Hello Projector Do-It-yourself Builders,
I am a new comer here ,always interested in Cinema projection,cameras and optics,though I don't know much about this stuff...My big aim is to make myself ,my own little home theatre with lights,Action and Sound:-].....so have been reading a lot about DIY projectors over here.
Got myself a old Anders+Kenders astrobeam 741 audio visual projector from the flea market,with a blown lamp and a bad LCD ,big burnt centre patch on it,I think it is burnt,but how is the fresnel lens OK ,I do not understand.
My main aim is to revive it by using a 250 W halide lamp and replacing the LCD panel and circuitry.
I am keen to know if those 7" portable LCD displays with a DVD player build in ,Flap type.....would it work by removing their back light....if so is it easy to remove the back light,I hear it is very well stuck to the LCD screen and a lot of risk to strip it up to for a projection panel.
Please help!! I am waiting to see a big screen thriller right at home!!!!

Those 7" DVD players will wok just fine, but with a caveat. The resolution is terrible.

Most of these advertise 1440X234 pixel resolution, or 336,960 pixels. This is something of a misleading statement, since they count each individual red, green and blue dot in this calculation. The real resolution of these screens is 480X234.

This is perfectly adequate for movies on a 7" screen, but not so much so for an 80" projction. The result is blocky and poor resolution.

So yes, it can be done. No, you may not want to.

There are 7" screens that are 800X480, and 10.6" LCDs that are 1280X768. The former is good for full 480p ED resolutions and the latter is good for 720p HD resolutions. Either would be a far better choice.

So 7" DVD players are a no no for projection.
I needed a 10" LCD to fit into my Anders+Kern projector....So the 15" or 17" Samsung LCD monitors would not fit in the Projector.
Looking around in the market I purchaced a 9.8" SUPER LCD TV cum VGA Monitor with AV inputs which boasts of just High Resolution on the box cover ...How high and good I do not no???..Any way I opened it and found that I could easily remove the florusent back light...<Could make a lit photo frame of the back light when removed.>..... on the LCD panel,It says Hitachi<made in Tiwan> on the back of the LCD.I don't know about the anti glare,do all LCDs have an antiglare??? On one side of the LCD panel after the back light removal ...I can see my reflection ...and when flipped over and held towards a light source I can see the light tube on the other side...If there is a anti glare on I intend to keep it on for now cause I afraid of damaging my LCD ......just bought it for Rs 4000/- That is I guess around 100$
For now I fitted back everything so that I can use my LCD monitor with my new computer.But it won't be long before I dismantle it all over again for projection purpose....I hope it will serve me for projection....other wise I will have to use it normally with it 9.8"LCD screen!!

there is also the 7.2" wxga, but its certainly not cheap at $400 w/controller

edited: oops. did not know that. I just came across it on manhattan lcd, and assumed it would work for a projector since thats (I assume) their main business.

And that won't work in a projector because of the FFc issue.