Projector Pannels
I have received an amazing response to the diy projector article. So to help all you out there building your own here is some additional information you may find helpful.
Let's clear the air about aspect ratios and resolutions first off here.
There are two contrast ratios that you need to be aware of. 4:3 and 16: 9. Simply put the 4:3 is normal TV (you know the crappy DVDs you buy that say "this crap has been edited to fit your screen.) wide screen is 16:9 and is the obvious choice id you can get your hands on it.
Resolution seems to be a point of some serious misunderstanding. So here are some fact on normal TV and HDTV. No matter the TV or tube all of the signals here in North America is bound to a standard. NTSC stands for the National Television Standards Commission, and they are responsible for the standard format of television in North America. NTSC has a pixel aspect ratio of 720 horizontal lines and 480 vertical lines. So basically what this means that that is the absolute top of the performance achievable from the format. In a normal TV signal there are 240 vertical lines and 360 horizontal lines, with a display frame rate of 29.97 frames per sec at 60Hz. In HDTV equipment the best there is so far is a Toshiba tube that can do 600 lines. Realistically that means that an 800X600 LCD panel will suffice for both applications.
So after all this mail I have been trying to get my hands on all the lcd panels I could to test them first hand. Below is what I have for now, I will add to it as I can. This should answer most of the questions on acquiring them. Ever since the DIY projector article went live there has been a mad rush on the projector panels, and they are currently selling for more than there worth according to the past months sales. If you need more direction on finding them use eBay, Froogle or Google. Don't email me asking me to research them for you, if you cant Google it your self your not qualified to build one.
Proxima Panels
Model |
Base Resolution |
Comments |
Est. Price |
| Ovation 810 | VGA & S-video |
Slow Refresh rates, 2 million colors, moderate contrast ratios.... | 20 - 60 |
| Ovation 820 | VGA & S-video 640x480 |
Fair Refresh rates, 2 million colors, Fair contrast ratios.... Vivid Colors. | 40 - 80 |
| Ovation 844 | VGA & S-video 800 X 600 |
Fair Refresh rates, 16.2 million colors, typical 100:1 contrast ratios.... Vivid Colors. | 40 - 120 |
| Ovation 946 | VGA & S-video 800 X 600 |
Fair Refresh rates, 16.2 million colors, typical 100:1 contrast ratios.... Vivid Colors. | 50 - 180 |
| Ovation 944 | VGA & S-video | Good Refresh rates, 16.2 million colors, contrast ratios vary with revision, 200:1 or 100:1 and clear vivid Colors. | 60 - 200 |
Infocus Panels
Model |
Base Resolution |
Comments |
Est. Price |
| PANELBOOK 525 | 640 X 480 Native VGA Only |
25ms Response rate. Good Bright Color. 1.4 million colors | 50 - 90 |
| Model 1600GS | 280 X 120 | Black and white only!!! | 10 - 30 |
| PANELBOOK 525e | VGA & S-video 800 X 600 |
Good Color, and seems a little sharper than most. But a bit latent | 80 - 120 |
| Model 2600 | 640 X 480 | 24,389 colors. black is very good. Good color, but can be a bit on the loud side. | 60 - 145 |
3M Panels
Model |
Base Resolution |
Comments |
Est. Price |
| Model 9550 | VGA & S-video 640 X 480 | this unit is a remarked clone of the proxima ovation 910 | 80 - 110 |
Sharp Panels
Model |
Base Resolution |
Comments |
Est. Price |
| Sharp QA75 | 640 X 480 VGA & composite |
Black and white only. but black is very good. might be cool for the old black and white movies if your into that kinda thing... im not. | 20 - 80 |
| QA-1750 | 800 X 600 VGA & S-video |
Good all around unit. Bright and good contrast | 80 - 150 |
| Sharp QA-1500 | 640 X 480 VGA & composite |
1.7 million colors, good contrast. and good response time at .25 ms | |
Model |
Base Resolution |
Comments |
Est. Price |
| Telex EQ Magnabyte | VGA Only 640 X 480 |
Not the best choice for the home theater. Real slow refresh rate. Contrast ratio a laughable 60:1 | 45 - 100 |
| nView Z Z215 | 800 X 600 VGA & S-video |
Small lcd compared to other models. Clear and bright, but questionable refresh rates. Good for most movies. | 80 - 150 |
| nView Z Z215 | 640 X 480 VGA & S-video |
Small lcd compared to other models. Clear and bright, but Poor refresh rates. | 40 - 90 |
| Chisholm databook 10 | 640 X 480 VGA & S-video |
Small lcd compared to other models. Clear and bright, but Poor refresh rates. | 40 - 90 |
| APOLLO VISION IM-262K |
640 X 480 VGA & RCA |
262K Colors, Small lcd compared to other models. Poor Contrast ratio, but Poor refresh rates. | 35 - 140 |
| ASK IMPACT 400 | 800 X 600 VGA & S-video |
16.7 million colors, Very Very Good all around. don't be fooled by the 1024X768 support it boasts. it requires scrolling... | 100 - 200 |
| APOLLO VISION IM-32K |
800 X 600 VGA only |
Good all around. 100:1 Contrast ratio is a concern... but performs well and colors are vibrant. | 130 - 180 |
