Turn Any LCD Monitor into a TV Projector

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Instead of throwing away your old LCD monitor, why not turn it into a home theater projector? No messy cables, configuration, or AV nerdiness required.

Frank Völkel of Tom's Hardware gave a great step-by-step guide on how to turn a regular LCD monitor into a high-quality XGA projector. He warns against "buying" instructions for projects such as these off eBay, where consumers have no idea whether or not the information they paid for is legitimate. 

"For some time now, several sellers there have offered instructions for building a so-called "multimedia projector," as well as other "bargains" designed to help the customer get a giant screen at home without too much financial outlay. This is how it works: the seller offers a PDF construction guide for $20 in a "buy it now" auction that contains everything the customer needs to know. But does it really work?"

In other words, don't waste your money there! While Frank's instructions require a tad bit of technical know-how, they are free and explain everything in clear steps. The resulting picture quality is quite spectacular. According to Frank: "Despite daylight flooding the room, the luminous efficiency of 3,500 ANSI lumens made it possible to screen DVD films and images onto a white wall. Perfect display quality can be achieved in a completely darkened room."

Altogether, you should be able to wrap this project up for $250 or less, if you're resourceful. Now that's a pretty killer deal. 

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Guest's picture
ramesh s k

dear sir,

pl. send more information above subject and picture clarity, what type of LCD ( size and pixels ) display i have to use ,

thanks

yours sincerly
ramesh sk
rameshsk@bheledn.com
Bangalore
india

Will Chen's picture

You might want to contact the DIY geniuses at Tom's Hardware for that info.  I got all my info from their website.  Good luck!

Guest's picture
Guest

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Guest's picture
dhpmet

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Guest's picture
rishi

can i use the mobile screen for the projector...??