[JohnAd]

I'm currently in the process of converting a room in a new house to be a semi-dedicated home cimema room.


The main problem I've got is that I don't want a permenant screen but have very high ceilings which will make an electric one very hard to fit.


My current hair-brained solution to this is a reversible screen with a painting/poster on one side and a screen on the other. The would be a mount system that would be fixed at one end of the screen and would attach to the screen at a pivot point in the middle of the top and bottom of the screen. This should allow the screen to be flipped fairly easily.


Has anyone tried anything like this before?


Does it sound feasible to you?


John


[This message has been edited by JohnAd (edited 10-08-2001).]

 

[Martin P]

Sounds like a great idea.

 

[cohnhead]

I was thinking about something similar. My suggestion would be to have a vertical mount from the top or bottom instead of horizontal from the side. The torque forces on a side mount might be pretty high, so your frame would have to be built heavy to keep square. I was thinking from the top you could just use some thin wire, like picture hanging wire to the middle of the frame. Make the wire long enough to allow the screen to flip over. The wall should hold it vertical as it hangs free.


The bigger question is what artwork will you find to fill up the reverse side of a 100" screen?


Marc

 

[Mr. Hookup]

John:

It sounds like you have a novel approach, doing it that way. I would however make a few suggestions if you wanted to do it differently. If you have the room to spin this screen around, then you probably have a room behind where the screen would go. If so, you can shoot with a rear projection screen and mount the projector in the other room. If you do it this way, you will be very happy, because the picture is brighter, and there is no projector in your main room. Another approach is, since you have a high ceiling, you could build a decorative wooden box to put the motorized screen inside of. Hang it from the ceiling maybe with chain. Paint or stain the box, and have a slit opening on the bottom for the screen to come out of. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

[JohnAd]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys.


To answer someof your questions:


The setup will probably be ending up over a fireplace so I'm not sure I'll be able to reach the top when in use (I agree things would be simpler to rotate around the horizontal rather than the vertical).


As for the artwork: my mother is a very gifted painter with a liking for large colourful abstract work. I was going to ask her for a large painting anyway so this seemed like a good way of solving two things at once. (nothing like ordering art by the yard http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif )


She also has all the framing gear so I was going to ask her to build the two frames, one larger one for the painting and then a smaller one to fit just inside the other one made with one of the materials discussed in the this forum. Then I would add some black material on the screen side to act as a border.


All I need to work out is how to have it rotate simply.


John

 

[hhawk]

I can just imagine the antiques road show a hundred years from now. "Sorry, you're screen has been obsolete since the advent of holographic sets 50 years ago. There are so many of them lovingly preserved they really don't have much value. BUT, this painting on the reverse is a classic early 21st century work, easily worth $375,000." (Taking into account inflation also http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/smile.gif

Sounds like you are from a talented family!

 

[cohnhead]

John,


I have a few more thoughts on your screen. 1st, depending on the height of your fireplace you may not want the screen to be at the same height as the artwork. When we first got our projector ceiling mounted, we projected the image above our fireplace. My wife and I started complaining of a stiff neck near the end of our first movie.


I told her, i can't make it lower, or we will have a keystoned image which i hate. Since then we have lowered the image by about 1.5 feet and it is much more comfortable to watch from the couch. The keystone problem is masked by black felt, and you have to look real hard at a vertically striped image to see that the image is not 100% square. We never notice it during a film.


Anyway, my point is, (its about time), if you use a vertical attacment method and put the pivot at a point below center, then the screen can lower then the artwork, and you may not have to reach the top to make the flip.


Can you post some pics of your mother's art? Finding the right artwork for the reverse side of a flip screen is what kept me from persuing that option.


Marc

 

[Jimmer2]

Interesting idea, John.


I'm in exactly the same position with the same room as you. I'm having to build my screen over a corner fireplace and considering many options. My favorite so far is a decorative 'box' over the mantle that holds an electric screen. When the screen is retracted, I can see the artwork behind it. The box is 'disguised' as as a plant shelf and holds spotlights for the artwork.


------------------

> Jim <

 

[Norde]

Well, since you raised a hare brain scheme, I'll reveal mine.


I was contemplating using two horizontal rollers, one of which would be motor driven. An endless loop screen would run over both rollers. The motor would stop in two positions. One where the matted screen was seen from the front, the other position where the artwork was in front and the screen at the back.


Probably takes up as much space as a descending screen, though.

 

[JohnAd]

Marc


Thanks for the ideas, I'll have to think about this some more. I haven't got any pic's of my Mum's stuff at the moment. I'll try and get hold of some.


John


P.S. Just moved in to the new house, lots of work to do ......