Still playing with the curtain a little, but here's what the ticket window looks like at the moment:

http://images19.fotki.com/v315/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1740-1-vi.jpg

Slightly larger image:
http://images19.fotki.com/v315/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1740-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud - that looks awesome! I immeadiately thought about taking a picture of the inside of a real ticket booth at the movies and blowing that up big to poster size then mounting that behind the curtains. You could part the curtains a bit to reveal the "inside" of the ticket booth and give it a little more "realism"...

Wolf/Ritz here in town can blow up a picture that size for around $20 or so and most can do it while you wait....


Just a thought -

Kevin

Still playing with the curtains a little, but he's what the ticket window looks like at the moment:
http://images19.fotki.com/v315/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1740-1-vi.jpg

Slightly larger image:
http://images19.fotki.com/v315/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_1740-vi.jpg

Bud

Bud, that turned out awesome, as has everything else you've done with your theater. The only downside is that I cannot let my wife see that, or I'll be duplicating your effort. :D

Great work, as usual.

Joseph

Bud - that looks awesome! I immeadiately thought about taking a picture of the inside of a real ticket booth at the movies and blowing that up big to poster size then mounting that behind the curtains. You could part the curtains a bit to reveal the "inside" of the ticket booth and give it a little more "realism"...

Wolf/Ritz here in town can blow up a picture that size for around $20 or so and most can do it while you wait....


Just a thought -

Kevin

Kevin,

Thanks!

If I could find an old movie theater, that would be something to consider. The ones I've been to lately have the ticket booth up front separate from everything else, so there is nto much of a background. May a shot of the ticket lobby with the concession area, all the lights, etc.

As of now I have only one curtain, but could be easily converted obviously.

Bud

Bud, that turned out awesome, as has everything else you've done with your theater. The only downside is that I cannot let my wife see that, or I'll be duplicating your effort. :D

Great work, as usual.

Joseph

Joseph,

Thanks! It adds just some extra to the experience and wasn't hard to make. I need to start my light boxes soon.

Bud

The last picture in your album is my favorite by far! Michigan over Wisconsin!
You from MI Bud?

Monk

Joseph,

Thanks! It adds just some extra to the experience and wasn't hard to make. I need to start my light boxes soon.

Bud

I agree. Unfoturnately, my wife saw it, and now it's added to my list of Honey Do's. :eek:

Joseph

The last picture in your album is my favorite by far! Michigan over Wisconsin!
You from MI Bud?

Monk

No, from CT actually, just happened to flip to that channel when I was taking pictures!

Bud

I agree. Unfoturnately, my wife saw it, and now it's added to my list of Honey Do's. :eek:

Joseph

That was quick! Let me know if you have any questions!

Bud

Bud,

Congrats on just an outstanding project. Looks awesome. Of course, I have a few quesitons:

1) Your original HT plans showed a 7.1 system. If that's what happened, where did you put the rear surrounds? In the ceiling, column, etc.

2) What's the depth dimension for the granite bar top?

3) What's the depth dimension for the lower level where the sink is?

Err - Just found your bar plans on fotki. Looks like the granite depth is 24"

Thanks a lot of the help.

Ed

Bud,

Congrats on just an outstanding project. Looks awesome. Of course, I have a few quesitons:

1) Your original HT plans showed a 7.1 system. If that's what happened, where did you put the rear surrounds? In the ceiling, column, etc.

2) What's the depth dimension for the granite bar top?

3) What's the depth dimension for the lower level where the sink is?

Thanks a lot of the help.

Ed

Hey Ed, thanks. Buried somewhere in the thread is information on the Sonance in-ceilings speakers I used. I actually put them in the soffit for both the sides and the rear. Since I'm limited on space I decided on no columns and didn't want speakers on the walls hanging around. Just a personal preference. I would have actually loved to put columns in, but am happy with the result.

The bar top is 17 inches. The depth for the base cabinets is about 26 I believe, with the overhang. I'll double check next time I'm down there.

Bud

Hey Ed, thanks. Buried somewhere in the thread is information on the Sonance in-ceilings speakers I used. I actually put them in the soffit for both the sides and the rear. Since I'm limited on space I decided on no columns and didn't want speakers on the walls hanging around. Just a personal preference. I would have actually loved to put columns in, but am happy with the result.

The bar top is 17 inches. The depth for the base cabinets is about 26 I believe, with the overhang. I'll double check next time I'm down there.

Bud

Bud thanks for the info.

WRT the speakers, I think I have room for columns on the side, but on in the back. Do you think I could do in wall rears, but in column sides? Should work right?

I'll be posting my design very soon for comments. Just working through it still.

Thanks again.

Ed

Ed,

Probably somewhat of a compromise depending on your speaker selection, but doable. You're looking at a front set that's different from the sides, that are different from the rears. You'll want to timbre match them as best as possible. Others will chime in here I'm sure. You should start a thread and post your design, there are a lot of people A) with the same sort of questions, B) a lot of people with different opinions and C) some pretty good advice from talented and brilliant people here.

Bud

Bud,
What size is your entry door? I would like to go with a 2'8" door to make my columns space out equal. I have framed for a 36" door and have my drywall extended for a 32" door at this time. My main concern is getting seats in when its finished.

Thanks,
wbart4

That was quick! Let me know if you have any questions!

Bud

Yeah, she caught me checking out the thread. Thanks for the offer. I'm sure I'll definitely have questions when I get to that point.

Bud,
What size is your entry door? I would like to go with a 2'8" door to make my columns space out equal. I have framed for a 36" door and have my drywall extended for a 32" door at this time. My main concern is getting seats in when its finished.

Thanks,
wbart4

It's a 2'8" door. The seats (at least Berkline) come in two pieces, the backs come off so they were no problem getting them in. Making some progress, huh?

Bud

Bud thanks for the info.

WRT the speakers, I think I have room for columns on the side, but on in the back. Do you think I could do in wall rears, but in column sides? Should work right?

I'll be posting my design very soon for comments. Just working through it still.

Thanks again.

Ed

Bud, thanks for the info. I will definately being posting my design here soon. Still some minor tweaks before I let the big dogs eat :)

I was busy and I missed your update on the ticket window. It's stunning. When your done with the curtain, please update us asap.

p.s. Images load much smoother now. Thanks again.

Thanks Steve, will do. It's been back burnered for now though. Glad the pics are working better for you.

Bud

Waiting on confirmation from Ben, but he and Jason have been invited over on Sunday, Oct 22nd to check out the theater and basement. Going to do burgers and beers. Anyone in metro Atlanta is welcome to come by. I expect we'll be doing a little demoing, watching some NFL and/or a MLB playoff game. Figure 2:00 PM. PM me in you plan on attending and I'll send you directions.

Bud

Bud,

I have been watching your thread for awhile....sounds like you are complete if you are doing demo's now....can you post some pics of your finished work?

Great job.

Kezug,

Never really done. That's how it works with this hobby. Light boxes are next on the list (yes, I have said that before, but that's my intent). Anything in particular you're looking for? I did post a link to this HT album about a week ago.

http://public.fotki.com/bketterl/early_construction/blazing_ridge_cinema-1/theater_shots/

Bud

WOW....The whole thing turned out nice. It has been a while since i stopped by!. I am in the process of moving from Cartersville to Black Acre trail. Hope to come by one day! Congrads! Mike

Thanks Mike. Anytime you want to come by, just let me know.

Bud

I have been lurking on your thread and WOW....I hope I have the skill set to produce a Beautiful HT room such as yours. Congratulations and have many hours years of enjoyment as my buildout will not be about 6 years from now :(

gondey99,

Thank you. I think in about 6 years I'll probably have that last 5% remaining done, so we're even! :p

Bud

Just got off the phone with Harmony tech support. My remote was dead last night. I received a message the other day stating that it was low on battery even though the remote sits in the cradle for 22 hours a day. After talking to them, the guys said there was an issue with some cradles and that the remote doesn't get charged. I got an incident number and need to call back in about 10 minutes when they open and speak to level 2. I've lost some commands over time, not sure if it was related or not. I don't think I've ever scene the battery indicator on the remote show 'full' either. I'll post after I speak to level 2.

May be some incentive to consider other options, although I've gotten used to this remote, I like it and for the most part works as expected. Stay tuned.

Bud

Waiting on confirmation from Ben, but he and Jason have been invited over on Sunday, Oct 22nd to check out the theater and basement. Going to do burgers and beers. Anyone in metro Atlanta is welcome to come by. I expect we'll be doing a little demoing, watching some NFL and/or a MLB playoff game. Figure 2:00 PM. PM me in you plan on attending and I'll send you directions.

Bud

Guys, going to have to postpone this. I'll reschedule soon.

Bud

Based on the information and PID on the back of the remote/charger, I have a bad charger. So they'll ship a new one and we'll see what happens.

Bud

Hopefully you won't have any problems. I've been thoroughly happy with my Harmony and the first one I had the backlight went out and customer service sent me a new one right away. No problems since.

Mike

Mike,

Yeah, I've got my fingers crossed. It was still worth the price at the time, even if I use it elsewhere. Hopefully thats not the case.

Bud

Bud - what is the ETA of the light boxes? Maybe we should head down to Chris's shop and build some prototype's and start selling them on this forum?

I was hoping to start soon, I wanted to have at least the posters in hand in order to firm up my design. Frankly, I'm waiting on a decision from the wife before I ordered them, good incentive for me to follow up and get a decision made. I'd like to take a stab at starting in the next week or two.

Bud

Hey Bud,

Just curious since I was reading your post from the beginning, but how much difference did you notice on the temperature in your basement once you got the insulation up? Mine is virtually the same as yours with an open back wall but with 3 walls against the soil and I don't have any insulation up yet nor any ductwork run yet so I was wondering.

John

Hey John,

Hard to say actually. The only insulation I added was on interior walls that separate room from the other rooms. I also did the soffits/ceilng obviously too. The outer walls, including the concrete walls were insulated by the builder. The basement during the winter never really got below 60 with no heat on. The room does get warmer during use obviously and having one or two returns helps with that. I have one now and to me it does get a little warm, even with the inline fans and the venting of the equipment closet. I'm OK with it for now and if need be, I have a return in the adjacent storage room that I have access to if I want to extend it into the HT room if need be. At this point, I'm OK though.

Bud

I am planning on 1 return in the room and 1 supply. The AV closet is outside the room so that will not be a factor other than the PJ. Any, well done so far and keep up the good work. I am spending some time today planning out the screen wall so I can work in the basement this weekend.

John

I am planning on 1 return in the room and 1 supply. The AV closet is outside the room so that will not be a factor other than the PJ. Anyway, well done so far and keep up the good work. I am spending some time today planning out the screen wall so I can work in the basement this weekend.

John

John,

Mine is in the other room as well, although I tend to leave the door open between the concession area and the HT room. The projector will give off some considerable heat as well though. It helps to turn the HVAC fan on during use, it keeps the air circulating versus waiting for it to heat up and letting the AC kick in. Know what projector you're going with?

