20 ft screen simulator!!!

[jfbhd4]

I am working on a golf simulator for my basement and had a few questions.

I plan on running either 2 or 3 projectors to display this image. I have approx 18 ft of throw.

The screen will be 20 ft wide by 9.5 high.

The room has no windows and dimmable lights, but I would like to keep the lights fairly high on so I can see the ball (duh).

This is the screen i plan to get.

http://www.par2pro.com/shop/product_...566229a234e0c6

I plan on getting a Matrox card (2 or 3 output) to blend the image from the computer.
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/pr.../edge_overlap/

Questions-- For an image this large, would you recommend 2 or 3 projectors?

I plan on getting PJs with at least 3000 lumens apiece-- will this be enough to not be washed out?

How far back should the PJ's go from the screen?

Any recommendation on PJs. I wont need 1080 projectors, so i want to keep the price under 1000 apiece.

Any additional comments would be appreciated.

Thanks! Golf Simulator setup.jpg

[DFDubb]

Dude bro, 20ft!!! You should totally rock 3 projectors. 20 x 9.5 won't at all be a flat image. I hope this is a joke.

[jfbhd4]

Dude bro, 20ft!!! You should totally rock 3 projectors. 20 x 9.5 won't at all be a flat image. I hope this is a joke.

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I'm confused

[DFDubb]

You and me both. 18ft of throw, wanting to fill a 20ft wide screen, multiple projectors, etc...unfortunately I think you're looking for answers most of us can't answer. Almost 21ft x 9.5 is just an odd size.

[DFDubb]

What SIM are you considering?

[jfbhd4]

What SIM are you considering?

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Ahh, I thought I was doing something dramatically wrong. Ha. <br />
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Thinking gc2, probably new e6 or trugolf. <br />
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Thoughts? <br />
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If you are going to do it, do it big. <br />
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Briefly thought Bout a 3 angled screen like the simsurround. Don't know how blend would work with that

[bk1106]

You might not get the wide screen benefit you hope to get. The thing is, most of the time your straight shots use the very center 2~5 ft. of the screen, and that is what you focus on. This is why many folks are still happy with a 4:3 screen. I would recommend a 1080P PJ though for a larger screen. With a large screen and low resolution PJ, you might notice the larger pixels which would be a drag.

[jfbhd4]

You might not get the wide screen benefit you hope to get. The thing is, most of the time your straight shots use the very center 2~5 ft. of the screen, and that is what you focus on. This is why many folks are still happy with a 4:3 screen. I would recommend a 1080P PJ though for a larger screen. With a large screen and low resolution PJ, you might notice the larger pixels which would be a drag.

Yes, my line of thinking was off. I will need 1080p projectors to do the correct pixel height.

The Simsurround uses 3 projectors and a 30 ft screen. 2 should do 20.

trugolf horizon uses a 17 ft screen and it looks good. Those certainly arent in more than 1080 resolution.

https://trugolf.com/golf-simulators/horizon/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZb06D_Ceu0

[jfbhd4]

The Horizon uses 1 projector too...

[Yongchai]

First thing i would do is to look at the projector aspect ratios. For you, the relevant ratios would be 4:3 (ie. 12:9) and 16:9. If you really want to use multiple projectors, the ratio you'll be using is 4:3.

You say screen height is 9.5ft high, but you have to also account for the hems and for easy calculation, lets just call it a 9ft high screen.

So at a 4:3 ratio, one projector can cast an image 12ft long and 9ft high, so 2 projectors (left and right) will get you an image of max 24ft wide and 9ft high. If you want a 20ft wide screen, that either means a 2ft image overlap in the middle, or no overlapping and casting a 24ft wide image on a 20ft screen. You probably don't want the images falling off the screen, as some programs will have their menu boxes to the sides, so you're left with an overlapping image. I've never seen 2 overlapping projectors before so i don't know if you can aligned both without distortion or whether the image will come out blurry in the middle or extra bright.

I would recommend using just 1 projector and using a 16:9 ratio. This still gets you a 16 ft wide screen which is plenty enough. You're supposed to be standing around 12 ft away from the screen, and at that distance, a 16ft wide screen has got most of your viewing angles covered. The only problem is finding a high enough lumens projector so the image does not look washed out.

I would personally recommend the optoma gt760 which has short throw, 3,400 lumens and great value for money. Short throw means you can hang up your projector closer to the screen so your head won't be casting a shadow on the screen and you can hang it up about 8-9ft back from the screen and 11-12ft up. Other none short throw projectors will have setting up the projector much further away (which will probably decrease the lumens) so you got to calculate your room size to see if you can set up your projector that far back.

If you are installing your sim in a windowless room with light dimmers, 3,400 lumens should be just enough. Though you'll probably want to make sure that there are no lights on above the screen.

For the launch monitor, I would recommend the GC2a system for indoor use, however their sim programs are pricey (and their latest effort, FSX is still incomplete).

If money is not an issue, go for 2 projectors, otherwise i think you'll be satisfied with just 1. Good luck with your project

[sopp586]

You can make Curved Screen..^^

http://www.rklsports.com/xe/construction/101252

[sopp586]

You can make Curved Screen..^^