A projector TV can be very expensive, but it is possible to make your own version of one for a lot less. You basically construct a device that magnifies and projects the TV's video image with the help of a lens. A large monitor that has the depth of a tube-style TV works best for this because its balance can support the projection frame you attach to its front end. This type of homemade projection TV operates best in the dark.
Instructions
1. Construct a box-like frame that is the same height and width of the monitor screen and between 8 inches to 1 foot long. This can be made of cardboard or thin plywood. Paint the pieces black and seal them together with glue or tape so that no light escapes through any cracks in the corners.
2. Mount the frame onto the monitor's screen. Place tape all around the area where the screen and frame meet so no light from the screen escapes. Support the frame with more tape from the frame's end to the monitor's top and bottom surfaces.
3. Build a second frame that is about half the length of the first one and just barely smaller in height and width. It needs to be just small enough to fit snugly within the first frame and yet still adjustable in position.
4. Cut another piece of plywood or cardboard that will fit inside the second (smaller) frame. Cut a hole about 19 cm around in the center of this piece and attach a lens to it. A double-convex (magnifying) lens can work, but a fresnel lens works even better.
5. Insert the lens piece securely within the smaller frame, then insert that frame partially into the larger frame on the monitor. Turn the monitor upside down (the lens inverts the picture image) and make sure your TV peripherals (cable box, DVD player) are connected to it.
6. Turn the monitor toward a blank wall. Turn off the lights and turn on the monitor. Move the monitor's position until you have a projection as large as you want it. Adjust the smaller frame's position within the larger frame until the picture is focused.
Tags: smaller frame, frame monitor, frame that, height width, larger frame