Masking 1.78:1 to 2.35:1 - Any Tips?  

My screen is a painted area on the wall. It is 84" by 47.25" with black painted borders around it. This makes it a 16:9 which I use "as is" for HD and 1.85:1 DVDs. I use it with a PT-L500U projector.

I got curious about adding some masking at the top and bottom for scope format (2.35:1) DVD's. So I got some black art paper and glued up some 6" x "84" strips, which I applied to the top & bottom of the screen using black velcro in the border area. The strips were placed so as to mask down the screen eliminating any white screen above and below the projected image.

The result was a definite improvement in apparent contrast for 2:35 material. I was actually surprised at how much difference it made. The picture had lot more "pop" to it. In my room, which is completely light controlled, the projected image seemed to float in space. Very nice effect. I can pull off the masks (carefully) when I want to watch 1.78:1 or 1.85:1 programming.

I am continuing to use the cheesy black paper masks until I think up some scheme to make some masks are more durable, and look a little more classy.

I did a search in this area, and did not really find what I was looking for, namely a simple removeable manual mask for this application, that looks a little better than construction paper.

Have any of you folks made a simple manual add/remove mask for your screens? If so, what did you do?

If I think of anything creative I will try it and post it. But so far nothing special has come to mind...

TIA

Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

Here is what I did:

I cut two 6" strips of 1/4" plywood to fit the screen width. I primed and painted them flat black. I then used Velcro to attach them to the screen. They look fine. The flat black paint hides the surface of the plywood pretty well, and I was able to get good straight edges with my table saw.

It is easy enough for me to get to the screen and apply or remove the masks. So I will just do that until I win the lottery and can buy a motorized set up.

Thanks again.

I applied the "hook" side of the velcro to the back side of the plywood.

As mentioned in my starting post, my "frame" is painted on the wall around my screen, in flat black. I applied the mating velcro, the "loop" side inside the plack painted frame area. I used the loop side on the wall because it is less reflective than the hook side, and basically disappears into the black painted area when the masks are not on the screen.

I am not sure what you mean by light leakage. The masks "float about 1/16" off the surface of the screen since the thichkness of the velcro holds them out from the wall a little. This does not present any problems that I can see. The masking creates a sharp boundary to the projected image.

Obviously there is some leeway in positioning the masks. I some some small marks on the wall where they should line up. But they can be easily tweaked to fit the actual material being watched.

Not the most elegant solution, but the incremental cost was next to nothing. I had the plywood, the primer and the paint. I bought the velcro.

I used about a 4" piece of velcro vertically positioned on the left and right ends of each plywood mask. The masks are long enough to extend into the painted frame area to the left and right of the screen. I also placed a 3" piece of velcro at the horizontal center of the mask along the top edge for the top mask and bottom edge for the bottom mask. These attach to corresponding strips in the centers of the top and bottom black painted area. This keeps the mask from bowing out in the center. since 1/4" plywood is not very rigid.

The plywood strips are light enough that those short strips safely hold the masks in place.

I do not have a way to post a picture, but I hope you get the idea.