[FLaKes]

Hi!! Its been a long time since I have been on these forums and now I am ready to start building my projector, but I just wanted to know how good the Lumelab Evo projector is, because it costs about the same amount of money that it would cost me to build my projector and It has a nice design plus it has vga inputs, component, etc. What I really like about the Evo is that it already has the rca/composite/vga inputs, I dont know how hard or expensive it would be to use something like this on a DIY projector.

I also wanted to know if I could re use the lumenlab Evo projector's parts in case I would like to upgrade the resolution with a better lcd in the future. Would this be possible?

Thanks, I appreaciate your comments.

[Rorshach]

Depends on how BIG you want your projection to be and how far away you will be viewing. For an eVo, maybe a 72" diagonal at the upper end viewed from about 10 feet away from the screen. DIY when properly aligned and constructed 10 feet diagonal is practical (and larger) when viewed from around 15 feet distance. Keep in mind that the eVo is a lower res lcd panel (854x480?) compared to an xga 15" panel at 1024x768. As far as the inputs are concerned - find a refurbed lcd tv to use for a DIY PJ - it will have all of the inputs you'll need.

eVo = low cost, no work, all play, HD 480p native
DIY = lots of work, bragging rights to friends & family, can be made compatible with HD 480p, 720p, etc. native

You will probably spend more on a DIY project unless you can source mostly used parts or a really cheap/free monitor.

If I had to do it all over again - I would buy an eVo for the WAF (Wife Approval Factor) and the instant gratification.

[senior_technician]

I think it depends on what you'll be using your PJ for. It seems quite a few eVo buyers expect too much from it. The eVo is intended to be an alternative to higher priced commercial units while having performance similar to a diy PJ. With the eVo's wvga resolution, "screen door" will be noticable if the projection is too large or you're too close to the screen. While not much of an issue while watching DVDs, this may cause a problem if you're playing a game that has small graphics. A diy PJ can have better resolution depending on what LCD you use. Brightness with either is probably good enough to satisfy most users, but don't expect to duplicate the performance of a $1000+ projector for $500. That's my opinion for what it's worth.

I don't know if anyone has upgraded the eVo's LCD.

[FLaKes]

Hi, well I would be playing games with it, I am planning on buying a wii soon, and a couple of pc games. I also plan to use it as a second monitor for when I am working on the pc. I would also be watching movies from it (mostly), reproducing the movies on the computer.

I dont really think I would like the Evo's resolution. What does it mean about its native resolution being 640x480 and having support for up to 1024?? does this mean that 1024 resolution would be forced or stretched or something? Ill do my homework and investigate on these terms also on the "screen door". I will also see if I can find a refurb lcd tv because it would really be no use for me without those inputs (component, supervideo, rca).

The minimum resolution I could probably stand would be 1024, I dont think I could do anything with a second monitor with 640x480 resolution.

Thanks, I really appreciate all your comments.

[senior_technician]

Screen door effect is the term used to describe what you see when the image from an LCD is enlarged to the point you see the spaces between the individual pixels. Kinda appears like you're looking through a window screen. As far as supporting xga resolution goes, the eVo can only display wide vga, so the higher resolution will downscaled to vga. Most people who play a lot of games using their PJ go with the highest resolution they can afford. I have two projectors that I use for watching DVDs. One is an older vga resolution commercial projector. The other is a diy PJ with xga resolution. When I am close to the projected image, the spaces between the individual pixels is quite noticable when using the vga projector. If I sit back and enjoy the movie, I don't notice the "screen door". It is much more difficult to see any "screen door" when watching my diy PJ. Hope this explanation is helpful.

[QuantumSingular]

The Wii doesn't support HD, so the Evo wouldn't have any problem reproducing the image resolution from the Wii. Building a projector can take some patience and lots of free time depending on how nitpicky you are, so if you are in a hurry the Evo's the way to go.