Not blown away with projection setup

[mazeroth]

I just installed my Epson 8350 in my completely light-controlled basement theater. I mounted a temporary 120" 16:9 screen (given to me to test screen sizes) and sat back at my 10' estimated seating distance. I used the computer in my sig, which maxed out most of the games at 1080p. I have a Logitech bluetooth keyboard+mouse and a Logitech Driving Force Pro steering wheel, which I just got yesterday to test driving.

Well, I thought I was going to be blown away but I was underwhelmed by the experience. Don't get me wrong, it was cool but I was hoping for more. I'm primarily a PC gamer even though I have all the consoles and I was hoping to take my gaming to the next level.

Games I tried, because they were installed:

Just Cause 2
Serious Sam HD
Burnout Paradise

I thought maybe the screen was too big so I tried a 110" and a 100". Didn't help. Less envelopment, actually. I couldn't get comfortable with the KB+M, either. I just felt the whole time I would rather be in front of my 28" LCD in my computer chair at my desk.

Now, the driving was pretty nice on the big screen, but again, it didn't blow me away like I was hoping. I don't have my theater seating in yet (coming Monday) and it will have Buttkickers in each seat, but I really don't think that's going to push me over the edge. Has anyone else experienced the same thing? I was hoping to do away with two gaming setups but it looks like I'll need to continue having a desktop system and the theater. Maybe the consoles will see some more playing time.

 

[Aharami]

yea I had similar experiences with my projector setup as well (epson 8700ub). A projected image isnt going to be as bright and sharp as an LCD screen. My HT is only used for movie and TV watching (which looks fantastic, IMO)

 

[ImpulsE69]

I found the same issue with my 70" tv. I thought ya this will be great..but found out what was causing my issues...sitting too far away. You get a feeling of disconnect..and well PC games have smaller lettering and icons etc by nature.

Moving closer to the screen helps..but really only for "consolish" type games. As for normal PC usage (browsing, gaming) it really is awkward....quite a letdown.

 

[sdifox]

I just installed my Epson 8350 in my completely light-controlled basement theater. I mounted a temporary 120" 16:9 screen (given to me to test screen sizes) and sat back at my 10' estimated seating distance. I used the computer in my sig, which maxed out most of the games at 1080p. I have a Logitech bluetooth keyboard+mouse and a Logitech Driving Force Pro steering wheel, which I just got yesterday to test driving.

Well, I thought I was going to be blown away but I was underwhelmed by the experience. Don't get me wrong, it was cool but I was hoping for more. I'm primarily a PC gamer even though I have all the consoles and I was hoping to take my gaming to the next level.

Games I tried, because they were installed:

Just Cause 2
Serious Sam HD
Burnout Paradise

I thought maybe the screen was too big so I tried a 110" and a 100". Didn't help. Less envelopment, actually. I couldn't get comfortable with the KB+M, either. I just felt the whole time I would rather be in front of my 28" LCD in my computer chair at my desk.

Now, the driving was pretty nice on the big screen, but again, it didn't blow me away like I was hoping. I don't have my theater seating in yet (coming Monday) and it will have Buttkickers in each seat, but I really don't think that's going to push me over the edge. Has anyone else experienced the same thing? I was hoping to do away with two gaming setups but it looks like I'll need to continue having a desktop system and the theater. Maybe the consoles will see some more playing time.

Did you do a proper image calibration?

 

[mazeroth]

I don't think that's going to change things much. My brother is a graphic designer and has a Spyder 2 that he brought over to calibrate my monitor so I'm used to a good screen. I got the Epson looking very good but it's just the whole sitting 10' feet away thing and not at a desk that's making me not enjoy it as much. I think it will be fine for console games (yuck, heh) but doubt it's going to cut it for any PC gaming, unless the game works well with a controller.

 

[sdifox]

I don't think that's going to change things much. My brother is a graphic designer and has a Spyder 2 that he brought over to calibrate my monitor so I'm used to a good screen. I got the Epson looking very good but it's just the whole sitting 10' feet away thing and not at a desk that's making me not enjoy it as much. I think it will be fine for console games (yuck, heh) but doubt it's going to cut it for any PC gaming, unless the game works well with a controller.

I liked it when I played Starcraft 2 on my 90" projection setup. Of course you will need to get used to the distance differential. Also, I have a kickass sound system so the immersion is that much better.

