INTRO:
Although well established as a great acoustic screen fabric, for the longest time the SMX Cineweave HD was only that screen fabric. Many, many people use it for DIY frames since it is a great performing, woven fabric, and not terribly expensive. But, SMX realized there was a large market share of consumers out there who are not handy, and would prefer a complete setup. Enter the SMX ProLine screens. The SMX ProLine screens are built just like the high-end, better known screen manufacturers. They use only the best materials with all the latest features, and even some unique featuresall for less than any other comparable screens. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning.
Rewind about 1 week ago. SMX custom made us a smaller 2.35:1 ProLine screen to fit into Alan's theater (7.5' wide). Alan called me and said it arrivedso I headed on up to his place. Low and behold the screen box. The first thing I noticedit was a strangely shaped box. Every other screen companies shipping boxes are typically square on 2 sides, and then long enough to fit it. The SMX shipping box was actually a long rectangle. This had me intrigued. I tore into it.
Ah ha! Most manufacturers take the 4 pieces of the frame, and put the top/bottom together, and the sides together, wrapped in a foam protector. Though usually adequate for protection in shipping, I have had instances where the velvet coating can rub off, or the frame moves around and gets scratched, etc What SMX does is actually separate the frame pieces and literally bolts them to 3 padded 2x4 cross pieces. This locks them in place during shipping so they cannot rub against anything. Very slick. They also use 2x6 boards on each end of the box, with heavy duty cardboard wrapped around and stapled to them for the main support. The fabric is wrapped onto a tube and put into its own cardboard box that fits inside the shipping carton. In addition, there is a smaller box that contains all the bolts, brackets, and other items which I will go into later. The end result is a very strong box to protect the screen. You might be thinking with all this wood and such, doesn't it weigh so much that shipping will be a ton?. Well, normally yes, but SMX includes shipping on all screens!
I removed the frame pieces, material, and parts. The 4 pieces of the frame are well made. They are extruded aluminum, filled with insulation (as to reduce vibrations during use), and covered with a beautiful velvet coating. The frame is beveled, but with a gradual curve rather than a sharp angle. To assemble the frame, you take 8 corner brackets (2 per corner, heavy duty steel), and slide them into the frame top and bottom. Then you slide on the sides, and you have a frame. To lock them in place, you use a bunch of small set screws (included) that feed into prethreaded holes via a hex key. This took a bit of time, but it did make the frame really sturdy.
Next I hung the bracket. The bracket is nothing unique, just a piece of metal with a slight kink in it. You simply bolt it into the wall at the appropriate height, and then the frame slips over it and hangs from it. What is uniquethe bracket has a built in level. You may think who cares?but as an installer I know this makes it much easier. Plus, if they went to the extent of thinking of something this small, it just shows how their attention to detail is.
Moving on. Now, when you get this screen you will notice the main fabric, as well as a smaller scrap roll. The scrap roll is a test piece of material. Why? Moiré. Though a woven fabric, EVERY screen that is acoustically transparent potentially can moiré. So, I took this scrap piece, and fired up an image from my projector. By slightly rotating the test piece, I could figure out what angle I needed to ensure I didn't get moiré. Like I said, they thought of everything. By now you are asking yourself, why does this matter if I already have the screen/fabric and they don't know what angle I need. Read on and you will find out.
Once the angle is determined, I put on the rubber gloves (included), and took out the actual fabric. I laid a plastic protective sheet (again, included) and then laid the frame face-down onto it. Next, I laid out the fabric onto the frame at the predetermined angle (note: SMX includes more material than you will need both vertically and horizontally, in order to allow for various angles). The frame has a channel in it with rubber fillers. This is all it takes to hold in the fabric (no snaps, Velcro, etc). The advantage of this system is two-fold. First, it allows the customer to adjust the angle. Second, it allows for re-tensioning as needed. The unit comes with a little rotary hand tool. Starting in a corner, I used this tool to push the fabric side into the channel. Once in, I snapped in the rubber filler to hold it in place. Then I moved onto an adjacent side and as I stretched the fabric, rolled it into the channel. Note: This is much easier with 2 people. I worked my way around the screen, putting the filler in as I did this, until the screen was nice and tight with no waves. Though a good system for the above reasons, it does make installation a bit longer so be prepared. I then took the small safety razor and cut away the remaining fabric to finish it off. Lastly, I just hooked this onto the bracket and boomready to go!
