Projector and Screen

[Longdriver295]

Just ordered the R10, also a Haack net. What would be the cheapest Projector and Screen to hang from my net? Also how do you setup a projector with the R10? Just wanting something simple to play around with in my open garage 

Edited November 6, 2022 by Longdriver295

[StevenH]

If interested, I have an essentially new Optoma ZH406ST I'm no longer using.  I paid $2K for it about a year ago, it has maybe 80 hours use.  Will sell it for $900

[Exactice808]

Cheap? Benq Mx819st - Found on the bay used under $150 (bright!, but the resolution is low and at 4:3 ratio) Contrast is ok. REALLY CHEAP and works.. you pay for what you get though

Currently using -  Cheap again - Optoma gt1080 around $500 (or less if you get lucky)  (not as bright as above, but resolution way better and both 16;9 & 4:3) Pictures is a huge step up, but the brightness was disappointing 

I really want to eventually upgrade to the OptomaGT1090HRD etc models but these are $1,000 and with the current projector its not bad... so sticking with it for now.

 

 

outside of that, the competitors in each model are about the same in pricing, Benq, Optoma Viewsonic , .  my honest opinion... that makes the difference?  Brightness,  minimum and I mean minimum 3000 lumens...DO NOT skimp out on the brightness... my biggest mistake I feel.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Exactice808

[Bubbtubbs]

47 minutes ago, Exactice808 said:

Cheap? Benq Mx819st - Found on the bay used under $150 (bright!, but the resolution is low and at 4:3 ratio) Contrast is ok. REALLY CHEAP and works.. you pay for what you get though

Currently using -  Cheap again - Optoma gt1080 around $500 (or less if you get lucky)  (not as bright as above, but resolution way better and both 16;9 & 4:3) Pictures is a huge step up, but the brightness was disappointing 

I really want to eventually upgrade to the OptomaGT1090HRD etc models but these are $1,000 and with the current projector its not bad... so sticking with it for now.

 

 

outside of that, the competitors in each model are about the same in pricing, Benq, Optoma Viewsonic , .  my honest opinion... that makes the difference?  Brightness,  minimum and I mean minimum 3000 lumens...DO NOT skimp out on the brightness... my biggest mistake I feel.

 

 

 

 

 

You can always check out Projector Central to find the throw distance, ANSI lumens and the "nits" for any particular model.

 

I agree that 3000 ANSI lumens is the barest minimum, otherwise you'll really have to mess around with lighting so you can see without washing out the image.

[Longdriver295]

Well actually not gonna be able to go that route as my garage doesn't have enough room after I done the measurements. So I'm just using my net Chromebook outside in my backyard. Seems to work for what I want. I'm not really into the simulators anyway. I just mainly like the distance and stat tools

[Walkerdb7]

Almost the exact same set up as the person above. Doing this on shoe string budget. Picked up a used R10. If I actually use this a bunch, hoping to talk my wife into doing it correctly at a later date 
 

waiting for the net to come in to see if I can comfortably play in the garage. 
 

out of curiosity, why do I need such a high quality projector? This is basically a static image and why wouldn’t something like this work?

WiFi Projector with 100’’ Projector Screen, 9000Lux Projector for Outdoor Movies 1080P Full HD Supported Mini Portable Projector Compatible with Smartphone TV Stick HDMI USB AV AUX https://a.co/d/7IONXlR
 

 

 

[Walkerdb7]

Also, does a floor project work? My setup is meant to be mobile… sometimes garage and sometimes outside 

[SE Gamer]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:38 PM, Walkerdb7 said:

Almost the exact same set up as the person above. Doing this on shoe string budget. Picked up a used R10. If I actually use this a bunch, hoping to talk my wife into doing it correctly at a later date 
 

waiting for the net to come in to see if I can comfortably play in the garage. 
 

out of curiosity, why do I need such a high quality projector? This is basically a static image and why wouldn’t something like this work?

WiFi Projector with 100’’ Projector Screen, 9000Lux Projector for Outdoor Movies 1080P Full HD Supported Mini Portable Projector Compatible with Smartphone TV Stick HDMI USB AV AUX https://a.co/d/7IONXlR
 

 

 

 

This is relative to the end user. And there are basically two ends of the sim/LM spectrum.

 

At one end, you have the guys who use it almost solely for the data. With the greatest graphic demand being a 2d or 3d range. Maybe mixing in a sim round once in a great while.

