Ok, I'll admit when I ran into the lumenlab website from diy forums I was extremely sceptical. I've seen those ebay auctions, and they look like total shit, but after seeing all these peoples projectors it looks like the real deal, but I just have a few things I want to find out before diving in.

First; Does anybody watch HDTV on these things? I am a HUGE HDTV junkie, and unfortunately I lack the space or the cash right now to pick up a Hitach rear-projection screen that I've fallen in love with. Being able to display crisp HDTV images is of high important for me.

Second; my bedroom I'd be using the projector in is 15x12 ft. It sounds like it wont be too small, but what about something like a dorm room? I'll be living in a dorm in the fall, and wondering if this is something that could travel with me or not.

Third; size. Huge issue, How small has anybody gotten these things to be? I prefer not to have some huge ugly box in my room, and so if I build one I'd use professional looking wood and make it as small as possible. (My father has the tools to be a professional cabinet maker, so tools available isn't an issue).

And finally; the LCD screen. I've heard a lot of good things about the BenQ screen, and would be something I would consider. I have little or zero tolerance for ghosting, and I want something that would preduce a crisp image and allow me to watch HDTV, play Xbox, and PC games. Do you guys ever worry about pixels dying, because 1 pixel dies and things would get ugly fast.

Thanks for helping me out!

id like to see many of these questions answered also.. ill probably end up buying the guide and building one regardless though.. i've been impressed with the support and project outcomes!

JBauer, can't believe you hadn't got a response by now.
The projector can be moved to different size rooms as long as you have enough adjustment in your focal lens. You can build it into a cabinet, like a coffee or end table and make it look like furniture. I plan on making my next projector into a coffee table. The plan and the forum are great, and can answer any of your questions. Hope this helps,

hmm so, it can be on the floor (coffee table) and project... so does the projector have to be tilted up, or how does it project to the middle of a wall or screen.

Yes, the projector has to be tilted up, and the field fresnel has to be adjusted. Buy the guide for more info!

If you are thinking about building one of these, go ahead and lay down the $20.

Even if you don't use one page from Brain's plans and use your own design, the knowledge within the forums alone will save you at least $20 during construction.

Angle of Attack: Keystoning has been incorporated in the plan, and I think the projector can be up to 15 degrees off plane IIRC.

HDTV: XGA is natively HDTV compatable, you just need to convert the signal -- there are a lot of commercial composite/component to VGA converters on the market.

Screen/Cabinet Size: Current optics specified put the projection at 1:1, so if you put the Projector 10' away from your screen, your image will be roughly 10' DIAGONAL. There is a Calculator within the forums, but you have to know some of your specs. The cabinet can be any size you want, and both horizontal and vertical models have been designed by people. Suffice it to say, the basic projector is slightly larger than a bread box, but not overly huge and weigh about the same as a 27" TV with the standard ballast, using a more expensive solid state ballast will cut +/- 25 lbs off the project. Smaller models are currently in development.

Hope this answered a few questions -- now buy the guide, it will be the best $20 you spend all year.

~DM~

Drudgemart did an excellent job answering your questions. This is the best project I have ever completed.

I love my projector!

Cheers,
Lee

I'll second Drudgemart and Norlander! I didn't think this was for real when Norlander first told me about it, I was really skeptical, but now that Norlander built our PJ I love it and would not trade it for the world! Just one thing to keep in mind, it's front projection so ambiant light will affect the image quality, the darker the room the better!

Happy building

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, although I've actually already begun construction on my projector! Soon I'll post a thread in the project gallery when I have something to show, but for right now I just have my box built.