Projection Systems

From Project Magenta Wiki

The one element that any flight simulation requires is a visual display of the world in which to simulate flight. While there are systems to display this world in the appearance of 3 dimensions (3D), most are 2-dimensional, and most commonly by a flat screen or CRT monitor. Projection systems offer much larger image sizes, making a panoramic depection of the flight world easier to attain.

DLP Projectors

See the Wikipedia entry on DLP for more technical details.

Basically, Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a means to reflect light off of a matrix of mirrors, typically numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Each mirror can be considered the source of one pixel of display information. DLP projectors are dropping rapidly in price, and offer bright images with high contrast capability. DLP projectors are typically able to focus their image well across a wide variation in screen distance from the lens. This means that they project well onto a curved surface as well as a flat one, which further improves their utility for the sim pit community. Since DLP projectors are essentially digital devices, expect that all projectors should connect to any PC with common monitor connections. A 10-15 foot diagonal display would not be considered unusual for a DLP projector, and with units having in excess of 2000 lumens or more for about $1,000(US), these large and bright displays are becoming increasingly popular for Sim Pit builders.