 

At the other end you have guys who've gone all in on SIM golf. They pay thousands for sim software, PCs, projectors, and screens. Some may love sim golf so much that they wouldn't be mad if they never stepped foot on a real golf course ever again.

 

So what matters to you? It sounds like you might just want it for data. With some basic shot rendering to make it a little more interesting. Which is the camp I'm in. So I didn't even bother with a screen and projector. Instead I have a heavy duty impact panel (think net), with a small flat screen on the wall, and an iPad stand next to my hitting strip. Often times I won't even bother to stream to the flatscreen. 

Initially, I was thinking about diving into the high end screens and projectors. But I figured it'd be better to start slow with just the iPad. That scratched the visual/sim itch plenty. Which ended up saving me significant money. 

So again, figure out what matters to you.

[Walkerdb7]

I am looking for some help on projector options or explanations? To be honest, I don’t really understand the differences and was hoping for quick guidance on here. I was imagining someone else built “garage ghetto sim” and could recommend a cheapo amazon projector? 

 

Main questions:

- Can anyone explain if the $200 projector on amazon, well rated by PC Mag, would get the job done? This is where I get lost, why does everyone say I need $1,000+ unit? Why would a cheapo gaming projector not work? That is a more intense application than sim golf?

 

- I see most people say short throw for golf, but I think I need a traditional one? Based on the Garmin info, I need 17-18’ for this to work. My setup will be mobile. I am picturing putting the garmen under or in front like like a small end table and resting the projector on top of it. 17’ is a traditional projector? 

 

Why I might sound stubborn on the cost / quality topic? 

I have been to a friends backyard movie night party and it worked fine with a $100 projector on Amazon. I have been looking on eBay and there are tons of older 3000 Lumin ones, as explained here, for $250 or less. 

 

To answer your question above, do I need photorealism? 0%. If the garage ghetto sim works, do I think I’ll buy the e6 lite annual license and play once a week? Yes 

 

So, I am not sure what my exact use or need is or where to start... I am more budget driven? I have a vision of doing this as cheaply as possible. If this is some thing which I really use regularly, I would actually plan to spend additional money in 18 months, resell the projector I buy now, or something and raise the roof in the garage and do this properly… look at this setup as a short term lease or paid demo. 

Edited March 19, 2023 by Walkerdb7

[JAM01]

If you have projector and LM far back you’ll have 2 issue-

 

1) your shadow

2) the size of the image might be quite large, thus the use of a short throw for Sim golf. 

[SE Gamer]

I'd suspect the guys who built a "garage ghetto sim" might be less inclined to hang out in forums like this. What you do have are some guys who went cheap initially, found it wasn't quite up to expectations, and upgraded.

You mention the movie night. Well, that was likely in a very dark setting. So brightness isn't as critical. Sure you could try to to control lighting. But a cheap projector that performs "well" outside in the pitch black darkness may be pretty lackluster with any ambient light.

 

With that being said, how good of friends are you with this person? Maybe they'll let you borrow it briefly to so you can test out the picture quality in your space. Just buy a white sheet and project onto that. Should be a reasonable representation of what you can expect.

[Mra13006]

On 11/6/2022 at 12:37 AM, Longdriver295 said:

Just ordered the R10, also a Haack net. What would be the cheapest Projector and Screen to hang from my net? Also how do you setup a projector with the R10? Just wanting something simple to play around with in my open garage 

anything benq 

[SE Gamer]

@Walkerdb7 went down the rabbit hole thanks to your low dollar projector inquiries. Found a couple of (seemingly) reliable YT reviews from a channel called "The Hook Up". Who purchased a bunch of cheap projectors from amazon to do some testing on resolution, actual brightness, contrast, etc. 

Figured since I'm ahead of the curve already with having an established SIM/LM space, I'll take one for the team and try his "best performer". I've got a couple young children, so it'll be primarily used for outdoor movie nights. But will give you some insight into how it'd work as a sim projector. 

[Walkerdb7]

2 minutes ago, SE Gamer said:

@Walkerdb7 went down the rabbit hole thanks to your low dollar projector inquiries. Found a couple of (seemingly) reliable YT reviews from a channel called "The Hook Up". Who purchased a bunch of cheap projectors from amazon to do some testing on resolution, actual brightness, contrast, etc. 

