Hello guys, I am currently redoing some of my dedicated home theater room.
This is what it looks like now after finish some of the paint job.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/MohaimenK/Theater001-1.jpg

OK. Now about the room: (HT part)

It's 10 ft wide by 22 ft long. It is 7ft tall.

I have a 92" screen right now, which I paid $1g for 2 years ago (Screen Innovation). I love the screen but I want to go larger. Somewhere between 110"-120". By that, I'd have to remove the "entertainment center" and build a frame and that way I will be able to put my equipments there w/out any problem.

To do this, I want to make the screen a DIY as I don't really want to spend anoter grand buying a large screen. I read people making AT SMX screens for $150 range. Where do I get tha screen materials for this? As far as the frame and everything, I have equipment for that, just need the screen materials because the screen will take so much space, I will have have to put the speakers behind the screen. Screen will be 16:9 not 2.35:1 :-(

You can't get just the SMX material anymore.

You can similar stuff from seymourav.com though... Sheerweave 4500.

Why not 2.37:1 with an AR lens? You can probably get started with HTB's AR lens for around $500 or $600, just a thought (assuming your projector can do vertical stretching).

As far as SeymourAV's material, its almost identical to SMX's and thats what I plan on buying next month. Pricing for 10 foot wide AT screen fabric will be probably twice the amount you have in mind (closer to $300-$400), especially if you wanna go for a 15 degree cut to avoid "moire" effect.


Hope this helps.

-sam

Thank you guys! This is what I think I might do. I wanted a 120" screen at 16:9. From projectorcentra.com it says I'd need 105" wide by 59" tall. BUT if I go 110" then I'd only need 96 by 54. Ok, their 98" sells for $27 lf. That way I could get the 98 at 5 ft and comes to around $135 opposed to $162 for the 120" screen. Well, not much of a difference really.

I am not sure what "moire" effect is and how much problem it would cause while watching a movie. But, if I need it at 15 degree cut, instead of spending the money doing that, what if I ended up tilting the fabric 15 degree since I'll have more than enough cloth (if I get the 63" by 108").

Will that work?

Oh, and I dont' have the money for the lens. As for projector, I have Mitsubishi HC3000U.

Sorry to bug you guys but will this work???
If so, then DAMN! I'm getting them TONIGHT! :D

http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=113044&t=2182

What is your distance eyeballs to screen? Have you calculated the viewing/size ratios?

I believe right now eyeball distance is around 15'. Will be able to move it back to 17' if needed. Is that good enough distance?

At that screen size, it says seating distance should be between 12'-19'....so I think I am in a very safe zone for 120".

Distance/screen width

180"/105" = 1.71

That seems a bit high, but it boils down to personal preference.

This chart is based on 2.39 screens, but you get the point.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb308/mdrueen/allscope.jpg

Cathan, I maybe mistaken on what you're asking. I mean, I don't really have technical ideas of throw distance ratio and all that, but from the website, it says 1.7-2.05 ratio? Again, I have no idea what that means. I will try using a white sheet or just use the black wall and see what it looks like w/ a 120" screen size. If looks too big, I will cut it down to 110". Still 18" larger than what I have right now. Will show some pics when I do this today.

Alternatively, move the seat closer. The big screen experience can be had with a small sized screen, just sit closer. Your eyeball don't know the difference.

That material on the link you provided is the same material provided by SeymourAV. This is the first time I've seen it available otherwise by the yard. The shipping seems to be extremely reasonable also, go for it.

Thanks Oman. Yeah, I just looked it by the original name of the fabric rather than by Semour's name. It definetly is good price if you ask me.

Oman,
How much roll do you think you would need for an 11' wide 2.37 screen to do a 15 degree angle cut? My JVC HD100 shouldnt be affected by the "moire" effect, but I wanna future proof my screen, since I will have it for years to come. The good thing about Seymour is that he can do the 15 degree cut for you (one less thing I have to worry about), but his price is almost twice as much as this website. I will call Chris (SeymourAV) to see how competetive he can be.

OK so this is what is looks like at 110"

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/MohaimenK/ScreenSize011.jpg

How much roll do you think you would need for an 11' wide 2.37 screen to do a 15 degree angle cut?