Bud

Yep. Got myself a nice new PLV-Z4 that I could not be happier with. I picked it up about 3 months ago for less than $1600 and got myself a spare bulb and Draper Luma 96" pull down screen included in the price. Not too shabby a deal if you ask me. I have used it a lot already (and it has not interfered with contstruction yet LOL) for showing outdoor movies. I threw together a 10' x 14' PVC/painters tarp screen and have had a couple movies a month for the last 3 months. I have been running the lamp in creative cinema mode and it never gets very hot in that low a lamp setting. The image is a bit dark but on a beige painters tarp you can't expect miracles.

Bud,

How are folks like you ataching your soffits, screws or nails, to the floor joists above?

John

John, I used nails. I have a framing nailer, so it was a no brainer. I made sections, lifted them up and shot nails in the joist above. Where there was no joint (parallel), I installed cross pieces. On the horizontal pieces, I shot them into the studs on the walls and then attached together using nails as well. There are a lot of different ways to do it. I could have used screws, but it would have taken more time and the nails hold fine. I could hang from them, no problem at all there.

Here's a shot of a corner than I had, I think this was in the bar area. Gives you an idea of how I attached it in different directions.

http://images14.fotki.com/v192/photos/6/649633/2312531/DCP_1901-vi.jpg

Sounds like a great deal on the Z4 and screen combo!

Bud

John, I used nails. I have a framing nailer, so it was a no brainer. I made sections, lifted them up and shot nails in the joist above. Where there was no joint (parallel), I installed cross pieces. On the horizontal pieces, I shot them into the studs on the walls and then attached together using nails as well. There are a lot of different ways to do it. I could have used screws, but it would have taken more time and the nails hold fine. I could hang from them, no problem at all there.

Here's a shot of a corner than I had, I think this was in the bar area. Gives you an idea of how I attached it in different directions.

http://images14.fotki.com/v192/photos/6/649633/2312531/DCP_1901-vi.jpg

Sounds like a great deal on the Z4 and screen combo!

Bud

Hey Bud, so are you ever going to post the pictures of the completed theater? It's been 3 or 4 months now and we are still talking about the bar area.

I don't mean to sound too pushy, its just that I have been following your thread with great anticipation since I started mine and I feel like I am getting blue balls here.

Did you post them already and I missed them?

Ruben

LOL I thought you only got thse after a big letdown. IF the theater is causing that then we need to get you checked out LOL

Kezug,

Never really done. That's how it works with this hobby. Light boxes are next on the list (yes, I have said that before, but that's my intent). Anything in particular you're looking for? I did post a link to this HT album about a week ago.

http://public.fotki.com/bketterl/early_construction/blazing_ridge_cinema-1/theater_shots/

Bud

Ruben,

Ah, yeah, think you missed them... twice. Here's the second post, just a few posts above yours!

Bud

Bud,

I see you have an XBOX360 attached to your HT. Isn't your equipment in another room? If so, any problems with the wireless controllers?

Ed

Bud,

I see you have an XBOX360 attached to your HT. Isn't your equipment in another room? If so, any problems with the wireless controllers?

Ed

Ed,

Correct, the equipment is in the next room, but the 360 wireless controllers are 802.11b, so they have pretty good range, probably 30+ feet. I haven't had any issue with them at all, they work great.

Bud

Ruben,

Ah, yeah, think you missed them... twice. Here's the second post, just a few posts above yours!

Bud

Thanks Bud, I am glad I can finally get some rest at night now :D

Awesome turnout! Are you using any surround speakers in there or are they hidden behind the panels?

Ruben

Ruben,

Thanks. Still tweaking. Would like to add a star ceiling at some point, htpc and a few other things, but that'll be next years project.

I used in-ceiling surrounds in the soffits. Due to limitations if the width of the room, it wasn't advantageous to use columns. Would have liked to, but it just won't have worked with 12 feet of width. Because of where the door was and where the windows were, it made it difficult to even do in-walls for surrounds, so I went went in ceilings. Specifically, I used Sonance Symphony S622TRs since they were recommended by Ascend for matching purposes. Ascend don't do in-ceilings or in-walls.

They lay out like this:
http://images11.fotki.com/v210/photos/6/649633/2311872/surrounds-vi.jpg

I was going to build panels for access, but decided to just GOM over them. I figured if I needed to get to them, I'll just build the panels later. So far so good.

Bud

Ruben,

Thanks. Still tweaking. Would like to add a star ceiling at some point, htpc and a few other things, but that'll be next years project.

I used in-ceiling surrounds in the soffits. Due to limitations if the width of the room, it wasn't advantageous to use columns. Would have liked to, but it just won't have worked with 12 feet of width. Because of where the door was and where the windows were, it made it difficult to even do in-walls for surrounds, so I went went in ceilings. Specifically, I used Sonance Symphony S622TRs since they were recommended by Ascend for matching purposes. Ascend don't do in-ceilings or in-walls.

They lay out like this:
http://images11.fotki.com/v210/photos/6/649633/2311872/surrounds-vi.jpg

I was going to build panels for access, but decided to just GOM over them. I figured if I needed to get to them, I'll just build the panels later. So far so good.

Bud

Bud,

I'm in a similar situation with my surrounds. I'm worried about doing in-wall/ceiling. I know you didn't have much of a choice (and neither do I), but how do you like the result?

Also, where'd you buy the Sonances?

Ed

Ed, overall, I'm very happy with the sound. I think it turned out pretty well. Not ideal, but you have to play the cards you were dealt. I bought the S622TRs from ABTElectronic, but at the time, only a few places online carried them. If you google the model, you'll find more online stores have them and they're pretty cheap now.

Bud

Bud, I bet this is in your thread somewhere, but I've searched several times with no luck. Can you tell me the dimensions of your bar? I'd be interested to know how long it is from the back corner out to the outer edge of the bar top and again from the wall with the cabinet uppers to the outer edge of the bar top. How many square feet of granite did this end up being? Your bar (along with everything else you've done) has really been impressive to watch and has turned out beautifully.

I've been slowly but surely planning my basement finish and home theater and my wife and I have been torn about how wide to make our theater to accommodate our bar space. In short, your design may fit our space well and allow us to move things around a bit to get the theater from 13' to 16' wide. We're space constrained to a 19' length though, but the extra width seems worth the effort. Anyway, just a little explanation for the questions. Thanks!

-Ryan

Ryan,

Thanks. I like it as well. Here's the design I did with Hom e Depot to figure out all the cabinets/dimensions for the knee wall for the bar. It's buried a few times in the thread and in another thread for bars as well. Hope it helps you. The granite is about 17 inches wide, with about 9 inches of overhang, so you can add that to the dimensions from the corner. I didn't get an exact footage, since it was both the bar and the concession area done at the same time. He just gave me a price for both and I went with it.

http://images12.fotki.com/v252/photos/6/649633/2311872/bar1-vi.jpg

Let me know if I can answer any more questions.

Bud

Bud,

Wow, thanks for the quick response! That's exactly what I was looking for. No worries about the square footage, I was just curious and can do the math for my space as I get there. This will be very helpful to get a good feel for the space I have. Hopefully I'll be ready to post plans soon - I'll wait until I've worked through the city here to get everything online. Thanks again,

-Ryan

Ryan,

No problem. I happened to check the forum right after you posted and knew where the diagram was. Good luck with it.

Bud

Ed, overall, I'm very happy with the sound. I think it turned out pretty well. Not ideal, but you have to play the cards you were dealt. I bought the S622TRs from ABTElectronic, but at the time, only a few places online carried them. If you google the model, you'll find more online stores have them and they're pretty cheap now.

Bud

Bud,

I'm seeing Sonance all over on the web. Thanks for the leads.

Did you use acoustic enclosures for your surrounds? Or did you just install them in the soffit? Over in the speakers forum they're recommending enclosures for any in-wall/ceiling speakers.

Thanks,

Ed

Ed,

No problem. Looked into the enclosures and priced it, but decided not to based on my install. I just didn't have the room in the soffits with HVAC, wiring, conduit and plumbing. Again, I'm happy with the result though. You can either build or buy the enclosures and if you have the room, than I'd definitely consider it.

Bud

Yesterday I finished the front of the projector box off. I waited so long because I wasn't sure how to do attach the front panel on. I figured I'd try the magnets, but the box sort of evolved as I built it and I could have planned better. The concern was the surface area where the magnets we installed and the corresponding side on the panel itself. I ended up buying a piece of sheet metal, cutting some 1 inch strips and screwing them to the panel itself. I could have used magnets on both sides (box and panel) it I planned things out better, but the sheet metal worked. Overall, the box looks pretty good, I'm happy how it turned out, considering how it evolved.

http://images19.fotki.com/v26/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_1743-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v31/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_1744-vi.jpg
http://images19.fotki.com/v26/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_1745-vi.jpg
http://images19.fotki.com/v353/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_1746-vi.jpg

And this is all you see during normal movie lighting.
http://images16.fotki.com/v31/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_1748-vi.jpg

Bud

That projector box is Very nice. What are you doing to compensate for the heat coming out of the projector? I guess maybe it isnt as much as I though, but it looks as if there is not a way to vent the heat out of the box during a movie? Did you install a fan in the rear of the box?

No matter, very nice work. BTW, I took your general ticket window design, I hope you dont mind. Should be done with it in a few weeks.

Great theater

brivnov,

Thanks! If you look you can see the blue box in 4th picture. That's an attic temperature switch. When it hits the right temperature, it turns on an inline duct fan that is in my workshop and draws the heat through a 4" duct. Although you can't tell from those pictures, in the front of the box is a register connected to the 4" duct. The back of the box is also vented to allow air to be drawn into the box. The AE900 vents from the front.

This older photo will give you a better view of whats under the covers:
http://images15.fotki.com/v235/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_0965-vi.jpg

No problem on the ticket window design. Steal away. If you haven't seen the progress photos, here they are. No plans really though.

http://public.fotki.com/bketterl/early_construction/blazing_ridge_cinema-1/ticket_window_and/

Bud

Bud, I just realized that the projector cover is on rails to slide back. That is a very cool idea and I don't recall seeing that done for anyone else's design. Very cool.

brivnov,

Thanks! If you look you can see the blue box in 4th picture. That's an attic temperature switch. When it hits the right temperature, it turns on an inline duct fan that is in my workshop and draws the heat through a 4" duct. Although you can't tell from those pictures, in the front of the box is a register connected to the 4" duct. The back of the box is also vented to allow air to be drawn into the box. The AE900 vents from the front.

This older photo will give you a better view of whats under the covers:
http://images15.fotki.com/v235/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_0965-vi.jpg

No problem on the ticket window design. Steal away. If you haven't seen the progress photos, here they area. No plans really though.

http://public.fotki.com/bketterl/early_construction/blazing_ridge_cinema-1/ticket_window_and/

Bud


I see it now. Just a wonderful design and great way to finish off the projector.

Congrats

Bud, I just realized that the projector cover is on rails to slide back. That is a very cool idea and I don't recall seeing that done for anyone else's design. Very cool.

Thanks. It's on 20" drawer rails. Way, way back in the thread it was mentioned as a post, not sure if it was by me or someone else, I'd have to go look, but thought it would be cool idea to implement. It allows me to pull down the projector if need be, get to the wiring, conduit, temp switch, etc. I just wanted to hide the projector, but make it easy to get to.

