Carada New Masking System - Page 3

i wish the maskingsystem came with the screen. =(

Hey Brian,

The system draws 1.3 amps and consumes approx. 150 watts when in motion (similar to a window box fan). I suspect any circuit in your home will be fine, but if you're not sure you might want to check with an electrician.


The Masquerade was specifically designed as a stand-alone masking system so that it can be used by customers who already own a projection screen (whether Carada or some other brand). But the system can easily "come with" a screen if you simply order a screen at the same time that you order the Masquerade.

David Giles
Carada, Inc.
www.carada.com

Thanks again David. I made a short jump over from my AV cabinet's 20 amp line to where the bottom right hand corner of the screen will be. I left a junction box there with the wire in it so when the time comes I can directly hardwire the masking system right in.

Just need to get some things finished first and then it's on to the masking system. Hopefully in the spring!

You're welcome Brian and we'll be ready when you are!

David Giles
Carada, Inc.

My kids used to like to do Mad Libs on long car rides when they were younger. Here's one (you fill in the blanks): "Fed Ex ____s (verb) a big wet ____ (noun)." My masking frame was supposed to arrive yesterday. The local guys put it on the wrong truck and just drove it around all day - guess they knew i took the day off to wait for it and wouldn't be able to do that today. Of course they should have no problem dumping it off in the rain today:-)

Rant over. I expect to put the frame up this weekend. Can anyone tell me exactly how to upload pictures to this thread? i emphasize exactly because i really have no clue and won't be able to manage without a cookbook. I will put up pics as soon as i am finished, assuming i can figure out how to do it.

Thanks,
Noob

I love this idea and I think is speaks highly of a company that makes a product that's used in addition to their exisiting product. I've had an 118" Carada BW for over a year and am always commenting that it's the one piece of my home theatre that won't need to be replaced unless it get damaged. This is a great product that I'll probably add to my system in a few months.

The promo on this states:

all of your movies can now be watched without those often annoying black bars.

All of my movies? Even Casablanca?

We certainly don't say that anywhere on our website (at least I HOPE not!) If we did slip up and print that please let me know and I'll change it ASAP. Obviously this is a two-way horizontal masking system, and it does NOT have side masking, so it clearly can't mask black bars on 4:3 source material.

David Giles
Carada, Inc.

OK - it was actually the promo for the Audioholics review.

My Masquerade system is now up. Since Mr. Nomas reviewed the system on Audioholics, i'll limit my comments to the following:

It works quickly and quietly -so it does what it's intended to do. It is built with amazing precision and care and looks great on the wall. Everything fit together exactly, with no gaps or overlaps. And compared to its competetion, it's a terrific bargain.

It took me about 1 1/2 hours to put it up, including unpacking and carting the pieces in from the garage. I got the hardwired model and was able to do the basic wiring myself, although i will need my electrician to do the final wiring run to the nearest connection point. [Hamster - I put a switch in the hardwired line so i can disconnect the wiring if needed in the future without having to shut down the entire circuit. If you have a convenient location you might consider this].

I am using SMX AT material for my screen, stretched over a home built frame. It took more time to get my screen exactly flush to the wall and take down the wall mounted left and right speakers which are immediately adjacent to the frame than it did to put up the Masquerade frame.

For those looking for a masking solution that looks professional and truly first class in every way, this is going to be your most economical solution as far as I can see. In addition, working with Carada has probably been the single best experience i've had in DIY home theater. I'm too old to be a fanboy, but you can call me a fanman:-)

Thanks for the comments. I have a few questions: How is it mounted to the wall? How heavy is it? Where on the masking system is it mounted to the wall? Can it be battery powered?
I have a theater with cloth walls (tention mount) with 1 inch deep insulation before the drywall. My current screen is wall mounted with brackets with stratigically placed MDF (wood) for the screen mount at the top of the screen only. Depending on how heavy I could place a 2x4 on the other side of the dry wall but not exactly sure how this will work.

I think I will get one and try it out. SOunds like a fun project.So for my 120.5" screen I should get the 118" version? Does that sound about right? Also, do they have a simple one that does not need hard-wired so all I have to do is plug it in and go?

curtis:
The mounting bracket is a thin aluminum strip 84" long and about 1 1/2" high. It has holes every 4". You can position it with at least some of the holes over studs. The bracket holds the top rail and everything else hangs from the top rail. It's the same as for Carada's screens and a full description is probably on their website. The whole thing (for my 100" diagonal 16:9 screen) weighs maybe 40 pounds. I'm sure David will let you know precisely for a given size. I don't think there's a battery powered option but you can order it with a plug and just plug it into the nearest outlet.

