[beebeepka]

Do we have to buy all the cool discs one by one? Looks like a neat product, such a shame the motor is noisy because a little motion, just barely perceptible, would go a long way.

I would think people would throw good money for the same but better. I know I would.

[tpmoney]

I have one of the original models and the motor noise is probably dependent on whether or not you're the sort of person who needs a perfectly quiet room or if you can sleep with a fan. If you have a ceiling fan (or any other noise maker, like a blowing AC system), you're almost certainly not going to hear the motor. IIRC, EEV blog tore one down and the whole rotating assembly is belt driven so that you don't have gear noise. The only thing I ever hear is a very slight hobby motor hum when everything is dead silent.

When you order it I think it comes with 2 discs, but yeah, all the others are individual orders, unless you want to order the 17 pack of third party discs for $300.

Other things to be aware of:

1) It looks really good, like good enough to feel like you really are out under the stars in a properly blacked out room. but getting the focus just right is fiddly and very easy to knock out of focus again

2) Like any projector it works best projecting straight on. I doubt you have space in the exact center of your room to project straight up, so be prepared to accept this will be a distorted projection. You get used to it and it doesn't really ruin the effect that much, but it's disappointing at first.

3) The 3 hour timer is built in and impossible to disable to the best of my knowledge. If you want it running all night, you'll want a smart plug or a programmable timer plug that can turn off for a few minutes intermittently. I found ~5 minutes every 2.5 hours to work well. Too short and the timer doesn't seem to reset.

4) There are some really nice 3rd party discs out there too, but their sharpness and overall realism varies greatly so be cautious when ordering.

[actionfromafar]

I bet many don't even notice the motor, but I do. It comes with two discs. I think you could put any slide film in there too, if you really wanted.