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$40 DIY Yardstick Frame Masking System for Pull-Down Screens - Page 2

post #31 of 42
12/10/10 at 9:34pm
I Googled and Googled for a DIY masking solution for my 150" 16:9 electric screen and finally stumbled across this thread by chance. Thanks to this thread, I was finally able to do so and very cheap. I also implemented Mississippiman's Velcro suggestion and it holds it up flawlessly due to the light weight.

Thanks Ajstan99, the perceived contrast of my Optoma HD20 for 2.39:1 films went through the roof.
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post #32 of 42
12/12/10 at 1:47pm
i've been looking for good, low cost ideas for making masking panels. this one looks very interesting. i was thinking of going with the foamcore stuff but they come 8' wide. ny screen is 8' wide so my panels need to be a little wider than 8' so this might be a better solution. appproximately how much does a finished panel weigh using the yardstick method?
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post #33 of 42
12/14/10 at 6:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grubadub View Post

i've been looking for good, low cost ideas for making masking panels. this one looks very interesting. i was thinking of going with the foamcore stuff but they come 8' wide. ny screen is 8' wide so my panels need to be a little wider than 8' so this might be a better solution. appproximately how much does a finished panel weigh using the yardstick method?

Hi grubadub - my panels are about 82" long and both of them together seem to weigh approximately as much as a 1lb. box of cereal - so, a rough estimate maybe 8-10 ounces each. EDIT: I was able to weigh the masks on a food scale and it looks like they are approximately 14 ounces each.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DrNegative View Post

I Googled and Googled for a DIY masking solution for my 150" 16:9 electric screen and finally stumbled across this thread by chance. Thanks to this thread, I was finally able to do so and very cheap. I also implemented Mississippiman's Velcro suggestion and it holds it up flawlessly due to the light weight.

Thanks Ajstan99, the perceived contrast of my Optoma HD20 for 2.39:1 films went through the roof.

Thanks, DrNegative - glad you were able to find (and resurrect) this thread. Does the velcro interfere with the roll-up of the screen or create waves? It seems more convenient than the clips, so I'm tempted to try it.
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post #34 of 42
1/5/11 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ajstan99 View Post
Thanks, DrNegative - glad you were able to find (and resurrect) this thread. Does the velcro interfere with the roll-up of the screen or create waves? It seems more convenient than the clips, so I'm tempted to try it.
Well, since I just needed a top mask only, I noticed that the yardstick structure would slide perfectly into the crease that the screen comes out of the casing, (so i made it a little wider to take advantage) because of this, I only needed a small 1" x 1" square of industrial strength Velcro at the bottom corners on each side to stabilize it where it meets the top of the projected picture. I have tested it by retracting it in and out several times and so far it is still working great with the Velcro. For the bottom, I simply used the additional black velvet cloth, made a long Velcro strip at the bottom along the screen's rod, and I turn the electric motor with the remote until it is aligned with the bottom of the picture, using the screen's factory strip as my bottom border, with the cloth as a drape. Works perfectly, takes me about 2-3 minutes to setup for a 2.40:1 film, but to me its worth it.

I also used the soft fuzzy side of the Velcro on the screen's side to help decrease the chance of wrinkles or creases happening.

This was just a risk I was willing to take, but your office clips idea also worked fine too.
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post #35 of 42
1/15/11 at 6:36am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrNegative View Post


Well, since I just needed a top mask only, I noticed that the yardstick structure would slide perfectly into the crease that the screen comes out of the casing, (so i made it a little wider to take advantage) because of this, I only needed a small 1" x 1" square of industrial strength Velcro at the bottom corners on each side to stabilize it where it meets the top of the projected picture. I have tested it by retracting it in and out several times and so far it is still working great with the Velcro. For the bottom, I simply used the additional black velvet cloth, made a long Velcro strip at the bottom along the screen's rod, and I turn the electric motor with the remote until it is aligned with the bottom of the picture, using the screen's factory strip as my bottom border, with the cloth as a drape. Works perfectly, takes me about 2-3 minutes to setup for a 2.40:1 film, but to me its worth it.

I also used the soft fuzzy side of the Velcro on the screen's side to help decrease the chance of wrinkles or creases happening.

This was just a risk I was willing to take, but your office clips idea also worked fine too.

