[AG-TECH] AG Projector options?

[Osland, CD (Chris)]

I'd second the comments about heat, but don't find automation
an issue.

An issue that seems to be becoming more important for us is
resolution.  We have a 'standard' rig of 3 1024x768 projectors.
As soon as we start a VNC session and maybe a whiteboard or
equivalent - for a shared visualization meeting - we are clean
out of 'pixel space'.  The VNC session tends to take up a
complete projector's worth, and we sometimes run two such sessions.

'Medium' video feeds require 40% width and height of a 1024x768
image.  I haven't done the calculation
but I guess the total size for a Medium image is about 400 wide
by 320 deep (384x288 plus margins and title).  While I allow these
to span projector images, it is generally neater not to.

3 1024x768  projectors give you  3072 x 768 pixels = 2.36 Mpixels
3 1280x1024 projectors give you 3840 x 1024 pixels = 3.93 Mpixels,
a 66% increase

With the 1280x1024 size, you can easily get 9 medium video
feeds (3x3 array) on each projector, so 27 Mediums total.

While we don't have funds to replace our projectors at present,
and I haven't had time to investigate which cards will drive
3 1280x1024 outputs, if we were buying now I'd be looking at
this.  We even have difficulty with a regular 10 / 11 site
meeting fitting the 20 - 25 video feeds onto the wall.
We run with about 8 Mediums and the rest Smalls.
We have to resize most of them to Small size when a DPPT
presentation is on.

HTH

Chris

____________________________________________________________________
Chris Osland                         Office tel: +44 (0) 1235 446565
Digital Media and Access Grid      Medialab tel: +44 (0) 1235 446459
BIT Department             Access Grid room tel: +44 (0) 1235 445666
e-mail:   C.D.Osland at rl.ac.uk               Fax: +44 (0) 1235 445597

CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Bldg. R18)
Chilton, DIDCOT, Oxon OX11 0QX, UK

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-----Original Message-----
From: Markus Buchhorn [mailto:Markus.Buchhorn at anu.edu.au]
Sent: 18 July 2002 02:08
To: ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov
Cc: drew.whitehouse at anu.edu.au; Peter Young; hugh.fisher at anu.edu.au;
david.walsh at anu.edu.au; rod.harris at anu.edu.au; Markus Buchhorn
Subject: [AG-TECH] AG Projector options?



Hi All

The ANU is now looking at placing orders for its Access Grid nodes. Scanning
back over the ag-tech archives I've seen lots of discussion on PCs, audio
and video cards, Gentners, etc. but not on projectors - barring a very brief
thread about 2 years ago.

Times have changed. I'd be interested to know what people are using for
projectors (or rejected), and what features they found they like/need/hate,
and how important they'd rate them? I'm not a projector/visualisation geek,
so need some guidance :-) 

I know some sites are using active plasma screens instead of projected
screens - any comments on those?

Just off the top of my head:
 - resolution: 1024x768 minimum, 1280x1024 better (real, not interpolated)
 - brightness: the more lumens the better 
 - inputs: (besides VGA cable) composite? component? (analogue, digital?)
 - keystone correction: optical not electronic? (quality)
 - zoom, focus: manual not electronic? (cost)
 - remote control: are there any with serial ports instead of an IR remote?
 - lens options: ability to do ~1:1 (short throw -> large display area) or
better?
 - frame rate: 60-70Hz is common. 100-120Hz for active stereo projection
 - filter options: various polarisation filters for passive stereo
projection
 - colour correction options: Handling different light-bulbs' effective
temperatures, to give a natural reproduction (of whatever has been captured
- a separate issue).
 - image flip: floor vs roof mounting, front vs back projection
 - oh yeah: COST :-) (start up capital, consumable bulbs)

What other features are worth looking for (good or bad)? I've also seen
people comment on the various internals of different projectors - some
appear to have better colour correction features, or better optics, or use
analogue or digital signals within the box, or ... ?

Quality of TV/AV reproduction is probably also a feature, where nodes are
also used for viewing major sporting events :-)

I'm happy to collate responses and generate an AGDP document if desired -
there isn't anything there now beyond a very basic para or two. Please feel
free to email me directly, and/or the list, as you see fit. I can anonymise
the results if you really want to bitch about something :-)

Thanks for any comments you can offer!

Cheers,
	Markus

Markus Buchhorn, ANU Internet Futures Project,        | Ph: +61 2 61258810
Markus.Buchhorn at anu.edu.au, mail: Bldg #108 - CS&IT   |Fax: +61 2 61259805
Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Aust.  |Mobile: 0417 281429