Limited space and a need for short throw projection is a common occurrence with theater and art installations, particularly with touring where you never know what you will end up with, and it’s often not what you thought. Adding to the pain of projecting in small spaces is the fact that most low cost desktop projectors which fall into the price range of small arts institutions are saddled with a medium throw lens. This lens is cheaper to manufacture and keeps the price low, and meets the Business needs which is still considered the largest projector market. (though home projectors are going to catch up any week now.) These Midrange or low end projectors also don’t support interchangeable lenses, so you might feel stuck with the lens you have.

So you bought a the best projector you could afford and now find that you want a wider throw, there is some hope. Quite a few options actually: Blending, Mirrors, External Lenses, and off axis projection. They all have their challenges and drawbacks, and I’ll be starting a series of articles discussing my experiences using each of them, as well as recommendations for how to get the job done in the real world. I would like to ask you to share your own experiences and knowledge of any of these options as well, so please share your stories here.

Part 2