My front theater wall has 1" of OC 703 covered with GOM. I put a 2x4 hoizontally above my screen to attach the mounting bracket and a couple of short pieces of 2x4 where the bottom rail rests to keep it the same distance away from the wall. I stapled the GOM to the 2x4 to keep it in place.

Joerod, these things are all built to order so you should just give Carada the outside dimensions of your screen so they can make the mask the right size. I would email them with the specifics - i'm sure they'll get back to you quickly.

I just measured around my screen and I have 117" wide by 71" tall (until my center speaker starts) which fits pretty close to the 118" size. I did have my studs turned inward so my screen is recessed back into the wall. Will this be an issue?

Also my screen viewing area is 59" tall by 105" wide. I realize the viewing area of the 118" Masquerade is 57.9" tall by 102.9" wide. I'd only lose about 2inches of screen. If they could custom build one with those dimensions that are in my measured area then great. Here's a pic or two of my wall...

Just so I understand, NOTHING mounts to the wall at the bottom of the masking system, only at the top?

Hey guys, thanks for all the questions (and answers!)

Jon I'm glad to hear your installation went smoothly and that you're so pleased with the results! And that's great that it only took you an hour and a half to do the entire installation! I honestly figured it would take most customers at least 2 hours or maybe even 3.

Joe the bad news is that it sounds like you won't be able to accommodate the Masquerade system primarily because you don't have enough space around your screen's frame, but also because your screen's frame is too wide (based on what you said in your PM).

The Masquerade fits around the outside of the existing screen-frame (and completely covers it) and the maximum WIDTH screen frame that can properly fit inside the Masquerade is 3.3" which includes the following frames: Carada Criterion Series and Precision Series, Stewart's Luxus screenwall (both the Deluxe and non-deluxe model), Da-Lite's Permwall, DaSnap, and Cinema Contour, Draper's Cineperm and Clarion (but definitely NOT the Onxy) and Vutec's VuEasy and Vision XWF. The Silverstar comes in at least two different frame styles and I'm not sure what they're called or of their dimensions. But in effect, ANY fixed frame screen should work as long as its frame members are no wider than 3.3" AND as long as they protrude from the wall no more than 2.25". Joe in your PM you mentioned that your Silverstar's frame is 3.5" wide so it wouldn't fit properly. Technically we COULD build a Masquerade to fit around a 3.5" wide frame, but the inside edges of the Masquerade frame (i.e. the system's "aperture") would be slightly outside the edges of the screen's viewing surface.

As far as determining the amount of space you need for a Masquerade, as long as your screen's frame is no wider than 3.3" and no deeper than 2.25", then it is actually easier to think in terms of your viewing surface. Once installed, the Masquerade will be larger than your viewing surface by 12.5" in both height and width. So for example if your screen's viewing surface is 59" by 105", then your Masquerade's outside dimensions would be 71.6" x 117.6" (by 3.75" deep). And Joe unfortunately you can't just "lose" viewing surface because your screen's frame would still be in the way. Now if you're willing to take a chainsaw to that Silverstar frame then we might be in business...

Another thing to consider is that you also need some extra space beyond the final installed dimensions. At the top you need 3/4" of clear space because of the way the top structure hooks over the wall bracket (you have to lift the structure 3/4" to clear the lip of the bracket, then lower the structure onto the bracket).




(the photo above was taken with no screen frame in place for the sake of clarity)

And on the sides you need to have a couple inches of clear space in order to slide the side fascia in place (which is the last step in the installation process). So if you wanted to install the Masquerade in the example above, which had outside dimensions of 71.6" x 117.6" your "free" wall space would need to be 72.4" x 121.6", and the top of the system would be 3/4" below the ceiling after installation (of course it can be MORE than 3/4" below your ceiling but 3/4" is the minimum). Technically AFTER you've completed installation of the side fascia, you could put something (like a speaker) directly up against the side of the system, but you would then have to remove that speaker first if you ever needed to take the Masquerade down.

Curtis, as Jon mentioned, the primary mounting structure for the Masquerade is a long wall bracket that you mount behind the top of the system. But you also anchor the system at all four corners (roughly 1" in from the sides and 2" from the top/bottom). So yes you would need to attach the system to your wall at the bottom at each corner. The system requires 120V AC 60 Hz power and the weight depends on the size of course. I'm afraid Jon wouldn't win the "guess my weight" game at the fair. His 100" diagonal system weighed 81 pounds as installed and the whole crate ready to ship weighed 111.

