Karsoncookie Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Hey all ! I have an acquaintance with this idea of setting up in his back yard a "Drive in Theatre" For us old guys, kind of a fun idea I think. All I would like to know is - Realistically, ballpark idea of how much will he end up spending on a suitable projector? And I assume his regular DVD player or laptop will feed it w/o much other fanciness needed , Correct? Lets say 15'-20' diagonal screen size. So I assume the main thing here is sufficient brightness. We know NOTHING about these. No more info is needed at this time other than price ballpark estimate for that application. No Model #'s, nothing but just an educated $ figure, and a confirm on my source feed general question. Thank you all, Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrickdj1 Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Your friend needs to figure a brand and model. Then use something like this:http://www.projectorcentral.com/BenQ-HT2050-projection-calculator-pro.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappydue Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Yeah brightness will be your main concern. Outside you will deal with ambient lighting have to have a descent throw to achieve size and you will want the brightness to cover it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsoncookie Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Thank you Gentlemen. For now, just need to know the bottom line ballpark $ for a projector to handle that situation, nothing more. We have NO idea if it's like $500, or 5K. That's all I need for now. Thank you, Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 No experience but found this. http://www.projectorpeople.com/resources/backyard-theater-guide.asp Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 4 hours ago, willland said: No experience but found this. http://www.projectorpeople.com/resources/backyard-theater-guide.asp Bill The 15' to 20' screen size is going to be the challenge. Brightness will be one of the capabilities needed. The other will be a projector capable of filling that size of screen. Yes, you can just pull the projector back until it fills the screen, but the projector will need to also be able to focus at that distance and I'm not sure you will be able to do that with any home projector. You will likely need to look at commercial projectors which means the $500 range will be unlikely. The Projector People should be able to give you a complete answer in about five minutes. Give them a call: 1-800-248-0675. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TasDom Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Lots of good info on AVS http://www.avsforum.com/forum/159-outdoor-theaters/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 9 hours ago, Karsoncookie said: Thank you Gentlemen. For now, just need to know the bottom line ballpark $ for a projector to handle that situation, nothing more. We have NO idea if it's like $500, or 5K. That's all I need for now. Thank you, Marc I know a guy that refurbs older commercial projectors. It won't be high def and awesome black levels but it's hella bright and often times good ones can be had for $400. I think that's what you should look for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsoncookie Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Thanks All. I will direct him to the two links above. Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imahawki78 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I would be less worried about perfect quality and more about the "light canon" aspect. Something like this http://amzn.to/2kCJo0p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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