Ok, it's like 3 months since I last changed screens and I decided to put back up my rather hoaky DYI masking system. I now find much of the fabrick has wrinkles, some loose threads, general uneveness here and there.


Any turnkey screen masking systems out there for various sized fixed screen?



I had not had the masking on since like August of last year. I did Indy Last Crusade and Star Wars A New Hope just to re-affirm how worthwhile the masking really was / is. Of course it definetly added something to the presentation over not having the masking.

Earlier in the day I got side the masking up first and checked out Star Trek TOS 1st season on HD-DVD and man was that beyond cool.

John,
I am considering using Carada Masquerade Masking System (http://www.carada.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=MASKING-SYSTEM-H110). While some here consider it overpriced, DIY masking is a little beyond me and Carada's system is very reasonable when you consider masking products normal cost.

Any turnkey screen masking systems out there for various sized fixed screen?

Thanks malbo1, excellent information. And man does that look nice. Dang is that pricey, enough so that my hoaky DYI is looking pretty good at this point!! :)

I like the Masquerade system as well but it's rather pricey.

Have you considered applying panels to the wall that can be removed when not needed?

My fixed screen free floats. I am thinking at this point, just redoing the fabrick on mine. Mine is a 4 curtain system. My wife did offer to simply iron the fabrick, but dang, the system does not go on or off easily at all.

It's totally manual, like everything else in my theater.

If the presentaion is 1.78:1-ish or 1.33:1 or 2.35:1 it works well. But if I play something like Ben Hur, it is a pain to tweek it perfect and then to tweek it perfect for 2.35:1 again when I want to change back.

I may just try a new and improved, better thought out DYI solution here too. I may just live with it, I may just have my wife iron the fabrick, I may change to a canned solution if I can find one that would work and not break the bank.

Manual is fine here. An automated would be tricky since I am not set up for automation already.

www.htiq.com

Tell don,
"scottyb set ya"

cool link scottyb...I'm assuming the Custom Motorized Curtain controller does NOT include the curtains? :D :)...still is way cool.

What size is your screen? I've got a four way HTIQ setup that might be of use to you. It no longer fits my needs.

What size is your screen? I've got a four way HTIQ setup that might be of use to you. It no longer fits my needs.

106" Fixed frame 16:9....

I am having a hard time just making a decision on the direction to go with it.

Life was simpler without it. :)

I'm actually starting to think I will have to dyi it. I mean I have very little room on the sides, top, or bottom of the screen for that matter.

I am leaning towards just replacing the one real problem piece. Change the top mask, like a hinged flip up somhow. Remove-able is tough as to where the heck do I store it?
The issue with this? Once again it really only works well for the three apect ratio's. I played with this some last night. It did seem I could use the projector controls to get all 2.35 and greater to fit the 2.35:1 area, at the cost of the sides if it's wider but of course. The differences of 1.66:1, 1.78:1, and 1.85:1 all seemed close enough with it just opened up for 16:9?

Looks like my masking system didn't work for John, eh?, a year later. But I'd still like to find it a good home (local).

The HTIQ web site has changed, so please rely on what you see here, rather than on what is on their site, now.

Mine is the all-manual system, that doesn't appear to be on the web site any longer, so I'm going to include more info that has been requested in PM.

Here is what the completed system looks like, at the three major aspect ratios:

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501...6by9_ratio.JPG (http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/masking_system_16by9_ratio.JPG)

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/masking_system_16by9_ratio.JPG

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501...sion_state.JPG (http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/masking_system_panavision_state.JPG)

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/masking_system_panavision_state.JPG

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501...demy_ratio.JPG (http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/medium/masking_system_academy_ratio.JPG)

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/medium/masking_system_academy_ratio.JPG


For the 2.35:1 masking, that comes up from the bottom and down from the top, one pulls up each side and tightens a screw-like device on each end. It sticks through this slot (but is not in this picture since I took the picture while putting it together). You can see the bar hanging below, that would be not hanging down like that, once the screw is in place, into the bar, through the wood:

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507..._picts0001.jpg (http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/22_june_picts0001.jpg)

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/22_june_picts0001.jpg

This photo is without the wooden sides in place, but you can see the masks. You can see at the top there is extra bulk on the right and left. This is the 4:3 masking, which is a strip on each side which one manually rolls down. (The creator started with a spring loaded system but it wasn't to my liking so he send me parts to make it based on gravity.)

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/screen0009.jpg

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/screen0009.jpg

This is a close up of what the lower left corner of the 4:3 masking looks like, when it is being used:

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/lower0001.jpg

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/22_june_picts0001.jpg

Here is a close up of the up left corner (wood side piece not in place) with the masks fully open:

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/screen0007.jpg

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/screen0007.jpg

The whole system (without its wooden sides) with the screen fully visible: http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/screen0009.jpg

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/507/screen0009.jpg

I have some more notes about it, here: http://gallery.avsforum.com/showgall...00/ppuser/5247 (http://gallery.avsforum.com/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/5247)

Just in case it's not clear:

This is sized for a 82inch diag 16x9 stewart wall mounted screen. Probably fit any other brand of 82 diag screen.

I'm looking for a new home for this masking system, and I'm not looking for money for it.

However, I won't ship it (the packaging is poor, the cost would be high, and I'd guess there is a 50/50 chance the recipient would get it and decide it's not worth the $85 they paid to ship it). If the local recipient decides they like it, and want to offer me a small piece of gear they aren't using as a thank you, I won't object. If they don't like it and want to trash it, so be it.

The situation is this:

I was cleaning out my storage unit.
I put this in the "dispose of" pile since it has gone unused for a couple years.
I then thought -- that's going to be a hassle to get rid of AND someone might actually want it. 10 years ago, I would have driven 100 miles for a freebie like this.

It takes some DIY skills to hang it and get the pieces working together, so instead of thinking of it as a "turnkey" solution, think of it rather as a kit, with all the basic pieces you need.

Nathan, what are you using on the top/bottom masks to counterbalance the weight of the masking rod? Is there something that goes inside the roller? I'm working on a motorized 4 way system like ScottJ0007's in the DIY constant height area. I was thinking about using lead counterweights attached to the cable. What you have looks a lot cleaner.

Honestly, it has been boxed up for 3+ years. I installed it in 2005. Took it down when moving rooms in 2006. Been in storage, since.

I don't recall exactly how it all fit together. I do recall that one of the semi-automated or retractable/tensioned pieces I had to un-tension and roll/unroll manually, but I don't remember whether that was the 2.35 masking or the 1.33 masking.

This is now sitting a box in my side yard. Luckily this is Cali, in the summer, and there is a concrete slab under it. But by the time of the first rain, if it hasn't found a home, this will join the landfill.