***Official SmX Theater Solutions Screen Thread - Page 32

I can't find any info on prices. Would someone be able to tell me how much something like the ProMask-CH costs?

SMX can do that.

does smx make a pull down/manual AT/ screen?

i know everyone mounts their screen material to the smx frame first, then hand it, but is it possible to mount the frame first and then attach the screen material? or would it be too difficult to have the splines make the screen tight?

thanks.

i wish eh still did DIY

Me too. Not because I'm cheap, but because I build a screen that no one makes. It's suspended by black cables in a black room with no borders at all. So the image just hangs in the air. It's pretty cool and unique. No screen maker does this. Sound equipment is behind it on wall mounted shelves so no feet are visible below. All you see is the movie.

I know this is the SMX thread, but have you guys considered SeymourAV for the DIY needs? That does sound pretty cool, and Seymour will supposedly sell you a screen already fitted with grommets (which is the normal fixed-frame attachment method). Just an idea

I have a sample of Seymour right now. I am getting samples of Carada (obviously non AT) also just for comparison.

And I wish SMX still did DIY becuase I *am* cheap...but I still want quality. SMX is out of my bang for the buck price range, but some people are able to go with it - good for them.

I personally do not want to give up an ounce of video quality by going AT - I am dumbfoundedly happy with my white wall right now, I would be very surprised if a solid sheet carada screen would somehow decrease the video quality.

The SeymourAV needs EQ so I avoided it.

I think they all need eq.

SMX claims not to and working with RoomEQ and a calibrated mic I find little if any difference.

We still work with the DIY. We frequently have remnants that we offer the DIYers whenever they email us. If you are interested in raw material or screen surfaces with grommets contact us at sales@smxscreen.com and we can add you in the cue.

Ruben

Wit SMX you certainly give up nothing compared to a white wall. And, you give up nothing relative to other non-AT screens except gain. AND, you give up nothing at all to other AT screen solutions. Sorry to sound like a fan-boy, but hey... I am!

Can you do 100% accurate pixel focus on your projector, with the SMX acoustically transparent material?

And I mean there's no difference between pixel focusing on your wall, paper, or a non AT screen.

Because I can still pixel focus on other AT material but it's not AS good as my wall. I would venture to say it's only 90-95% as good, and to me that's giving up possibly imperceived video quality. I wonder how SMX is in that regard?

-ELmO

Yes, I can do pixel focusing. It is my opinion, and just my opinion, that differences you can make out at 1 to 2 feet make no difference at 10 feet. But I don't know this for sure.

Another thing I do is hold a white piece of paper up against the screen to see how well I focused on the AT material. And, I can see enough structure on the AT screen to get it 100% right. As I say, up close it's not quite as distinct as the paper, but you can definitely still see the pixels clearly enough to focus 100%.

For me, theoretical visual differences are so tiny, if they exist at all, that having the sound equipment hidden and the center speaker in the correct position AND the center speaker exactly the same size and configuration as the left and right speakers is well worth what I THINK is no image compromise at all, except gain.

Good point -for you; it is different for everyone I presume.

I personally have never witnessed a proper AT screen setup, so I can't comment, I can only imagine what it looks like with the lights on- and how it sounds with the light off.

I have a feeling there are some speakers though that are fairly good at "hiding" their location even though they are not inwall.

That's another point to be made, I know there are high quality inwall speakers out there, but I find it hard to believe they can compete with high quality floorstanders. That's another trade-off.

I want it all with no compromise and that's a quandry.

-ELmO

I don't use in-wall speakers. I'd never compromise sound. I use tri-amp'd Dynaudios. That's why my screen hangs in space. There are wall mounted shelves behind for the amps, crossovers and speakers (all lights covered, of course). The LCR speakers are all 12" woofers (30W100XL), 4" dome mids (D76) and dome tweets (D260). Subwoofer is an 8 15" woofer IB. All told, about 5 kW in power. NO compromise there!

Can you take a close-up picture of a crosshatch on the SMX material so we can see how well the pixel grid can be resolved? Maybe compare it to the white piece of paper as well? This is my biggest concern with woven AT material. I will always use eq for room correction so the ability to not have to use it because of the screen isn't a big deal to me.

Interesting. Well I guess I do have to compromise as my room does not have enough depth to build the screen out away from the wall (or does it)-hehe. Thanks for the idea.

I'm not sure. I've not yet figured out how to set my camera to expose as long as it needs to to get an image. It's a Canon Rebel XT. Time to finally read the instructions...

