What is the best projector for house projection mapping? What equipment do I need to project on my house?
Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions. Everyone will have slightly different requirements.
I have listed products below that will be a starting point for your research.
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I recommend using a projector with a short throw lens and recommend a minimum brightness in the 3000-3500 lumen range. Full HD resolution is usually enough for a standard house, but you might choose to go to 4K if your house is large or that extra resolution is important to you.
Short Throw Gaming Projector | Enhanced Gaming Mode for 1080P 120Hz Gaming at 8.4ms | 4K UHD Support | Play HDR for 4K and 1080P | High 3800 lumens for Day & Night Gaming
Short Throw Laser Home Theater Projector | 4K HDR Input | Lamp-Free Reliable Operation 30,000 hours | Bright 4,200 lumens for Day and Night | Short Throw
Short Throw 1080P HDR Professional Projector | Super Bright 4000 Lumens | Business Presentations, Classrooms, or Meeting Rooms | 15,000 Hour lamp Life | Speaker Built in | Portable
Full HD 1080p Projector for Gaming: High Brightness 3000 ANSI Lumen, Low Input Lag, Superior Short Throw for Table Top Placement
A media player is a little device which handles playback of your media files from your projector. You can load your video onto an SD card or USB thumb drive and plug it into the media player and then connect the media player to your projector, usually via HDMI.
Some people use a Raspberry Pi running FPP as a media player.
Media Player for USB Drives and SD Cards – Plays 4K/UHD 60fps Videos, HEVC/H.265, HDMI and Analog AV, Automatic Playback and Looping Capability
Looping HD Media Player – Seamless Audio Video Auto Repeater 1080p 60Hz HDMI, NTSC and PAL Outputs – Trigger Input and Serial Control
I’d recommend you check the minimum requirements of all the software you intend to use in your projection mapping workflow and use those as a guide to what you will need.
Let’s take After Effects as an example: multicore processor, 16GB of RAM (ideally 32 GB), a graphics card with at least 2GB of VRAM (ideally 4GB) and at least 15GB of disk space.
15.6” 300Hz IPS Type FHD Display, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, AMD Ryzen R7-5800H, 16GB DDR4, 1TB PCIe SSD, RGB Keyboard, Windows 10, Black, G513QE-ES76
Gaming Laptop, 15.6″ FHD Display, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti, Windows 10H
13.3″ with Retina Display, M1 Chip with 8-Core CPU and 8-Core GPU, 16GB Memory, 1TB SSD
If you’re hoping to incorporate music in your show your options are either speakers or an FM transmitter, or both.
Portable Bluetooth Speakers | Powerful 10 Watt Output | 100 Foot Wireless Bluetooth Range | 14 Hours Battery Life | Water Resistant (IPX5)
IPX7 Waterproof Wireless Speaker with 24W Loud Stereo Sound, Outdoor Speakers with Bluetooth 5.0, 30H Playtime,66ft Bluetooth Range, Dual Pairing for Home
FM Transmitter will let you broadcast 150 feet throughout your entire home, office, backyard, etc. You can transmit across the entire public FM band (88.1 to 107.9) on both even and odd frequencies
Nylon-Braided 3.5mm Extension Cable Audio Stereo Y Splitter (Hi-Fi Sound), 3.5mm Male To 2 Ports 3.5mm Female Headset Splitter for Phone, PS4, Switch, Tablets & More
You will likely need an HDMI cable or equivalent depending on what your projector accepts as a media input. You will also need extension cables that are rated for outdoor use.
In terms of safety, if you are very concerned about your cables in wet conditions you might consider extension cord gaskets and a connection protector box. You might also want cable covers to reduce tripping hazards.
10 ft | High Speed Hdmi Cables, Braided Nylon & Gold Connectors, 4K @ 60Hz, Ultra HD, 2K, 1080P, ARC & CL3 Rated
16/3 SJTW Durable Green Extension Cable with 3 Prong Grounded Plug for Safety
(10 pack). Keeps rain on extension cords from causing a short and tripping GFCI outlets.
IP44, Weatherproof Electrical Extension Cord Cover, Safety Seal Enclosure to Protect Holiday Decorations, LED Strip Light, Power Tool, Fountain, Black
Floor Cable Protector, Extension Cord Cover, Protect Wires & Prevent Cable Trips, Cable Management Solution – Cord Cavity = 0.63″ (W) x 0.31″ (H) – Black
You need to put some kind of opaque material in your windows in order to catch the projection, otherwise the light will simply go straight through the glass.
Your options include paper or cardboard, lots of people use cheap frosted shower curtains. Some people use perforated vinyl so that you can still partially see out of the windows.
72″ W x 72″ H, Frosted, 8G Heavy Duty Waterproof Shower Curtain Liner
Privacy Wrap Film Roll Decal Sheet DIY Easy to Use Air-Release Adhesive (1ft x 54 Inch)
There are some options out there for purchasing professionally manufactured outdoor-rated projector housings. Then there is the DIY route which might combine several pre-made components.
Max Projector Dimensions (WxDxH): 17.1×15.7×6.1 inches (43.5x40x15.5 cm)
Rubbermaid Commercial Products Brute Tote Storage Container With Lid, 20- Gallon, Gray
Laptop Tripod Adjustable Height 23 to 63 Inch DJ Mixer Stand Up Desk The Outdoor Computer Desk Stand Portable
Universal Low Profile Projector Mount with Retractable Arms and Multiple Adjustment Function (PM-002-W)
Laptop Holder Riser Computer Stand, Adjustable Aluminum Foldable Portable Notebook Stand, Compatible with MacBook Air Pro, HP, Lenovo, Dell, More 10-15.6” Laptops and Tablets
Also sometimes called projector porthole or port glass or water white glass.
2-Stage Outlet Thermostat Heating and Cooling Mode Carboy Homebrew Fermenter Greenhouse Terrarium 110V 10A 1100W
Waterproof Adjustable 18.5-25mm/0.73-0.98inch Nylon Cable Glands Joints with Gaskets (1-1/4″, 2 Pack)
Heavy Duty Screw in Earth Anchors with Crow Bar, 4 Pack Folding Ring Shed Anchor Kit for Securing Dogs, Trampoline, Tents, Canopies, Swing Sets
