I work at a computer a lot and often must stop due to eye irritation. (And I have the font size really large.) I got the idea of using a projector instead of a monitor - like this one here so you know what I am talking about:
http://www.dell.com/us/en/bsd/products/series_proj_snp.htm
They are kind of expensive, and you might need to buy an expensive bulb replacement after a while. But I speculate that it will allow me to work longer and with less eye irritation. What do you think of my idea?
It’s probably a great, if surprisingly expensive option. Also, you’d have to have an office with a big, white wall (or projection screen.) You’d also need for nothing to be between the projector and the wall or screen.
Oh, and you’d have to make sure that the projector can throw out a wide enough angle so that within the confines of your space, the image can open up to something truly big and useful.
The sound from the projector would be annoying, as would the heat from the bulb. They don’t have fans for nothing, sealamp.
I’d love to have one for Playstation playing, but I don’t have enough white wall space to use one.
We have projectors hooked up to our thin clients in conference rooms, and I have sometimes done on-line editing with them in meetings. I find it really hard to look at the screen while typing, since it is at a very different angle from what I’m used to. The picture quality isn’t nearly as good as a monitor either. That might make your eye irritation worse. Have you tried a better quality monitor?
My office has a big white marker board on one wall, and I think I can get the projector at a good distance from it so that aspect is ok. I’ve tried many different monitors, although I am not sure if any were really good quality. Basically I notice that if I work at a computer for prolonged periods my eyes tend to start stinging, but if I read for a prolonged period that never happens. I think a projector screen would be more like a piece of paper in terms of whatever it is that causes the eye irritation with monitors. I don’t really need good picture quality (unless bad picture quality actually causes the problem). My guess is that a monitor is a light source while looking at a piece of paper or a projected image is reflected light off of something with low glare. So I speculate it will prevent the eye irritation. Does this sound reasonable?
Both of those are DLP projectors, which use a rotating prism to generate the image.
Many people are susceptible to the so-called “rainbow effect” when viewing DLP projectors: when they move their head, the image blurs and looks like it has rainbow streaks.
You will need to demo the exact projector you plan to use in the exact setting you plan on using it in to make sure you are comfortable using it as your only display.
Another thing to check is that the refresh rate of your current monitor is high enough. The #1 cause of eye strain is a too-low refresh rate. 75Hz is considered the minimum comfortable setting, but 85Hz is ideal. If you can’t get the refresh rate up to 85Hz at your desired desktop resolution, then you either need to set the resolution low enough to get 85Hz or get a better monitor and/or video card.
Do you have an LCD monitor? If not, maybe that might alleviate your problems somewhat. yosemitebabe has been singing the praises of these puppies in several threads, and I concur. The ‘look’ is more temperate, and since they take less desk space, you can position them further away which (at least for me) gives less eye strain once you get used to it.
If you got a LCD monitor, turning off or no ClearType might make it easier on your eyes.
I second the LCD idea. You should be able to get a decent one for the money you’re considering for a projector.
I have some experience with projectors. They’re great for presentations etc. but I’ve noticed that it’s not comfortable sitting through a full-length movie on the cheap ones. Plus, I’ve tried operating a mouse from a cheap laptop that couldn’t handle both its own screen and the projector. I see a couple of problems.
First, you’d probably have to dim the lights in the room somewhat. I’m not familiar with luminance values, but I figure that even with a powerful projector as well as a good (expensive) high-contrast screen you’d get less contrast than with a cheap tube or LCD.
You’d also have to live with limited possibilities of adjusting your work setup. A monitor is quite easy to move around and tilt, but with a projector you’d have to move yourself around. Raising or lowering your chair an inch won’t matter much. Your image would probably be placed quite high compared to a monitor.
Then there’s the distance. If you ever look down when working, at the keyboard or to locate the mouse, or work with notes on paper simultaneously, you’d have to focus from far to near and back each time. This might get awkward, but I haven’t tried it. Maybe it’s even good for the eyes?
Sounds like a lot of hassle to me, but it might be worth it. Isn’t there an optician doper that can help us out?
Good luck, and let us know if you try it out.
If you’re at a job site and you get this kind of irritation, you might inquire with the ergonomics department to get upgraded to any of these great suggestions. I’d also check out the lighting around your monitor. I find flourescent bulbs directly above and behind me produce enough glare to make my eyes sting. I’ve got a mexican blanket fashioned into a cover to keep the light off the screen but still bright enough for me to work.
Projectors that approach the quality of normal CRT and LCD monitors are EXTREMELY expensive, in the high thousands of dollars. Your best bet would be a good, high resolution LCD monitor.
Also, if you’re having problems with eyestrain, get your eyes checked. You may need corrective lenses, or an update of your current prescription. Make sure that you’re viewing the screen from the proper angle, and that there is no glare.
We use a HDTV projector at the aquarium, the quality is awesome but you need a dim room to see it. A bulb for that baby costs $10,000…
Also note that the bulb/lamp life is short, relative to CRT life. Like, 2000 hours, which is only a year’s worth of workweeks.
Plus, static portions of your computer display, like your “start” button and taskbar things, would burn in rather quickly.
An extremely expensive projector may have protections against burn-in, or a longer lamp life, but AFAIK this is the way it goes with projectors.
My Epson projector was only $1300. and I realy like it. (the bulb is $500. and I don’t know how long it lasts.) I also have a plasma monitor which causes much less eye strain. I could only use the old CRT for a short time without resting my eyes.
Kegg, do you use the projector in place of a monitor when you work? If so, what’s it like?
Where is your monitor, exactly, in relationship to where you’re sitting and looking at it? Most people have it too high and too close. Opinions vary, but personally I find I’m most comfortable when it’s 18-24 inches away, and the top of the screen is exactly level with my eyes, so I’m looking slightly down at it.