I did have a board where my keyboard and mouse rest on.

past tense because my HT hasn't been put back together since I moved. Back in Jan

 

[purbeast0]

ive been nothing but blown away by my first projector setup on a 120" screen, sitting about 13' back and i don't even have sound or anything yet, just the projector and screen. i played some ps3 on it this morning after i was doing some adjustments and played super stardust hd for about 30 minutes before i realize how long i was down there. i was giddy the whole time.

how far away is your projector from the screen?

according to this review it says you can have up to 39% lumen drop depending on the distance you are throwing it and how the lens is setup:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/epson_home_cinema_8350_projector_review.htm?page=Limitations

additionally it's a fairly old projector so maybe the tech has changed since then. it also seems like it is kind of a budget projector so maybe the quality just is not up to par with others.

i'm totally new to the projector world so i don't have much experience with them or anything, but i'm giddy as hell with mine so far and i don't even have sound or furniture down there yet lol.

 

[mazeroth]

The 8350 is still a fantastic projector after being out for about 2 years. I snagged one last Black Friday for $999 shipped. You're lucky to see them for $1099 even a year later.

The projector is 14'6" from the screen and produces 16 fL on a 120" screen and 18 fL on a 100" screen, which is plenty. See here:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_8350-projection-calculator-pro.htm

I think you playing and judging on a PS3 game is completely different than my experience on a PC with keyboard and mouse. I agree, I think this will be great for controller games but I just don't get the same feeling trying to play with a keyboard and mouse. I can detect some input lag from the projector and probably the wireless bluetooth mouse I'm using, whereas my mouse is connected via USB on my gaming PC. Either way, the theater will be completed and we'll see how it fares when it's completely done.

Oh, and this is a 9.2 setup with Audyssey DSX. I build speakers for a hobby and will be using massive line arrays for the fronts, four Dayton RSS390HF 15" subs and six in-wall Monoprice 3-ways for surrounds, which are a steal. Overkill for a 17x11.5 room, but you know what, overkill is sometimes a good thing

 

[purbeast0]

well me personally i would never use a computer in a non-desk environment partially for the reason you are stating - there is no comfortable way to make it feel like a desk without a desk. i don't play pc games anymore either though so that is a non factor for me though.

i'm only going to have a Sidewinder 3, some consoles, a bluray player, and a cable box hooked to mine when all said and done. it seems like the issue you are having would happen in any non-desk environment though, not just a big projector setup.

did you research the input lag on that projector specifically? input lag was one of the main factors i decided on a panasonic 8000 when i purchased mine.

 

[mazeroth]

The 8350 has very low input lag:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1377652/input-lag-a-scientific-experiment-epson-8350-3010-5010-more

I'd love an AE8000 like you have but it wasn't in my budget. It does have a slightly higher input lag than the 8350. An article I found said it averages 34ms, which is still very good.

 

[sdifox]

The 8350 is still a fantastic projector after being out for about 2 years. I snagged one last Black Friday for $999 shipped. You're lucky to see them for $1099 even a year later.

The projector is 14'6" from the screen and produces 16 fL on a 120" screen and 18 fL on a 100" screen, which is plenty. See here:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_8350-projection-calculator-pro.htm

I think you playing and judging on a PS3 game is completely different than my experience on a PC with keyboard and mouse. I agree, I think this will be great for controller games but I just don't get the same feeling trying to play with a keyboard and mouse. I can detect some input lag from the projector and probably the wireless bluetooth mouse I'm using, whereas my mouse is connected via USB on my gaming PC. Either way, the theater will be completed and we'll see how it fares when it's completely done.

Oh, and this is a 9.2 setup with Audyssey DSX. I build speakers for a hobby and will be using massive line arrays for the fronts, four Dayton RSS390HF 15" subs and six in-wall Monoprice 3-ways for surrounds, which are a steal. Overkill for a 17x11.5 room, but you know what, overkill is sometimes a good thing

You need Mechwarrior online :biggrin:

I am a casual gamer so it doesn't bother me. But I can see how it might bother a "serious" gamer.

But then I don't do wireless input. I think that mouse of yours is the main culprit. I know when I tried to play game with a wireless mouse it drove me nuts.

 

[Kaido]

I found the same issue with my 70" tv. I thought ya this will be great..but found out what was causing my issues...sitting too far away. You get a feeling of disconnect..and well PC games have smaller lettering and icons etc by nature.

Moving closer to the screen helps..but really only for "consolish" type games. As for normal PC usage (browsing, gaming) it really is awkward....quite a letdown.

I had the same issue...playing PC games on the big screen is fun, but I prefer doing it at a desk because of the comfort thing. Sitting on a lazy boy with a wireless keyboard & mouse just never quite worked for me. For console games with a controller it's fine, but otherwise...meh, give me my headphones & a desk chair haha.