Turning the cloth 15 degrees and cutting a 132" x 55.7" rectangular 2.37 screen out of it requires the cloth to be 142 inches wide and 88 inches tall, plus however much material it takes to wrap it around your frame and staple it to the back/sides.

Width = (132" * COS(15 degrees)) + (132"/2.37 * SIN(15 degrees)) = 141.92"
Height = (132"/2.37 * COS(15 degrees)) + (132" * SIN(15 degrees)) = 87.97"

If you go with the 98" material I believe you should be fine with 4 yards to do the tilt. Please not that a 2:35 screen at 11' wide <-----> width wise will result in a much larger screen measured diagonally. That would be about a 142-144" screen. If your looking for a 120" screen diagonal you would need the the screen to be 110" or 9.16' wide <--->.

Edit just noticed it was damnsam77 asking about the 11' wide screen not mohaimenK, my bad.

mohaimenK show us what the 120 would look like, at the distance your at I think you will be fine.

Took long to post, good stuff there Sands. Actually Sands I'm confused, I'm trying to use it for my future screen and cant get the same result. I'm going with the 110" wide screen or 119.5 diagonal.

I guess I'm misunderstanding what COS and SIN means???

COS = Cosine
SIN = Sine

Those two formulas I used do not require the diagonal measurement. All you need is the width (110" for you) and the aspect ratio.

You're not using an Excel spreadsheet to calculate it, are you? Excel calculates COS and SIN using radians. You would need to convert degrees to radians using the radians() function.

No, was just trying calculate it out on a calculator following the formula but I may be misreading something. Must need a scientific calculator?

Sorry to bug you guys but will this work???
If so, then DAMN! I'm getting them TONIGHT! :D

http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=113044&t=2182

Wow! What a link... very nice find.

Maybe the notation is not clear in the text. Divide the width by the aspect ratio, and then multiply that result by the SIN/COS function. The SIN/COS is not in the denominator.

I'm going to hold off on this for a little while right now as there are something I need to think about. I will have to build more things in order to store my equipment. As you can see on the first pic, my "entertainment center" is 24" high. With 7' ceiling, doesn't give me enough room for a 16:9 screen. I definetly won't be able to go 120" at the moment. Though that is what I am shooting for. Although that was my original plan but rethinking it. So what I'll do is just hold off on it right now, think about it and figure everything out....But hopefully that link will help some people find the fabric for cheaper price.

Sorry to be making this difficult but it's been a while since I did this kind of math.

From a google search I'm getting that sin(15) is 0.65028784 and cos(15) is -0.759687913. Is this correct, I still don't get the results above using those values. Break it down for me if you will, please.

You could always go 2:35 MohaimenK. Also you could construct a false wall and put your equipment to the right facing to the open area on the right side of your screen in a small rack/shelf setup.

You could always go 2:35 MohaimenK. Also you could construct a false wall and put your equipment to the right facing to the open area on the right side of your screen in a small rack/shelf setup.

Yeah, eventually what I wanna do. But gonna hold off on it anyway because all things add up...which sux! Beside, I'm going on a month long trip down in december so that's gonna cost me an arm and a leg so wife's complaining about spending more $$$....I guess I can let it be a lil bit longer. I do have a plan right now about what I wanna do.

I am going to make a falls wall but also make it a little thicker so I can put glass shelves inside and put my equipment there. Also, make a door out of black fabric which can open when needed. That should come out nice n well.

Dont' worry, this isn't the last time ur gonna see me in this forum :rolleyes:

Oman, this is what I'm talking about....It's a bit out of proportion but I drew it up in 5 mins to give you an idea....

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/MohaimenK/HTPlan.jpg

Can someone explain to me what the goodness of this fabric is? Just have not heard of it before.. thanks!

Well, if I'm correct, it's because this material was tested among many others that gave both good picture and was able to pass acoustics through the creen. That way people could go w/ larger screen size and not have to worry about putting their speaker too low which causes problem for larger theaters because the 2nd and 3 (4th and so on) rows do not get the same effects due to height. So with this material, you are able to get good PQ and also at the same time, install the speakers right behind thhe screen and able to have it at that height you need.