But I have Ruben's older material anyway, so it might not be worth it. I'm not sure what the improvement is. This weekend is pretty busy.

I've got 2' between the wall and the screen for the speakers and equipment to fit. So I gave up 2' of room size. In my case I designed the new-construction house and theater to accomodate this, but for existing setups that can be a problem.

Another advantage to AT screens it you don't have the large acoustically reflecting surface at the front of your theater that you can't acoustically treat. Depending on the specifics of your room's response this might or might not be an advantage. I treated the whole wall behind the screen and speakers and dialog is very clean and clear, even at very low levels. Nothing is muddled. Of course I have no idea what it would have been like with a regular screen and an untreated wall. But the point is, AT screens allow this if needed.

My throw ratio is at 1.5 right now, so I can't bring the screen closer unless I give up on image size...so again i face a quandry.

I wonder if I'm weird that I'm doing 170" wide and I like to sit 12 ft away from it? I can sit 17 ft back but I don't get the enveloping experience.

The problemw ith my room then is I don't have enough depth to have 2 seating rows. The back is too far (17) and the front is too close (11).

I could use the length of my room (20) and project but then I have a fireplace in the way...do I have to do a pull down AT screen? Isn't this going to look stupid?

This gave me an awesome idea I didn't think about before!

Originally I was projecting here (front wall):


Here's a video of the front wall with my projector and lens:


Then I thought, what about this wall (although I have reflections to deal with):


After erkq's post, I thought what about flipping the room and projecting towards the fireplace? This feels right. The room is longer than it is wide at that point, but how do I pull this off? I have roughly 1.5 ft on each side of the "screen" for floor standers. I could sit the center on the fire place mantle (HAHA!). I could replace the clock with an LCD or plasma TV, and there could be a pull down AT screen. The problem is, aren't pulldowns worse quality (waves/etc)? I wonder if the fireplace could damage the screen (when it's not in use).



The room actually leads into my kitchen, where I would mount the projector and lens. The ceilings are 9-10ft so it's fine:


Doing this helps me three-fold. My throw ratio will increase, I'll have the chance to do 2 rows, and I can have my living room be TV oriented for large Wii playing sessions.

Thoughts?

Thanks friends.
ELmO

I have 42 inches behind my screen and use full size speakers.

My processor has a sound correction system and the calibration phase does not produce different results with the screen up or down.

can anyone give some opinions/suggestions?

thanks.

Hi Anthony,

You would need to mount the screen surface to the frame first with the existing attachment method we offer. We are introducing a new attachment method in the near future that will allow you to do what you are asking and will make assembly much easier than it is now.

Regards
Ruben

What projector do you plan on using for 170" wide 1.78:1 screen?

Ruben

Hi Ruben. Did you get my PM?

I am finalizing my false wall design and I have "brain fade" when it comes to mounting the 120" SMX ProCurv. I am thinking of going with the "minimalist BigMouthinDC style" approach with removable side panels in GOM. My issue is that the ProCurv needs two bars behind the screen for mounting. To get the front of the ProCurv (the two ends) flush with the false wall, I will need to build some type of a 2x8 (top and bottom) window and get something to mount the bars to.

Not sure how I can accomplish this..

Any ideas or design concepts? I'm not "at a loss", but there has to be a better way to mount these ProCurv's in a false wall and make it flush with the screen wall.

Thanks in advance....

Yes, thank you.

Ruben

Hi Mark,

If you are trying to achieve a semi-shadow box application, and assuming you have access behind the screen wall after the screen is installed, this is what you do. Mount two vertical studs (2" x 2"s or 2" x 4"s) to the back of the shadow box spaced to align with the two vertical ProCurv wall brackets.
Drill holes in the vertical studs that align with the holes in the ProCurv wall brackets.

Fully install the ProCurv wall brackets to the ProCurv prior to hanging, remove stabilizer bar. Attach 3" lag bolts to the ProCurv wall brackets and secure them to the brackets with nuts so they don't come loose and fall out. Make sure bolt head is facing the screen surface.

Line up the bolts on the ProCurv brackets with the pre-drilled holes on the vertical studs and secure with lock washers and nuts to the vertical studs from behind.

If you can make a window that is perfectly squared and to the exact size of the outside dimensions of the ProCurv, you can drill holes and screws through the top and bottom of the window, into the frame of the ProCurv. This will put unseen holes in the ProCurv frame but is another option.

If none of the above ideas work for you, we can make custom wall brackets for you application.

Regards,
Ruben