Lumen Lab? Build your own projector? - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

LeChuck · 02-01-2006, 07:21 PM

Has anyone heard anything about LumenLab?
It is a company online that claims you can easily build your own projector for much less the cost. They offer you a membership for 20 bucks and with that it allows you to access all their premium forums for help and tips on where to find stuff. They say you can build a very good xga lcd projector for $400-$500. Do you think this could work or should I plunk down the extra $300 and get a SVGA DLP projector? Thanks.

Pirate · 02-01-2006, 07:27 PM

These kind of things make me very nervous.

-PH

biglyle · 02-02-2006, 01:15 PM

I am a member of the lumenlab forums. There is some great info there on a variety of topics. Hoever, the forums are DEAD, less than 10 posts a WEEK now.
Most of the DIY pj's put out less than 350 lumens, making them not very bright, a pain in the ass to build, get working and keep working at proper levels.

IMO with the price of PJ's falling all the time it just isnt worth the hassle to go the DIY route with a PJ. Hell you can get an Infocus 4805 for $600 or a Z2 for $850, both with warrenties.

Now screens are a differant animal all together. IMO DIY makes perfect sense. Equal if not better results at a fraction of the cost.

LeChuck · 02-02-2006, 03:22 PM

Where are you finding the 4805 for only 600? The cheapest I have found is 750. Thanks.

LeChuck · 02-03-2006, 03:20 PM

ANSWER ME! You have left me tempted!

Iguana Man · 02-04-2006, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeChuck

ANSWER ME! You have left me tempted!

Hey man..you ain't alone. I too would love to know where I can get another Z2 for that price.

sub780lime · 02-07-2006, 01:27 AM

check out this link, so interesting info on building your own and its free

LeChuck · 02-08-2006, 06:06 AM

Funnily enough, I stumbled upon that page a few days ago. Some good info in there. Thanks.

LeChuck · 02-09-2006, 02:31 PM

How much does it cost to make a high quality screen? I found a deal on the 4805 with a 76" screen for 725. The other option is just the projector for 705. Is it possible to make a better one for less than 20 bucks?

LeChuck · 02-11-2006, 04:18 PM

I broke down and purchased the 4805 with screen for 725 yesterday! Ouais!

Iguana Man · 02-11-2006, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeChuck

I broke down and purchased the 4805 with screen for 725 yesterday! Ouais!

Good for you man! If a sheet of drywall and paint and frame and hardware to hang it is less than $20...uhmmmm, I think you did right.

PICS mo-fo, PICS!

sub780lime · 02-12-2006, 08:49 PM

spent the money huh, did you buy online? meaning, do you have it yet?

just for fun im thinking about trying that projector building from the link i posted, i think i can get an overhead projector for free, so it really wouldnt cost much just as a experiment

Sycho · 02-12-2006, 09:35 PM

DIY Audio's DIY Projector Forum

Iguana Man · 02-12-2006, 11:06 PM

EDITED: Uhmm, never mind. (I mixed up who I thought I was replying to).

LeChuck · 02-13-2006, 06:21 PM

The projector is in the mail, but it also being shipped to my mom's house in Maine (I am living in Boston) because there were no sales tax charges for Maine. Now I must figure out a way to get it!

sub780lime · 02-15-2006, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeChuck

The projector is in the mail, but it also being shipped to my mom's house in Maine (I am living in Boston) because there were no sales tax charges for Maine. Now I must figure out a way to get it!

you could send it to my house and ill make sure to drop off the first chance i get

LeChuck · 03-03-2006, 05:21 AM

Well I finally got my projector the other day and am quite pleased with it! It took me a few tries to set up the screen and projector, but now it is in a nice spot. I do have a question though about screen resize. It comes with four options on the Projector: 4:3, 16:9, Native, and widescreen. When I put it in 16:9 it gets stretched out but displays the whole image while in widescreen it looks right but the tops and bottoms are chopped off (not good for subbed movies). Native is tiny and 4:3 is not right. How do I get it to work?

elwood731 · 03-03-2006, 05:53 AM

This might be a dumb question, but if you were using a 4:3 TV before are you sure your DVD player is on the right settings (i.e. 16x9 output)?