EDIT: Went back and found this post (and some discussion on a few following posts), which was a reference to a drawer like design in the soffit itself when I was going to go with the Mits 3000 by Dave (dc_pilgrim). That's what stuck in my head. Original idea and credit goes to Dave although my design ended up a little different. Thanks Dave!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6675615&&#post6675615

Bud

I see it now. Just a wonderful design and great way to finish off the projector.

Congrats

Thanks!

Bud - The Hush Box looks sweat.

You can't have much more left to do in that Basement.......unless it upgrade time :eek:

Cheers,
Mark

Don't worry about credit Bud. You did the work, and posted the pictures. That's as good as it gets to my mind. Your improvements made it a neater idea, anyways. Everything looks great, as usual.

Bud - really nice job on the hush box. Looks amazing,

Gary

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Bud

You can't have much more left to do in that Basement.......unless it upgrade time :eek:

Mark,

Not upgrading yet. Considering a HDDVD player, but no immediate plans for pulling the trigger. HTPC sometime next year as well as a star ceiling.

Light boxes will be next, then some smaller things, like some quarter round in the concession area. I'm going to do tin ceiling panels for the bar's backsplash. Just got some samples, need to make a final decision on panel and color.

There is always something to do!

Bud

So Bud, was it worth the effort?

Mark,

I'm going to do tin ceiling panels for the bar's backsplash. Just got some samples, need to make a final decision on panel and color.


Bud


Bud,

Did you really like the tin panels? Do you have any pictures of your favorite patterns?

Thanks,

So Bud, was it worth the effort?

Dave,

Absolutely. Not a huge project, just took some thought. The goal was to hide the projector but still make it easy to get to. I think I accomplished that. I just hope there is not a lot of retro work to be done if I need to change out the projector in the future. I tried to allow extra room in the box, can easily change out the mount if need be and worst case, I could pull the whole thing down, including to GOM under the soffit and redo it (hence the track system used there for that section). I could always just sell the house too!

Bud

Bud,

Did you really like the tin panels? Do you have any pictures of your favorite patterns?

Thanks,

Randy,

There are some unique colors I like. The samples are only 6x6 pieces, only part of a tile and not the whole tile. I'd lean towards a 6x6 pattern anyway versus a 12x12 or 24x24. I'll take a picture of the samples when I get home.

Bud

Bud,

Did you really like the tin panels? Do you have any pictures of your favorite patterns?

Thanks,

Here are samples I've narrowed it down to. I haven't decided on the pattern, although I have an idea of what I want. More concerned about color at this point.

http://images16.fotki.com/v31/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1779-vi.jpg
http://images19.fotki.com/v353/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1782-vi.jpg

Its a tough call. I think I can get away with any of the four in the second picture, although the two middle ones (2nd pic) may get lost with the color of the cabinets.

Bud

I just hope there is not a lot of retro work to be done if I need to change out the projector in the future ... I could always just sell the house too!


LOL!

Buyer: "Why are you selling the house?"

Bud: "I wanted to upgrade my projector."

Buyer: "?!?"


:p

Bud,

Interesting colors and patterns. As you know, you will have to be careful not to get too busy with patterns so it doesn't conflict with that killer granite top of yours. Your wall colors are so nice it's a shame to cover them up!

I know you didn't ask for opinions, but I like your walls below the cabinets the way they are. The contrasting cabinet, granite and wall colors are awesome. Maybe a small granite splash and that's it. Or some of those nice small tin signs as an accessory. I know you don't want it to look like a kitchen.

Which ever way you decide, I'm sure it's going to look terrific!

Randy,

Thanks and I'm always open to comments. I really don't want to make it look any more kitcheny than it does. This is one of those things that will sit there a while until "it comes to me". I do like to color combination under cabinets. I just caulked it all, so I need to go back this weekend and touch up the paint so it all blends. I'm considering a few other things besides the tin. You're right though, just a few simple accents may be enough.

Bud

Bud - same here wondering if the Tin will make it too busy. Looks great as is - maybe just touch up the caulk as you mentioned or add a granite splas as Randy mentioned (although getting a granite match may be harder now).

Cheers,
Mark

Hey Mark. Thanks for chiming in!

Bud

Bud,

Since my basement is roughly the same size as yours only laid out differently, how many total electrical circuits did you run for the entire basement (outlets and lighting). I had a 100A subpanel put in but it only has 8 breaker spaces and was just curious as to how many you had.

John

John,

Not sure off the top of my head, but will double check for you when I'm back at the house. If I had to guess, I would say 10-12. I'll let you know.

Bud

I'm kinda partial to the bronzes and coppers. Of the four in the second picture, I would probably go with the distressed copper looking one, but it's mostly cause the pattern stands out so well. If you could find the far left on in the second picture in a copper, then that would be my choice. The pattern reminds me of the ceilings in the old western bars and saloons.

Bud,

I appreciate the reply. I will probably end up using half size breakers to get me 12 circuits. My local codes say no more than 12 outlets on a breaker but I want to split up a couple areas so I do not lose complete power in those areas.

Just a thought on your tins, I was at Big Blue the other day with the wife and saw some tin in the cabinetry area that was similar to what you have in the photo but has much more color variation to it and a broader range of colors (patinas) so you might want to check it out at your local store if you get the chance. I believe they were 16" square and also had the matching edge trims as well. They were adhesive attached I believe.

John

I'm kinda partial to the bronzes and coppers. Of the four in the second picture, I would probably go with the distressed copper looking one, but it's mostly cause the pattern stands out so well. If you could find the far left on in the second picture in a copper, then that would be my choice. The pattern reminds me of the ceilings in the old western bars and saloons.

I like them as well, especially the distressed one. I believe you can get any of the patterns in any of the colors.

http://www.americantinceilings.com

Bud

Bud,

I appreciate the reply. I will probably end up using half size breakers to get me 12 circuits. My local codes say no more than 12 outlets on a breaker but I want to split up a couple areas so I do not lose complete power in those areas.

Just a thought on your tins, I was at Big Blue the other day with the wife and saw some tin in the cabinetry area that was similar to what you have in the photo but has much more color variation to it and a broader range of colors (patinas) so you might want to check it out at your local store if you get the chance. I believe they were 16" square and also had the matching edge trims as well. They were adhesive attached I believe.

John

John,

I actually have 12 breakers for the basement, but I also have 28 cans. I believe my father-in-law put at least one or two circuits in just for the gameroom/bar cans alone. There are 14 just in that area. He did all the figuring/wiring to the box.

I've seen the tin in the flyers for Blue, but have not seen it in person. I'll have to try and get over there. I also think that those are installed with adhesive.

Bud

Bud,

Thanks for letting me know. I am only going to have 5 total lighting circuits and 5 power circuits.

John

Hey Bud,

Just curious, but did you have to install a sewage pump in your basement? I just found out I need to and wondered if you had any experience in the matter or could recommend a brand.

John

I actually have two for the basement. The first is for my utility sink in my workshop. That was installed by the builder. For the bathroom, the tub was preinstalled by the builder and the pump was put in by the plumber I hired when I had to rough-in work done. No idea of the brand at all, but I'll probably see him this week, he's suppose to come by for a check, so I'll ask him. The pump goes in and then gets capped, so I never even saw it.

I wouldn't install it, that's something I'd let the pros handle (and I did). It has to be properly vented, hooked up and sealed. You don't want any DIY blunders!

Bud

Bud,

I think you mean you don't want a "crappy" installation. :eek: Sorry, I could not resist.

Bob

P.S. I had a Pro do mine also. :D

Bud,

I think you mean you don't want a "crappy" installation. :eek: Sorry, I could not resist.

Bob

P.S. I had a Pro do mine also. :D

Smart man!

Bud

Bud,
finally I managed to read your complete thread - although I should do some work and not spending so much time reading avs forum ;)
You did a great jon on your HT room and bar area - very nice design, clean and exact building and sure you have an eye for details!
Especially I like your hush box design for your projector with the slide back cover - well done!

Mike,

Thanks. Hopefully not in one sitting! Some of these threads are quite long, but I guess thats good, at least its detailed enough for people to learn from or ask questions.

Bud

[QUOTE=chinadog]http://images9.fotki.com/v188/photos/6/649633/2311872/blazing25xy-vi.jpg
(Thanks Joe!)


Is this your DVD intro? Or just an image at this point?

Where can a fellow get a custom DVD intro made, similiar to what you have here ?

I know there are lots of posts, but yours is exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks,
DD

[QUOTE=chinadog]Is this your DVD intro? Or just an image at this point?

Where can a fellow get a custom DVD intro made, similiar to what you have here ?

I know there are lots of posts, but yours is exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks,
DD

DD, follow this link, it tells you how to make your own.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=715166

Bud,

Been searching your thread for the method you used to construct your proscenium 'removable' panels that cover your speakers and was unable to find. Recollect you used 1" material but not sure how they were constructed. I'm leaning toward using 2 layers of 1/2" ply cut in 1" strips, overlapping at the joints but as you made such a great job of yours was trying to locate you method.

So whats your next project - thought Id see you start an IB or Star ceiling by now :D

Cheers,
Mark

Mark,

Here is where I talk about the panels. I ripped down some 2x4s actually.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7442999&&#post7442999

I finally finished out all the stained quarter round for the bar and in the concession area. Lightboxes are next. I'm still working on decorating the gameroom, I just hung some more B&W sports photos. I also want to build some stained shelves for the bar area. I have a ton of autographed baseballs I need shelves for. I just brought down my barbers chair yesterday from the the garage with a help of the a neighbor. Today I think I'm going to clean up my traffic light and get that mounted.

I think I'll stay away from building my own subs and speakers, but the star ceiling will come in time!

Bud

Is this your DVD intro? Or just an image at this point?

Where can a fellow get a custom DVD intro made, similiar to what you have here ?

I know there are lots of posts, but yours is exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks,
DD

Chiahead is correct. Reaper did this for me a while back, but looks like someone else is now making them.

Bud

Thanks Bud - not sure how I missed that.

Cheers,
Mark

Hey Bud,

Sorry, I know this is going way back. But I'm just about to the point of installing GOM myself and I'm trying to figure some things out. In the picture below you have a seam midway along your light tray. How did you get a clean line where the two fabric pieces met? Did you use one of those insulation rulers like you did in the corners? Or something else? And were you happy with the results? Thanks.

http://home.comcast.net/~steve.johnson/100_0661-vi.jpg

http://images19.fotki.com/v353/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_1782-vi.jpg

Its a tough call. I think I can get away with any of the four in the second picture, although the two middle ones (2nd pic) may get lost with the color of the cabinets.

Bud

I like the first tile

Its been a while since I checked in on your thread bud... Stunning work as always Bud!

I just skimmed the last few hundred posts to try and catch up. I will definitely have to set aside some time over thanksgiving weekend to go back and read all the details.

Bud,

I read your entire thread and all I can say is very very nice. Thanks for offering such great insight to us do-it-yourselfers.

One question I do have now that you have had a chance to enjoy your theater is your rear ceiling speakers. Would you do it over again even if you didn't have to? I am not in quite the same situation as you are with no place to put them in the wall, but with 2 rows of seats if I put speakers in my colunms they will be aligned with the front row which will screw up the rear row. By the way I have a 5.1 system right now.

Thanks for your insight!