Figured since I'm ahead of the curve already with having an established SIM/LM space, I'll take one for the team and try his "best performer". I've got a couple young children, so it'll be primarily used for outdoor movie nights. But will give you some insight into how it'd work as a sim projector. 

We are exactly on the same page. I figured that the projector could be used for the kids at somepoint and would please my wife.

 

Are you going to leave it on the ground or ceiling mount it?

[Walkerdb7]

Great call on that channel, this image alone is helpful...

 

Here are the ratings

 

Winner is currently $90 -

https://www.amazon.com/YoChic-Projector-Synchronize-Smartphone-Compatible/dp/B09T8WNVCX?pd_rd_i=B09T8WNVCX&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=thehookup00-20&linkId=2fdcc6666e8f7d52ab5d140c78ba8976&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Edited March 20, 2023 by Walkerdb7

[SE Gamer]

6 hours ago, Walkerdb7 said:

We are exactly on the same page. I figured that the projector could be used for the kids at somepoint and would please my wife.

 

Are you going to leave it on the ground or ceiling mount it?

 

As mentioned, I already have a flatscreen setup. So even if this cheap projector works, I'm likely to continue using the flatscreen. Just got me curious about the viability of low cost options. And think my kids will really enjoy some movie nights out on the deck. Didn't hurt that his best choice under $100 also happened to be on sale. 

 

I've got options as far as mounting/placement goes. Will mess around with it and see what placement would be ideal. 

[SE Gamer]

4 hours ago, Walkerdb7 said:

Great call on that channel, this image alone is helpful...

 

Here are the ratings

 

Winner is currently $90 -

https://www.amazon.com/YoChic-Projector-Synchronize-Smartphone-Compatible/dp/B09T8WNVCX?pd_rd_i=B09T8WNVCX&psc=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=thehookup00-20&linkId=2fdcc6666e8f7d52ab5d140c78ba8976&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

 

I think that list is his "old" comparison. He had a more recent one done in the past 6 months.
 

 

[SE Gamer]

From that The Hook Up channel, here are his current "top picks" (as far as I can tell). 

Sub $100 - Haprun H1 - Normally $79, currently discounted to $67 with an additional 10% coupon. Includes a screen.

 

Sub $200 - Groview 818c - Normally $199, currently discounted to $139 with an additional $60 coupon.

 

The Groview above last night only had the $60 coupon. Putting it at $139. So I'd only purchased the Haprun. But seeing today the Groview was now only $79 with the coupon, I went ahead and purchased it as well. 

[Walkerdb7]

26 minutes ago, SE Gamer said:

From that The Hook Up channel, here are his current "top picks" (as far as I can tell). 

Sub $100 - Haprun H1 - Normally $79, currently discounted to $67 with an additional 10% coupon. Includes a screen.

 

Sub $200 - Groview 818c - Normally $199, currently discounted to $139 with an additional $60 coupon.

 

The Groview above last night only had the $60 coupon. Putting it at $139. So I'd only purchased the Haprun. But seeing today the Groview was now only $79 with the coupon, I went ahead and purchased it as well. 

First off, which did you buy?!

 

Where is the Growview info? Looks like he prefers this one for $200? It's $250 on Amazon right now though and makes be back on the "how cheaply can I do this train"?

 

Feel like this is the perfect to rate a golf simulator on, haha
 

 

Seems like Happron "wins" for smaller form factor, less gaming lag, and less power consumption. WiMius wins on picture quality.

 

I think I am gonna go WiMius based on the greens above. I don't think extra lag will kills us on a golf sim?

Edited March 20, 2023 by Walkerdb7

[SE Gamer]

12 minutes ago, Walkerdb7 said:

Where is the Growview info? Looks like he prefers this one for $200?

 

Feel like this is the perfect to rate a golf simulator on, haha

 

 

 

Here's the latest video where he updated his best in class at different price points a couple months back (and ranked the Groview as his sub-$200 winner).

 

 

He even had it priced at $139 in his video. So I'm thinking the $60 off coupon is often (if not always) available. When I saw that it was dropped to $139 before applying the $60 coupon today, I figured why not give it a shot. Basically got his two top projectors for the price of what just the Groview normally goes for. 

Will just end up returning whichever is the poorer performer.

[Walkerdb7]

4 minutes ago, SE Gamer said:

 

Here's the latest video where he updated his best in class at different price points a couple months back (and ranked the Groview as his sub-$200 winner).

