Projecting onto ceiling

[jackkikz]

Hi,

I don't know much/anything about projectors so please bear that in mind. There's not enough room in my new bedroom to squeeze in a TV so I am thinking about mounting a projector on the wall behind my head in bed and projecting onto the ceiling as in this tutorial: Big Screen Home Theater - on the BEDROOM CEILING - DIY for $200.

I am thinking about getting an Acer K330 to do this and have a few questions.

• Is there anything obviously wrong with what I'm doing that I'm not seeing?
• Is there a better option than the Acer K330? I need an HDMI and it seems to have good reviews.
• Does anyone know if there's a new projector coming out soon that would be better? The K330 has been out a while now so probably due an update.

Bear in mind that this is going to be in a dark room so doesn't have to be too bright. Thanks for your help!

 

[just4kix]

To view an image on ceiling (very novel idea), you will have to install the projector vertically, lens up. Projectors are designed for horizontal mounting. The rear end (opposite to lens) has all the connections. How will you install the projector?

I am not sure how this will work.

 

[Santy]

Projecting onto the ceiling is not a bad idea as long as you can manage to get it mounted vertically.

I would be particular about where the sound comes from. Not certainly through my feet. You might have to consider mounting (satellite?) speakers either on ceiling or on side walls closer to the ceiling at the desired angle.

 

[anm]

what about the fan? how do u get it out of your vision. plus pj produces heat. if you have it close to your head it might be noisy and hot. keep it towards your feet. you can definitely mount speakers also on ceiling not necessarily in ceiling.
it is a great idea and I too keep thinking abt it. if u can do it it wud be grt

 

[sriee]

But how can you watch anything comfortably on a ceiling......

 

[Saket]

Okay, I have tried it! but for a shortwhile. It was the first day of my PJ and I experimented by projecting images on the ceiling.

At first, it looked kind of funny as it was unusual. I watched a full family picture album (still images) this way. My only experience was limited to this only. I can share what I felt personally about it:

1. Enjoyed for a while, but only the 'uniqueness factor' not anything else.
2. IMO, we, humans, are more used to see through the perspective of images which are horizontally in front of us. We can view vertically too, I guess without any limitations, etc but as we are used to & habituated to horizontal viewing which includes realword imaging & screen viewing, I felt that I will not be comfortable watching a full movie in this perspective.
3. Also, as stated by other FMs, PJs emit a lot of heat & some noise, which I am not comfortable sharing my head's (or body's) proximity with.
4. When I switched back to normal horizontal viewing, I felt more 'at home' as it being the normal viewing position and IMPO, people will be more comfortable and the viewing will be better at the normal projecting arrangements.

If you can live with all these, then you should be fine. Also, if you are using this arrangement now, try switching to normal horizontal viewing and see if you feel it any better. I am sure that a lot of people here will be waiting for your answers!

Regards,
Saket

 

[jackkikz]

Hi, thanks for the replies. To answer all of your questions, the bed has a backboard with a shelf on top, this can be used to hide the wires. The projector will be vertically mounted using a ceiling mount. If you think about it it is the same thing but sideways.

Hopefully watching it won't be an issue, as I will always be lying down while watching, however as you can imagine I've never tried to watch anything on the ceiling!

I think LED projectors can be mounted vertically, which is why I've chosen the K330, but bigger projectors would get too hot.

The only thing I'm worried about is the fan being too noisy, but there is a bit of distance between my head and the projector. There will be around 1.5m between the projector and the ceiling, so should be able to get a decent screen size. Don't want it too big as I think it would be too bright at night!

 

[anm]

just noticed you are from UK so you must not be having a ceiling fan in your room, which is present in almost every room in India.
I did not give attention to the projector model, and LED came to my mind, and I read this post. I think you can certainly give it a try for a couple of days to see how it works out. You can just lie down on the bed and watch a movie, instead of sitting up in a chair.

 

[nSinghal]

Does the space limitations in your room not even allow for a pull down screen attached to the ceiling? I seriously don't think you'll ever get used to the idea of watching the screen projected on the ceiling. Whatever position youre in, standing up or lying down, our eyes tend to be most comfortable looking down at a low angle compared to looking straight ahead or even higher up. Which is why you don't find too many people sitting upright and watching dead Center of th TV in front of them. You'll always end up reclining back a bit which allows you're eyes to look a little downwards instead. With a ceiling projected image, you'll never be able to tilt your head back and get your eyes in that comfortable position. And if you want to use some pillow, you'll have to look at an upwards angle even.