Hey Bud,

Sorry, I know this is going way back. But I'm just about to the point of installing GOM myself and I'm trying to figure some things out. In the picture below you have a seam midway along your light tray. How did you get a clean line where the two fabric pieces met? Did you use one of those insulation rulers like you did in the corners? Or something else? And were you happy with the results? Thanks.



I have the same problem...How do you conceal this seem??? black ribbon?

Is there any magic to wrapping your soffits with GOM or was this just done for looks? It appears no lincoustic was applied to the bottom. I really like your soffit design, but was thinking it would be considerably easier to GOM up to the soffit and drywall the soffit.

My situation is a little different than Bud's. The reason I'm putting GOM on my soffits is because the front and back soffits are bass traps that are really just framed and stuffed with acoustical cotton. They get covered with fabric to make them look nice and let the sound pass through. So then it just makes everything look consistent if I cover the side soffits (which are drywalled) with fabric as well.

By the way, Bud, where are you these days???

Sorry guys, just arrived back from Hilton Head. Was there a week. Unpacking the car now, will answer the questions tonight....

Bud

Sorry guys, just arrived back from Hilton Head. Was there a week. Unpacking the car now, will answer the questions tonight....

Bud

Welcome back Bud. :)

Hey Bud,

Sorry, I know this is going way back. But I'm just about to the point of installing GOM myself and I'm trying to figure some things out. In the picture below you have a seam midway along your light tray. How did you get a clean line where the two fabric pieces met? Did you use one of those insulation rulers like you did in the corners? Or something else? And were you happy with the results? Thanks.

Steve,

Thats exactly what I used. I couldn't find the drywall shims, those are probably a better/stiffer board to use. They worked fine, although I wish I had painted them black. You can see them in the flash pictures, but not in real life. I used some construction adhesive on them, folded the GOM over the edge and used small brad nails to secure them (remember there is wood under the drywall). Worked fine.

Bud

Its been a while since I checked in on your thread bud... Stunning work as always Bud!

I just skimmed the last few hundred posts to try and catch up. I will definitely have to set aside some time over thanksgiving weekend to go back and read all the details.

Thanks, Mike. It does take some time to get through it if you're behind, I suppose.

Bud

Bud,

I read your entire thread and all I can say is very very nice. Thanks for offering such great insight to us do-it-yourselfers.

One question I do have now that you have had a chance to enjoy your theater is your rear ceiling speakers. Would you do it over again even if you didn't have to? I am not in quite the same situation as you are with no place to put them in the wall, but with 2 rows of seats if I put speakers in my colunms they will be aligned with the front row which will screw up the rear row. By the way I have a 5.1 system right now.

Thanks for your insight!

Judsonp,

I think that if I had to do it again in the same room, yes, I'd do the in-ceiling speakers again. If I had another 2-3 feet of width, I might have done the columns, not just for sound, but for aesthetics. More of a true theater look. Give you more options for surrounds as well.

I have to admit though, I think what I have is great, regardless of the opinion of many about in-ceiling surrounds. I've very happy with how things worked out.

You'll never have a perfect setup for sides with multiple rows. There is some compromise there, you just need to do the ebst you can with what you have.

Bud

Hey Bud,

Sorry, I know this is going way back. But I'm just about to the point of installing GOM myself and I'm trying to figure some things out. In the picture below you have a seam midway along your light tray. How did you get a clean line where the two fabric pieces met? Did you use one of those insulation rulers like you did in the corners? Or something else? And were you happy with the results? Thanks.



I have the same problem...How do you conceal this seem??? black ribbon?

See my post back to Steve for the front (slanted) portion . For under the soffit, I actually used the fabricmate.com track where you can join two pieces.

Bud

Is there any magic to wrapping your soffits with GOM or was this just done for looks? It appears no lincoustic was applied to the bottom. I really like your soffit design, but was thinking it would be considerably easier to GOM up to the soffit and drywall the soffit.

My design changed midway through. I had originally intended to use linacoustic under the soffits, then after working with bpape, he recommended I not use linacoustic under the soffit. Painting is definitely easier than GOM when it comes to soffits.

Bud

Coming home from vacation yesterday, I was thinking about a poster/light box design. I had a Eureka kind of moment somewhere on route 16 between Savannah and Macon. Although, I haven't completely thought through it, I think I'm on to something. The next two weekends are shot already, so I'll be building them sometime during the Xmas vacation. Stay tuned.

Bud

Bud - time to clean out some old PM's. Your mailbox is full.

Bud - time to clean out some old PM's. Your mailbox is full.

Not any more. I just cleaned house. :p

Bud

Ordered and received my double sided movie posters this week. This is what I picked up:

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/32/MPW-16015
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/33/MPW-16662
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/33/MPW-16774

I also ordered my cleats/wall mounts to bold the boxes from Rockler, found here:
http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/34828-md.gif

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10809

Also, my neighbor called yesterday, he lost his battle for the space in his basement that he had a pool table in. The wife converted it to something else and he wanted to know if I wanted to keep his pool table until he figured out what to do with it. So, this weekend I'll get a loaner pool table for the gameroom. It's not a great table, but hey, at least I've got the space for it. Buying my own table is down the list a ways.

Bud

Bud,
I've been contemplating wether to share this idea or market it. Well here it is.
I didn't like the fact that backlit poster frames are so damned bulky. I thought about framing them into the walls, until I found a promising product. It's essentially a flat (paper thin/flexible) light bulb powered by a dimmable low voltage transformer.
I played with it when I received it and it was great. It still needs to be mounted at least a 1/4" from the poster, otherwise, it gives of salmon light, instead of white.

JPG 0632 shows the light (on) next to a magazine, transformer shown. The magazine is taller than the light by about a 1/4".

JPG 0634 The picture says it all.

I don't know the life of the "bulbs." But, this would probably be a great item to set up a power buy, especially for near poster dimensions; the small unit was around $70.

Winkelmann

Ordered and received my double sided movie posters this week. This is what I picked up:

http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/32/MPW-16015
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/33/MPW-16662
http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/33/MPW-16774

I also ordered my cleats/wall mounts to bold the boxes from Rockler, found here:
http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/34828-md.gif

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10809

Also, my neighbor called yesterday, he lost his battle for the space in his basement that he had a pool table in. The wife converted it to something else and he wanted to know if I wanted to keep his pool table until he figured out what to do with it. So, this weekend I'll get a loaner pool table for the gameroom. It's not a great table, but hey, at least I've got the space for it. Buying my own table is down the list a ways.

Bud

Bud,

Great Theater. I have been lurking watching the progress. Just an FYI. Lowes also carries the Hangman. That is what I used to hang my screen. They work great.

Bud,
I've been contemplating wether to share this idea or market it. Well here it is.
I didn't like the fact that backlit poster frames are so damned bulky. I thought about framing them into the walls, until I found a promising product. It's essentially a flat (paper thin/flexible) light bulb powered by a dimmable low voltage transformer.
I played with it when I received it and it was great. It still needs to be mounted at least a 1/4" from the poster, otherwise, it gives of salmon light, instead of white.

JPG 0632 shows the light (on) next to a magazine, transformer shown. The magazine is taller than the light by about a 1/4".

JPG 0634 The picture says it all.

I don't know the life of the "bulbs." But, this would probably be a great item to set up a power buy, especially for near poster dimensions; the small unit was around $70.

Winkelmann

Winkelmann,

Nice. I've looked into the EL tape and related stuff, but haven't purchase anything yet. I had some ideas for the bar and marquee I was considering. Does it come in 27x40 sheets and if so, how much?

I had an idea about the bulkiness of poster boxes. I was thinking that the back of the box that contained the light fixture (rope light or fluorescent) could be partially built into the wall itself. Once thats done, you basically hang a poster frame over it with no back. Takes a little planning during the construction phase, but easily doable.

What I'm planning on doing is a two piece box. Doesn't solve the bulkiness problem though. Think of board game box, like Monopoly. There are essentially two pieces, once slips over the over. The bottom of the box in this case would be mounted to the wall. It would contain the light source and the diffuser. The top of the box would be the decorative side, where the poster would be installed. I'd use some decorative trim to make it look nice or maybe eve use a pre-made poster frame and attach it. Once the poster is installed, you slip on box over the other. It should hold in place by friction, but I could aways install some magnets or something else. The design makes for easy access to the poster and you wouldn't have to remove this heavy thing to change out posters. Make sense?

A few more weeks and I'll prototype it and see what happen.

Bud

Bud,

Great Theater. I have been lurking watching the progress. Just an FYI. Lowes also carries the Hangman. That is what I used to hang my screen. They work great.

Hey Brian,

Thanks. I didn't realize they carried them. I had picked up on from Home Expo a while back and knew Rockler had them. Where in the store do you find them? By the wall anchors/picture hanging stuff? I also though about the clears the have for hanging cabinets, but these are better.

Bud

Winkelmann,

Does it come in 27x40 sheets and if so, how much?

Bud

I haven't called for a price on the large sheets. Due to the luminosity, I plan on using a 24 x 36 sheet. My plan is to use black gaffers tape to secure the light (along the edges) onto a 27 x 40 sheet of clear plexiglass, then sandwich the poster between the plexi and 1/8 " glass. The overall thickness will be determined by whichever frame I have made. I'll hang it on the wall like I normally would with any painting.

I haven't called for a price on the large sheets. Due to the luminosity, I plan on using a 24 x 36 sheet. My plan is to use black gaffers tape to secure the light (along the edges) onto a 27 x 40 sheet of clear plexiglass, then sandwich the poster between the plexi and 1/8 " glass. The overall thickness will be determined by whichever frame I have made. I'll hang it on the wall like I normally would with any painting.

Make sure you use a clock outlet, that'll give you the room behind the frame to plug it in. Think 24x36 will be bright enough for a 27x40 poster? I'm curious how that'll look with it attached to clear plexi, it might create a visible "hot" area. You might want to consider a piece of white plexi to defuse it some if you go with 24x36. Where you planning on on doing this in the next few weeks? I'd like to see how that turns out before I start mine.

Thanks for the PM and link. Good stuff. BTW, where in the ATL are you?

Bud

For the electric power supply, I'll run the wire through conduit and connect them off a low voltage run.
I'll do a scaled down test with the smaller light to see if it hot spots. The light is real even, if there is a dark band around the edges - there is the flashing banner which reads, "Entrepreneurs: Create Your Own Product."

Vinings, near the river.

Didn't realize it was low voltage and makes sense. Need to go through the info in more detail.

Bud

Are you disassembling and then reassembling the pool table yourself? Please let me know how the installation goes and any photos would be appreciated as well. I would like to get an idea how difficult this would be to do.

Steve,

Not sure yet. We're suppose to attempt the move tonight. Since its not a slate table, my guess is we'll just pick it up and move it intact. At least I get a free test to determine playability in the space I have.

Bud

Steve,

Not sure yet. We're suppose to attempt the move tonight. Since its not a slate table, my guess is we'll just pick it up and move it intact. At least I get a free test to determine playability in the space I have.

Bud

Very good deal then. The biggest issue with playability I have found is people bumping the ceiling with the pool cues.

Bud, you are lucky it is not slate!! My pool table has 3 slate pieces that are heavier than sh**. ;) Plus you need to cover the cracks between the slate pieces and cover the screw holes with a concrete product called rockite.