Neat idea, DrN. Thanks for the follow up. I know what you mean about the setup time being worth it. Every once in a while I'll start watching a 2.40:1 movie without the masks, but within the first 5 minutes I'll stop and put them on.
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post #36 of 42
7/6/12 at 8:52am
I found this post during a google search and built my masks last weekend. My screen is 106" and they work great. The bottom panel however does have a sort of a bowing to it as the screen tends to bend slightly inward. Maybe due to the length of the screen and its material. Sitting back 12 feet or so I don't really notice it.
Thanks for this idea OP, it has solved my issue when the blacks in a film are not truly black and the black bars are so you can see the difference. Now the only issue I have is I need to set it up early due to the family issue waiting while a scene is on the screen to align properly.

Anyone come up with a way to premark where to set the masks so we don't have to make others wait while we adjust.

Also note that with a 106" screen, it is possible, but not easy to hang them yourself. It is a balancing act for the upper mask.
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post #37 of 42
7/8/12 at 8:05am
Thread Starter 
Hi mychaelp - great idea to premark! How about using a silver Sharpie marker on the back of the screen to mark where the masks go for 2.35:1, 2.4:1, etc.? You may still need to do a quick adjustment once the movie starts, but the masks should be really close to where they need to be at that point.
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post #38 of 42
7/16/12 at 12:44pm
Thanks so much for posting this. I know you posted this several years ago, but I am hoping you might be able to tell me approximately how many yards of velvet you used. Thanks so much! Mark
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post #39 of 42
7/16/12 at 6:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GWTWTOO View Post

Thanks so much for posting this. I know you posted this several years ago, but I am hoping you might be able to tell me approximately how many yards of velvet you used. Thanks so much! Mark

Since my masks were 82" long, I purchased an 88" piece of velvet so there weren't any seams on the front and I had plenty to wrap around the back. The fabric store cut it to the length I wanted.

I'd recommend purchasing 6" longer than your mask frame. Since the masks themselves are only 6" high (may need to be slightly larger for larger screens) you can certainly cover both with one piece.

That brings up an interesting question for those of you who built the masks for larger screens: Did you need to make the masks taller to cover the gray bars, or was 6" tall enough?
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post #40 of 42
7/25/12 at 4:13pm
Thank you so much. We made the screen masks over the last two days and used them last night for "Camelot". They make such a huge difference and I am so thankful to have come across your posting. Have you done any masking for 1:37 ratio? I just use curtains for the pillar-boxing. Thanks again!
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post #41 of 42
12/6/12 at 6:40am

i'm trying this out, i have built the lower mask for a 106' tensioned motorized screen. The frame seems pretty heavy to hang on the thin screen fabric.. it will hang but there is some distortion of the screen as it tries to support the weight. I'm wondering if i just put some hooks in the walls and hang the masks off the wall hooks instead of attaching to the screen itself? also.. are you finding the  location of the masks stays the same for all movies? or are some movies different aspect ratios that require moving the masks up and down? all the movies i've played so far SEEM to have the same aspect ratio on my 16:9 screen.. i.e., the black bars seem to be the same height. thanks for any help/comments.

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post #42 of 42
12/8/12 at 7:37am
Thread Starter 
Hi astrogeeker - I have a 92" standard pull-down, but others that have posted in this thread have made the masks for a larger screen, so you may want to PM them.

Also, I'm not sure if a tab-tensioned screen material/backing is thinner and/or less sturdy than a standard pull-down. If the tab-tensioned screen is more pliable, the masks may be more likely to distort the screen and your idea of hanging from the wall/ceiling sounds interesting.

In my case, clipping on the masks actually tightens up the screen somewhat (although I am very pleased with how flat my Severtson manual screen has stayed over the years).

Finally, here is a thread from the constant image chat forum that discusses 2.35 vs. 2.39 vs. 2.4 aspect ratios that should be helpful in deciding whether to hang your masks at a fixed height vs. making them adjustable for the differences in the formats.

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1360521/2-35-movies-vs-2-40-movies-is-there-an-actual-difference-even-if-it-is-small

Good luck!
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrogeeker View Post

i'm trying this out, i have built the lower mask for a 106' tensioned motorized screen. The frame seems pretty heavy to hang on the thin screen fabric.. it will hang but there is some distortion of the screen as it tries to support the weight. I'm wondering if i just put some hooks in the walls and hang the masks off the wall hooks instead of attaching to the screen itself? also.. are you finding the  location of the masks stays the same for all movies? or are some movies different aspect ratios that require moving the masks up and down? all the movies i've played so far SEEM to have the same aspect ratio on my 16:9 screen.. i.e., the black bars seem to be the same height. thanks for any help/comments.
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