help noob choose a projector

[dream]

EDIT: The way some of the members here have desperately tried to identify my location and nationality for whatever reason they believed was needed for by asking an admin to check my profile logs and researching me by the content of my posts has been very creepy and unnecessary. So bye.

[JD3]

check out lasertainment's x750rgb. Around 1200USD and Varianced
Its an RGB projector but its TTL modulation so it only makes 7 colors vice millions.
I have a few of them and put them through hell and heavy bass every weekend without a hiccup

[steve-o]

Hi Dream and welcome to PL. Like we tell every newcomer here, please be aware that laser light can permanetly damage your eyes. You are born with only one set of eyes and don't want to lose or degrade your sight.
Cheers and have fun

[absolom7691]

..laser projectors, or whatever they are called

Welcome to PL. To be honest, statements like this get a few people a little nervous. There is nothing wrong with being inexperienced and wanting to learn but one of the big things about lasers is the dangers they can posess in the hands of something who is inexperienced. PL is a great place to learn about lasers and laser projectors. It is a great place to also learn about laser safety and all the steps needed to run a safe show.

For a projector recommendation, I guess a few basic questions would need to be answered. What part of the world are you from as laser projection laws vary from country to country? Are you planning on doing public shows? Will they be indoor shows or outdoor shows? Do you plan on any kind of audience scanning? How big is the venue that you plan to use this at?

Again, welcome to PL.

[The_Doctor]

Are these 'custom shapes' necessarily moving? If not, I think simple shapes may be bought to order in the form of 'diffraction gratings', or even simple forms called 'gobos' which I think basically block out light from a diverged source to leave light passing in a formation that projects a shape. These are cheaper, and safer, than projection by a 'flying spot'. Consider 'lumia' as a moving source of abstracted patterns. Those can be cheap too, but not as safe, because you can get unexpected concentrations of light in surprising places.. There's a lot of thread here recently talking about lumia.

[The_Doctor]

Start looking at all the ones at the top of your budget range. Then look for the firms who make them, look for consistency. Then, look for OLDER top-of-range models that have been updated, look for special deals.. You're posting on a forum that generally discusses specialised and DIY builds, pushing for best performance, where costs are lowered only by intense engineering efforts. What you're asking is only possible if you buy it from a bulk maker who uses that bulk to keep unit costs low. (If lowering cots to the point you're asking was a purely engineering matter, we'd all be doing it). So maybe watch eBay for a year, see what seems to keep selling from sellers who keep good ratings. This is similar to advice effective in buying synthesisers, or any other advanced tech. Ultimately, I have never seen any projector worth only 300 bucks that made me want to buy it. Galvo scanners, lasers, dichroic reflectors, precision mountings... They all cost, no getting away from it. If it's squeezed till the pips squeak, you're usually left with just a handful of pips. If watching eBay for a year sounds too much, buy the cheapest possible system and take your chances. You almost certainly won't like what you get very much, but you'll likely get your money's worth, a taste for more, and a good idea of your next step.

EDIT:
There's a reason I didn't watch those videos. Which explains why I didn't know what you wanted, for sure. It's not because I'm stupid. (I am at times, but that has nothing to do with this.) It's about bandwidth, time, and stability of my computer. I refuse to watch videos that usually chug remorselessly, forcing loss of control, using up limited bandwidth for which I must pay, a LOT, per month, just to answer vague questions whose likely answers will seem useless within days, based on low-res video images that are notoriously bad at rendering moving laser images anyway! It will help you get clear answers to your questions if you can think of good questions, and explain your needs in simple text.

[White-Light]

The clubs here use lasers and from what I've learned from the owners, it's legal.

You still need to post where you are and whether your use will be public or entirely private ie at home, or a mixture, as some countries such as the US have very stringent rules not only with what you do with the projectors but actually about the projector construction itself. I see you're using dollars so I guess its most likely Canada, US or Aus. However, an exact location will help people trying to advise you.

[The_Doctor]

No worries, just trying to figure out how to help, and my advice isn't the best you'll get. So I looked at anything that gets you a shot at attracting better, and having somethign worth using in the meantime. Only thing I can add that might be of worth is that some of those cheap ones might be worth a shot based on case build quality. You might then get better scanners and such in there later yourself... If you're shipping stuff to Georgia it might be best that way, get a cheap large case with basic ability, and the smaller more expensive stuff you'll buy later to improve it will be easier and cheaper to ship without hassle.

[steve-o]

Dream, I looked at most of your links above and I can say honestly that most of them will probably be cheap crap, although I'm not familiar with any of them, so I can't say for sure. There may be a decent one in the bunch, but it's just a shot-in-the-dark.
It's amazing to me how many cheap RGB projectors are popping up all over the place these days. They're everywhere! If there is a demand, someone will supply!

[silentgloves]

I'm pretty inexperienced myself, but you're going to need four things to do what you want to do.

A computer.

A Projector capable of probably at a minimum, 30k scanning.

A DAC (this is the device that connects your computer to your projector)

Software from which to control the projector.

Based on my research, Pangolin QuickShow (Software) with the FB3 (DAC) is probably the best software/DAC option for beginners. I believe this combo runs about $600. A lot of the Projectors you posted seem to come with the iShow software, which as I understand is crap. Based on your budget, this leaves $400 for a projector. You could look at Goldenstar Laser out of Hong Kong, but you may be restricted to a single color projector at that price point, or compromise to 20k scanners, which will not be as good for complicated motion projection. You will also likely be restricted to TTL modulation (each color is either on or off, in an RGB system this allows for 7 colors) instead of analog modulation (which allows for color mixing of millions of colors).