Also, then again, I maybe TOTALLY wrong here. But that's what makes sense to me. :D

MK your concept looks good, good luck with it.

Staffy, MK pretty put in a nutshell for you. It allows users of the fabric to put speakers behind the fabric/picture and allows for sound to come off the screen as it does in movie theaters. This the same material which SeymourAV.com uses to make drop screens and what SMXscreen.com started off with to make his personal screen but then made his own version of the sheerweave with the manufacturer.

Can someone explain to me what the goodness of this fabric is? Just have not heard of it before.. thanks!

Staffy,

MohaimenK and oman321 gave you a good short version, for a more indepth and detailed version just go to seymourav's website they have it explained in full detail there.

This site that MohaimenK posted a link to is amazing, it really is the first site that I have seen online with retail pricing by the yard and for a bolt. When I bought my material last year around this time it was a complete circus calling around to local window shade companies finding someone who would sell me just the material. If you do a foot by foot cost comparison with what these people will sell it to you versus other's it is quite amazing to see the mark up on this product because if they can sell it at this price point they must still be turning a profit on it!

Sorry to be making this difficult but it's been a while since I did this kind of math.

From a google search I'm getting that sin(15) is 0.65028784 and cos(15) is -0.759687913. Is this correct, I still don't get the results above using those values. Break it down for me if you will, please.

There are 2 ways to think of a circle. The first way, and most common way, is by degrees, whereas a circle goes around for 360 degrees. as such, half of a circle is 180 degrees, a quarter of a circle is 90 degrees, and a little slice of pie is 15 degrees, or what we are talking about here.
The second way is by radians, in which a circle goes around 2*Pi radians, where Pi is approximated by 3.14..... In other words, a circle goes around 6.28 radians.
6.28 radians=360 degrees
Therefore, 15 radians =860 degrees, which is equivalent to 140 degrees (if you subtract 360 twice...)

So while calculating the sine or cosine of a number, which is a trigonometric function that relates angles to distances, you must ensure you are using the correct formula for whether you are using degrees or radians. This is usually done by changing the mode on your calculator from to either DEG or RAD.

So, while sin of 15 radians is 0.65028, sine of 15 degrees is 0.2588.
cos of 15 degrees is 0.9659

hope this helps

So while calculating the sine or cosine of a number, which is a trigonometric function that relates angles to distances, you must ensure you are using the correct formula for whether you are using degrees or radians. This is usually done by changing the mode on your calculator from to either DEG or RAD.

Thank you, Steve. I hadn't had a chance to clarify the trig functions for Oman until just now.

This is a "problem" with Microsoft Excel, too, for anyone who is calculating these things with a spreadsheet (I do). For calculating trig functions in Excel using degrees, you need to convert degrees to radians, so you would type

=SIN(RADIANS(15))

to get the sine function of 15 degrees.

Thanks for clarifying that up guys, it adds up now. It would be great to make this, or open a new thread as a sticky to help others figure out how much material they will need for a 15 degree cut. Very cool... thanks again.

Guys,
Are we 100% sure this is the exact same material that SeymourAV uses for their Center Stage fabric? I find it hard to believe that Seymour website is charging nearly twice as much as this other website.

Do we know for sure that AVSeymour's Center Stage material is the same as "Phifer SheerWeave 4500 - Chalk" ? Can someone verify to be sure?

-Sam

Sorry to bug you guys but will this work???
If so, then DAMN! I'm getting them TONIGHT! :D

http://www.interiormall.com/cat/nsample.asp?ID=113044&t=2182

That material on the link you provided is the same material provided by SeymourAV. This is the first time I've seen it available otherwise by the yard. The shipping seems to be extremely reasonable also, go for it.

Thanks Oman. Yeah, I just looked it by the original name of the fabric rather than by Semour's name. It definetly is good price if you ask me.

I know it's hard to believe but that's what it is. It was previously reffered to as Phifer 4500 now centerstage. It has been commented about by several in the DIY screen section of the forum, that's the stuff...

