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Mediaplex on Maria Drive

1K views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  timtimes 
#1 ·
Hi all. Just about to wrap up my outdoor theater project. I started on Oct 6, 2007. In effect, I built it outside OVER THE WINTER months. Sunny south has it's advantages.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timtime...7603204872782/


I'll be adding to the photos later today. At this point they show a pretty complete picture of the five level deck I built, but the theater part is not installed yet. I want a convertible theater so to speak. I wish to have a large rigid screen that can be put up and down (and stored) with ease. At first I was going to just hang a large tarp off the lattice at the rear of the yard. I actually left 16 feet of property BEHIND that rear lattice (so I could segregate my dogs outside my deck and patio area).


I did a trial run the last Patriot game of the regular season. It was pretty cool, but the 9x12 foot drop cloth wasn't big enough, and I feel like the screen was a little too far away from the deck itself (I'm guessing the screen was 30 feet away from the front of the deck) The fact that I've got that lattice to hang stuff on is SO SWEET, but also, I have decided to take another route.


About half way between the front of the deck and the lattice panels I have strung a cable (3/16" stranded steel). Large parallel spaced trees on either side of the yard made that pretty easy. The cable height is around eight feet and bisects the lattice fenced enclave. It runs the entire distance from one side of the enclave to the other. We're talking a good fifty feet or more stretched across the yard. Because the cable is so thin, it's really not unsightly. I plan to leave it up all the time.

The alternative was to set a bunch of tall posts in the middle of the yard to attach a screen to and I just didn't want to clutter the middle of my yard with those beams. Also, no digging required.


Because the cable is so long, I can't hope to actually hang 4x8 thin plywood off it without severe sag. Since I plan on using (four) 4x8 panels upright (total screen 8 'x 16') there was no way I could imagine stretching that steel cable tight enough to hang them. That's why I settled on a cable height of around eight feet. I will simple make a base (probably disguised as planter boxes) on the ground that the 4x8's can have a level base to perch on. I will incorporate clips or velcro on the tops and bottoms of those 4x8's I use for the screen. Gravity will hold them down. Velcro will attach them at the bottom and I will merely use the steel cable as an attachment point for the tops (again, either clips/velcro). The cable won't actually be holding any weight, just keeping the four panels upright and straight. The panels will have to be attached at the top pretty well to keep a wind gust from detaching them.


It was mentioned in another thread about rear projecting on a translucent material. Because I decided to move the screen into the middle of the yard instead of the back, I could possibly hang some translucent panels instead of the plywood and shoot projector from behind. This would make my A/V cable running job more difficult though and I'm inclined to pass on it for that reason.


I have been ruminating on this screen install since the day I started the project. I only came to what (I hope) is the best solution for the situation in the last few days.


Enjoy.
 
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