Reply With QuoteI have a blue Ray player/surround sound system connected to a projector and that has a USB port and can play multiple file format films from that.
So no need for a laptop, copy them onto a USB. 🙂
Hi, we're turning a stable into a summer house; one thing we're looking to include is a fairly basic projector set-up for the kids/family to do the occasional movie night in there. I'm just struggling to get the set up straight in my head:
Looking at a budget-ish projector, the BENQ TH575 (c£550) looks to be plenty good enough, i'll get a simple pull down screen to project onto. I need to double check the measurements but we're going to fix the projector to a beam in the middle of the room, c4m away from where the screen will be.
So I want to be able to get a netflix film (for example) through that projector and with the sound connected to a speaker that will be near the screen.
We don't have wifi in the summer house (it's quite far from the house) but I'm happy to preload films onto a laptop for example and run from that. Is the best thing to just get an HDMI cable to run from the projector down to a laptop (seems a bit messy) or is there a way round with it fire stick/chromecast? and then would you connect the speaker to the laptop via bluetooth? - presumably that will all sync ok.
I feel there's a neat way of doing this, I'm just not sure what it is!
Any advice welcome.
Jack
I have a blue Ray player/surround sound system connected to a projector and that has a USB port and can play multiple file format films from that.
So no need for a laptop, copy them onto a USB. 🙂
Thanks - makes sense. I’ll check if the projectors I’m considering have USB connectivity - they seem to be mainly HDMI.
Sorry, the blue Ray player has the usb, not the projector.
You can connect a computer to most projectors either via HDMI or VGA which might open even higher resolutions but I would advise ensuring the device can output 24/50/60fps to avoid motion judder.
Something like a fire cube would do the job in 4k, and you could attach a usb drive but it's limited to 128gb.
Alternatively using a PC you could connect a HDD or get a WiFi extender and put the films on a Nas drive.
I have a home theatre pc I no longer use I would sell for beer money but it's far too heavy to post.
Got it! So still need to connect the projector to something by a wire to get the content in, I’d just use a laptop with downloaded films… I think that’s inevitable.
Using the laptop might not work well if the frame rate isn't compatible. BR is 24 frames per second, but most (cheap) graphics cards won't do it.
The projector I use for work with a tripod canvass screen has taught me a couple of do's & dont's.
Set-up is normally at a new venue each time.
A) a white wall (or magnolia) will have less wrinkles than a drop down screen, and won't blow about in the draft when somebody opens the door or walks by.
B) the more lumens the better - about 2,000 Lumens minimum. A bright screen removes the need for background lighting. Sunlight or walkway access lighting will dull the screen brightness.
C) roof mounted might be best, the lead can be dropped down the central pillar, but the ceiling is a good place to keep the projector away from knocks and bumps. A folding table or portable stand is another option if the pillar proves to be unsuitable.
D) check the sweet spot distance of the projector depending on your screen size. Bigger picture = less bright, hazy image. Smaller picture = sharper brighter image. 2-3m is normal for a 5ft wide image using older lamp bulb projectors like mine. A 4m distance is likely to create an enormous image with less brightness.
E) the range of the zoom is limited on my 2x projectors. The gap needs to be opened or closed up manually by moving the projector to obtain a readable picture.
Last edited by Reeny; 16th June 2023 at 23:47. Reason: typos
For the sake of sanity, I'd run an ethernet cable from the house to the stable to give you a network connection. Cat 6 and upwards cables aren't expensive and they can carry signal a long way. Then grab a PS4 and connect that to the projector.
Streaming, Blu-ray drive, gaming, optical audio output, 24/25/30/60 fps all in one box.
No hassle with sticks, drives, etc.
How far away is the summer house?
Summer house is probably 50m or so from the house. Maybe it’s just a TV and PS4 (as a Blu-ray player) to keep it simple. I like the idea of the projector but getting a speaker system set up seems like another layer of hassle/expense for what will be very occasional use.
You'll easily do 50m on a Cat 6. And I agree with your thoughts too; PS4 and TV. Hassle free. Projectors have limitations that TVs don't.
I used to run a projector for a few years, probably older technology admittedly but I found that had it's good and bad points.
On movies it looked like the cinema, it had that look about it that TV can't replicate, and the screen was massive, around 95".
But watching regular TV channels looked weird to me, and it belted out so much heat than in the summer it was borderline unusable.
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