After it is completey smooth and level then you can stretch the felt over the top and staple it in place then put on the bumpers. I am finishing my pool table install right now as I decided to change out the red felt for navy blue. And man if you are a perfectionist like I am it is a royal PITA.

Oh yeah DON'T EVER STEAM FELT. I made the mistake of trying to steam the new felt to remove some of the shipping creases and I ruined the felt. It now has streak marks from the steamer in three locations. $250 bucks for pool table felt down the tubes :( I guess I can live with it until it wears out and I replace it again.

My advice hire a pool table company to set it up it just may be worth the price for the none headache.

Drew

My friends father I have known since elementary school owns a pool hall/pool table making and refurbishing business. I may talk to him if we consider moving ours. I would like my friend to come visit as well but he might be to busy running his pool hall.

Drew,

I think I'd let the professionals do the job if I get my own table, but this will work for now. I think I'll end up just short of the room I really wanted to make things as playable as I would like. I really don't want to go down to a 7 footer, either. This will be a good test at least.

Steve,

I have 9 foot ceilings in the basement, but the soffits brought the sides down some. We'll see.

We made an attempt on Sunday to get the guys together to move it, but it didn't happen. We'll probably do it on Saturday now.

Bud

Ordered three poster frames from Frame USA (frameusa.com) that I'll use as the frame portion of my lightbox. They're too friggin' cheap to have to build them. I'll just retro fit the frames onto my lightbox design. I'm hoping to start next weekend.

Frame USA has some great prices, but you need to order at least 50.00 worth of stuff and if you order less than 100.00, they charge you 15.00 as a surcharge. I went with the Corporate Wide style.

http://frameusa.com/corpwide.htm

Bud

Ordered three poster frames from Frame USA that I'll use as the frame portion of my lightbox.


Checked out the link, nice find, Bud. Those should look great. Makes me wish I had thought of that instead of building mine out of trim :eek:

Scott

Scott,

Saw the links for frame USA in another thread here by jeffthx. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8165491&&#post8165491)

I'll post on the quality once I get them. They look like a great deal.

Bud

My poster frames arrived from Frame USA (http://frameusa.com) today. They were packaged very, very well. I've very happy with the quality. They're solid. I ended up with three 27x40 and two 11x17.

http://images14.fotki.com/v371/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2074-vi.jpg

I hung the two 11x17s already:
http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2078-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v370/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2079-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v370/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2081-vi.jpg

Looks like I'll be able to easily convert the 27x40s to poster boxes. I'm going to go buy what I need tomorrow and start this weekend.

Bud

Wow, that site looks like some great deals! Nice find.. definitely worthy of a bookmark. Now I need to figure out whether to tell my wife, who will likely spend money.. :)

Have you considered putting a black background behind the posters, Bud?

Tim,

Cheap enough that you don't need to tell the wife! Definitely on the black backgrounds. Since I just got them, I figured I'd throw them up. BTW, the white you see is on the poster itself, not from the backing.

Bud

Picked up my wood today for the light box frames. I ended up going with 1x3x10 poplar. I was going to rip 2x4s down, but decided it was too much of a hassle and I may stain the boxes or paint them a flat black. The only thing I need now is to get some more diffusers. I had a 2x4 white panel from one of those drop ceiling lights and need to get about five more. I was hoping to start tomorrow, but looks like it'll be Sunday, although I'm hoping to get maybe the design nailed tomorrow. I was instructed I was going to a neighbors kids "Pump It Up" party. Fun, fun.

Bud

Worked on my light boxes some today. I was able to cut and rip all the wood down to size. I also came up with a few ideas that I think will simplify construction some. First, here is what I drew up as a design. Basically, the design idea is like a game box (think of a Monopoly game box). You have two pieces to the box. The inside box, typically the dull box, and the outer box with all the info about the game and pictures. The inner box is used to contain the rope light and acts as a support mechanism for the outer box. This box will be attached to the wall. The outer box will have a pre-made poster frame attached to it. The outer box then slips over the inner box.

http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/posterbox-vi.jpg

Bud

So here is the first poster and frame. Part of this concept is to replace the cardboard that comes with the back of the frame with a diffuser. The frames have those little metal "tabs" that hold the cardboard in place. A while back I bought one of the 2x4 white diffusers for those big lights for drop ceilings. I was going to use these for the box diffuser. I was concerned that those little tabs might show up behind the poster when back light, so I played with and and no issue (the edge of this poster is dark anyway). I laid the frame on the bar with the poster and diffuser in it and shined a 500W halogen light through it and it was fine.

http://images20.fotki.com/v366/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2083-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2091-vi.jpg

To get an idea of the size of the box I needed, I used the very inside of the frame as a reference for the exact measures of the inner box. I used the outside of the frame for the outside measurements of the outer box.

http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2085-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v368/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2086-vi.jpg

So here is a shot to show both boxes. Notice there is a little gap, which will allow a few things. First, it allows expansion and contraction. Second, if the boxes were two close together, you'd have a difficult time getting the boxes separated to change posters.

http://images20.fotki.com/v368/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2087-vi.jpg

Bud

You can't tell from the last photo, but I ripped down all the inner pieces about 3/8 of an inch narrower than the outer boxes. This will allow me to use a backer to firm up the box and allow me to attached the rope light to. I was going to use originally use 1/4 ply for the back, but then when looking for a diffuser, ran into some white bead board. I bought a 4x8 sheet, which will allow me to get three pieces out of for my three light boxes. Also, since its white, I won't have to paint it either. Mounting support will come from the extra piece of wood across the back (see original design a few posts up).

http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2089-vi.jpg

I also decided against the white 2x4 diffusers, since I would have had to use 2 per box, each 20"x27" and have a seam. I read in Clarence's poster box thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=496487) about Ed Weiland's poster lightbox (http://www.weilandworks.com/summerland/lightbox_overview.html) who recommends using window film. Based on that I decided to use one piece of clear plexiglass and cover that with a white frosted window film for a single diffuser. You can see the extra plexiglass in the above picture.

Here is the film I bought at HD:

http://images20.fotki.com/v369/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2090-vi.jpg

Tomorrow, I need to get some 1.5 inch deck screws and glue and screw all six frames together (3 inner and 3 outer), put the backer on the three inner boxes. I'll paint the outer boxes a flat black to match the frames as well and will probably be it for the day.

Bud

OH YEAH! Finally got my street light rewired, cleaned up and painted (supports only). Once it was dry, I mounted it in the corner. I had put in a switched outlet just for it. The TV will go back upstairs soon, since it'll be in the way of the pool table where it is. I'm still working on getting that over to the house. :rolleyes:

http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_2095-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v368/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_2096-vi.jpg

I also got my barber's chair down from the garage. Free hair cuts to AVS members! Of course, I only know how to shave heads. :D

http://images20.fotki.com/v368/photos/6/649633/3817012/100_2097-vi.jpg

Gettin' there!

Happy Holidays to All!!

Bud

Hey Bud, interesting idea with the dual box design. But I kinda wonder if you really need 2 boxes. How about you keep the outer box with the poster, and just have the back board on the wall with the lighting attached? It would be kind of like a light box with a removable back. The back would be attached to the wall like you were planning for the wall box and the removable poster box would attach to the back. That would sure cut down the work and the weight. And an angled metal piece at the top would hold the poster box in place on the back board and make it somewhat easy to remove.

I think I explained it OK, but I went ahead and broke out my mad paint skills and drew you a picture.

Toxarch,

Interesting. I think that would work actually. The picture did help. The only concern I have is of the outer box/frame combo has to lay perfectly flat on the wall to ensure no light escapes from the sides if the cuts or walls are perfect. I guess you could use a foam insulation or something around the edges to trap it.

One other thing I was thinking about the box design was how to secure it so that the outer box doesn't slip off (someone bumps it or something). I was thinking of using some of the extra magnets to hold the two boxes together. You'd probably have to do the same with your design.

Another nice thing about this design is if I want to rotate the posters between the light boxes, all I have to do is move the outer boxes fromone location to the next.

Bud

You could use velcro...

Velcro may work too well, actually! :p

Bud

Today I built my inner boxes and outer boxes. I countersunk the holes for 1 5/8 deck screws, glued and screwed the inner boxes together. Pretty solid and surprisingly light. For the outer boxes, I used brads and glue. I may go back and add some "L" brackets though. I think they're solid and with the frames attached, the should be fine, so we'll see. I also cut the bead board to size used 1/2" staples and glue for that. I then filled holes on the outer boxes and sanded everything down.

http://images20.fotki.com/v367/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2098-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2099-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v369/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2100-vi.jpg

If I have time tomorrow, I'll put on a first coat of paint in everything. I may cut the plexiglass for the diffusers as well.

Shot of the countersunk holes and support braces.

http://images20.fotki.com/v364/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2105-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v366/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2104-vi.jpg

Bud

Here's a shot with the inner box and outer box laying on the frame itself.

http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2101-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2102-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v364/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2103-vi.jpg

Bud

One other thing I was thinking about the box design was how to secure it so that the outer box doesn't slip off (someone bumps it or something). I was thinking of using some of the extra magnets to hold the two boxes together. You'd probably have to do the same with your design.

On my design, the angled metal piece would hold it in place on the back board. It should be far more secure than any picture frame hung on the wall in the average house. A simple bump wouldn't do much to it provided the back is mounted with french cleats or something similar and doesn't fall off easily.

Since your boxes are fairly snug fit, you just need something to hold it in place and keep the front from sliding off. A couple of pins in the top should do the trick. Drill two holes in the top through the outer box and at least part way into the inner box. Then insert pins into the top. Gravity will keep the pins in place and they will stop the boxes from sliding apart. Cut framing nails would work fine for this if you need something as a pin.

Damn, I'm going to have to resort to my paint skills again. OK, here is the top of the box:

Got it ... even without the drawing! Good idea.

Bud

Hope everyone had a great holiday today!

I managed to steal some time and paint the inner boxes. I decided to paint the backing with a high gloss white, since the bead board wasn't very reflective. I'm hoping to get the outer boxes painted tomorrow night. I need to go to HD tomorrow and get some black spray paint.

Bud

Another idea, since you mentioned reflectivity... Take some spray-on adhesive and apply to the backer board, then carefully lay some tinfoil across it.

Tim,
I actually just discovered that Rustoleum makes a silver metallic paint (http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=42&SBL=1) as well as a frosted glass paint (http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=38&SBL=1) for windows. I may try the white and see how it is and if if I'm not happy, may try the metallic. I plan on cutting down some rope light tracks and sticking them on the back of the bead board. Not sure if the weight of the rope light will pull the foil of the back or not.

Bud

Bud,

Did the frames include glass/plexi or are they just open? Thanks.

Ordered three poster frames from Frame USA (frameusa.com) that I'll use as the frame portion of my lightbox. They're too friggin' cheap to have to build them. I'll just retro fit the frames onto my lightbox design. I'm hoping to start next weekend.

Frame USA has some great prices, but you need to order at least 50.00 worth of stuff and if you order less than 100.00, they charge you 15.00 as a surcharge. I went with the Corporate Wide style.

http://frameusa.com/corpwide.htm

Bud

The frames included plexiglass. It's not as thick as the stuff I bought at HD for the diffuser, but it's sufficient.

