Many customers ask us if our videos can be used with a Luxedo projection system and the answer is yes. The best way to do it is to follow our tutorial for drawing a map. Once we customize our video to fit your map you can import the video into a Luxedo project for display on your house.
Optionally, you can take a calibrated photo with the Luxedo equipment and send it to us to use as your map. Our experience is that calibrated Luxedo photos are actually pretty terrible and rarely provide an accurate view of your house. The Luxedo system allows you to make some adjustments to the alignment later, but it is not particularly easy and sometimes it just isn’t enough to get it to line up. You may end up with a result with which you aren’t happy.
Is Luxedo Good?
We are also often asked what we think of the Luxedo system and the answer to that is a bit complex. We think the equipment packages we offer are a much better value. But many people do get great results with Luxedo equipment. Luxedo has several different options to choose from and some are better than others.
The All-In-One System
The Luxedo All-In-One system seems like a great value on paper. It includes most everything you need in one waterproof package. Unfortunately, the built in projector is just not very bright and the resolution is not very sharp. Brightness and sharpness are extremely important to getting great results with house projection mapping, so that pretty much ruins everything. You might be able to get by with it if your house is very small and light in color, but we would not recommend it.
New Versions
The Luxedo folks must have realized that their original all-in-one system had some limitations, because they have since released new versions. These versions consists of a projection mapping hardware module that can plug into any projector you choose. Think of their module like the the video player we recommend and include in our packages, only with more features and much more expensive. It provides the video signal to the projector. It also has WiFi connectivity. The idea is that the module connects with a computer wirelessly (not included) where you run their projection mapping software. The software allows you to play your shows and make your own projection mapping videos.
The module sounds like a winner, but is it really worth more than 10 times the price of an off the shelf media player? I’m skeptical. There are features that sound great like taking calibrated photos. But as mentioned earlier, it actually isn’t very good at that. WiFi sounds great too, but how reliable is it? Getting a strong WiFi signal outside can be a challenge. A media player wired directly to the projector, like we recommend, is likely to be much more reliable. As far as the software goes, you might be better off using a relatively inexpensive video editor like Filmora from Wondershare to create your own videos.
Great Projectors, Not Great Boxes
Luxedo sells high quality Optoma projectors to go along with their module which are mostly the same as the ones we recommend and include in our equipment packages. Since Optoma projectors are excellent, that solves the brightness and sharpness issues. However, Optoma projectors aren’t weather resistant, so Luxedo now offers a waterproof box.
Luxedo’s box is relatively small and metal. Optoma and similar portable projectors need to be aimed down when doing projection mapping in order to cover a house all the way to the ground. Since the Luxedo box is small there is very little room to aim the projector inside. Customers usually prop up the box from behind with a piece of wood or something similar to get it aimed correctly which makes it easy for the projector to slip out of alignment. It also does not provide much room for air circulation or ventilation which can be a problem in warmer weather since projectors can easily overheat.
We think our plywood boxes are better. The projector shelf inside is already slanted down so there is no need for propping. Our boxes are heavier and sturdier, easier to secure, have great ventilation, include an audio system and can house a lot more equipment.
Multi-Projector Setup
Luxedo allows you to create a synched multi-projector system, but it is difficult to set up. It is also expensive since you have to buy 2 of everything. We recommend using our simpler and less expensive method which we have detailed here.