Previously you could only buy in a 30 yard bulk roll so folks often got together on a group buy. I imigane that it is costly for SeymourAV to simply cut and sell fabric so thus the natural markup, but a great resource to get the material otherwise. Now of course you have a great alternative. Your good, trust me...:rolleyes:;)

I had jumped and bought material last year, If I had waited I could have gotten it for a lot less. My fear was that SeymourAV might also stop selling it individually.

Thanks Oman!!

i was trying to determine how much fabric to buy, and i came up with a much simpler solution for everyone trying to figure out how much fabric to fit a 15 degree cut on. here is the equation:

Screen Height / 3.732 + Screen Width = Total Width Necessary
Screen Width / 3.732 + Screen Height = Total Height Necessary

ie: if you want a 85x48 screen (98" diag)
48/3.732 + 85 = 97.86
85/3.732 + 48 = 70.78

Which means that if I got 2 yards (72") of 98" wide fabric I could successfully fit a 98" screen at the 15 degree cut.

Hope this helps! I think this should work for any dimension screen BTW. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong :)



Thank you, Steve. I hadn't had a chance to clarify the trig functions for Oman until just now.

This is a "problem" with Microsoft Excel, too, for anyone who is calculating these things with a spreadsheet (I do). For calculating trig functions in Excel using degrees, you need to convert degrees to radians, so you would type

=SIN(RADIANS(15))

to get the sine function of 15 degrees.

i was trying to determine how much fabric to buy, and i came up with a much simpler solution for everyone trying to figure out how much fabric to fit a 15 degree cut on. here is the equation:

Screen Height / 3.732 + Screen Width = Total Width Necessary
Screen Width / 3.732 + Screen Height = Total Height Necessary

ie: if you want a 85x48 screen (98" diag)
48/3.732 + 85 = 97.86
85/3.732 + 48 = 70.78

Which means that if I got 2 yards (72") of 98" wide fabric I could successfully fit a 98" screen at the 15 degree cut.

Hope this helps! I think this should work for any dimension screen BTW. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong :)

I understand where you came up with 3.732 (cos15 / sin15), but I can't figure out how it works geometrically. If you used the same principal and tried to figure out the fabric necessary with a 45 degree cut, then cos45 / sin45 =1 and your equation becomes:
Total Length = Screen Width + Screen Height
and
Total Width = Screen Width + Screen Height

This results in much more fabric needed than the formula provided by Brian (Sands_at_Pier147), which is a formula that I can verify using trigonometry. His formula was:

Total Length = (Screen Width * (cos 15)) + ((Screen Width / Aspect Ratio) * (sin 15))
and
Total Width = ((Screen Width / Aspect Ratio) * (cos 15) + (Screen Width * (sin 15))

Since the Screen Width/Aspect Ratio is the Screen Height, then the formula can also be written as:

Total Length = (Screen Width * (cos 15)) + (Screen Height * (sin 15))
and
Total Width = (Screen Height * (cos 15) + (Screen Width * (sin 15))

It's late on Friday and I've had some liquid refreshments, so I may not be right either, and someone else can feel free to chime in.:D

i was trying to determine how much fabric to buy, and i came up with a much simpler solution for everyone trying to figure out how much fabric to fit a 15 degree cut on. here is the equation:

Screen Height / 3.732 + Screen Width = Total Width Necessary
Screen Width / 3.732 + Screen Height = Total Height Necessary

ie: if you want a 85x48 screen (98" diag)
48/3.732 + 85 = 97.86
85/3.732 + 48 = 70.78

Which means that if I got 2 yards (72") of 98" wide fabric I could successfully fit a 98" screen at the 15 degree cut.

Hope this helps! I think this should work for any dimension screen BTW. Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong :)

Your formula provides an approximation, but not a mathematically correct solution.

The correct answers to your width/height would be 94.5 inches wide by 68.4 inches tall, so you are correct that you could fit your screen, but perhaps only by accident.

has anyone received and/or tried the fabric from the interiormall.com store? Any comments?

I guess the Dazian Celtic Cloth screen material is old news now. I used it for my 2.35 screen. I ended up with a 42" x 108" screen. It can be had in 61" and 122" widths for $8 and $15/yd respectively. I think it looks fantastic for $30...

I figure I can reuse the frame with more expensive material later if I decide there is something better out there.

Judson