Bud

Ran to HD on the way home from work tonight to pick up some spray paint. Bought black semi-gloss, which matches the frames nicely. The flat black I used on the inner frames didn't match too great. I also picked up some "L" brackets, screws and a couple extra quick clamps. I was thinking of screwing the boxes to the frames from the back, then was thinking carpenters glue and brads from the front (worst case I fill the holes and repaint the frames), then decided that I would go with some glue and a few "L" brackets. I think that'll be fine. The glue will probably work just fine, but you never know.

So here are the painted inner and outer boxes. The outer boxes are still a little sticky, it's been raining here and the humidity is high, otherwise I would have mounted at least one of the frames to the outer box.

http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2118-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2119-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v364/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2120-vi.jpg

Please excuse the mess in my workshop ...

Bud

Looking good man. Have you considered wax paper as a diffuser between the plexi and poster? Might be worth a test. I have been experimenting with it for a light marque and find it does a great job.

Jason,

Thanks. I think there is a lot of stuff you can use. You can probably even use copier paper. I was thinking of your bro-in-law the other day, they probably make translucent plexi as well. Since I have the Gila film, I'll use that. One roll was about 18.00 and that'll cover all three diffusers. I'm thinking about a mylar box next, maybe I'll try that or that frosted spray paint for 4.00/can.

Any pictures of your marque?

Bud

Got my "L" brackets installed this morning and am gluing up the first frame/outer box. I have small "L" brackets to also secure the frame to the box, but they came with #6 3/4" screws and I think they're too big. I used #6 1/2" screws on the corners, so I'll use those. Another trip to Orange today to get them. I won't take the clamps off until I have the brackets in secured.

http://images14.fotki.com/v363/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2121-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v366/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2122-vi.jpg

Bud

I had to use a sharpie on the edge of the frame since it was slightly beveled. One the two piece come together, it there was any slight gap, you could see the raw frame.
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2126-vi.jpg

I went ahead and used the screws that came with the brackets and attached the frame to the outer box once the glue had enough time to set. I used two brackets on the sides and one on the ends. To ensure I didn't drill through the frames, I used a small finishing nail as a drill bit and made sure the length was only as long as it needed to be.
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2127-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v363/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2125-vi.jpg

So here is the first box with the frame attached. I put one of the inner boxes underneath to test fit it, so we're go to go. I've glued the second one and will put the brackets on shortly.
http://images9.fotki.com/v189/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2123-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v369/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2124-vi.jpg

Bud

All three outer boxes/frames are complete... glued and attached together. I went ahead and mounted the inner boxes to the walls tonight. I didn't use the Hangmans that I was originally going to use, I went ahead and put screws through the supports and boxes into the studs. I've very happy how they turned out. To me, they look store bought (and they are partially). Next up is to install the rope light.

Interesting thing and small oversight on my part when I put in the outlets for the boxes... all three weren't centered or even at the same height. This made it a little more complicated, since my plans were to center the box on the wall and wanted them to be at a uniform height. My plans were to cut out the area on the back panel where the outlet was. Not a big deal, just took some measuring, remeasuring and a little math to make sure the inner boxes were centered and at the right height before cutting the holes in the back of the boxes.

The outer boxes fit great and are really solid. I don't think there is a need for securing the inner and out boxes together. You'd have to really pull them off, hitting them sideways won't do much.

http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2129-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2128-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v367/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2132-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v363/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2133-vi.jpg

Bud

My son encouraged me to put the posters in even though they're not quite done yet. Here are a few shots:

http://images14.fotki.com/v363/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2134-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v373/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2135-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v367/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2136-vi.jpg

Bud

Those poster boxes look great, very nice.
Your son is getting big.

Went through my storage room last night rummaging for the extra rope light I had and finally found it. I had bought a 150 foot roll for the HT room of the frosted white (1/2 inch 120v) and I have plenty left over for the boxes. I even had some track left and will use that as well. That'll be tonights focus, since I'm heading into the office today.

Bud

Those poster boxes look great, very nice.
Your son is getting big.

Thanks Larry. He is getting big, he turned seven about a month ago and looks more like a 8-9 year old!

Bud

nice work

Thanks Seth... and welcome.

Bud

Is it me, or are there not any shots of the theater itself? I have been reviewing all 98 pages but I can't seem to locate them. You do great work bud.

Oh, BTW....good job leaving big blue! They make my life hell everyday!! :)

Jim,

Thanks. There's like 800+ pictures of the basement, but some of the more finished pictures are here in this album. I'll up these at some point.

http://public.fotki.com/bketterl/early_construction/blazing_ridge_cinema-1/theater_shots/

On leaving BB, I haven't regretted it a second!

Bud

Me either.. ;)

Bud, are you going to have a cord showing, or hide it in the wall somehow?

Bud, are you going to have a cord showing, or hide it in the wall somehow?

C'mon...does any of this work here lead you to believe he would design something like a cord hanging out?? ;)

It looks like the outlet is actually inside the frame - so no cords will be visible. I assume the outlets are switched...

http://images18.fotki.com/v375/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2129-vi.jpg

Ahh, I missed that part.. Nice.

Thanks guys.

All the outlets will be hidden in the boxes themselves. The two outside the theater are connected to a switch outside the theater (the one next to the Harry Potter poster). The other box (King Kong) is switched in the bar (with the street light). Obviously, I planned that out a long time ago. Actually, the poster box outlet with King Kong was going to be a neon light originally, but that's in the bar now on the counter above the fridge.

Bud

Bud - the finishing touches really pulling it all together. What you got left on you 'to do' list?

Cheers,
Mark

Mark, thanks!

Hmmm, lets see. As far as building is concerned, I need to finish up the light boxes (today or tomorrow), build a mylar box and my poker table. Still need to get a fridge and a popcorn machine for my concession area. In the game room, still waiting to move the pool table in and need to hang a light for itl. I still need blinds and area rugs in there as well. I may/may not do a keg fridge, still thinking through that. Oh and still need to stock the bar!

I may do a fiber ceiling this summer/fall and a HTPC at some point. I'm also thinking of building a MAME machine as well.

I expect this thread will be be around for some time! :rolleyes: :)

Bud

Bud - can't wait to see you MAME build. Its on my wish list but I got some other rooms to do before I'll be able to start that project.

Cheers,
Mark

Mark,

It'll be a while, but already have the hardware allocated for it, so that's a start. I expect I'll need to take a month or two off before the next project. To add to the list above, I'm itching to get a flat panel for the bar before the Superbowl and about 5 barstools...

Bud

Nice job on the light boxes Bud.

I'm also thinking of building a MAME machine as well.

OK, I admit it. I am a just a humble HT part-timer. What is a "MAME" machine?

sds

Nice job on the light boxes Bud.

OK, I admit it. I am a just a humble HT part-timer. What is a "MAME" machine?

sds

Thanks Scott.

I'm new to it myself. MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. "MAME is an emulator application designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software, with the intent of preserving gaming history and preventing vintage games from being lost or forgotten."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAME
http://www.mame.net/mamefaq.html#g01

In a nutshell, you take an old PC and buy/build a cabinet to house it, get the controllers, buttons, trackball, etc and build your own arcade game. You can even buy and/or design graphics for the sides of the cabinets.

The end result is something like this:
http://www.beersmith.com/mame/finished1.JPG

Here's a recent thread on the topic as well:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=770818

Bud

Well, I put my first set of rope lights in one box. Afterwards, I went to cut a piece of plexiglass to put in a diffuser and check out how it looks. After attempting to snap the second cut and breaking it, I decided to call it a night. What a pain in the ass plexiglass can be! I suppose I'll attempt another piece in the morning.

Bud

Bummer. I use a metal cutting blade on a radial arm saw or table saw. Hot knife through butter.

I would have thought a table saw blade would tear the stuff right up. Interesting. I'll be doing some experimenting today with the busted pieces.

Jason, any tips from your brother in law?

Bud

I don't have a MAME machine but, in the interest of "preserving the heritage of gaming" I do have this:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/asteroids.JPG

I can't count how many hours of my youth I spent on one of these. I remember I played one game for 9 hours straight once - on one quarter :). Walked away from the machine after that time after having "rolled" it countless times.

I guess I just dated myself.

Nice!

OK, so here is the deal. I ruined one piece of plexi last night doing the score and snap method. I ruined another piece this morning using a Dremel (looked like it was going to work, then it shattered) and I ruined the last piece using a jigsaw with a fine metal blade. I tested both the Dremel and the jigsaw on scrap pieces as well. Man, what a pain in the arse!

So now that I've calmed down some, I went and ordered custom cut pieces of "Milky White" 1/8" plexiglass from Professional Plastics (http://www.professionalplastics.com) online. I'm done messing around with this crap. I got pieces 27.125 x 40.125 (+/- .062 tolerance) and I'm sure they'll be perfect at 30.00 each.

Here is the order form:
http://www.professionalplastics.com/cgi-bin/main/co_disp/displ/cmid/4/prrfnbr/85259

Bud

Here are few shots after the rope light is installed. I had originally purchase the rope light for the HT room and bought a 150 foot roll from Novelty Lights (https://ssl.adhost.com/noveltylights/merchant.cfm?pid=245&step=4). I had six pieces of 48" track left (I have the clips as well, but didn't use them), so that's two tracks per box I could use without having to buy more. I bought these at Novelty Lights as well (https://ssl.adhost.com/noveltylights/merchant.cfm?pid=49&step=4). I just cut the track down into 4" pieces and used double sided tape to adhere them to the box. I only used the track pieces on the top and bottom of the box, prior to making the "turn" and on the ends. Works well. I think I need about 3 more rolls of the tape though.

The first shot is with the flash on, the other is with it off.
http://images18.fotki.com/v376/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2144-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v374/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2145-vi.jpg

I used about 30 feet. This stuff can be cut every 18 inches. I still need to get that cord out of the way.

Bud

There are two critical pieces to the cutting that I suppose I should've emphasized:

- The blade must be metal/plastic cutting (essentially no teeth, only ridges along the edge)
- The blade must be circular, not reciprocating

Since you were using a reciprocating with the jigsaw, that was the issue. Seriously, the circular metal blade works very well.. ;)

By the way, it looks awesome! Doesn't look like 30 ft either; like you fit more in there, but I'm sure it's plenty. Nice job.

There are two critical pieces to the cutting that I suppose I should've emphasized:

- The blade must be metal/plastic cutting (essentially no teeth, only ridges along the edge)
- The blade must be circular, not reciprocating


Are you sure about the blade type? I have used a carbide blade and it worked fine.

Also, a jig saw should work fine with the right blade and ONLY IF THE PLEXI IS THICK! Thin plexi, forget about it, don't even attempt it with a jig saw.

I saw somewhere where people actually put the blade in backwards in jigsaw. I also read you need a carbide tip blade for a table saw. No matter, my plexiglass days are over (for now at least). Now I just have to wait for the stuff to be shipped.

Bud

What is this, you are taking the easy way out? :)

I know what you are talking about though. The plastic diffusers for flourescent lights are a PITA to cut down to size without breaking.

What is this, you are taking the easy way out? :)

Scott,

I know what you are talking about though. The plastic diffusers for flourescent lights are a PITA to cut down to size without breaking.

