Setup / Screen for Wimius S26 Projector

Voyager39

I'm looking into getting a Wimius S26 projector as solution to my monitor vision issues. However, I have limited space to work within so I'm posting to learn how projector users have set up their work spaces to use projectors as computer displays.

For instance, it would be helpful to know where the projector is placed with respect to the laptop, the keyboard, and what is used as a platform for the projector.

Screen Selection and Arrangement:
Separately, it would help to have info regarding what size screen is used, how far the projector is from the screen, and what is used to support the screen. I've seen some cheap 40-inch screens sold on Amazon, but several reviewers said that these units provided poor image quality and tore easily. Accordingly, recommendations regarding screen size quality and setup would also be helpful.
Will appreciate any help the board can provide.

Seagull

you might be better off with a short throw projector - if I remember correctly these only need to be a few metres away from the screen. Or an ultra short throw projector which can sit just infront of the projection screen.

Voyager39

Seagull
On that point, I've seen conflicting data on the required throw distance for the Wimius S26. One site stated that the minimum throw distance was about 6 meters. Elsewhere, I read that the throw distance was between 3 to 20 feet. Can anyone clear this up?

I mention the Wimius S26 because several posters here have singled this model out as being optimal for avoiding eye strain. If there is an ultra short throw projector with similarly beneficial eye strain attributes, it would be great if someone could dentify a model that meets those specs.

Seagull

I can't comment on the throw distance, but I have just remembered something else important. Try to double check if the projector is really 1080p resolution. Lots of projectors like to advertise 1080p and above, but in reality can only do XGA and scale higher resolutions down.

GregAtkinson

I just bought the S26. I'll post more information later this week, but the minimum distance is about 4 feet. I can't get the screen to focus on anything closer than that. At that distance, the monitor is about 3 feet diagonally. These are rough numbers, but I wanted to reply ASAP in case that's too big for you.

From a PWM perspective, the first waveform I captured looks just OK (not terrible but not perfect). I'll play around with the settings to see if I can get this any better.

GregAtkinson

Here's my thoughts on the Wimius S26 projector.

The most important thing is that it is easy on my eyes, unlike the vast majority of TVs, phones and monitors on the market. I did not get headaches, tinnitus or nausea.

I'm going to keep it and use it as a backup TV for when my current TV dies. It's worth the 100 dollars I spent to keep it as a backup. It retails for 199 dollars, but Amazon has a 99 dollar coupon right now if anyone wants to pick one up. I'll use it occasionally to confirm my findings and also see if perhaps it's even easier on my eyes than my current TV.

That said, I can't imagine using it as a computer monitor because there are better options out there. I have a couple 22" monitors that work for me. And if I was going to use a projector as a computer monitor, I would experiment with one that had more features. Someone on Reddit recommended the Epson EF11 ($500) for people with eyestrain, and that might be worth a shot.

Specifically, the features that the S26 is missing:

As noted above, the minimum focus distance is 4 feet from the screen, producing a monitor that is roughly 3 feet diagonally. That's bigger than I'd like.
There's no optical zoom, only a digital zoom (from 10% to 100%), and the digital zoom creates a lot of blur. Funny story: I zoomed in to 10% just to see how far it would zoom in and as I was trying to zoom back out I hit the wrong button on the remote and went into a different menu, and I literally could not read anything on the screen because it was so blurry. It took me about 15 minutes to figure it out by looking at the manual and trying to select the correct options without being able to see what I was doing on screen.
The keystone functionality is quite limited. There's an optical keystone, but that only works vertically and only about 15 degrees iirc. There's a digital keystone but that can't be used when the digital zoom is used.
I couldn't get the screen to focus well enough to read text even when the projector was perfectly perpendicular to the screen. When one corner of the screen was in focus another corner would be out of focus.

A lot of people on the Internet complained that projectors were too loud or too hot. I personally wasn't bothered by either of these things. Others complained that the 480 lumens was not bright enough. I tend to like my monitors bright, but for me, 480 lumens was about right. Of course it depends how far away you put the projector.

Instead of a screen, I bought a large foamboard (available at Office Depot or art supply stores: https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/334961/Office-Depot-Brand-Foam-Board-40/) which is perfectly flat, white and has a matte finish. I tried cardboard, but it was too dark for me and the ridges in the cardboard made it difficult to see the image. I bought the foamboard (vs a projector screen) because it was only $20 and easy to move out of the living room when I'm done watching TV (the last thing my wife wants in the living room is a large white screen).