Projectors for Church

[wooper4000]

Hello forum,

This is my first time posting and I love this website so thanks for all the advice!

I am currently the resident computer guy at my church (without any real training, I just like computers) and they want me to build a computer that will fit their needs. I have ideas and such for the computer in general like processor and all that but I know nothing about projectors which they want to use. I have read about signal loss when working with cables traveling more then 15 feet and we might be using about 20-30 foot cable. I would also like to have a higher resolution then the lowest so we can have nice looking pictures and text for the older folks. They have the ability to stream media from the internet at various events as well so something that would work well for that. We wont be moving the projector at all so does not have to be removable or portable. The projector will be about 10-15 feet from the screen as well angled down.

We are a small church and would not like to spend more then $500 on just the projector if possible but if that is not possible, let me know as well. So recap on advice:

1. Good projector ideas
2. Info on signal loss
3. What kind of cable would be best for signal at that distance? HDMI/DVI/VGA. or HD composite cables.

Thank you for your time.

 

[jcoultas98]

With a budget of 500, if you're willing to go used, or second hand, your money will go far further. HDMI, and DVI can transmit 35-50 feet with no signal loss. You simply need to build your PC with a video card that has an HDMI or DVI output on it. For a projector, given you're willing to go used, check out some of the Christie Digital projectors on ebay. Christie is well known for their cinema projectors, as well as large venue, conference rooms, and professional products. I was able to find some good deals such as:

http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Christie-LX45-LCD-Projector-/66763949?_refkw=christie+projector&_pcatid=48&_odkw=christie&_pcategid=32852&_osacat=0&_dmpt=US_Video_Projectors

4500 Lumens (good for a dimly lit room)
DVI connector
1280x1024 Native Res
$550

 

[wooper4000]

That's a great idea and advice. Thanks for the quick response. I will discuss it with the church. If they wanted to go cheaper, what would you say not to go cheap on for that type of venue? What would the hierarchy of importance be would you say?

Thanks again.

With a budget of 500, if you're willing to go used, or second hand, your money will go far further. HDMI, and DVI can transmit 35-50 feet with no signal loss. You simply need to build your PC with a video card that has an HDMI or DVI output on it. For a projector, given you're willing to go used, check out some of the Christie Digital projectors on ebay. Christie is well known for their cinema projectors, as well as large venue, conference rooms, and professional products. I was able to find some good deals such as:

http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Christie-LX45-LCD-Projector-/66763949?_refkw=christie+projector&_pcatid=48&_odkw=christie&_pcategid=32852&_osacat=0&_dmpt=US_Video_Projectors

4500 Lumens (good for a dimly lit room)
DVI connector
1280x1024 Native Res
$550

 

[jcoultas98]

That's a great idea and advice. Thanks for the quick response. I will discuss it with the church. If they wanted to go cheaper, what would you say not to go cheap on for that type of venue? What would the hierarchy of importance be would you say?

Thanks again.

That's as cheap as you're going to get. Your other option is to go with a very small, home theater projector that is designed for a pitch black living room. Those will give you a terribly washed out image that is difficult to read unless the conditions are perfect. When I was doing pro venue installs, a small system like you are wanting would easily get a 5000-10000 dollar quote. The darker your room, the easier it is for a projector to display an image. The brighter the room, the more you spend to overpower the ambient light.

if i were building the system for you, i'd order it like this:

1. Projector - This is your image, the better your projector, the cleaner, crisper your image is going to be, regardless of source
2. High Gain Screen, or Quality Painted Screen - This will boost your brightness, contrast, and increase your viewing angle.
3. PC/Source - Make sure it is going to do what you want it to, but you don't need a gaming powerhouse.

 

[wooper4000]

So I made a list of the Computer specs I would like to use. Let me know what you think. I am spending a bit more on the GPU to make sure we can put out a great picture for a long time into the future but that can be changed as well as the motherboard/processor. Total is 551.92.


Case: NZXT Source 210 S210-001 Black “Aluminum Brush / Plastic” ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 39.99

Motherboard: ASRock H77M LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - 74.99

RAM: G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - 23.99

Drive: LG DVD Burner SATA Model GH24NS90 - 17.99

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32100 - 119.99

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 134.99

PS: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V - 39.99

HDD: Western Digital RE4 WD5003ABYX 500GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s - 99.99

Thanks again

 

[jcoultas98]

Looks pretty good to me, you're probably still overkilling the video card. I use a 440GT for my 1080p home theater PC, and it's plenty.

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0373619

If you live near a microcenter, you can get a good deal on parts. They have some pretty strong prices on CPU combos with I5s and Boards. You might be able to pick up an i5 for the same price as you were looking for an i3

http://www.microcenter.com/index.html