Absolutely! I know when I've met my match. :D

I figure I can either buy more 3x4 sheets of plexiglass and break them or pay a few bucks more with a built in diffuser and custom cut. Hmmmm. I can return the Gila film as well, so if you factor that in, it really makes no sense to do it myself, although I could qualify it as an "educational experience". Yeah, right!

Bud

I think I'm in about 400.00 for all the materials to build the three light boxes. I've also included the cost of the plexiglass mistakes and the 90 feet of rope light I already had in the cost. If I take out those two, it would be about 280.00 for all three light boxes. So that's about 133.00 each or 94.00 each, depending on how you look at it. Not bad.

Poster Frames (33.00 ea. x 3): 99.00
80 linear feet of 1x3" Poplar (@ 0.89 lf) for framing: 71.20
1.5" Corner braces (3 @ 1.89): 5.67
1" Corner brace (5 @ 1.89): 9.45
2" Deck screws (1 lb): 6.87
1/2" zinc wood screws (4@ 0.97): 3.96
High gloss white paint (1 qt): 7.88
Flat black paint (1 qt): 7.88
Semi-gloss black spray paint (2 cans @ 2.97):5.94
36x48" Plexiglass - the mistakes (3 @ ~20.00): ~60.00
27.125x47.125" Milky White custom cute plexiglass: 30.00
90' Frosted white 1/2" rope light(had this leftover from HT room): ~60.00
1/2" rope light track (6 48" tracks @ 2.00): 12.00
1 4x8' piece of Bead board (oops, forgot): ~18.00

The cheapest front loading poster frames I've seen are about 75.00 (45.00 difference for each box). I suppose if you did front loading frames, you could modify the design some to save a little money, although I don't expect to be buying and changing a lot of posters, maybe twice a year.

The cheapest light boxes I've seen are on eBay from a store called River City Theaters. Starting bid is 205.00 (plus 60.00 to ship), not sure what the actual ones would go for. That's not bad really if you can get them for that. Granted 3 @ 205.00 = 615.00 plus 180.00 shipping is 795.00 versus 400.00 or 280.00...

Bud

Very nice bud... Another great project idea I will have to borrow.

Thanks Mike. Borrow away!

Bud

Hey man...you should have called. I could have helped you out with that plexi.

anyhow, when you get around to the mame machine - let me know. I have over 10,000 roms. back to stapling for me...hanging up fabric is very time consuming. :)

;-)

Hey man...you should have called. I could have helped you out with that plexi.

anyhow, when you get around to the mame machine - let me know. I have over 10,000 roms. back to stapling for me...hanging up fabric is very time consuming. :)

;-)

Yeah, I know. Frustrated impatient instant-gratification-impulse purchase.... one of many in the last 18 months.... :D One less thing to worry about now.

Bud

I worked on and finished the rope light in the second and third box today. Here's a close up of the tracks I used. I cut them down in small sections and that's all thats required to hold each section. One on top, one on the bottom. I forgot to include the double sided tape in my estimate above, but its a couple of bucks.

http://images20.fotki.com/v368/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2148-vi.jpg

Closeup installation pictures below. I think 30 feet works well, but can't say until I get the diffusers.

http://images18.fotki.com/v376/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2150-vi.jpg
http://images18.fotki.com/v376/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2149-vi.jpg

Bud

First impressions on the 880...

There are a few quirks that I'm working through. Initial setup is straight forward through the web site. There are some unintuitive web site navigations once you start fine tuning. It works fine with the all my components and the IR543AH, although for brightening and dimming certain lights, you have to send multiple "Bright" or "Dim" commands. I'm able to hit "Watch a DVD" and all the components turn on, get configured to the right inputs, turn off the lights, etc. I'm having issues getting commands to my PCS SMST6 Scene controller though, even though it supports it, so working through that.

Bud

Yesterday I brought home the Harmony 670. I am so pleased. Yes, the software has its little quirks, but it's great to have these macro activities taking care of everything with the push of a button. The little lady loves it, and that is saying something.

Glad that worked out for you. I like the 880, I'm used to it now. I still think there are a few things I need to change control for, but I'll get to it. For the most part, the current setup with the PowerLinc, serves its purpose.

I'm curious about the new Harmony 1000, due to be released this month. A tad pricey though:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,crid=2084,contentid=12498

Bud

Glad that worked out for you. I like the 880, I'm used to it now. I still think there are a few things I need to change control for, but I'll get to it. For the most part, the current setup with the PowerLinc, serves its purpose.

I'm curious about the new Harmony 1000, due to be released this month. A tad pricey though:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,crid=2084,contentid=12498

Bud

Yeah, I like the hard buttons together with the screen. If that thing just ran a standard OS such that I could run MainLobby on it, I'd jump.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you as well!

I know Mark P and Ruben are looking into the home automation control and what to use. There is a lot of discussion in their threads about it. Mark P just posted some pictures of some tablets running windows here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9328163#post9328163

Bud

Yeah, I've got one of those EO TabletKisoks on the way. Got a deal on smebay I couldn't refuse... ;).

I've got my Progear currently running DVDLobby but it is s l o w and is too big to be a true remote control device. I'm hoping there will be a way for me to make some of those hard buttons on the EO work as volume etc. and I can use it as a "Now Playing" control. I think the wife will like it a lot but I may have trouble giving up the quick, no look, touch control of my MX-800.

Something like that new Harmony with true volume and navigation buttons plus the touch screen with MainLobby would be the perfect device.

I'm curious how that works for you, post something in here or in your thread when you've had some face time with it.

Bud

Bud,

Those light boxes look great -- very professional looking. I have a short hallway leading up to my HT and wanted to put a few there. I still need to convince the wife, though :( I'll show her yours and maybe that will change her mind :D

Steve,

Thanks. Pretty easy to build, not quite as hard as speakers and subs! Pretty cheap too!

Bud

Bud,
Poster frames look great. I'm looking to either buy or build myself. I saw the River City Theater frames you referenced on ebay and have been contemplating them. My only issue is the floursecent lights. I've got my Lutron grafik eye light control setup to control lighting for two poster frames and I'm sharing this same lighting zone with some halogen under cabinet lighting that I want to dim. I don't believe flourescents take kindly to dimming and Lutron advises not to mix the two light types. I'm out of zones on my light control and can't afford dedicated a zone to the frames. Your design is interesting in that I'm assuming the rope lighting is incadescent. Is this correct? The rope lights in your photo's without flash are very white which would suggest something closer to flourscent. I have some unused rope lighting I picked up from Home Depot I could use but the lighting is more yellowish. Does the rope lighting put off enough heat that you need to worry about cooling? I would think they'd run hotter than floursecents and River City advertises they have cooling vents to prevent damage / puckering of the poster. Was this a worry for you and did you address somehow in your design?

I'd also like to see a final picture of how the poster looks illuminated with this lighting. I didn't see one posted yet unless I missed it somewhere.

Chuck

Chuck, Bud is probably waiting for his custom-cut diffusers to get there to say he is finished.

Chuck,

Scott is correct. Waiting on the white diffusers to be delivered still. When I get them, hopefully this week, likely next week, I'll post new pictures.

The rope light is incandescent and it is dimmable. It's from the same rope light spool I used in the theater. I think they look whiter since they're a frosted white versus a clear white rope light. They never get hot to the touch, just warm. I think they're rated at 5W per foot, so I'm looking at 150 watts total. There is a gap between the rope light and the poster. Many of the poster boxes used in Clarence's thread use the Home Depot rope light, not sure why yours is more yellow. You might want to review that thread. Here is that info, I also posted my stuff there:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=496487

I didn't see where River City mentions the vents. My concern with the vents is light leakage. I'm not sure how you can have holes in the boxes without light spillage as well. I'll go back and take another look.

I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Bud

My son is in cub scouts now and my wife has been having the meetings at our house in the basement. Works out well since there is enough room for everyone and the siblings that tag along get to watch a movie from time to time. Anyway, last night was a meeting night. I got home late last night from work and headed downstairs about 10:00 PM to watch something (ended up to be Rocky IV - HD on demand from Comcast). I had noticed that the poster boxes were on, I could tell by the small light spillage on the side of the poster on one. Since I don't have the diffusers in, it's really hard to tell they were on. My wife turned them on by accident and they were on at least a few hours, likely at least 3 hours. You could feel some heat from them, so I figured I'd take off the outer box and see how hot it was. I was about to put my hand on them a leave it on without issues. They were warm, no doubt, but no problem with being too hot.

Bud

That's a good point about the vents causing light spillage. The reference in their e-bay listing references "carefully" placed lights and in subsequent paragraph describe how there frame design has no light leakage. Not sure exactly how they achieve this. To find their listing on e-bay just do a listing serach for illuminated movie poster and look for the 2nd or so listing for $205.00

Glad to hear yours is running without getting too warm. I'll have to go back and look at my rope lighting again to see how white the light is. It's branded Hampton Bay.

Chuck

Chuck,

Not exactly sure how they do it as well. I went back and reread the info and can't figure it out. I guess you'd have to buy one to see it!

I looked at the rope light at HD, it just doesn't seem real bright to me either. You should look elsewhere or at noveltylights.com maybe, which is where I got mine.

I emailed Professional Plastics on the status of my diffusers and they replied that they would be here this week. I'll retake some shots then.

Bud

Looking at doing a mylar box next. Not sure what sized mylars yet though, Need to figur out where to hang it first and that'll be dependent on where I can tap into an outlet. I figured I can add a X10 outlet and control it by either an X10/Insteon switch or my powelinc controller. I actually have some X10 outlets and Insteon switches laying around already.

Here some info posted on the mylar box. Clarence referenced them in his thread on the light boxes as well. I think I can do a little better, but its a good start.
http://white.hometheatertalk.com/tips/lightbox.htm

Bud

Finally got the pool table in place this weekend. Although it's not the best table, since its a loaner it allows me to figure out if the space is be enough to justify me going out and buying a table. As it stands, one side wall might be an issue. We'll see. The kids are having fun at least with it. I'll snap a pic later today.

I also got my blinds installed this weekend down there and bought a few area rugs. Still waiting on bar stools and my flat screen above the bar.

Bud

Oh yeah, still waiting on my damn diffusers from Professional Plastics too. I think I ordered that stuff on 12/29.

Bud

As it stands, one side wall might be an issue. We'll see.
I had a friend with the same issue. While not optimal.. she just bought a shorter stick for shots from that side of the table. Worked out pretty well.

Not exactly sure how they do it as well. I went back and reread the info and can't figure it out. I guess you'd have to buy one to see it!
About a year ago, I broke down and bought one of the River City boxes from ebay. I want to end up with 6 light boxes, and I figured I'd buy one and copy. The lightboxes are pretty nice, actually, but certainly not worth the $265 if you have the skills to DIY. There are 2 36" tall fluorescents inside and they are mounted to what looks like a thin sheet of metal. The metal covers most of the rear of the box, but directly above the fluorescents the metal is cut at an angle to the corners and folded up to reflect the light. Behind this folded piece of metal is where the vents are. 3 small holes on top and 3 on the bottom. There is no light leakage at all. My only complaint about the lightbox is the way you change posters. You have to swing open the entire left side, which is attached by a spring to the rest of the box. This isn't the hard part, but because the back of that piece was painted, it leaves paint marks on the wall.