 

 

He even had it priced at $139 in his video. So I'm thinking the $60 off coupon is often (if not always) available. When I saw that it was dropped to $139 before applying the $60 coupon today, I figured why not give it a shot. Basically got his two top projectors for the price of what just the Groview normally goes for. 

Will just end up returning whichever is the poorer performer.

Thanks, I didn't follow what you were saying above with the coupons, then I started clicking around Amazon and realized the Groview is only $80. Based on the chart below it's rated Happrun and it's $30 cheaper... I just jumped on it too

What are you doing for a screen / net?

 

 

[SE Gamer]

16 minutes ago, Walkerdb7 said:

Thanks, I didn't follow what you were saying above with the coupons, then I started clicking around Amazon and realized the Groview is only $80. Based on the chart below it's rated Happrun and it's $30 cheaper... I just jumped on it too

What are you doing for a screen / net?

 

 

 

Yeah. It's kind of a crazy deal. Just good timing I guess. 

I have an Impact Panel from Parbuster golf (essentially a very fine and heavy duty net). Absolutely would recommend it over "highly rated" amazon nets. Which I chewed through in short order.

 

For the screen, the Haprun projector I first ordered comes with a screen. I'm sure it'll be pretty cheap. But should at least give a decent representation of what the image will look like and allow me to do my own comparisons between the two projectors. I'm fairly confident either will work well for the primary purpose (i.e. outdoor movie nights). But how well it'll work for a golf sim in a much lighter environment is yet to be seen.

[SE Gamer]

@Walkerdb7
 

The Haprun projector arrived today. Will need to see what it looks like when it's not so light out. Initial impression is that going the inexpensive route, you're really going to need to be able to control the lighting and/or buy a screen that's very capable of filtering ambient lite.

Unsurprisingly, the free screen that came with it is terrible. It looks like a screen.  But beyond that, the material seems like it'd be better suited for making sheer lingerie.

 

Expect that once it gets dark, I'll at least be able to speak better to the image quality. And should have the Groview projector arriving tomorrow for a comparison. 

Also ordered a sheet of 15 mil billboard material that's a matte white on one side, and black on the other. Had seen this recommended as a value screen material back before I opted for the flatscreen route. Figure it'll be significantly better at blocking ambient light. And I have another use for it in mind if it doesn't work out.

Stay tuned...

 

[Walkerdb7]

I have a Rukket net and mat, Go Sports hitting screen, and the Groview projector. I plan to set this up in the garage, so the lack of sun light might be on my side? Haha 

 

Hope to get this hooked up in the next few days and give it a whirl 

[SE Gamer]

2 hours ago, Walkerdb7 said:

I have a Rukket net and mat, Go Sports hitting screen, and the Groview projector. I plan to set this up in the garage, so the lack of sun light might be on my side? Haha 

 

Hope to get this hooked up in the next few days and give it a whirl 

 

Will be curious how well the Go Sports screen does (and holds up). From a couple of pics on Amazon, it looks like it's fairly transparent. But you should have a fighting chance with it being in a garage. 

My sim room is in my home office, which is in my 4 seasons room. So it's all windows. I do have light filtering blinds, but still a lot of light to combat. 

 

The Groview projector coming tomorrow has twice the brightness of the Haprun. And as mentioned, the screen that came with the Haprun is terrible. So today was a worst case scenario. Between the brightness increase and a better screen, it might be a reasonable setup.

 

ETA: Hoping the Groview is as good as it was made out to be. Looking like we snagged a really good deal. Today the retail is still $139, but the coupon went from $60 to $20. Seems like the $60 coupon while it was already marked down was a fluke. And doubt it'll be available again for under $80. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by SE Gamer

[SE Gamer]

Well, at least the little guy really likes it...

[Walkerdb7]

picture looks great from here!

 

Where are the golf pics though?

 

[SE Gamer]

8 minutes ago, Walkerdb7 said:

picture looks great from here!

 

Where are the golf pics though?

 

 

Hoping he'll give me a turn soon 🙂 

[SE Gamer]

@Walkerdb7 grabbed a couple pics. If you can control the lighting, even the Haprun would work for the casual SIM guy. Given the Groview ranked significantly higher, I'd imagine it'll be a winner.

[Walkerdb7]

That looks perfect!

 

Are you hitting over the projector? Or is in ceiling mount / shelf?

Edited March 22, 2023 by Walkerdb7