[eteller]

Hi All,

Long time lurker, have had a Ht for several years now, got a Sharp XR10 540p (4:3 native) projector. I originally used a piece of 4x8 paneling painted flat white on a paneled wall in my basement as a screen. Wanting to go bigger I aquired an actual commercial theater screen (for free) and cut it to 5x10'. That worked okay but it's kinda ratty, is perforated (you can see the tiny holes from the first row) and trying to clean it with a magic eraser made things much worse. So my plan is to get some BOC in 5x10' staple it to the paneled wall, and roll paint it. Of course I'll trim it out. My question is what paint, I'm going through a divorce and don't really shell out the coin for a sprayer right now. Room is dark, no windows, flat black ceiling, dark walls.


Thanks,

Ed

 

[MississippiMan]

I'd suggest instead getting 5' x 10' MDF. Paint will roll out much easier on that, and you can screw it directly to the wall (...locate the studs and shoot into them though...)


You'd have some real issues getting a perfectly flat, wrinkle free "Lay" simply by stapling BOC directly onto a wall, and you'd have to use a Crap Load of staples doing so. Still, I'm sure you "could" do it that way...just that it isn't in any way an optimal choice.


Are you going to use a 16:9 format Screen?


The Sharp you own is a pretty good PJ, and fairly bright PJ employed by several members of note on this Forum.


Seeing that this is for a basement room, I'd suppose windows are not so much at issue as any aspects of the room's lighting would be. You could easily use a simple Neutral Gray, rolled over a white primed surface, and get a good image, all the while allowing for some degree of ambient light that might or have to exist.


I understand your need to keep costs down, but don't go so cheap as to cheapen your potential viewing experience.

 

[eteller]

Thanks MM, didn't know I could get MDF in 5x10'. That might be fun getting in the basement though, although 4x8' stuff fits. Might have to borrow the neighbors truck. This HT room has no windows, it's a cave! The current image looks really good except for the flawed spots in the screen. It was just stapled and streched with flat black 1x2"s as a border, no wrinkles. As far as dimensions, I just pinned it up on the wall and marked where 16:9 HDTV edges fell on the screen then cut it to that size. It's 112" diagonal.

 

[MississippiMan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by eteller /forum/post/16874834


Thanks MM, didn't know I could get MDF in 5x10'. That might be fun getting in the basement though, although 4x8' stuff fits. As far as dimensions, I just pinned it up on the wall and marked where 16:9 HDTV edges fell on the screen then cut it to that size. It's 112" diagonal.

Well then, if you just drop down to 110" (54" x 96") and cut the MDF to that size before you attempt to re-locate it in the basement, you should be easily able to get it down the stairs.


MDf is easily available at true Lumber Supply Houses in 5' x 10', or in the least ordered up.


Don't totally discount doing it the way you originally thought...I'm the one who has never done so. I can see in thinking about it better ways to go about it, but the involve using "material wrapped" boards to pull the material taunt, and then a effective single continuous line of staples along the inside to secure the material, the removal of the boards, trimming of the material, then a wrapping of those same boards with velvet and applying them over the line of Staples.


I like the MDF/Board options a LOT more, and the simple "butting up" of the Trim to the outside edges of a board cut specifically to the size of screen desired.


But that's me............

 

[bud16415]

Having that same projector and 120 inch screen in a basement cave with black ceiling and walls and Zero ambient light, performance will still be improved with a neutral gray screen surface. It has more than enough lumens to get the job done.

 

[eteller]

Bud,

It was one of you're posts that gave me the idea to paint my ceiling black. Looks soooo much better.


Ed

 

[bud16415]



Quote:
Originally Posted by eteller /forum/post/16879781


Bud,

It was one of you're posts that gave me the idea to paint my ceiling black. Looks soooo much better.


Ed

Glad it helped. If your screen is big and the distance from the top of the screen to the ceiling is small it really helps. Lots of basements have low ceilings and a projector like the 10X is well suited because it has a negative drop height.


I like a 4:3 screen even if I'm watching 16:9 stuff because the 10X lets you image shift up and down and you can use those 1024 x 768 pixels to get the image just the right height. The vertical resolution is 576 when in 16:9 mode. Sounds so crude in this 1080 world now but I still love the image.


Now you just need to try a gray screen.

 

[eteller]

I see no reason to upgrade the 10x till it dies, the ex got a 4 yr warranty on it that does cover bulbs and I just put in the second one, after 2800hrs on the first.


Ed

 

[eteller]

It worked, It worked

Went to Jo Ann fabric and got 4 yrds of white BOC for $25!, pinned it up and found the 'rubber side' to be the best, cloth side had way too much texture. Marked off where the frame should go, streched and stapled it with the gf's help and remounted my old frame cut down a little. Great picture, no wrinkles!!