What started as ... a 3 screen Forza setup

[museumsteve]

This started as a Forza project but things progressed quickly and it soon became so much more..



Anyone running a 3 screen setup with Forza. If so, care to share some pics and a break down of equipment.
Obviously need 3 Xboxes but do all 3 need to be signed in to a profile (even guest).

 

[museumsteve]

lol..thought I'd google 3 screen setups quickly..and (real dashboard)

 

[Solomon Grundy]

Jason Manford has more money than sense!

 

[Sebastalona]

Jason Manford has more money than sense!

 

[Jamezinho]

Jason Manford has more money than sense!

* goes off to clean Coca-Cola from laptop screen *

 

[RandomLee]

For that sorta money you could probably go on quite a few track days. Saying that, you wouldn't be able to race at Knockhill etc in your pants whilst drinking beer so it's swings and roundabouts really

 

[museumsteve]

back OT..lol

I ordered a GT Omega Pro cockpit last night in preparartion for the week after christmas when I take the decorations out of the dining room

I'm now looking for 3 (preferably identical) secondhand LCD projectors.

I've got my son a new home cinema setup for his room for christmas so I'll be able to nab his Panny 5.1 setup for my project

Does anyone run 3 screens for Forza?

Note to mods..I didn't know anywhere else to have this thread, I thought it was more relevant here as Forza will be my main racer

 

[Sebastalona]

I thought you had made a typo by saying you were looking for 3 LCD projectors!

Just browsing the classifieds and noticed you have made an offer for a PJ

I hope you use this thread to keep us updated with the project......I can't wait to see how this will turn out.

What kind of throw distance do you have to play with? Got any ideas of what size of image you want projected from each?

 

[museumsteve]

I haven't thought about throws yet. I'm not looking for silly big image though, I want to try projectors so I dont have bezels around each screen and at around £150 ish each it'll be cheaper than buying one 50" plasma. I'll probably make a screen with a light wood frame and hinged so I can vary the angles and easily move it around. I'll always have the option to upgrade the PJs as well.
I have the whole room to play with so plenty of trial and error flexibility

 

[mattg]

Epic!

 

[museumsteve]

I ordered the GT Omega cockpit and it was due for delivery this coming week but the guy ended up delivering it last night so in the excitement I ended up buying 2 Hitachi TX200 projectors last night and now looking for a third

The seat/cockpit's gonna be an awesome step up from my wheelstand pro. I started putting it together most of it together last night in my movie room, but I dont actually have a home for it yet cos the dining room, where it's going to live, is christmassed up at the moment

I'm going to go to B&Q tomorrow to find something I can use to fix the Fanatec shifter to the gearchange mount. I know x-cpo make something but apart from the fact it's around £30 it's overseas so would take a while to get here.

 

[mattg]

Epic!

think this post might have been an understatement....

Looking forward to more pics

Santa is being kind you Steve, you must have been a good boy this year

 

[Jamezinho]

My Wheel Stand Pro will be an awesome step up from my 'Dave' laptop table from Ikea.

*goes off to burn said table in shame*

 

[museumsteve]

I spent ages walking round B & Q trying to get some inspiration for a shifter mount but gave in and ordered one from GT Omega

I had a play in my room last night and had great fun and now really looking forward to cracking on and getting it set up...just have to get this weekend out the way

First 2 projectors should be here today/tomorrow, still looking for another one.

I went into the British Heart Foundation charity shop this morning and booked them to come and clear the furniture next Wednesday (so it goes to a good cause) so I can get things up and running as soon as possible.

To keep things neat and a little 'cool' I'm going look out for some kind of braided hose/sleeves to run the various steering wheel and pedal cables through

 

[Jamezinho]

It would look ultra tidy if you could run the cables within the frame itself, but that's probably not an option.

How about channeling the cables through some plastic or metal conduit tubing wrapped in carbon fibre effect vinyl? That could look good.

 

[museumsteve]

I'm pondering various options. I like the idea of tidy but there's something about braided hoses and racing that sort of go together

Anyway, today I received 2 of the projectors (still looking for one more) and the gear shifter mount from GT Omega so I'll bolt that on tonight anyway and have a quick play.
I have a mate round this evening so we'll probably fire up one of the Hitachi's and get an idea of throw distance etc then ponder best way to mount them

 

[Sebastalona]

I'm pondering various options. I like the idea of tidy but there's something about braided hoses and racing that sort of go together

Anyway, today I received 2 of the projectors (still looking for one more) and the gear shifter mount from GT Omega so I'll bolt that on tonight anyway and have a quick play.
I have a mate round this evening so we'll probably fire up one of the Hitachi's and get an idea of throw distance etc then ponder best way to mount them

Any chance of a rudimentary sketch up / photos of your room layout? I'm curious to know where the PJ images will be displayed in relation to your seat.