I want to complement you on your Poster lightboxes. They look awesome. I really like how easy the box-inside-a-box idea works and might try to duplicate it myself. I do like how the River City box looks too, so I might have to mix and match. My wife is really hounding me to finish the lightboxes, so I'm going to have to get going on those.

Can't wait to see how the posters look once you get your diffusers.

I had a friend with the same issue. While not optimal.. she just bought a shorter stick for shots from that side of the table. Worked out pretty well.

A shorter stick came with the table, although I haven't had too much face time with the table yet, having to install the blinds and been parked on my butt whenever possible to watch the NFL playoffs. I have a 35" TV to move somewhere, its also in the way of the table. I'm greasing the wife for the flat screen TV for the bar, hoping to have the green light before Feb 4....

I also need to make a pool cue holder (wall mount). He didn't give me all the cues and I felt funny asking for it.. :rolleyes:

Bud

About a year ago, I broke down and bought one of the River City boxes from ebay. I want to end up with 6 light boxes, and I figured I'd buy one and copy. The lightboxes are pretty nice, actually, but certainly not worth the $265 if you have the skills to DIY. There are 2 36" tall fluorescents inside and they are mounted to what looks like a thin sheet of metal. The metal covers most of the rear of the box, but directly above the fluorescents the metal is cut at an angle to the corners and folded up to reflect the light. Behind this folded piece of metal is where the vents are. 3 small holes on top and 3 on the bottom. There is no light leakage at all. My only complaint about the lightbox is the way you change posters. You have to swing open the entire left side, which is attached by a spring to the rest of the box. This isn't the hard part, but because the back of that piece was painted, it leaves paint marks on the wall.

I want to complement you on your Poster lightboxes. They look awesome. I really like how easy the box-inside-a-box idea works and might try to duplicate it myself. I do like how the River City box looks too, so I might have to mix and match. My wife is really hounding me to finish the lightboxes, so I'm going to have to get going on those.

Can't wait to see how the posters look once you get your diffusers.

Thanks very much and thanks for the info. You just gave me an idea. I can probably drill three or four 1-1.5" holes in the top of each box, but have them staggered so the outer box doesn't not line up with the inner box. That may work, I'd have to test it.

I have noticed that that one or two sections of track came loose from the inner box. I installed the rope light with it on, hence they were flexible. I think once they cooled down, they got rigid and the pressure pulled the tape off. I'll put a few extra intermediate sections of track and that should work. Worst case is I could use full sections, but don't think I need it.

Also, I called and left a message for woman at Professional Plastics who hasn't returned my email on my order. Starting to get a little frustrated.

Bud

Well, just received my tracking number from Professional Plastics! Fedex picked up the package today about an hour ago. No target date in the Fedex site yet though.

Bud

The plexiglass has arrived at the house. I'll install and take a few pictures tonight.

Bud

It's about damn time!

Bud, the whole project looks awesome, and congrats on 100 pages!

It's about damn time!

Tell me about it!

Bud

Bud, the whole project looks awesome, and congrats on 100 pages!

Thanks!

Bud

So the "milky white" plexi came today. Packaged well and in good shape. He's how it was delivered:
http://images14.fotki.com/v379/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2186-vi.jpg

An each individual piece looked like a piece of heavy cardboard. Both sides were covered:
http://images20.fotki.com/v385/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2187-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v377/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2188-vi.jpg

Bud

It was hard to tell what this stuff looked like until you got both sides of paper off. It was a pain in the butt, but wasn't too bad. Here is what it looks like naked:
http://images14.fotki.com/v377/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2189-vi.jpg

Here's a closer shot of how opaque it is:
http://images14.fotki.com/v379/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2190-vi.jpg

It's pretty thick too. I ordered 1/8" (0.125) thick, which was thicker than I expected, but worked out well, since it'll give the poster a nice firm backing. Hard to tell from this shot how thick it is.
http://images14.fotki.com/v378/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2192-vi.jpg

Bud

This is the exact order from Professional Plastics: (SACR.1252447E) .125 THICK WHT #2447 EXTRUDED ACRYLIC - 40.125 x 27.125 @+/- 0.062

As you can see, I order 40 1/8" x 27 1/8" +/ 1/16". Well, the fit was perfect. Too perfect in fact. Because of the thickness, I had to pull off one side of my "L" brackets on the top and bottom because the overhung the inside of frame just a little. No big deal. In fact, I'm still not convinced I need them since I glued up everything. He's what I'm talking about.
http://images14.fotki.com/v377/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2184-vi.jpg

Bud

So here is what the diffuser looks like installed from the back:
http://images14.fotki.com/v378/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2182-vi.jpg

Bud

Here is what they look like lit up. This was with no flash obviously. They're actually brighter than expected, although you can't tell by these photos. The darker posters look really dark in these shots:

http://images14.fotki.com/v379/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2185-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v384/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2194-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v384/photos/6/649633/3813965/100_2195-vi.jpg

The pictures don't do them justice. I'm pretty happy how they came out.

Bud

I think the pictures look good. If they look better in real life then more power to you. Definately a well done project. Congrats.

Later,
Brian

Those look great! Nice job!

I see your secret now....reading Handyman Magazine.... :) That rag and Mother Earth News made me what I am today.

Maybe I missed it on a previous page, but how much did each sheet cost? How much do you think you have in each box? When I did my two boxes, I was surprised how much it ended up costing me. Partly because I used fluorescent lights etc. Wasn't cheap. Made me appreciate why the manufactured ones are so expensive.

Nice work there Bud!

Great job man. I think they turned out fantastic.

Randy,

Each sheet was 30.00 (not factoring shipping). Here is the breakdown on costs: post 2941 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9311363&&#Post9311363).

FH is the only magazine I've subscribed to consistently for probably 10 years. I still have all those issues as well, neatly organized in my workshop.

Bud

I think the pictures look good. If they look better in real life then more power to you. Definately a well done project. Congrats.

Later,
Brian

Thanks Brian. One more knocked out!

Bud

Those look great! Nice job!

Thanks Warren!

Great job man. I think they turned out fantastic.

Thanks Dude. I may get stuck going to another seven year old party on Saturday, but if not, I'll be by to check out your progress and rid you of some cold ones.

Sunday I'll be planted in front of the screen watching Da Bears.

Bud

Those posterboxes look great Chinadog! I may have to copy your design. A Bear fan huh? I just want the Saints to go away ( written by a bitter Falcon's fan ) :-}}}

Those posterboxes look great Chinadog! I may have to copy your design. A Bear fan huh? I just want the Saints to go away ( written by a bitter Falcon's fan ) :-}}}

Thanks, copy away. Been a Bears fan for some time, just had no good reason to admit it until this year. I'm still out on Grossman though, hopefully they'll make it to the big game. I give Vick one more year with the Falcons, unless he has a great season, I would expect him to be gone.

Bud

I'm still out on Grossman though, hopefully they're make it to the big game.

They need to make sure Cedric Benson and Thomas Jones touch the ball at least 35 times :)

I give Vick one more year with the Falcons, unless he has a great season, I would expect him to be gone.

Hey Bud, you guys sell some wierd water bottles down there in Atlanta. Any chance of getting some shipped to Chicago? :)

Nice job on the lightboxes.

Scott

Hey Bud, you guys sell some wierd water bottles down there in Atlanta. Any chance of getting some shipped to Chicago? :)

Nice job on the lightboxes.

Scott

Scott, thanks.

Yeah, what a dumbass. Reminds me of the time in college where we'd wrap beer cans with "color form" type labels so the beer would look like a can of Mountain Dew or Pepsi. Between flippin' off the fans, smuggling marijuana, and other things, its just a matter of time. Oh and his little brother is a whole other time bomb.

Bud

Hey Bud, you guys sell some wierd water bottles down there in Atlanta. Any chance of getting some shipped to Chicago? :)



ROFLMAO

GO BEARS !!! great work bud! GO BEARS !!!

GO BEARS !!! great work bud! GO BEARS !!!

Thanks (GO BEARS!!!) for the reply!

Bud

I just ordered the Toshiba HD-A2 from Amazon. Great price and a lot cheaper than best buy even with the coupons. I went round and round with ordering a XBOX 360 add on, Toshiba, waiting for a dual player, etc. I finally just pulled the trigger. Our older Sony DVD player is acting weird, so I figured I'd move the Panasonic upstairs and get the stand alone Toshiba.

I don't plan on buying any content, just renting through Netflix. I figure this way if BluRay wins, I don't have too much invested and can put the player on eBay. Feeling a little more confident on HDDVD now that the porn industry endorsed it! ;)

Oh and there is a three free HDDVDs deal with he purchase of any Toshiba player through 2/28/07. Info here:
http://www.thelookandsoundofperfect.com/_pdf/perfectoffer_advert.pdf

Bud

Yesterday I picked up a pool table light and installed it. They charged me twice for it, but thats another story. It looks a few inches too high to me, but based on the recommendations online (min 40" above table), its suppose to be about right. I may drop it another 4 inches. It's currently at 42".

So here is my loaner table:
http://images14.fotki.com/v378/photos/6/649633/4065030/100_2196-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v385/photos/6/649633/4065030/100_2198-vi.jpg

I'm pulling out the damn TV today, it actually died last week anyway. I had it fixed a few years ago. I think I paid 2300 for that puppy back in '93. Makes me sick to my stomach now. Oh well, plans were to put a flat screen in the bar anyway. Ben Harper, you still out there?

Bud

Hey man,

looks great. for some reason I thought there was going to be a football game today but it looks like they are both tomorrow. anyhow - you can still come by today and have some beers to check out the new PS3 if you want.

I have some running around to do this morning but will be back around 2 this afternoon.

Jason

Hey Bud, you guys sell some wierd water bottles down there in Atlanta. Any chance of getting some shipped to Chicago? :)

His name is Bud. ;)


Bud, I agree that the pool table light looks too high. Most of the ones I have seen seem to have been hung much lower. Low enough so that when you are standing, no direct light from the bulb can hit you in the eye.

I prefer a stained glass pool table lights. Course, my family owned a stained glass shop for 20 years, so I'm kinda partial. Mexico and China is producing a lot of the stained glass lamps for cheap and selling them in the US now. The ones from China are actually a pretty good quality. But don't look in a billiard supply for the light. They won't even offer you complimentary lube when they stick it to you. In some outlet malls, there are outlet lighting shops. Those shops will usually carry the stained glass lamps imported from China. And their prices are really good for the amount of work that goes into making one. Probably cheaper than the cost of materials if you were to build one yourself. The ones from Mexico are usually sold in Lowes and Home Depot for a reasonable price for the work you get. Definitely cheaper than other lighting places will sell it.

Toxarch,

I agree and will drop it some. At least its up. I've seen some nice stained glass ones. My neighbors wife asked me if I wanted theirs, she said she paid a lot for it. I wanted to match the other fixtures I installed down there. I do like them though.

Bud

Jason,

Hope you got my PM. I just didn't get a chance to call. My cell battery was getting low with my brother and sisters calling. Justin was looking forward to checking out the PS3.... maybe next weekend if you're around.

Bud

Who is going to get post 3000? Me! Oh, and GO BEARS!

Bud