DIY Curved Screen w/Motorized Masking [Text View]

camarillo_cinema

03-19-07, 09:33 PM

OK, my fellow 2.35 forum aficionados-

Awhile back I decided to go Cinemascope, and was inspired by Vern Dias's DIY 2.35 curved screen. I added my own twist by incorporating a motorized masking system. For my room, I settled for a 112-inch wide screen.

Essentially, building the screen was pretty straightforward. I constructed a frame consisting of a couple of 2x2's, MDF, and brackets of assorted lengths. The "rise" is about 6 inches from the center.

The 2.5 inch wide MDF is very bendable, and became the top and bottom pieces to which the duck canvas was stapled to.

After the frame was built, it was time to staple the duck canvas to the frame. Starting at the top, I was able to get the canvas secured to the MDF stapling every 3 inches or so. Once that was done, I then stapled the bottom side.

It is recommended that the sides NOT be stapled, otherwise the fabric will tend to flatten out and not follow the curve.

I then painted the screen with Behr Bright White latex paint. This helped tighten the screen by shrinking the fabric somewhat. This took 3 coats to acheive adequate coverage and uniformity.

Here are some pics of the construction.

Don

camarillo_cinema

03-19-07, 09:46 PM

Here's some pics of the DIY curved screen with the masking system installed. I positioned the masks to various aspect ratios. The masks ride about 1/4 inch from the screen.

Don

James A. McGahee

03-19-07, 10:57 PM

scottyb

03-20-07, 07:54 AM

Jim,
You're gonna laugh when you find out.

He's the manufacturer. He sells them and they are a GREAT deal.

Scott

ifeliciano

03-20-07, 08:58 PM

Jim,
You're gonna laugh when you find out.

He's the manufacturer. He sells them and they are a GREAT deal.

Scott

There was another guy here a couple of years back that also did a nice motorized masking system.

Bob Trinanes is his name. Here is the archived thread --> Pics of my 4-way motorized masking system (http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=350149)

Along the thread there is a few pdf's with schematics and masking system layout.

James A. McGahee

03-21-07, 05:37 PM

camarillo_cinema, scottyb says you manufacture and sale your masking system/screen. Can you give me an idea of the cost per 2.35.1 horizontal inch or foot? Can you sale the masking system separately from the screen? If it is motorized, can it be remotely controlled by the projector trigger? Thanks again-

ifeliciano

03-21-07, 06:56 PM

camarillo_cinema

03-22-07, 02:31 AM

Your curved HT screen and masking looks great. Would you mind letting me know where you got or how you constructed your curved masking kit/screen/parts etc. I've been wondering how I would curve the masking curtains and suspend them. I haven't started my DIY curved screen but am ready to. :confused:
Thanks,

James-
I can come up with a suitable parts list for the screen. All materials for the screen were procurred from Home Depot, except for the duck canvas, which can be bought from any fabric store. Keep in mind that if you use duck canvas, it will not be AT. For this, you will have to use another material, such as SmX. Instead of stapling, you could use another piece of MDF in front with the material wedged between the two, held in place with wood screws. Paint or cover the outside piece with some velvet to produce a nice looking frame.

The masking material is rolled on rollers, and the track can be easily formed to follow the curvature of your screen. The masking material is about 1/4 the width of the screen on each side to mask to 1.33.

Don

scottyb

03-22-07, 08:11 AM

Don,
Do you sell just the masking part of the system?
I already have curtains but they are only for looks on the front wall, so I could hide the masking mechanisms behind them

Scott

lawdawg

03-23-07, 03:52 PM

Nice Job Don,

And according to your website, not to bad on price either.

I like the idea of rollers for the material, unlike using curtains, this means that you don't need alot of space on the sides of the screen, for excess fabric (when the masking is fully open.) Right? This should also help out people who have their left and right speakers right next to the left and right of their screens.

I do have a question though, having a curved screen. The track is bent to follow the curve of the screen, so that masking material stays close to the screen, ON THE END. But are you able to get all of the masking material/panels to follow the curve of the screen. To make myself clearer, does the entire mask follow the curvature of the screen, or is the middle section of the masking area basically stretched between the to endpoints, and as a result it protrudes from the curvature of the screen?

lawdawg

03-23-07, 03:56 PM

And another question. Those of us with commercial curved screens (Stewart in particular) have frames that work the opposite of what you have built. The screen material is snapped onto the BACK of the frame. So the Frame protrudes out in front of the screen (in my case by about 1 and 1/2 inches.) Can your system accommodate this arrangement and still provide a clean edge, that is close to the screen material, for masking?

Thanks

camarillo_cinema

03-23-07, 06:06 PM

The track is bent to follow the curve of the screen, so that masking material stays close to the screen, ON THE END. But are you able to get all of the masking material/panels to follow the curve of the screen. To make myself clearer, does the entire mask follow the curvature of the screen, or is the middle section of the masking area basically stretched between the to endpoints, and as a result it protrudes from the curvature of the screen?

lawdawg-

The answer is "YES". The fabric does follow the curve. Keep in mind that in most cases, the masks will not be more than about 28 inches wide to mask to 1:33. With that said, the curve is really not that much. I noticed this on my own screen. When looking from the center of the screen out, the curve is quite pronounced. But we're not masking the whole screen.