LeChuck · 03-03-2006, 02:38 PM

No, that is not a dumb question. Stupid me! Thanks. It is all fixed now too. I also just noticed that I had it on NTSC which would explain why my PAL DVDs were not working too well. So that is fixed too.
So what do I put the settings onto for nonanamorphic discs?

sub780lime · 03-06-2006, 09:31 PM

im just curious, did the projector come with a book that describes what each setting is intended for?

well i looked at it doesnt really offer much

Optimizing video images
After your video device is connected properly and the image is on the
screen, you can optimize the image using the onscreen menus. For general
information on using the menus, see page 32.
• Adjust the Keystone, Contrast, Brightness, Color, or Tint in the Picture
menu (page 33).
• Select a Sharpness setting (page 35).
• Use the Color Control to adjust the color gain (page 36).
• Adjust the Color Temperature. Select a listed value (page 36).
• Turn on Overscan to remove noise on the edges of the video image
(page 37).
• Change the Aspect ratio (page 33). Aspect ratio is the ratio of the image
width to image height. TV screens are usually 1.33:1, also known as 4:3.
HDTV and most DVDs are 1.78:1, or 16:9 (the projector’s default).
Choose the option that best fits your input source in the menus, or press the Resize button on the remote to cycle
page 28.
Select a specific Color Space. See page 36.
Select a different Video Standard. Auto tries
of the incoming video. Select a different standard
page 37.
Make sure your DVD player is set for a 16:
player’s user’s guide for instructions.

you may just have to mess with it

02-01-2006, 07:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	Lumen Lab? Build your own projector? Has anyone heard anything about LumenLab? It is a company online that claims you can easily build your own projector for much less the cost. They offer you a membership for 20 bucks and with that it allows you to access all their premium forums for help and tips on where to find stuff. They say you can build a very good xga lcd projector for $400-$500. Do you think this could work or should I plunk down the extra $300 and get a SVGA DLP projector? Thanks.

02-01-2006, 07:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Pirate Moderator Emeritus Loves Yellow Subtitles Join Date: Jun 2003	These kind of things make me very nervous. -PH __________________ Early Adopting So You Don’t Have To.

02-02-2006, 01:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
biglyle Actor Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ontario, Canada	I am a member of the lumenlab forums. There is some great info there on a variety of topics. Hoever, the forums are DEAD, less than 10 posts a WEEK now. Most of the DIY pj's put out less than 350 lumens, making them not very bright, a pain in the ass to build, get working and keep working at proper levels. IMO with the price of PJ's falling all the time it just isnt worth the hassle to go the DIY route with a PJ. Hell you can get an Infocus 4805 for $600 or a Z2 for $850, both with warrenties. Now screens are a differant animal all together. IMO DIY makes perfect sense. Equal if not better results at a fraction of the cost. __________________ http://forums.dvdfile.com/your-home-...w-theater.html I dont want downloads!

02-07-2006, 01:27 AM	#7 (permalink)
sub780lime Can't Spell Bilbo Join Date: May 2002 Location: A Galaxy Far Far Away	check out this link, so interesting info on building your own and its free __________________ love comes and goes, but an avatar . . . that's forever. - Pirate

02-12-2006, 08:49 PM	#12 (permalink)
sub780lime Can't Spell Bilbo Join Date: May 2002 Location: A Galaxy Far Far Away	spent the money huh, did you buy online? meaning, do you have it yet? just for fun im thinking about trying that projector building from the link i posted, i think i can get an overhead projector for free, so it really wouldnt cost much just as a experiment __________________ love comes and goes, but an avatar . . . that's forever. - Pirate

02-02-2006, 03:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	Where are you finding the 4805 for only 600? The cheapest I have found is 750. Thanks.

