need to figure out the mounting (have a suspended ceiling) and how far down to mount it.

Thanks again..........
 

Parker Clack

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John:

There are several threads on what colors to use for your screen in the DIY section of the forum. Many members go more towards a silver color in the paint they use as it does a better job with blacks.

If you are looking to get a screen you cannot go wrong with Carada. A lot of the people I have seen buy the 4805 also pick up a Carada screen to go with it. Give David a call at Carada and tell him your situation and he will be able to talk to you about what would be your best choice in screen.

Like I said I would put the projector where you want it and see what size image is produced at that distance. You may find that you have to move it in to say 15 feet or less to get the image size down to where you want it. At 18 feet you are going to be projecting a pretty big image.

There are some great mounts out there for the 4805 that will work with your situation too. I would start a thread in the DIY and Advanced Projects area inquiring of members that frequent that area as to what they would recommend for you.
 

terence

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I'm one of those people who went with Carada, the sceeen is great! David will definatly go the extra mile helping you chose which screen material is best for your room. the customer service is outstanding, along with a quality product.
 

John DeSantis

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The Carada looks very nice. But, It's a bit out of my range right now. I guess I'll take Parker's advice and check out a DIY for now. Also, as he noted, I better figure out what size is best after I try the mounting position.

The Infocus SC-MANGRY-106H screen looks decent for 279.00

Thanks guys.

Terrance: Nice HT room!
 

Parker Clack

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John:

PM or email Ron-P on the forum as he has made a great DIY screen for his Panasonic front projector and I am sure he will be glad to tell you what he used.

Parker
 

Parker Clack

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Terence:

I agree with John on your setup. It's look great.

Does have the slopped ceiling just above the screen make your screen size to appear to be larger? I remember once seeing a front projection setup where the screen was on a wall that had a pitched ceiling and the image ended up looking bigger than what it actually was.

Parker
 

terence

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Thx Parker!



I think so since the wall height is not normal size. My HT room is a bonus room over the garage, with a lot of funny roof lines and angles. I tried to post pics to give one an idea of the iregular shape the room is. Also to give people who have a room like mine & never thought about turning it into a dedicated HT room. So far i have not seen any others with rooms like mine.
 

John DeSantis

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The 4805 is coming today! I have been going over the Calculator outputs trying to get a handle on eventual screen size. Took note of the Long Throw, Short Throw distance. Is this a result of Mounting the Unit or is this
inherent to a particular Unit. If so, is the 4805 a long or short throw?

Probably a dumb question............but this is all new to me.

Thanks
 

Frank Lee

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Nov 27, 2002
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John,

I have had my 4805 for about a month now. It is awesome. When I first ordered the projector, I was dead set on getting a screen as soon as possible. After watching a few movies projected on the white wall, I have changed my mind. It looks great on the wall. I am still going to get a screen (or make one), but for now the wall looks great. The wall is either satin or eggshell finish, not really sure which one. I started watching movies with a 80-85" image I moved up to a 90" image. Now I am watching them at 100". I noticed a tiny drop in picture quality, but it still looks good. I can trade some size for a tiny loss in quality. I sit about 13.5' from the wall. The projector is mounted directly above me.

The long throw and the short throw refers to the maximum and minimum distances for the projectors zoom. For instance I wanted a 90" image. So I used the calculator and found the short throw and the long throw distance for that size. I then figured out what the center of the short throw and long throw would be and mounted my the lense of my projector at that exact point. With the zoom at it's center point of ajustment I will have a 90" image. If I zoom it out all the way I get a 100" image (short throw), if I zoom it in all the way I get a 80" image (long throw). Hope that helps you out.

I would suggest not buying anything in the way of a screen until you try out the projector on the wall to at least see the size and location you want.
 

terence

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Hey Frank,

I know you are enjoying your PQ on the wall right now, but wait until you do have a screen. Your PQ will be even better, and alot sharper! Get a hold of some screen samples or paint used for making DIY screens and you will see what i mean. Trust me their is a difference.
 

Jack Gilvey

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Great advice! You can even get a bunch of blackout cloth to play with if the paint color won't do, hang it over the whole wall and play with sizes.
 

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