To answer your second question, yes, I do realize that commercial screens have a protruding frame. Typically, the screen will be set back from the front edge of the frame 1/2 to 1 inch. Not much I can do about that, unless you want to get rid of your frame. :rolleyes: But, the tracks can be positioned so that the masks ride just in front of the frame. I have not experienced "shadowboxing" with that distance.

I went with rollers simply because of the stacking problem associated with curtains. I decided to have curtains anyway, so I curved the curtain track so that they stack on the adjacent walls. Nice "WOW" factor.

best-
Don

camarillo_cinema

03-23-07, 07:46 PM

I just wanted to correct myself on one point. The load bar follows the curve, since it has to follow the curve of the track.

However, that's not to say that the fabric follows the curve. That I think would be hard to do, unless you have an AT screen and a vacuum on the other side sucking on the material.

But, if you think about it, it's not really necessary for it to do so, since most importantly, the leading edge of the mask will be closest to the screen. What's behind the mask is immaterial.

Don

James A. McGahee

12-08-07, 10:29 PM

James-
I can come up with a suitable parts list for the screen. All materials for the screen were procurred from Home Depot, except for the duck canvas, which can be bought from any fabric store....
Don

camarillo_cinema, have you been able to put together a suitable parts list for the screen or what would it cost me if you made me a 14' wide 2:35 curved screen? Can the masking be added later?
Thanks,
James:)

camarillo_cinema

12-11-07, 12:29 PM

James-
Yes, I am in the process of doing so as we speak. I just picked up the 1 inch aluminum channel that was "curved" at the machine shop. This will constitute part of the frame for the screen. This is a 9 ft wide screen, and I chose a radius of 20.5 feet, which actually may be a little extreme. But, these parameters can be selected to be whatever you want.

I intend to have a velcro attachment scheme for the screen material, which will be the Pfifer 4500 AT.

I will be adding a motorized masking system, and will post pics when ready, which will be before Santa arrives.

Yes, you can add masking later. I'm not allowed to quote prices here, but I can put together a price for you via PM.

Don

James A. McGahee

12-11-07, 10:12 PM

Looking forward to seeing it. I hope it is something I can handle and afford.
Thanks-

camarillo_cinema

12-12-07, 12:27 PM

I hope it is something I can handle and afford.
Thanks-

It will be very affordable. ;)

Don

camarillo_cinema

12-17-07, 04:15 PM

OK - I was waaaay off on my curve radius, according to Ausie Bob's curve calculator xls program (BTW, thanks Bob!). The radius for my screen, given the throw and height, should have been about 40 ft - not 20.

I did decide to go to a grommet and bungee ball scheme to mount the screen material. My frame will be made from 1-inch schedule 40 Aluminum pipe. However, I will first do a flat screen design first. A curved screen is very do-able, it's just that I didn't want to wait a week for the machine shop to bend the pipe for my 40-ft. radius. Besides that, the construction for both is virtually the same.

I prototyped the frame last weekend with PVC and mounted the screen material. So far, so good. I will be building the real thing this week, then adding the masking system.

Don

James A. McGahee

12-17-07, 10:31 PM

Looking forward. I'm excited there may be a screen, even a curved one, in my future. Hang in there and Thanks-:)

camarillo_cinema

12-18-07, 01:48 PM

James-
The curve is based on the height and throw. For a 14 ft wide screen, your heigth will be 5.957 ft. What is your throw?

Don

James A. McGahee

12-19-07, 11:24 PM

From back wall to front wall is 18'6". The projector (IN76) lens is 18" from back wall (includes 4.5" clearance behind projector for cable clearance). The anamorphic lens is right up against the projector and adds 9" in front of the projector.
Some concerns:
Watching HD Sat. (CSI: Miami) with the anamorphic lens the image is approximately 14'2" wide and 64.5" high at center to 67.5" on each side due to pin cushion effect. I really like the size and feel of the 14'2" wall to wall image. With the Sat. box on 16:9/Native/Pillar Box and the projector on Native or 16/9 the image needs to be stretched a little top to bottom. Switching the projector to Letterbox seems to fix that problem but information such as ball game score bars at the top and closed caption at the bottom are cut off. I don't know if a scalar would be a solution or if I could ever afford one. There is about 8" of space above and below the image if needed for scalar adjustments or to squeeze in a border for masking. The only possibility with width is reducing the width as the image, as mentioned above, is wall to wall. I have not spent a lot of time but at one point I did a short search including talking to someone (I believe Jason or David) at AVS and had no luck finding a screen material that had the width (top to bottom image) without having a hem showing. I don't need AT material.
Thanks-

camarillo_cinema

12-20-07, 02:51 AM

James-

The Pfifer 4400 is non-AT material, and comes in 98 inch widths, more than enough to cover the height of your screen and then some.