Although well established as a great acoustic screen fabric, for the longest time the SMX Cineweave HD was only that screen fabric. Many, many people use it for DIY frames since it is a great performing, woven fabric, and not terribly expensive. But, SMX realized there was a large market share of consumers out there who are not handy, and would prefer a complete setup. Enter the SMX ProLine screens. The SMX ProLine screens are built just like the high-end, better known screen manufacturers. They use only the best materials with all the latest features, and even some unique featuresall for less than any other comparable screens. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning.
Rewind about 1 week ago. SMX custom made us a smaller 2.35:1 ProLine screen to fit into Alan's theater (7.5' wide). Alan called me and said it arrivedso I headed on up to his place. Low and behold the screen box. The first thing I noticedit was a strangely shaped box. Every other screen companies shipping boxes are typically square on 2 sides, and then long enough to fit it. The SMX shipping box was actually a long rectangle. This had me intrigued. I tore into it.
Ah ha! Most manufacturers take the 4 pieces of the frame, and put the top/bottom together, and the sides together, wrapped in a foam protector. Though usually adequate for protection in shipping, I have had instances where the velvet coating can rub off, or the frame moves around and gets scratched, etc What SMX does is actually separate the frame pieces and literally bolts them to 3 padded 2x4 cross pieces. This locks them in place during shipping so they cannot rub against anything. Very slick. They also use 2x6 boards on each end of the box, with heavy duty cardboard wrapped around and stapled to them for the main support. The fabric is wrapped onto a tube and put into its own cardboard box that fits inside the shipping carton. In addition, there is a smaller box that contains all the bolts, brackets, and other items which I will go into later. The end result is a very strong box to protect the screen. You might be thinking with all this wood and such, doesn't it weigh so much that shipping will be a ton?. Well, normally yes, but SMX includes shipping on all screens!I removed the frame pieces, material, and parts. The 4 pieces of the frame are well made. They are extruded aluminum, filled with insulation (as to reduce vibrations during use), and covered with a beautiful velvet coating. The frame is beveled, but with a gradual curve rather than a sharp angle. To assemble the frame, you take 8 corner brackets (2 per corner, heavy duty steel), and slide them into the frame top and bottom. Then you slide on the sides, and you have a frame. To lock them in place, you use a bunch of small set screws (included) that feed into prethreaded holes via a hex key. This took a bit of time, but it did make the frame really sturdy.
Next I hung the bracket. The bracket is nothing unique, just a piece of metal with a slight kink in it. You simply bolt it into the wall at the appropriate height, and then the frame slips over it and hangs from it. What is uniquethe bracket has a built in level. You may think who cares?but as an installer I know this makes it much easier. Plus, if they went to the extent of thinking of something this small, it just shows how their attention to detail is.
Moving on. Now, when you get this screen you will notice the main fabric, as well as a smaller scrap roll. The scrap roll is a test piece of material. Why? Moiré. Though a woven fabric, EVERY screen that is acoustically transparent potentially can moiré. So, I took this scrap piece, and fired up an image from my projector. By slightly rotating the test piece, I could figure out what angle I needed to ensure I didn't get moiré. Like I said, they thought of everything. By now you are asking yourself, why does this matter if I already have the screen/fabric and they don't know what angle I need. Read on and you will find out.
Once the angle is determined, I put on the rubber gloves (included), and took out the actual fabric. I laid a plastic protective sheet (again, included) and then laid the frame face-down onto it. Next, I laid out the fabric onto the frame at the predetermined angle (note: SMX includes more material than you will need both vertically and horizontally, in order to allow for various angles). The frame has a channel in it with rubber fillers. This is all it takes to hold in the fabric (no snaps, Velcro, etc). The advantage of this system is two-fold. First, it allows the customer to adjust the angle. Second, it allows for re-tensioning as needed. The unit comes with a little rotary hand tool. Starting in a corner, I used this tool to push the fabric side into the channel. Once in, I snapped in the rubber filler to hold it in place. Then I moved onto an adjacent side and as I stretched the fabric, rolled it into the channel. Note: This is much easier with 2 people. I worked my way around the screen, putting the filler in as I did this, until the screen was nice and tight with no waves. Though a good system for the above reasons, it does make installation a bit longer so be prepared. I then took the small safety razor and cut away the remaining fabric to finish it off. Lastly, I just hooked this onto the bracket and boomready to go!
