My first DU post from the couch on a 61" screen.

[Madrone]

The cable television show I've been watching is on PIP in the corner and while there are definitely some more "tweaks" to be performed to get this exactly like I want it I must say so far .... this ROCKS.

:D

[Pierre.Suave]

1. I agree

I do the same thing sometimes when I plug my computer into my Projector.

DU on the big screen is pretty awesome.

[Madrone]

4. I LOVE it!

I think I'm going to rethink the connections at some point though. The PC Input on the tv is VGA only - I think I'm gonna grab another HDMI cable and do DVI->HDMI instead, and if that still doesn't clear things up to *crystal* I'll think about getting a new video card. I could also run the connection through the receiver - that upscales but then I'd lose my PIP abilities.

[Pierre.Suave]

8. DVI to HDMI should do it for you

I got lucky, my projector has a DVI input. I plug the comp straight into it.

[elocs]

26. Front projectors are great, especially when you do not have a big room.

In my 12'x12' living room I am watching Star Wars on a 7' screen with surround sound as I type on my wireless keyboard on my Mac Mini with my monitor just to the right of me. I have hooked my computer up to my projector, but print on a huge screen is kind of a waste.

[Pierre.Suave]

37. I agree

they are not made for text, I normally plug my Mac Pro into it for gaming only. For that, it is awesome.

[Haole Girl]

2. It's great to be able to see the soccer ball, isn't it?

We have a 46"... but someday I'd like an even bigger TV, like yours. :hi:

[Madrone]

7. Well this one is pretty excessive, especially for my living space.

But I'm not complaining. :) I only have 2 HD channels and I haven't been watching them much - they're just sports. The receiver does a pretty good job of upscaling the regular channels though.

[Haole Girl]

10. The main reason we can't get a bigger TV is because our furniture couldn't...

handle it. I'd love to be able to see more... I'm a very visual person. :-)

[Madrone]

15. Well - it was weird when I first hooked it up.

You know how if you sit in the front row at the movies your head and eyes are moving all over the place trying to keep up with the visuals? Well - that's what I felt like. :crazy: I'm adjusting now though.

[Dangerously Amused]

3. HELLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!!?

:7

[Madrone]

9. YESSSSSSSS

But in all honesty, the text isn't that big. Not that big at all, actually.

[Dangerously Amused]

21. Huh. You need a bigger screen then. Oh, wait.

HOW ABOUT THIS?!

[lizziegrace]

23. I can't leave in the lounge for 10 minutes

without you causing trouble...

:rofl:

[Dangerously Amused]

25. Ack! Busted again!

[lizziegrace]

38. Hehe...

:)

[Madrone]

28. That is wayyyyy mo'betta!

If I felt like digging out my camera, taking photos and uploading them I'd post evidence. :)

[supernova]

5. ARE WE REALLY BIG NOW??

:D

:rofl:

[Madrone]

11. Nah - text is relatively small.

Screen real estate is impressive though. ;)

[Droopy]

6. You are sick. Do you know that?

You are in desperate need of help. :)

[Madrone]

12. All I need is one of those toilet chairs like in Idiocracy!

That would be SWEET!!!

:rofl:

[Guava Jelly]

13. Braggart.

I am green w/envy. :D I want one..sniff sniff.

[Madrone]

18. I'm sorry. :(

I'm just tickled pink with this setup. I PROMISE that if you ever come to visit you can have full control of the remote control{S}, keyboard and mouse! :p

[Guava Jelly]

19. I would be too.

Yay!!! I'll come next year during Shark week! :woohoo: :P

[Fran Kubelik]

14. how clear are images?

[Madrone]

17. That picture is incredibly vibrant, clear, and beautiful (subject matter notwithstanding)!!

And BIG! lol Text - not so much. Hence the need for tweaking.

[Schema Thing]

16. Does my ASS look big?

[NYC_SKP]

20. Is the bullshit any stinkier?

Or just bigger?

:hi:

[Madrone]

29. Don't know yet -

I haven't been online long enough to see any bullshit. That and Vista keeps making me reboot after updates. :grr: The COOL thing is that the tv show in the PIP stays on while the computer is rebooting and installing updates!

[Ptah]

22. If you preess CNTRL+ the text gets bigger

[Zuiderelle]

27. Or if you have a mouse with a scroll wheel... Hold CTRL and roll down or up to increase or decrease.

[Ptah]

31. Thanks for my 'I learned something today' momnet

:thumbsup:

[Madrone]

33. That doesn't seem to work with the wireless mouse / keyboard I have.

Works fine on my main desktop pc though (wired keyboard and mouse)

[Madrone]

30. THANKS!!!

Believe it or not, I knew that! Thanks for the reminder ... *doh* That is certainly better.

[leeroysphitz]

24. Sounds cool.

I have a similar set up on my 40 inch Samsung. I'm using my kids old XP box to connect wirelessly to a 500Gb external hard drive that stores all of my movies and music. I bought this SUPER COOL keyboard here: from http://www.fentek-ind.com/kbmrfotb45ub.htm and I freaking absolutely love it.

1080 lines of goodness 100% free of any monthly fees.

[Madrone]

32. GOPisEvil bought me the most bitchin keyboard a loooong time ago -

Back when I first expressed interest in adding this setup to my network (and long before I had anything other than the computer purchased to make it happen). He got me this one:



http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-diNovo-Media-Desktop-Laser/dp/B000AY0IT4

I really like it - although it wasn't the one I was looking at. It's actually BETTER. The only think not *perfect* about the keyboard/mouse setup is that the keys
are not backlit - but that's pretty standard with wireless. Light-up keys is a big battery suck.

[leeroysphitz]

34. That IS groovy!

I like mine because it's small and the Trackball, mouse keys and scroll wheel are all ergonomically built in, which is convenient for me but yours looks like teh hotness too.

It's funny because right after I got mine (first night I had it) I remember saying to my S.O. that the only thing I would change would be the lack of back-lit keys! :)

[GOPisEvil]

35. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THIS!!!! TEN DAYS!!!!

:woohoo:

You thought I was hard to get rid of BEFORE! :D

[Madrone]

39. HaHa! You will LURVE it.

FYI - I put an ordinary DVD in the puter and played it - it looks AWESOME! I have to hook an audio cable up though - no sound. I need to order some more cables tomorrow.

[GOPisEvil]

41. Wait until you get your other birthday present.

Get another HDMI cable. ;)

[LeftyMom]

36. I should figure out how to rig that up.

Would I be better off throwing together a cheapo desktop for the purpose (I probably have enough spare parts lying around that I wouldn't need to buy much) or doing it with my laptop?

[Madrone]

40. I prefer the desktop option.

I prefer the desktop option, but I like the full keyboard and expandability option. I also like having the standalone machine strictly for my media center. I think you may be fine with the laptop though. You can at the very least do that and see how you like it. If you decide to go the regular pc route later you can definitely do that. If you DO do that and plan/build it right you can get a relatively cheap blu-ray drive that will play BD AND HD-DVDs. Gotta watch the video card you put in though - it has to be HDCP compliant.