[Joe Przybylski]

I recently built my first HTPC, and now I'm really starting to see the customizeable benefits of doing this.


I built my own screen about a month or two ago (I'm still building the Home Theater) and as much as I always loved the picture (96" diagaonal HDTV size through a Panasonic L300U, sitting 13 feet away) I always hated the fact that 2:35.1 movies had the black bars.


I've been reading alot about manual masking systems, then it hit me.


Make a 2:35.1 screen, move the projector back so that a 2:35.1 encoded DVD fills the screen, and use TheaterTek to zoom "down" 1:85 and 1:75 movies.


Man, this works GREAT.


I originally was going to have drapes that opened and closed, but I've now turned that into a masking system that always closes to 1:75.1 masking, but when we watch a movie in 2:35, the masking opens via an automatic motor (gotten for $90 at smarthome.com)


For anyone wishing the look and feel of that large screen cinema, this is the only way to go. I put on Star Wars episode II and Lord of the Rings and it's like seeing them at the movies all over again. Now I'm ready for Pirates of the Caribean, Terminator 3 and X2!!


The beauty is it only cost me about $40 extra to add on to the screen.


This is a MUST do for any hard-core movie buff...!!


Thanks TheaterTek and HTPC!

 

[Rick Guynn]

If I understand this correctly, doesn't this now mean that you are no longer using all of the available resolution from your projector? By 'zooming down' with the software and essentially creating a constant-height screen situation, you're now wasting a bunch of pixels. Again, if I am understanding this correctly. If it's good for you, more power to you, but it seems counterproductive when everyone seems to want more resolution.


RG

 

[Joe Przybylski]

Possibly.


But if I am, I can't see a difference. The 1:85.1 material I demo looks exactly the same as it did before I made this change - and 2:35 material? - Amazing...


Before I made this change I moved the projector back and fourth, seeing if I could see anydifference in brightness, sharpness, screen-door, etc.


After a SCRUTIZINING couple of hours demoing various DVD's, I came to the conclusion there was no difference in PQ. Inface, seeing 2:35 material enalrged to their correct size was an amazing difference.


I knew there'd be skeptics, but if you're really a movie fan, this is worth trying.


What I did was put two pieces of drywall next to the screen I had made already, pushed the Projector back until a 2:35 movie filled the screen, turned the lights down, put my glasses on and started looking for flaws.


Couldn't find ANY.

 

[orbitzboy]

Sorry,



I can see the difference. the resize in my setup add's jaggies that I just can't stand.

 

[Joe Przybylski]

Ouch...


What kind of Projector are your using?


On my L300U and the HTPC I have, NO jaggies at all. None. I'm connecting through VGA input. I'll have to take some shots of this to post, so people don't think I'm crazy...

 

[Vern Dias]

Quote:

the resize in my setup add's jaggies

What kind of resize?


I have been doing this for 3 or years, now. Using Zoom Player and a Radeon 9700 Pro feeding a Runco DTV-991 CRT and I don't see jaggies, even on a 5' x 12' scrren, sitting 15' away.


Vern

 

[Rick Guynn]

Vern, you wouldn't see this kind of problem with a CRT pj. But with a digital pj, like the 300, you lose 40% of your pixels by the time you zoom to a 16:9 picture.


RG

 

[AndrewPC]

Joe,


You should also have a look at the panamorph lens. There is a version that will convert 1.78:1 to 2.35:1. The beauty is that it uses all your panel resolution and increases brightness, All you have to do, once it is set up is using zoom player, output a 2.35:1 movie stretched vertically to fill the 16:9 screen size and the panamorph does the rest with no black bars.


Andrew