I'm not doing a good job explaining this. Just lie down on your bed and look at wherever you want to project the image. Now look a little below and above that image's position and compare for yourself which of the three positions you were the most comfortable with.

 

[ranjeetrain]

Technical problems associated with the arrangement has already been pointed out, so I will just speak about the usability part.

I am with Saket and nSinghal. It is not natural for human beings to look upright in the direction opposite of earth's gravity.

I seriously suspect anyone can watch full length movies or videos being cast on the ceiling. Within a matter of a few hours, the person will be completely giddy and nauseatic. But if someone can pull it off, well and good.

 

[Santy]

Reminds me of a quote.

"Do not lie down when you can sit. Do not sit when you can stand. Do not stand when you can walk. Do not walk when you can run".

This is for general wellness; specifically to keep diabetes at bay.

 

[jackkikz]

Hmmmm, seems a lot of you have more concerns than I do, which is a shame as all I thought was "This will be awesome". Think I might still give it a go as there's no space for a TV and having a screen somewhere would be annoying as I'd either have to retract it all the time or it would be in the way.

May not do it for a while, but I will report back with results!

 

[nSinghal]

You can get a motorised screen which will come down automatically whenever you turn on the PJ (assuming this pj has a trigger out option, which most PJs do have) and again retract automatically once you turn off the PJ. So not going to be too much of a hassle.

The concerns noted here are assuming you want the best possible experience from your PJ setup. Sure you can never get the best possible results and everyone has to compromise somewhat in one aspect or the other. All depends on how much you're willing to compromise. Screen projected on the ceiling will ALWAYS be better than having no tv/screen at all. And if you end up not liking the setup, a retractable screen isn't going to be too difficult or costly to add in your room.

 

[prosenjit]

it will work definitly.without disturbing projector mounting
use this mirror............front surface mirror
Optolife - Front surface mirror, first surface mirror, reflector, aluminum coating, silver coating

try local stores first

.mount projector normally..i mean horizontally.
reflect by front surface mirror...cost around 20 $ to 30 $.
normal 1 $ mirror will also work but at exact 45 degree angle...brightness will be less though almost 30 % or more..

in fhs some angle margin is okay and brightness loss is around 10 % only

but imho lying and watching a cinema is extremely uncomfortable...

 

[just4kix]

Yesterday, I was reading this thread on my bed on my Samsung Galaxy S2. I put the device away and started imagining how the image would look projected on the ceiling. A number of thoughts came to my mind:

- while lying on bed, my head is at one end of the wall while the projected image will be much below; perhaps the top of the frame would be parallel to my chest and the rest of image going down till my knees
- I would find this very tiring to watch for more than 30 minutes
- how would I place my front speakers (L+C+R)? Ceiling mounted? That would require special skills of an expert. Having speakers located elsewhere will spoil the effects.
- what about surround speakers? I failed to come up with any decent idea on any proper location.
- where would the projector itself be located so as to give the best image without having to undertake extreme lens shifts and keystone arrangements (God forbid!)?
- what about running cables, interconnects, etc? (though this is not much of an issue, I admit)

So overall, I decided (and pardon me being extremely blunt here), the idea is extremely silly and ill-advised.

 

[anm]

if he is placing pj under headboard, the image would start somewhere around his head, and end around his...stomach or below. that should not be too uncomfortable. one can always take a break between long movies.
I would say go for it, and share the pics.

 

[anm]

any updates? looking fwd to your experience.

 

[ravidharap]

Headboard??? What about the ventilation heat emission?

 

[anm]

any updated, OP?

 

[bayonle_akin]

Hello everyone, my name is bayo and am into event hall leasing for weddings, birthday parties amongst others. I recently became fascinated by the idea of projecting an image onto a ceiling. In my line of business, where there is ample competition in event halls and facilities. Am of the opinion that if i could make projections onto ceiling and walls to change the theme of the halls based on customer specification, that i would be able to provide different experience and also differentiate my event hall. Thus a research journey and i stumbled across this forum. Please am hoping to get suggestions towards this project. Thank you.