Overview
So, what did we choose as the best solution? We chose the cheapest option, that just so happens to out perform many of the other combinations. But ultimately as this is a self funded site, I choose the cheapest way to do it. Which I think, oddly enough, is what the majority of visitors would want any way...
| Overhead Projector | $17.00 |
| LCD Projector Pannel | $25.00 |
| Screen | $110.00 |
| Construction supplies | $22.00 |
| Total | $174.00 |
The overhead Projector:
This is a really basic Overhead Projector. Nice and bright. In fact, it's bright enough to project our content on to the side of large buildings. Another big bonus is the fact that the bulbs are comparatively very long life, and at $10.00 each compared to the $500 variety, I would say they're a no brainer. Also we got this unit very inexpensively. We hunted at school surplus, eBay, local business surplus equipment shops and found this and several others at a local thrift store. The only down side is that it is a little bulky and not very quiet. This can be addressed by a custom enclosure. By building a custom enclosure we can cut the noise to about nothing, prevent light leaks, and make it look much better. And if done right, we will have a great place for some sodas and a bowl of popcorn between a couple of lazy boys.
The LCD Pannel:
We chose the LCD Panel for a few reasons. First off its ready to go, out of the box, for what we needed. They are cheap and readily available on eBay and other online sources. They have all our vga, composite, and s-video connections ready on-the-spot. The image quality is really exceptional with these units as they are basically a 15" LCD monitor without a backlight. And it was instantly and universally compatible with our projector. Now, we chose the Proxima Ovation 944+ as the unit of choice for us. It natively supports 1024 X 768, and supports about any aspect ratio and refresh rate you could dream of. Now I wouldn't play UT2005 on this competitively as all LCD monitors (with a few exceptions) are far too latent to really game on. Nothing really compares to the good ole CRT when it comes to gaming. But it is really good for the console games I found.
The Housing:
This is really a simple and basic part of the project. 4 sides. The rear with hinges. And the front with a hole and some glass, nothing too special here. We did line the inside with black felt after some experimentation and found it handled the light pollution and sound dampening allot better than just black spray-paint. A couple drinks on top and we're all set.
