Gaming on a projector screen

[irishbeast]

I've always fancied treating myself to a projector and screen to play games on a super large display. I'm pretty sure you get what you pay for and that cheap solutions will be rubbish btu wonder if anyone here has got a decent setup for big screen games?

 

Just curious how well it works, indicative cost and so forth. Already have a screen from a few years back that folds down (110 inch I think) but would need a new projector which are not cheap so would be looking for something mid range.

 

For those of you with one. What have you got and is it worth it?

[valentinardem]

Hi, it's great if your projector is reactive, and you play solo games, I have an old 1024x768p with good contrast and good reactivity no gosting at all the resolution it's bit low but when I play with my 7.1 it's incredible

[valentinardem]

Just now, valentinardem said:

Hi, it's great if your projector is reactive, and you play solo games, I have an old 1024x768p with good contrast and good reactivity no gosting at all the resolution it's bit low but when I play with my 7.1 it's incredible

dont juge my bed ....

[irishbeast]

Haha Thanks

 

I'm not expecting ultra sharp detail or anything but would be happy if I could get games to run at 1080p on high settings and look decent. No idea how much I will need to spend on a projector so best start reseaching.

 

Ideally something with a decent refresh rate. Looking to  spend $500-600 which may not get me much but if I am getting into the thousands of dollars Id be better off with a massive screen!

 

Any tips welcome guys

 

[irishbeast]

Quick glance suggests I may need to up my budget!

 

[Blue4130]

5 hours ago, irishbeast said:

Quick glance suggests I may need to up my budget!

 

If you can get a bit higher, then benq th685 is supposed to be good. 1080p/120hz. 

[irishbeast]

5 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

If you can get a bit higher, then benq th685 is supposed to be good. 1080p/120hz. 

 

Thanks - Thats within budget certainly. Toying with the idea of selling one of my gaming rigs and then pimping up the other one with a fancy new projector setup and maybe (just maybe) a 3080. 

 

Will look at that projector properly later. The refresh is critical I am told. Don't want a crappy blur on a projector screen! Used to have a projector that was decent for films but bit rubbish for games. More of a novelty than anything. Just wasn't sharp or smoother but have a more powerful setup now. 

[Blue4130]

1 hour ago, irishbeast said:

 

Thanks - Thats within budget certainly. Toying with the idea of selling one of my gaming rigs and then pimping up the other one with a fancy new projector setup and maybe (just maybe) a 3080. 

 

Will look at that projector properly later. The refresh is critical I am told. Don't want a crappy blur on a projector screen! Used to have a projector that was decent for films but bit rubbish for games. More of a novelty than anything. Just wasn't sharp or smoother but have a more powerful setup now. 

I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet (It's been in my shopping cart since christmas), but have done extensive research, it seems to be the one to get for a gaming projector. I just need to convince the wife that it would benefit both of us.

[irishbeast]

16 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet (It's been in my shopping cart since christmas), but have done extensive research, it seems to be the one to get for a gaming projector. I just need to convince the wife that it would benefit both of us.

Haha! Luckily this is going in my flat so she gets no choice!

 

Films in bed will probably convince her. That's how I convinced my gf when I used to live with her. We had projector that was pretty good for watching films. Was only a £200 job as well. 1080p, 60hz.

 

Good luck convincing her pal. Maybe say that it comes with free bath oils or something that women are generally obsessed with?!

 

 

[IPD]

Projector gaming is a different ballpark entirely.  Refresh rate is nearly irrelevant.  Response time is the gotcha.  As of yet, there are few 4k projectors that feature gamer-friendly response rates--but that number is growing steadily.

 

There are almost no UST projectors that can match the response time of long-throw projectors.  Moreover, those with the fastest response time tend to feature native chipsets, rather than pixel-shifting.

 

Screens are not all created equal.  Non-tensioned screens will not give the same quality as a properly tensioned one (which is why I would avoid roll-up/pull-down, unless they specifically have a means to mitigate this natural tendency.  Drywall + paint also tends to have shortcomings, unless you are such a masterful drywall installer that there is no ripple at all between drywall sheets (and trust me, you will notice).  There's also the gain of the screen, Ambient Light Rejection (ALR), and then screens specific for Ultra Short Throw (UST)--as the light angle is drastically different for those than it is for a long-throw.

