Videoprojector solutions, choose hardware and software

Hi all, and thank you for help, support and being interested to this topic. Please apologize if I will ask again for solutions that are already present in the forum, it looks for me difficult to find them all.

After evaluating the laser safety issues ( I decided to approach the safer Emu-laser to fully audience scan but it's not the only reason, the projector will be useful also for an open-air summer cinema.
Dealing with parameteres to achieve both results isn't easy, and I hope to count on your experience for guessing a right choice, keeping the budget low if possible, evaluating pros and versus.

1. According to puroposes the Projector should be at least a 720p, perfect a 1080p, higher resolutions aren't necessary.

2. The open space cinema in Saint Petersburg is possible only during the summer time, means white nights having place. Anyway the location is in a private parking place behind the restaurant, delimited on all sides with high buildings (around 35 meters) that will limit the quantity of light and guarantee a completely absence of sun/direct light, also the external lights wil be switched off. It won't be dark, and I understand would be better to measure the enviroment light quantity before ask you some paramenters, I will. The screen will be obtained by a large wall painted white, in the darkest area. I suppose that a 10.000 lumen would do the job

Lumens and contrast are relevant parameters to evaluate, unfortunately they are proportionally inversed (more lumens means less contrast if the price stay the same), and even proportionally relevant inversed between the two purposes I'm looking for deal.. the cinema considering the "not dark" environment will better take advance of lumen (I'll never have a perfect black), the laser will need a perfect black to appear cool.

I would buy something around 2000-3000€, then I would kindly ask you how many lumens you can consider enough for about 5 meters diagonal, and how much contrast I should not exceed (in low values) for not compromise the Emulaser.

To evaluate a bit myself I would need to know the specifications of video and laser projectors showed in these videos, somebody can help? Thank you!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE0P8gIfv4M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbo5YimzE-M
In both of them it doesn't look all the sequences are the same 100%, somebody can confirm it?


SOFTWARE:
I would kindly ask also which software you suggest me, I suppose there are some around, I need to find something that let me regulate how the laser manage the .ild files, at least load quickly the effects.
As I'm using DMX for driving scanners and all other effects (Lightjockey) I need something able to receive commands, they can be eventually MIDI, or Artnet..

I found one software which some people describe better then others:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIApFmsemNY
Also here would be nice the specs of projector.

Thank you a lot!

This video is made with a 2300lumen projector, the result is pretty redicolous in the total dark..
I'm guessing how much could change with a 5000lumen one..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u76RvSAEI7k

Someone may kindly suggest a solution? I hope this topic could be interesting.
I just figured out that there is a beamertool version for Raspberry, better and more stable than PC version, that's a good news!
With raspberry it's possible to place only a small device near the video projector and drive it by Artnet (that means only an ethernet camble is necessary and that's also cheaper then buy a laptop), it's also good for uploading new effects easly by ethernet.

https://forum.dmxcontrol-projects.or...read/&pageNo=1

You may struggle to get more information on emulaser alone, as most people on here, myself included, don't emulate laser. There are just a few who've seen it in action.

At the end of the day video is not laser. It's never going to replace laser (until laser based video units of insane brightness and contrast come down to laser projector levels of pricing for the same brightness). It's a substitute that allows for a safe alternative that can be used without all the expensive and difficult measurements and precautions needed for safe audience based laser projection. It may work well in some circumstances eg parties, small rooms where you keep competing lighting to a minimum (which you should do with laser anyway for maximum effect), with some cues that appear wide or large in nature (with video the narrower the effect, the more light and thus brightness get cut out). However, it's no complete substitute.

As said previously, chasing increased brightness without the high contrast ratios will lead to grey areas that should be black. I'm not sure what projector was used in the video above, however, it could be a good example of lack of contrast. That's why I said previously either view emulated laser or if you don't know anyone emulating laser, hire an Epson UB projector and try it for yourself so at least you have a mental baseline to work from when comparing others and deciding if emulated laser is suitable for you.

If it isn't suitable, then you're back to overhead lasers unless you're prepared to invest in the equipment and staff training to do safe audience scanning and it's permitted in your jurisdiction.

Also, whilst I have no experience of projecting video, only viewing it (!), I think on the purely video side, you may find a home video projector struggles to have real impact projecting onto a video screen in a light outside venue. There's a reason cinemas (which are dark environments) use projectors costing tens of thousands even hundreds of thousands of pounds. Whereas I'm not sure you need to go to quite those levels, I doubt a home cinema projector costing around £2K is going to have a great visual impact outside in a bright environment. Nor is it going to have the build quality to suffer rough handling or small drops or bangs that might occur in a touring type scenario. Home projectors are usually plastic cased. You'd probably be better of looking at the kind of projector companies use for projection mapping as they usually provide very clear bright images in outside environments. However, equally, they're going to be way off your current budget.

^ Pretty much spot on. I've only tried it with a couple video projectors and not for an audience. The testing at FLEM was the best I have ever seen with a projector but, you're also talking about a 40' x 25' room with about 7.5 foot ceilings and the throw on the projector was maybe 20 - 25'.

Thanks for answers,
there is a limitation of contrast I should be not lower than?
Does the contrast become more important if the lumens of the lamps increase?

I think you really need to experiment and see what works best. I don't think you can categorically state that the projector must have better than 7,000 to 1 or, 50,000 to 1 or whatever. The Epson's advertise something crazy like 600,000 to 1 contrast ratio which is why they are recommended. Contrast is more important than lumens which has been stated before.

thank you, that's clear and almost intuitive.. I'm figuring out from the experience of someone here how to manage the ratio between lumens/contrast... but I see there are difficulties to describe it, and also here few people had experience with it.
About lumen maybe there is a solution, is to put two projectors to double the intensity.. good idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23x8pTTmO-U

Considering there is a inverse proportion between contrast and lumens (keeping the same price) this could be a solution, use one projector for laser and cinema, the other for cinema only. It may be interesting to eavluate buying the second projector cheaper/more lumens/less contrast, but it should keep the same interface for adjustments. Probably all EPSONs have..

To make this work without an unlimited budget, you need to think outside the box. About a year ago, I obtained a scanner with HUGE and very slow mirrors for another project and tried an interesting experiment. I sent a video projector beam through the scanner and was able to quickly dance it around the room. This is where I stopped, however they make long throw projection lenses for many consumer projectors that will keep the beam way more collimated until it hits the projection screen. The resulting intensity will be much greater at any given distance and it is the intensity not the overall power that maters. A 3000 lumen projector puts out 4.5W of optical power. Furthermore, the contrast will be extremely high wherever the beam is not.

Thank you for reply!
I'm afraid I didn't get 100% of the meaning of your message, you suggest to apply a long throw projection lenses or chose a projector with them, which will deduce the angle of projection but increases the beams intensity and improve itself the contrast?
Thank you for clearing me! My english is not that expert-level, sorry