I will have to calculate the amount of curve for your screen.

I am in the process of building a screen right now. I will show pics when ready.

Don

scottyb

02-05-08, 10:15 PM

Don,

Can you repost your post from today, it's gone.

Scott

camarillo_cinema

02-06-08, 11:21 AM

Here's a nice example of a CIH screen with masking. The screen frame is wood and curved. The screen material is Pfifer 4500 AT. Not shown is the Austrian curtain which will be installed shortly. All theater design, installation and finish work was done by the homeowner. Nice work, Bob!

scottyb

02-06-08, 12:13 PM

OK I need to call you again and order masking. That looks great!!

Andy238

02-27-08, 01:21 PM

Hey Don,

How's that separate motor & controller kit coming along? Haven't heard from you in a while.

camarillo_cinema

03-13-08, 06:08 PM

OK Andy-
Here's a pic of the drive motor for the rollers. The motor actually fits inside the roller, except the last inch for the mounting bracket. You can see the encoder mounted on the drive shaft. Cheap, cheerful, and Oh so accurate.

The firmware is going thru an upgrade, and when it's "golden", the controller will be ready along with the motors.

Don

Andy238

03-17-08, 07:31 PM

Very cool, Don. Looking forward to the final result!

HDGTX

03-18-08, 11:59 PM

Hi Don, Thanks for the photo of your motor. How does it grip the inside of the roller tube ? Best of luck on your projects.

camarillo_cinema

03-24-08, 12:59 PM

Hi Andy-
The drive interfaces with the tube with a speed screw.
Don

Jacob B

04-02-08, 01:12 PM

Hi Don,
Your masking system looks very interesting :cool:
I'm in the process of replacing a DaLite High Power pull down 100" cinemascope screen. I'm considering a curved 100" with your masking system.
However, on your website, you mention screensizes from 108". Why is that - can't your masking system fit a 100" screen? Is it a height limitation on the rollers? (I'm width limited to 98" width including the frame in my room)

How does your curved screen frame compare to the new prismasonic curved screen?

Can other (brand) screen fabrics be used for your Integrated CIH Screen Frame & Masking System (curved)?

v/r
Jacob

PS. I live in Alabama right now, but move back to Denmark in June, so thats my timeline for getting a free shipping for the screen and masking to Denmark.

camarillo_cinema

04-07-08, 02:42 PM

Hi Jacob-
I'm finalizing the design this month. There are so many sizes of screens, so I decided to offer ones that are most popular to start with. Making one to meet your requirements is not a problem.

The frame is aluminum, so it is very lightweight. The screen material is either Pfifer 4400 or 4500 (AT).

For curved screens, the frame components are curved at a a machine shop to a radius that meets your throw and screen width. None of the frame components are more than six feet long, which will help facilitate shipping. The frame is easy to assemble, and assembly time is estimated at about 1 hour.

The screen material has grommets, and is attached to the frame with rubber straps that will keep the material taught and wrinkle-free. You can use other screen material if you choose to.

The masking system will come either fully variable down to 4:3, or for those who need only 1.78 masking, there will be a version that uses a top-mounted roller for side masking.

The trim pieces for the frame will be velveteen-covered aluminum. Total depth of the frame will be no more than 3 inches.

Thank you for your inquiry.

Best-
Don

HogPilot

04-10-08, 09:32 AM

Don,

I've been following this thread with quite a bit of excitement as I'm also in the market for a curved CIH AT masking solution. I would like to go pretty big - considering up to 14' wide - do you think you'll be at a point that you could build something that large by October of this year? I know you're trying to focus on the more popular sizes right now, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that by then something of that size would be feasible. Thanks!

camarillo_cinema

04-11-08, 03:22 PM

Hey HogPilot-
Yes, 14 ft is doable. One thing I have to mention is that the masking system is a kit, and is probably considered "psuedo-DIY". It is NOT a "just add water and stir" installation. After experiencing all of the screen sizes that are available, I decided to offer a kit that pretty much covers everything up to 12 ft wide. Therefore, the rollers and load bars come in 60- inch lengths. These are easily trimmed down with a hack saw to the necessary length. The track sections are 36 inches, which are long enough to cover masking down to 1.33.

Furthermore, I don't supply a trim kit. That's because I didn't consider it feasible to send 10-12 ft long pieces of lumber across the country. Instead, this can be fabricated on-site, either by the homeowner or a carpenter. Cost for this, less labor, is about $100. Materials are available at Home Depot or Lowes. I can supply the black velveteen.

I've done shadowboxes that enclose the screen and masking system, whereby the finished product rivals those of commercial units in appearance and functionality, yet saves the customer literally thousands of dollars. Assembly time, start to finish, is approximately 10 hours including the shadowbox.

I will be putting up a FAQ on the website in the upcoming weeks to address these questions as well as others. One thing that I must emphasize to my customers is that every theater installation is CUSTOM!
Cheers,
Don