That is a great hack! Presumably it’s now 1/4 of the intensity, but with a screen that size you probably want a cinema feel anyway, so you’re going to have the lights down to watch.

Posted at 12:40 pm on Sep 29th, 2008 by Ben

im surprised the screen is still in focus.

Posted at 12:52 pm on Sep 29th, 2008 by elliott

Very, very cool.

How long before your house burns down?

(Actually, that’s a real question – Should the television casing be extended to prevent dust, etc from being a fire/exposed electrical hazard?)

Posted at 1:42 pm on Sep 29th, 2008 by madsara

@ Madsara: Dust should not be that big of an issue, considering most projection boxes are both open box(Not sealed) and have fans.

Posted at 1:50 pm on Sep 29th, 2008 by cde

I saw a thing in a magazine article not too long ago about a teeny tiny little projector that is the size of a pack of cigarettes. The cool thing is that it uses lasers to project the image, so focusing and brightness are never issues except at longer distances.

Posted at 1:59 pm on Sep 29th, 2008 by mike

@cde – yeah, but still.. the mirror cavity is gernally not sitting open, and is not always part of the open cab/fan circulated space.
Not to mention, the occasional rugrat will get back there and put fingerprints all over it.
I`d add a thin plexy face. sure, that adds a little interface interferance, but it also makes for less mirror surface cleaning. Who knows what could happen with rugrats around (broken mirror, cola on the projector tubes, sandwiches in the VCR… ohh.. wait, that was the 80s.)

Posted at 5:08 pm on Sep 29th, 2008 by MRE

Oh big first surface mirror! now i know where to source one!

Posted at 12:45 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by Grovenstien

I would have thought the same projector is used in various sized rear projection tele’s so it would have an adjustable focus with is just locked off at installation. Nice hack and a great source of parts for a Multitouch table!

Posted at 12:51 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by Grovenstien

voala???

correct spelling D i c t i o n a r y

Posted at 3:53 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by mirriam webster

If he doubles his source-screen distance, he’d quadruple the viewing area but quarter the brightness. It’s just a simple 1/(distance^2) relation. I’m willing to bet that this relation holds quite well.

Perceived brightness may well be a different matter entirely. This is a guess, but as a general rule human perception seems to follow log functions, so I’ll bet the screen *seems* more like 60% original brightness. Some compensation may be available through the TV’s original controls, saturation notwithstanding.

Posted at 4:29 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by Liam

would be faster to sell the TV and buy projector

Posted at 5:12 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by rasz

Where is the fun in that – i think it feels great to change things to make them better looking. Makes me feel proud!

Posted at 5:39 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by spagg

You could sell the TV and buy a projector, but you wouldn’t get a 1080 capable projector for that amount of money. The cheapest 1080 projectors are really expensive. Most of the sub-$2k projectors out there can barely do 720.

I’d be interested in seeing if its possible to put in a different light source. Definitely not going to be simple and I wonder how color rendition would turn out and whether the TV offers enoguh adjustment range.

Posted at 9:30 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by Tony

Very cool, way to hack :)

Now to source a DLP with a cracked screen and blown bulb :)

Posted at 11:29 am on Sep 30th, 2008 by nubie

Great DIY Tip thanks!

Posted at 11:59 pm on Sep 30th, 2008 by wallybanners

I agree that brightness probably won’t be a problem — this is clearly meant for movies, which most people watch in the dark anyway.

Ingenious way to get top resolution without paying the (usual) price!

Posted at 1:33 am on Jul 2nd, 2009 by TV Reviewer