OK, hopefully this is the right place for this, and I'll try to seperate my questions out as best as possible. Any and all suggestions are very welcome.

Uses:

1) Daily use as projector for TV (SD and eventually HD), DVD, and computer work - I am a filmmaker and I need as much desktop space and accuracy as possible for color (and a good pitch like .264 for extra detail). I also do HD work now so the extra pixels of a 17" at 1280x1024 is very very appealing. I just don't think I could live with 1024x768 as its just not enough. I also do graphic work and websites as well so color accuracy is pretty important and I have discovered that 8bit is important for this. My projection for TV's/DVD currently is a Sony 1040q loaned to me for free but here is the catch: obviously its old with BNC hookins and the blue gun is going out. My current CRT for the comp is crapping out too so I figure rather than buy a LCD to replace it, Ill just use the projector, at least until money frees up a bit more and I can buy a seperate LCD or build another PJ. For this use, I'm not too concerned about it. I figure I will use my personal PC as a HTPC and a switchable box like the n6 or something like it to switch to my TV signals.

Anyone have a suggestion for the best box for this? I'd like it to be able to handle at least VGA and component input, and obviously be able to handle 1280x1024.

2) Cinema. I really want to 4-wall some of my own programming in an actual cinema setting, or elsewhere. I have a few pieces from friends that they would like to show as well. But beyond this, I have at my disposal a 500 seat old cinema with a 25' screen that I am wanting to put on a film festival at. At this point I see several options:

A) I could use my 17" with standard lenses, and place the pj back a little over 20' before the first set of seats, and get about a 25' throw. This seems to make sense to me. Anyone think it would be too dim with a 400w MH reflected from 20' back? This is really an important question, has anyone tried projection from 20+ feet back and does it get too dim? Will the screendoor be too obvious?

Another thought would to figure out a way to project from the actual projection booth 90' back. Anyone think of any way this would be possible? I assume the light output would be very very dim from that far back.

C) What would be better for the source: Use a box for like a n6 or something to go through and play off a standard DVD player, or do you think a standard DVD played off a DVD player through software could possibly not degrade so much that it would look acceptable? In other words, scaling up, would it be better to go through a box, or to do it through software from a HTPC either in the DVD player or with FFDShow?

D) With the appropriate cooling, is this thing quiet enough to be used as a cinema projector, in the cinema? I assume there is some way to reduce or eliminate the light escaping the box through the fans or something?

Once again, I appreciate any and all advice on any of these questions, thank you.

Read this post. It may help. http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?s...=0&#entry114353

I appreciate the link, I did see this before. I've done a lot of searching here but have found no definitive size that the projector can go before its unwatchable, and no 1000w successful setups. At first, I assumed that guy was full of it, I searched for 1000w on these forums and anyone who has mentioned it has been told by the resident experts it is unfeasable, but I hope he's right, because that would certainly give me much more options. For the cinema projection, with a smaller panel and the pro lenses I could maybe get all the way back to the projection booth (of which in most cinemas it is NOT 90' back, more like 50' or 60'... but in my case for the intended purpose it would be 90'). Anyway, still have a lot more questions.

I don't wanna sound like a naysayer, but personally I don't see it happening, even with a 1000w lamp.

On the other hand, I hope you can pull it off, because it would certainly send me back to the drawing board to copy your design.

Heres my suggestion. Just use it to watch movies and play some games. Not for all the time use.

Well like right now I'm watching college basketball, and usually end up watching a lot of movies on TCM, so yeah I watch a lot of TV. Dont play a ton of games on my PS2 anymore, but a few on my comp. Really I'd like to be able to edit on the PJ too, but you may be right, I could just have an LCD besides then switch when I want to watch my renders. For the cinema projection though, I was at the theater the other night and another group was using a toshiba consumer projector that the projectionist said only had 1200 lumens and it looked plenty bright. It was from right where I said I wanted to project from - 25'-30' back. As per others, the LL is just a little less bright than most consumer pj's so it should probably be acceptable.

Heres a couple of snaps from the cinema and their setup, I'm pretty sure this is the pj they used, which they rented:

http://www.parkaveelectronics.com/product....PS10U&l=Froogle



This is the cinema layout:



Their projection made it most of the way tall as it is a 4:3 projection, but as you can see there is still 5-8' in front of the pj to move up.

Thats exactly what I do. Whenever I want to watch a movie or playa game....I put on my projector. But I also work with 3ds max and other things. Whenever I do those types of projects...I use normal crt monitor. All I do is switch the vga cable in the back. It no hassle really. Do you work in 3ds max?

No, I make live action films, shorts mostly to date. So I edit in Sony Vegas, a NLE. Also am starting to shift from standard def to high def and 16mm work so I need higher res to display it. The WUXGA panel looks great but its out of my budget for a PJ at this time.

Although the price is now right to buy another CRT though, and certainly a CRT is better for our kind of work, my eyes hate looking at CRTs.

This is just a really really tough call for me. I guess the only thing to do will be to just build the 17 pj, and see whether it works.