In the near future we plan to get some nice drawings up on the website that will show all these dimensions and mounting details.

David Giles

I guess I am out. I could comply with almost everything. I was wrong on my frame measurement. It is actually 3 1/4" (vutec XWF) and not 3.5 though. I do have just enough to get 1/2"over the top by the ceiling. I mean I am at around 72" tall. So I know I could make that work. Here's the thing though, I do not have any of my screen sticking out at all. It is flush with my wall...

Also, upon measuring again I do not have the necessary 121.5" wide to get the sides on. I only have 119"... Oh well, it would have been a fun project. I watch a lot of football and DirecTv anyway so there is a lot of 1.78:1 on my screen anyway. I just was looking to "enhance" my HD DVD and Blu ray titles that are in 2.35:1 and so on... Damn, always something...

The shipping bill from FedEx said 40#. I was starting to think i need to ratchet up my exercise program:-).

Joerod, not trying to spend your money, but when i looked at the Silverstar a couple of years ago, i thought the basic frame was only 1 1/2" wide. Also, isn't it a rigid screen? Seems like you could either get the thinner frame or figure out a way to mount the screen without a frame, if a masking system appeals to you enough to go to that trouble. Since you are width limited, you might end up having to sacrifice a couple of inches of screen width, but it could be worth it to get rid of those annoying bars.

My screen is recessed into the wall so its frame does not matter. We are working on a gameplan to "squeeze" one in. I hope this is worth the effort...

Alright, I am excited to post I will be getting one! It will be custom fit to meet my needs which means I may lose a couple of inches but I am fine with that. My backrow has always been hindered because the screen starts so low and my platform should have been 2 inches taller. So this will help that out to. I will post a pic of it when it is completely set up... Wish me luck!

Good luck. Although I don't think you'll need much as Carada takes care of it's clients.
I can't wait to read your report.

I'm planning on getting a Masquerade system myself. This process of planning the HT is killing me - let alone getting it started or completed. I just wanna start watching movies!

Hey Jon, if you lifted the Masquerade in its crate all by yourself, I'd say your exercise program is working pretty well!

Joe I'm glad we were able to come up with a solution for you! And I think you'll find it is definitely worth the effort.

By the way, here's a photo showing how the side fascia are installed (again this photo was taken with no projection screen in place for the sake of clarity).



Although in this photo the side fascia is being held about 4" away from the top and bottom structures, you actually only need 2" of "clear space" on each side of the frame in order to slide the fascia into place.

David Giles

My order is officially placed now. I look forward to "reviewing" it soon... David has been very helpful and I appreciate it...

Thanks Buddahead! I will post some pics with a report as soon as I get it installed.

Hey Bob,

The Masquerade is designed to be fastened to a wall and it can't be hung directly from the ceiling (I doubt very seriously if any masking system on the market could be hung from just the top frame member). Now I suppose you could build a "floating wall" structure the exact same size as the Masquerade, mount your screen to that structure first, then mount the Masquerade to it, and hang the entire structure from the ceiling. But that would be one seriously HEAVY structure (probably 200 pounds or more with the masking system, screen, and the wood itself) and you would have to be VERY careful about hanging something that heavy from your ceiling. Of course the CRT guys do it all the time, so it isn't impossible. You'd also have to provide power to the structure, and you'd have to figure out how to make it hang perfectly plumb. If you install J-bolts in the structure, with the Masquerade mounted to the front of the structure, I suspect the bottom of the system would want to tilt backwards (away from the projector) because of where the center of gravity would be for the whole structure.

My point is that it isn't IMPOSSIBLE, but it would be quite an undertaking and would probably require 3-4 strong guys to get it done, whereas installing the Masquerade on a wall is quite simple, and MOST of the job can easily be done by one person.

David Giles
Carada, Inc.

Does the masking system cover the entire frame of the original screen? Is the masking system a black cloth?

Hi Curtis,

Yes the Masquerade covers the entire frame of the existing projection screen (although as I mentioned above, the individual frame members can be no wider than 3.3" and protrude no further than 2" off the wall).

The moving masks themselves are made with a relatively heavy vinyl substrate (that provides some stiffness) with our Black Hole trim on the front, so that the masks match the frame perfectly.

David Giles
Carada, Inc.