Ok I am new to all of this. I am looking at building a projector and scored a free LCD, still need to double check that its only the backlight out. But reading through the forums I see vertical, folded, Hass, and even a double and triple folded!!! My question is what advantages and disadvanteges do each of these bring? Are we just looking at size and space of the box? Do any of these designs actually help the image in any way? Could anyone make or is there a post already of a planning guide? Would be good to know what type to go with and even pros and cons of the lenses.

In a nutshell:

• 15" LCD (or smaller) or on a budget the "standard" kit should suffice.
• 17" LCD (or bigger) you should go with the "pro" kit.
• Folded is more complex and you will lose a bit of brightness potential for a given set of other components.
• Folded can save space and allow more "creativity" in a design.
• There are many advantages and disadvantages of the various designs. Too many to address in a single, quick post.
• Scan the pinned topics and get your feet wet. It takes time - sometimes days, weeks, or even months - for things to "gel" for any given person. Check out some plogs as well - particularly the pinned ones in the Gallery of Completed DIY Projectors (Hall of Famers).

Hope that terse reply helped a bit. I spent many weeks perusing the forums before taking the plunge. Still haven't finished my projector either!