# Brand new 100 inch flat screen, only $8.95? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088 "2002-04-23T01:33:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/1 "2002-04-23T01:33:53Z")
[http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?viewItem&item=1347586058](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?viewItem&item=1347586058) > [@](#): > > All you need is our EXTRODINARY LENS, approximately $10.00 to $15.00 worth of materials, and about 1 HOUR of your time!! Okay, it’s not actually a flat screen TV. It’s not even any kind of TV, from what I can tell. I’m thinking it’s one of those cheap plastic magnifying lenses that people use to enlarge small print. But those pictures look way too good for that. Anybody have the dirt on this gadget? ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/2 "2002-04-23T01:38:47Z")
You can read more about fresnel lenses here: [http://www.howstuffworks.com/question244.htm](http://www.howstuffworks.com/question244.htm) Don’t expect DVD quality, but for moving pictures (especially mindwarp-type screen savers), it can be an interesting projector. At $8.95, I’m tempted to buy one myself 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/3 "2002-04-23T02:34:03Z")
They reviewed this on a news segment in Dc and the conclusion was it did not reach the level of “crap” and was much closer to scam. They send you a lens so you can project the picture on another surcafe but (as you might imagine) it is barely visible. Save your money. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/4 "2002-04-23T02:44:26Z")
Out of curiosity, wouldn’t this project the image backward? This might not be a problem for some TV shows and movies (unless they’re subtitled) but you can forget about computer programs and games. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/5 "2002-04-23T02:45:58Z")
Take a TV into a completely dark room, and point the TV screen at a wall. The wall is faintly illuminated by the light from the TV, right? Now, if you put a big lens between the TV and the wall. The light won’t get any brighter, but it will become a projection of the TV screen. I think you also need a couple of mirrors to correct the orientation of the image. If I understand their ad correctly, for $8.95 you just get the plastic lens (a Fresnel lens, as pointed out by **fatdave** ) and instructions on how to build a frame/mount for it. Needless to say, it will only work in a completely dark room after your eyed adapt to the dark. The image quality will be worse than the TV you use. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/6 "2002-04-23T05:32:27Z")
Sounds like a scam ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/7 "2002-04-23T12:28:50Z")
Yes, it probably will not be very good for movies. Put it could be cool for projecting psychedelic pictures on your wall for parties… ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/8 "2002-04-23T13:41:49Z")
Attrayant, I see you are in DC. i think it was channel 4 (but maybe 9?) reviewed this in one of their consumer segments n the news and came to the conclusion it’s a scam. You may be able to find the info on their website or call and ask. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/9 "2002-04-23T13:46:48Z")
Someone buy it and build the thing and report back! We need first hand info, dammit! LOL ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/10 "2002-04-23T15:12:42Z")
It doesn’t add any brightness, so you’re just stretching what light there is several fold. Its not a new idea, I saw them in the 60s. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/11 "2002-04-23T16:51:32Z")
I found the review at [NBC’s web site](http://www.nbc4.com/). (type “100-inch” into the keyword search box) Yes, you have to turn the TV upside down. No, it still doesn’t work. In that case I’m going for the 20 inch sharp [AQUOS](http://sharp-world.com/corporate/news/010928-2.html). It’s 200 times more expensive, but it looks really cool. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/12 "2002-04-23T17:09:45Z")
They also did a review on a local station here and found it to be a waste of money…they also said it was a lot more than “some” assembly required - basically like giving you 6 pistons and printed instructions on how to finish building the car. Reminds me of a scam back in the early 60’s for a piece of plastic that would make your black and white TVs into color TVs. It was nothing more than a thin plastic mat with a green stripe at the bottom, yellow stripe in the middle and blue stripe at the top. Yes, legally and technically the picture was then in color, but… ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/13 "2002-04-23T18:17:18Z")
If it sounds too good to be real… it probably is. ---
**Author:** ![rookie523](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@rookie523](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rookie523)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/14 "2002-04-23T18:44:21Z")
ok people… let me say this. i found instructions on the internet for these stuff… for FREE… just type it in [google.com](http://google.com) andyou will find tons of information on it. now after finding a good site, i decided to give it a try… you can get those lens anywhere… go to staples… go to science store… it’s cheap stuff… i built one… prefectly… i spent a good 3 weeks building it to perfection… painted the inside black… tried getting more light using mirrors… but the picture didn’t come out well at all… even in a pitch black room… the picture was really faded… there are message boards and websites that try to enhance the picture… but it ends up costly… (eg… trying to use LCD)… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/15 "2002-04-23T22:05:19Z")
rookie523 - I am mightily impressed. While the rest of us would have Googled til the cows come home to find this out, you took it upon yourself to build one! Thank you! (Sorry it didn’t work out.) I will bookmark your name so the next time a project, in the name of science, come up - maybe you will be the one to actually go out in the field and find the answer. (Be wary of some of the old timers on this board asking you to prove or disprove objects relating to genital enhancement or toxic limitations in food…) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/16 "2002-04-23T23:28:06Z")
WHy not just buy a projection tv? They weigh about ten lbs. ABout the size of a vcr, however, $1500+ ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brand-new-100-inch-flat-screen-only-8-95/105088/17 "2002-04-24T02:57:49Z")
Back in the early 70s, I got a cheap Fresnel lens like the one described from the American Science Center here in Chicago for 1 or 2 bucks. I had also picked up a basic oscilloscope from a friend for a very low price. One time I hooked up the 'scope to the stereo and used the lens to project the image. As others have described, the image was dim, but it was weird and fun to watch partially because my friends and I were under the influence of, um, certain substances.