 

This isn't something you just buy "something available".  Put in the time to research it, so you'll be happy long-term with your purchase.

[irishbeast]

46 minutes ago, IPD said:

Projector gaming is a different ballpark entirely.  Refresh rate is nearly irrelevant.  Response time is the gotcha.  As of yet, there are few 4k projectors that feature gamer-friendly response rates--but that number is growing steadily.

 

There are almost no UST projectors that can match the response time of long-throw projectors.  Moreover, those with the fastest response time tend to feature native chipsets, rather than pixel-shifting.

 

Screens are not all created equal.  Non-tensioned screens will not give the same quality as a properly tensioned one (which is why I would avoid roll-up/pull-down, unless they specifically have a means to mitigate this natural tendency.  Drywall + paint also tends to have shortcomings, unless you are such a masterful drywall installer that there is no ripple at all between drywall sheets (and trust me, you will notice).  There's also the gain of the screen, Ambient Light Rejection (ALR), and then screens specific for Ultra Short Throw (UST)--as the light angle is drastically different for those than it is for a long-throw.

 

This isn't something you just buy "something available".  Put in the time to research it, so you'll be happy long-term with your purchase.

I should employ you to find me one! Seem to know a lot more about them than I do. 

 

Wall shouldnt be an issue as I already have a pull down screen, which is not amazing but I remember it being pretty decent when I last  used it. 

 

Another option is to get a big high refresh rate 4k tv but not sure if my 3070 is actually powerful enough! given that mining has become almost pointless I'm tempted to sell my 2 current GPUS (3070 and 3060ti) and buy a 3080 with  a nice new display. Don't really need two machines anymore so might be better with one beast. Could always pick up a ps5 for a bit of casual gaming when I'm at hers!

 

My main machine is only 1 ear old but like many people I am always looking for ways to make it better. a Ryzen 5900 and an rtx 3080 would be a pretty epic combo.  My 3600/3070 combo is decent for sure but still struggles a little on some of the very demanding titles. 

 

 

[IPD]

TV's do not only support native resolution.  Nor do monitors.  Play at whatever resolution and FPS works for you, and don't worry about what you are displaying it on--unless you are one of those "I need 360+ hz" gamers.

 

I'm not an expert on gaming projectors.  I just know that my 4k UST isn't the "ideal solution" for hardcore gamers.  Sure I play classic console games on in and tv/movies out the wazoo.  But I doubt the response time is up to snuff for competitive FPS gaming or some such.

 

As with any questions about a projector, I usually point the individual first to a website dedicated to them.  LTT is a great "jack of all trades"--but you won't get the comprehensive info/answers on specifics for many things (including projectors) on here.  Here's one place you can start looking.

 

https://www.projectorcentral.com/gaming-projectors-guide.cfm

 

P.S.

I use "Response Time" and "Input Lag" interchangeably, as you will sometimes hear them referred to as one or the other by various reviewers/mfg's. 

(keep in mind this article is from 2015)

https://www.projectorcentral.com/projector-input-lag.htm

[irishbeast]

Thanks everyone. 

 

Possibly a change of plan as I just went to a large wholesale store here in the UK and there were some incredibly displays that I am tempted by. Unfortunately the place was rammed so couldn't look properly but assuming the specs are as good as the picture quality then its an option. I doubt they were more than 60hz but might have been

 

Don't need a super refresh rate as I "only" have an RTX 3070 which won't do 4k at high res on most games, just some. Will have to think about it.

 

On an unrelated note my new CPU landed today so will be upgrading from a Ryzen 3600 to a 5900 which should be a nice boost. I'm toying with the idea of getting a 3080 now as they are more easily available (albeit at crap prices) but really want to have a beast of a machine that I know will run everything for a couple of years. I have a 3060ti which I could flod to put it towards the 3080

 

5900X and  an rtx 3080 would be a pretty epic combo. Had two machines partly for gaming/mining but would be better off with one top end machine and ditching the mining completely. 

 

Have been using my nvidia shield to stream some games and its not too bad. Not the same as being in front of a dedicated machine but its not too bad