Does it really work?
Big Screen DIY Projection TV

Affordable Big Screen Television: DIY projection TV - Imagine watching movies or your favorite sports in real life-size without spending a fortune. A DIY projection unit can make all of this a reality but...

You may wonder why we have decided to discuss DIY projection TV when in reality home theater is such a high-tech domain.

The truth is that the most expensive item in any home theater is that big screen television.

Not everyone's budget is up to a brand video projector unit - at least initially when setting up a home theater. Many would have to live with their mid-sized TV till they are in a position to invest in a big screen projection television or a giant size flat-panel HDTV.

In these circumstances, a DIY projection TV unit may appear as a possible temporary solution.

There used to be a lot of publicity on the Internet about DIY projection TV set-ups especially up to a few years ago. It was a time when a number of on-line companies started promoting various TV projection plans to help you build a projection TV. The adverts claimed that these do-it-yourself projection TV plans could convert any TV into a 100 to a 150 inch big screen television.

In the midst of the fierce competition that cropped up in the process, some companies started advertising even bigger screen sizes as well!

Often, these adverts gave the impression that a simple DIY projection TV set-up can be a direct replacement to a commercial home theater video projector costing at least a few thousand dollars more. Surely, creating big projections through a DIY projection TV unit is possible ...but what about picture quality and image brightness?

These DIY projection TV plans emerged at a time when prices of giant rear projection TVs and home theater projectors were still out of reach of many household budgets. Things have changed. Big screen TVs have become a real mass-market preposition - making DIY projection TV more of a 'fun experiment' in optics than a solution to big screen entertainment in the home.

We therefore thought it would be interesting to reveal both the 'mystery' behind DIY projection television operation, as well as the limitations behind do-it-yourself projection systems.

Why so much interest in DIY Projection TV ...and is there a catch?

The most appealing issue here is the minimal expense associated with a simple DIY projection TV unit, and the shear simplicity involved in a basic design; no disassembling of the TV set is required.

When originally launched on the internet, most project plans were selling for around $15 to $30. Despite the difference in pricing between different sellers, all plans were basically the same. Some of the more expensive designs would include a cheap inexpensive lens sheet to use with the DIY projection TV unit. However, today, these plans are readily available for free on a number of sites.

In its most basic form, a simple DIY front projection television is based on a CRT - Fresnel lens set-up. You could substitute the CRT TV with an LCD monitor. These units would not cost more than forty to fifty dollars to build

But... do not expect a big screen miracle here with such a simple DIY set-up!

Picture quality is tolerable when viewed in TOTAL darkness, but it is not as good as some articles might seem to imply - especially as the projected image size increases.

It is possible to build a more capable DIY Projection TV unit based on an LCD panel as the image source and an alternative light source.

LCD-based DIY TV projectors are much closer to the 'real' video projector in terms of image brightness and picture quality. Typical cost various from around $300 to $500 - depending on whether you will source used parts or not. However, at such an expense, the whole concept of building a DIY TV projector would start to be questionable. With present-day pricing, it is possible to get a brand new 720p HD home theater projector for under $900; the Mitsubishi HC1500 720p DLP Home Theater Projector is selling at amazon for less than $850.

Where's the Catch?

In reality, there is no catch in that these DIY units really 'work'. But do not expect the picture quality to be as good as that from an LCD or DLP projector costing at least a thousand dollars more - especially if you opt for the basic CRT-Fresnel lens design.

In other words, do not believe all that the adverts seem to imply - in particular with respect to projected image brightness and attained image size!

To learn more about DIY projection TV principles, check our 'Build a Projection TV' article. It presents the operational principles behind a DIY projection TV set-up; it also highlights the limitations involved, and suggests possible design improvements. The information provided will also help you determine if the DIY projection TV option is truly a viable solution for your needs.

DIY Projection TV Design Sources

If you have gone through our 'Build a Projection TV' article, you are fully aware that it is possible to build a functional DIY Projection Television set-up - within the limitations highlighted in our article - through two main design approaches:

CRT-TV Fresnel lens set-up

LCD-panel video projector

While there is nothing extra-ordinary behind the operation of DIY projection TV, yet the main difficulty is to arrive at a most effective design to suit your needs. Experimentation is essential till you arrive at a functional projector design.

Rather than beginning from scratch, our recommendation is to make use of a proven design and then modify it - should there be the need - to suit your requirements. This will give you a good functional starting point while reducing your trial and error efforts significantly.

CRT-TV Fresnel Lens Set-Up

There are several sources on the Internet for DIY projection TV plans - some sites may even present the basic plans for free! Interesting websites offering FREE plans based on a CRT TV - Fresnel lens design include www.bigscreentv.20m.com and www.worldtvpc.com. Apart from a few insignificant differences, both sites present the same basic design approach and give you enough information to help you get started.

All that you require is nothing more than some thick Cardboard, PVC glue, black paint, duct tape, and an inexpensive plastic type Fresnel lens. We say inexpensive since it is possible to get a suitable lens for less than $2 at 3Dlens.com, eBay, and the like.

Our advice at this point is: Do not pay for what is available for free. At one point, DIY projection TV plans were selling for anything between $15 to $20 dollars and even more!

LCD Video Projector Design

If you want to build a 'real' video projector, then an LCD based projection set-up is the way to go. However it all depends on the effort - both in terms of time and money - that you want to invest in your DIY projector.

A suitable source is LumenLab.com. They have an interesting free guide that gives you all the necessary information but for the detailed plans, you have to be a paid member. The project would cost around $300 to build and you can source your parts either through eBay, or direct from the LumenLab store.

An LCD based DIY projector requires a lot more effort to build than the simple Fresnel lens DIY projection TV. The overall project would take at least a few days to complete in comparison to the few hours required for the CRT based type. However, the result is a real 'compact' XGA (1024 x 768 pixels) video projector that is capable of results worth enjoying in your home theater.

Please Note

Keep in mind the limitations highlighted in our discussion on this subject in our 'Build a Projection TV' article.

These project plans are capable of producing modest big screen projections in a rather inexpensive manner. As such, a DIY projection TV unit can serve as a possible big screen solution.

But remember that this is achieved at the expense of picture quality and significantly reduced image brightness. And even though DIY LCD projection units can deliver a relatively bright image, yet these units can never match the image quality resulting from even the least expensive among brand video projectors available in major electronic stores.

In other words, NO matter what the adverts say, there is no substitute for a good quality video projector!

Have fun & Good Luck!

Should you desire to learn more about video projectors, we suggest looking at some of the guides appearing under the Projection TV section of the site. There you will find a series of informative articles on how to choice and what to look for when planning a video projector purchase for home theater use.

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Does it really work? Big Screen DIY Projection TV