02-03-2006, 03:20 PM	#5 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	ANSWER ME! You have left me tempted!

02-08-2006, 06:06 AM	#8 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	Funnily enough, I stumbled upon that page a few days ago. Some good info in there. Thanks.

02-09-2006, 02:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	How much does it cost to make a high quality screen? I found a deal on the 4805 with a 76" screen for 725. The other option is just the projector for 705. Is it possible to make a better one for less than 20 bucks?

02-11-2006, 04:18 PM	#10 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	I broke down and purchased the 4805 with screen for 725 yesterday! Ouais!

02-12-2006, 09:35 PM	#13 (permalink)
Sycho I needs to show ID with a personal check Join Date: Dec 2003	DIY Audio's DIY Projector Forum

02-12-2006, 11:06 PM	#14 (permalink)
Iguana Man Ex-BadHumor Man Join Date: May 2002 Location: New Jersey, USA	EDITED: Uhmm, never mind. (I mixed up who I thought I was replying to). __________________ Get outside and have fun! Nacho Website Focus Last edited by Iguana Man : 02-13-2006 at 09:45 PM.

02-13-2006, 06:21 PM	#15 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	The projector is in the mail, but it also being shipped to my mom's house in Maine (I am living in Boston) because there were no sales tax charges for Maine. Now I must figure out a way to get it!

03-03-2006, 05:21 AM	#17 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	Well I finally got my projector the other day and am quite pleased with it! It took me a few tries to set up the screen and projector, but now it is in a nice spot. I do have a question though about screen resize. It comes with four options on the Projector: 4:3, 16:9, Native, and widescreen. When I put it in 16:9 it gets stretched out but displays the whole image while in widescreen it looks right but the tops and bottoms are chopped off (not good for subbed movies). Native is tiny and 4:3 is not right. How do I get it to work?

03-03-2006, 05:53 AM	#18 (permalink)
elwood731 Moderator Emeritus On a mission from God Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Kentucky	This might be a dumb question, but if you were using a 4:3 TV before are you sure your DVD player is on the right settings (i.e. 16x9 output)? __________________ "Stupid people surround themselves with smart people. Smart people surround themselves with smart people who disagree with them." - Sports Night "You may not be a maniac, but neither should to remain an impotent!" - Damian

03-03-2006, 02:38 PM	#19 (permalink)
LeChuck "Woman Hands" man Join Date: May 2004 Location: Cambridge, MA	No, that is not a dumb question. Stupid me! Thanks. It is all fixed now too. I also just noticed that I had it on NTSC which would explain why my PAL DVDs were not working too well. So that is fixed too. So what do I put the settings onto for nonanamorphic discs?

03-06-2006, 09:31 PM	#20 (permalink)
sub780lime Can't Spell Bilbo Join Date: May 2002 Location: A Galaxy Far Far Away	im just curious, did the projector come with a book that describes what each setting is intended for? well i looked at it doesnt really offer much Optimizing video images After your video device is connected properly and the image is on the screen, you can optimize the image using the onscreen menus. For general information on using the menus, see page 32. • Adjust the Keystone, Contrast, Brightness, Color, or Tint in the Picture menu (page 33). • Select a Sharpness setting (page 35). • Use the Color Control to adjust the color gain (page 36). • Adjust the Color Temperature. Select a listed value (page 36). • Turn on Overscan to remove noise on the edges of the video image (page 37). • Change the Aspect ratio (page 33). Aspect ratio is the ratio of the image width to image height. TV screens are usually 1.33:1, also known as 4:3. HDTV and most DVDs are 1.78:1, or 16:9 (the projector’s default). Choose the option that best fits your input source in the menus, or press the Resize button on the remote to cycle page 28. Select a specific Color Space. See page 36. Select a different Video Standard. Auto tries of the incoming video. Select a different standard page 37. Make sure your DVD player is set for a 16: player’s user’s guide for instructions. you may just have to mess with it __________________ love comes and goes, but an avatar . . . that's forever. - Pirate

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode