While you may not think a 4+ minute clip involving a monotone narrator, flashes of light and lots of sensors could hold your attention (okay, so maybe that came off a bit more riveting than we'd hoped), we'd bet the one posted after the jump could. The video demonstrates a fairly svelte automatic projector calibration system, which relies on very little hardware (and time) to work its magic. Essentially, the low-cost method utilizes rear-mounted optical fibers wired into light sensors, which can channel gray-coded binary patterns through a USB connection. From there, a PC determines precisely how the projection should be outputted for the target surface to be completely filled with an undistorted image. We know, it's tough to wrap your head around, but all the enlightenment you could ever want (on this subject, anyway) is just a mouse click away. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via HackADay]

LaCie is poised to kick out a 26-inch LCD (well, really 25.5-inches, but we'll follow the company's lead in rounding up) for you pro users later this month, with its simply-named 526 promising to reproduce 95% of the AdobeRGB and 98.5% of the ISO-coated color space. Your $2,000 also gets you 1,900 x 1,200 resolution (of course), numerous in-monitor calibration tools, and one of those special hoods that both minimize glare and make you look much more professional than you really are. For an extra $300, LaCie will also toss in its blue eye pro colorimeter, which will supposedly help you maintain the most consistent colors throughout the publication process. Sounds pretty impressive, and if it weren't so damn pricey, we'd toss out our old Dell 24-incher in a heartbeat.

In today's How-To we get to play with other people's toys. We upgraded a home theater to a high definition front projection system. We lay it out, set it up, drill holes, nearly die in a Texas attic, and bring home the popcorn.

Our project home theater already has the essentials for taking advantage of a high definition display: a progressive scan DVD player with component video output and a hi-def DISH Network satellite receiver provide a HD video source for the projector.

Screen Selection
It may seem counter intuitive, but it's helpful to consider (but not purchase) the screen before choosing a projector. Knowing the size of screen you want in your room will determine where the projector needs to be mounted, and how bright it needs to be. If you're not sure, marking out the dimensions of the screen with some blue masking tape and checking out the view from your seating area can be helpful. Click on to read the rest of this week's How-To!