Saga of the "Old Vic" - Page 15

Can anyone explain the benefits to mounting a projector no higher than the top of the screen? Assuming that the projector has sufficient vertical shift what is the downside of mounting it 8-10" higher? [If it makes a difference I plan on a CIH anamorphic setup]

Good info. Since I don't plan on zooming it appears the downside is in the slight shadow from the screen mask perimeter (I do plan on an masking system). Let's say my mask edge is 1" out from the screen and my projector throw is about 17' and 8" above the screen, That equates to less than 1/16" of potential shadow. This doesn't seem very significant?

Edit: Another thought - if the screen was angled upward ever so slightly then essentially the projector would be mounted level with the top of the screen albeit pointing down a fraction. Anyone done this?

Thanks James.


My masking will be on the sides (CIH). I was planning on building the masking system integrated into the screen frame so there would be a channel top and bottom just behind the black frame for the mask. I guess I could build the masking system in front of the frame but I thought the integrated approach would look better.

I'm not sure I follow. Linear actuators used in this way would imply a solid (certainly no AT) mask that could be pushed? Whilst that would be ok for 16:9 masking since the speakers are just inside this dimension it wouldn't work for 4:3. What I was thinking, having read many of the DIY masking threads, was a pair of spring loaded blind rollers on which AT fabric is wrapped. The leading edge would be solid and pulled towards the center by wires. Both left and right side would probably be pulled equally by the same motor -- I would machine a pulley with both left and right thread patterns (got to put that CNC mill/lathe to good use!). To keep the fabric close to the screen but accurately spaced I was thinking of mounting a strip of polished aluminum on the screen fabric with the fabric running over this surface. As usual I'm not sure how it will turn out until I get started which should be reasonably soon now.

Yes, really 1000 stars. Actually closer to 1100 fibers since I wired up a comet animation in two locations just in case the forward location became obnoxious. It did take a lot of time and I'm not sure I'll be building another one any time soon but I'm sure I going to be worth it - the few guests I've had over have all been wowed by it. Perhaps the sensible way to go is to plan your ceiling so you can add a star ceiling in the future when you have spare time or get the itch to upgrade.

Thanks for the heads up. This looks interesting and the price is good. I see you have already asked a question in the thread about curved screens..

Simon, the open parts of the soffits are leveraged for some additional bass trapping and filled with 'pink' insulation with a piece of 2" oc703 supporting the bottom face. The oc703 is covered with FSK foil to reflect the higher frequencies. I used whatever r-value I had lying around. The point is just to filled the empty space without overpacking.

Cheers.

That would certainly work although it is made slighter harder by the fact I'm going to do a curved screen (and the curved guides are the most problematic part of the construction). Would you mount the window frame inside or outside the screen frame border?

Thanks Audixium, but these are a little heavy duty don't you think? All that is moving is a small piece of fabric and possibly a lightweight frame.

Now that looks cool. Very cheap too.

What a difference a bit of light makes...

I couldn't resist posting an update since I reached a small milestone today of turning on the first of the theater lights and getting the maple woodwork complete (still got to add all the contrasting walnut trim). Here are a couple of (over exposed) pics.



Here is a pictorial bringing the saga up to date.

I mentioned in a previous post how depressing I found it working in a black and dark cave with only work lights so I took a break and went back to dry-walling/HVAC and electrical work in the theater entrance/lobby.

The first job was to really truly finish up the necessary wiring from theater to external rack closet -- an ongoing process that I never thought would end.



The HVAC work consisted of plumbing the rack closet cooling since I intend to add a sealing glass door. The air flow is from a passive vent underneath the door into a vent in the lower rear of the closet. Then an extraction vent in the ceiling and exiting 10' away from the closet in the lobby ceiling. I made an effort to use up my pile of sheet good scraps and so finished the wall adjacent to the theater with 'Quietwood' prior to GG and drywall. There is actually some logic to this because it provides a study mount for my planned electrically operated sliding hidden entrance -- but more on that later



Ah drywall .. i must admit that whilst I hated the monotony of the double drywall of the theater, a small job like the lobby is actually quite enjoyable. I still have the top mud coat to apply.



You can see the hatch I made above the rack. I built a tiny seat in the "attic" space and it's just big enough to service the extraction fan and all wiring from the theater.



The only remaining work to figure out is to fit some iron railings to this side of the stair and remove the temporary wall rail that I fitted to keep the inspector happy.



I got back in the theater today and managed to get the first coat of finish on the maple. I decided to darken and warm the maple slightly because I was concerned about a ceiling reflection from the screen. I'm not sure but I might have gone a little too amber? The good news I'm using a home brew concoction of aniline dyes and dewaxed shellac and plan a second coat so I may adjust the formula and go a little more brown. Still, it's great to see the wood grain pop and bring the ceiling to life.





Just for fun I wired up the lower tray lights (warm white incandescent). Thank goodness I didn't seal up the path around the future hushbox -- I wasn't thinking about the lights when I built it but luckily there was a nice channel to follow. I think I'm going to build the hushbox in walnut and mount the power, thermostat and cables in the side walls where the wires protrudes currently.



I have a question for anyone who has read this far .. if you look at the first pics of this post, what color rope lighting do you think I should use for the upper light tray? Is was planning to use blue, but I'm wondering if a red light may combine with the spill from the lower lights and create a nice sunset effect... Any opinions?

Finally, I got everything ready for my grafik eye but am not sure how to combine the currently 9 zones. In fact I'm going to be a little underpowered so I fitted a second 20A supply and box which could be used for a second GE or more likely an alternative remote control system of the remainder of the zones. The GE will be out of sight in my theater walk in closet.



The box below the electrical work is going to house one or two source devices like BD player so, in theory, I will never need to open the rack. The use of the space below is still up in the air. Originally it was going to be a media library but things turned out a little more cramped than planned and my wife's DVD/BD collection is out of control (in any case I'll end up ripping these anyway). I latest thought is to build in a little fridge/concession stand or I could just put a door on it and make it a storage cupboard for blankets. Any other ideas?