Please Help Me With My Screen

I recently posted concerning a DIY screen versus a store bought screen but didn't get any responses. In any case, I think I am leaning towards the DIY route with Wilsonart laminate. I am hoping to get some comments on my plans/ideas.

First off, I think I am going to use the 8020 system. I am not sure if white or grey would work better, so I plan to make the screen two sided with Designer White on one side and Fashion Grey on the other. I can design the mounting system so that it shouldn't be too tough to switch it around, but it probably wouldn't be something that you would do on a whim either.

Second, I can't decide which size and aspect ratio to go with. I am constrained in both height and width due to the screen being located in an alcove and having to be above the media stand and center speaker (~34" off the ground). Respective maximum viewable screen dimensions are 94" wide and 45" high. Basically, what that comes down to is a 2.35:1 setup with viewing area of 94x40 or a 16:9 with a 80x45 viewing area. The problems come when I want to view something in a ratio other than how the screen was designed which will result in a smaller screen. One possible idea that I came up with to work around this is to make the screen the full 94x45 and design a vertical and horizontal masking system to be able to make the screen whatever size I want within the maximum dimensions. Problem with that is first, I don't want my wife and kids to have to deal with adjusting the masking all the time, and second, I am not sure how to design a masking system such as that which would be easy to use, precise, and good looking too. Finally, I should point out that the projector is going to be mounted higher than the top edge of the screen and my understanding is that that could create issues. (not sure on projector yet but I'm thinking the Panasonic AEU4000 or alternatively, the Epson 8350 if I want to save some money).

What should I do? My gut now is telling me to go with the over sized screen and worse case, I will just string some curtains up to reduce it to a 16:9 ratio screen. If I did go with the over sized screen I probably wouldn't even need any trim and I could just use the masking system/curtains to cover the edges of the 8020 frame and laminate. In any case, I have included a picture of the area (it is an older picture and I have since built some new speakers as depicted in the following Autocad drawing) and I have included an AutoCad drawing showing the over sized screen (viewing area only) and how it would be broken down for 2.35:1 and 16:9 ratios. Everything is drawn to scale in the Autocad drawing and the center IS going to be on top of the media stand.

Thanks for any advice and feel free to comment or ask questions,

Matt

 

Large Screen.pdf 6.107421875k . file

Sorry, AutoCad drawing came out sideways. Here is one the is (hopefully) oriented correctly.

Matt

edit: The horizontal for the 16:9 screen was a bit too short. It would actually be about 9" wider but I don't want to repost the drawing for the 3rd time. I would also likely lower the screen a couple of inches or so to get it away from the ceiling (which likely has to be painted).

 

Large Screen.pdf 6.107421875k . file

Thanks for the advice - certainly gives me some things to think about. I was thinking about things more after I posted and had myself convinced that I wanted to go with the over sized screen. Your points were well taken, but we will probably be watching mostly 16:9 stuff - at least to start - so I want to maximize that ratio. On the other hand, it would be impressive to have the option to display a nice wide 2.35 image as well. If I make the screen the maximum width, I figure I can just mask 8 1/2" on each edge and only fully open it if/when I want to display a larger 2.35 image.

On the other hand, if I put in the widest CH 2.35 screen that I can (94"x40") the resulting 16:9 diagonal measurement after masking would be ~82" compared to ~92" if I go with my current plan. That is about 21% smaller when looking at the SF of the two options. Ideally, I wish I could make 2.35 screen that is the full 45" tall but I just don't have the horizontal space. Even the 94" width is pushing things a bit.

As far as the double sided screen, I am still thinking about that one. The room that the screen is going in is a multi-purpose, light controlled room so there may be situations where the ambient light calls for a higher gain while at other times it may be completely dark. The cost would only be a little more (just one more sheet of laminate) but the bigger question is how to make it easy to turn over.

Finally, the more I look at the 8020 stuff the more excited I get about it. When I call in the order I am going to see if they can put a black finish on it. It shows that it is possible on some of their other products so hopefully it will work on the Quick Frame product as well. We'll see.

I'll start a build thread once I make all of my decisions and get going on everything.

Thanks,

Matt