 

[Jamezinho]

By the way, have you seen this guy's set-up over at GTPlanet? Awesome doesn't describe it.....

Custom VisionRacer VR3. Man Cave.....Complete! YouTube Video added. - GTPlanet Forums



He's gotta be single.

 

[museumsteve]

Any chance of a rudimentary sketch up / photos of your room layout? I'm curious to know where the PJ images will be displayed in relation to your seat.

haha...that's the question
I've been having a look at stuff this evening but it's so difficult to gauge anything until the room is cleared, which will be 1 or 2 days after christmas.
We're already thinking of various ways of having the projectors, either on stands, ceiling mounted or possibly even rear projected. The room is only about 11ft square but I dont really have other plans for it so we can use what we need. As the room is basically square I am thinking the main screen would go in a corner and the side screens off that along the walls which makes mounting things fairly easy, but a lot depends on how low the projectors need to be to ensure the right screen height without using keystone.
I'll do a photo log as and when we start..

for tonight, I just fitted the shifter mount so I'm gonna get a couple of hours on Forza using the 6 shift

 

[museumsteve]

Few days off celebrating christmas..but now that's sorted I can crack on.

Today I hung a sheet in front of my seat and put one of the projectors behind the seat at various heights to get an idea of distances etc. I was pleasantly surprised how the Hitachi's threw the image as it dropped nicely infront of my without hitting the seat and with no keystone needed. It was amazing how immersive it was playing on a screen just a few feet from me, I really got 'involved'. My days of racing on a 7ft screen seems rather lacklustre now

I'm probably looking at around 45" screens as this was the most 'realistic' size I found and was just above the pedals (so pretty close to driver). To achieve this sensibly I'll need to stand the projectors behind/around the seat rather than ceiling mount (which I wanted to try and do) but I have a few ideas.

This evening I fitted a miniquake to the seat and had a play and it's lovely, just enough there to give the impresisons of road rumble and then when it matters the rumble strips and collisions give just that bit extra

I'm working today so will probably spend the time looking through Richer Sounds site to find something suitable yet affordable for sound, I already picked up an amp for the seat shaker.

I'm still looking for a 3rd projector

The great news is that the silent mod for the shifter really has made such a difference, not only is it quiet, it slips nicely into gear and feels so much more natural than before

Tomorrow evening I'll be moving the furniture out of the dining room and start putting stuff in the room

Few more pics from the album

 

[museumsteve]

..and I forgot to mention that I picked up one of the Asda 15.6" LED screens for £50...that's gonna be my rear view mirror

 

[museumsteve]

The project fairy arrived today..bringing with him an Onkyo 309 and Pioneer SHS100 speaker set.

I've ordered 3 projector stands which may arrive tomorrow and I think I've found one more projector then I'm almost ready

I picked up 3 copies of Forza 3 today for a fiver each from Gamestation as I figured it's probably worth having a blast from time to time.

Few more pics...

 

[Sebastalona]

I love it when new toys arrive!

I've got a question for you Steve. If you are looking at screen sizes between 40-50 inches, what was the rationale going for projectors versus LCD's?

 

[museumsteve]

The two main obvious factors for me were cost (3 projectors will end up costing me around £750) and perhaps more important is the lack of bezels..which I was desperate to avoid.
I wasnt sure I was right about the Hitachi's because of their size but they are whisper quiet, throw a bright picture and throw the image from the centre of the lens so I shouldn't have to use any keystone.

Also the option to change screen sizes as and when I like as I'll be running a PC as well for C.A.R.S etc..

I had a good look at the other chaps setup on GTPlanet and he had already come up with approx the same screen size so I guess it must be about right

 

[Sebastalona]

The two main obvious factors for me were cost (3 projectors will end up costing me around £750) and perhaps more important is the lack of bezels..which I was desperate to avoid.
I wasnt sure I was right about the Hitachi's because of their size but they are whisper quiet, throw a bright picture and throw the image from the centre of the lens so I shouldn't have to use any keystone.

Also the option to change screen sizes as and when I like as I'll be running a PC as well for C.A.R.S etc..

I had a good look at the other chaps setup on GTPlanet and he had already come up with approx the same screen size so I guess it must be about right

Good point regarding the bezels, it would break the immersion somewhat.

Totally agree with all your points about the Hitachi. The TX-200 is my first PJ and I think it's excellent. The short throw and adjustability sold it for me, perfect for smaller rooms.

Did you manage to source the third one?