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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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DIY home cinema screen
Hi, all.
I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? -- Ron |
#2
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DIY home cinema screen
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 -0000, "Ron Lowe"
wrote: Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? Buy a roller blind with a plain backing on one side...cheaper than buyinf MDF and paint. |
#3
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DIY home cinema screen
"Ron Lowe" wrote in message
... The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've projected onto plain walls in the past (16mm film). Others have mentioned similar experiences : that one thinks it's going to look awful, but in practice it isn't a problem. Films are rather different to projecting computer images - the latter are more likely to have large steady areas of block colour, giving you time to notice problems, whereas films have movement and texture of their own which hides imperfections in the screen. cheers, clive |
#4
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DIY home cinema screen
"Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I'd spray it. But I've sprayed bits and bobs before. TBH if you thin the paint and spray it, the worst that can happen is runs. Orange peel is caused by paint hitting what you're painting too dry or not thinned enough - not too hard to get with a solvent based paint, but with emulsion? Just slap some more on and it'll level itself out. I'd paint it laid flat or at an angle rather than upright... And you're right that emulsion is too thick. You'll need to thin it. You might get it though a primer gun... Or just use a system designed for paint... |
#5
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DIY home cinema screen
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:26:42 GMT, SirBenjamin
wrote: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0932116.htm Or... http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0930228.htm |
#6
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DIY home cinema screen
"Doki" wrote in message ... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I'd spray it. But I've sprayed bits and bobs before. TBH if you thin the paint and spray it, the worst that can happen is runs. Orange peel is caused by paint hitting what you're painting too dry or not thinned enough - not too hard to get with a solvent based paint, but with emulsion? Just slap some more on and it'll level itself out. I'd paint it laid flat or at an angle rather than upright... And you're right that emulsion is too thick. You'll need to thin it. You might get it though a primer gun... Or just use a system designed for paint... Lots of people used to have proper screens for their 35 mm slides - can't you find somone to borrow one from? I borrowed a projector from work once and was amazed how much better the image was that in any of our conference rooms with white walls as screens. The prism texture (or glass beads on some) give better viewing. -- -- John |
#7
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DIY home cinema screen
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 +0000, Ron Lowe wrote:
Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? =============================== Consider paint pads. I would suggest MDF in preference to hardboard because of the difficulty of getting really flat hardboard. Cic. -- ================================ Testing UBUNTU Linux Everything working so far ================================ |
#8
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DIY home cinema screen
I made a DIY projector screen by making a frame, stretching a cotton
sheet over it, and stapling in place. Worked pretty well, and cheap too. |
#9
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DIY home cinema screen
"John" wrote in message ... "Doki" wrote in message ... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I'd spray it. But I've sprayed bits and bobs before. TBH if you thin the paint and spray it, the worst that can happen is runs. Orange peel is caused by paint hitting what you're painting too dry or not thinned enough - not too hard to get with a solvent based paint, but with emulsion? Just slap some more on and it'll level itself out. I'd paint it laid flat or at an angle rather than upright... And you're right that emulsion is too thick. You'll need to thin it. You might get it though a primer gun... Or just use a system designed for paint... Lots of people used to have proper screens for their 35 mm slides - can't you find somone to borrow one from? I borrowed a projector from work once and was amazed how much better the image was that in any of our conference rooms with white walls as screens. The prism texture (or glass beads on some) give better viewing. Yes, I do have one of those. That was my first option. It's just not big enough. The projected image measures around 40" high x 53" wide. The screen I have is only 1240mm ( 49" ) wide. For the cost of a sheet of MDF and a tin of paint, I thought I'd make something better. -- Ron |
#10
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DIY home cinema screen
"SirBenjamin" wrote in message
... On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:26:42 GMT, SirBenjamin wrote: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0932116.htm Or... http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/0930228.htm Yes, those are possibilities. Thanks. -- Ron |
#11
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DIY home cinema screen
"Clive George" wrote in message
... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've projected onto plain walls in the past (16mm film). Others have mentioned similar experiences : that one thinks it's going to look awful, but in practice it isn't a problem. I agree in general, however it rather depends on the wall! Films are rather different to projecting computer images - the latter are more likely to have large steady areas of block colour, giving you time to notice problems, whereas films have movement and texture of their own which hides imperfections in the screen. This wall is heavily textured, and streaked with odd colours. Some horrendous 70s leftover. ( Yes,it will be re-done at some point! ) I've actually got the projector in place, and it's not satisfactory. So I'm going to set up something better. cheers, clive |
#12
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DIY home cinema screen
"Doki" wrote in message ... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I'd spray it. But I've sprayed bits and bobs before. TBH if you thin the paint and spray it, the worst that can happen is runs. Orange peel is caused by paint hitting what you're painting too dry or not thinned enough - not too hard to get with a solvent based paint, but with emulsion? Just slap some more on and it'll level itself out. I'd paint it laid flat or at an angle rather than upright... And you're right that emulsion is too thick. You'll need to thin it. You might get it though a primer gun... Or just use a system designed for paint... Hmm, ( looks in garage. Finds box compressor came in. Finds air brush, and dusts it off. ) So what would you thin an emulsion with? Just water? How thin? 50/50? less? more? Like how much to dilute a 1litre tin? Just suck it and see? I might just do some suck-it-and-see tests just for fun tomorrow. -- Ron |
#13
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DIY home cinema screen
"Ron Lowe" wrote in message
... "Clive George" wrote in message ... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've projected onto plain walls in the past (16mm film). Others have mentioned similar experiences : that one thinks it's going to look awful, but in practice it isn't a problem. I agree in general, however it rather depends on the wall! Films are rather different to projecting computer images - the latter are more likely to have large steady areas of block colour, giving you time to notice problems, whereas films have movement and texture of their own which hides imperfections in the screen. This wall is heavily textured, and streaked with odd colours. Some horrendous 70s leftover. ( Yes,it will be re-done at some point! ) I've actually got the projector in place, and it's not satisfactory. So I'm going to set up something better. Fair enough - but my point also applies to the texture of your proposed painted board - ie the texture introduced by eg a roller won't be a problem. cheers, clive |
#14
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DIY home cinema screen
"Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. [cut] By the time you've done this you'll be in for 20 or 30 quid. Is it really worth the hassle when you can get the "real McCoy" for 50 or 60 quid? http://www.projectorscreen.co.uk/ David |
#15
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DIY home cinema screen
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 -0000, Ron Lowe wrote:
I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. Jings how mean do you have to be? I just bought a screen because the presentation room I was using wasn't fitted with one. It cost £49 from Jessops and I reckon that was top whack. |
#16
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DIY home cinema screen
"Steve Firth" wrote in message ... On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 -0000, Ron Lowe wrote: I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. Jings how mean do you have to be? I just bought a screen because the presentation room I was using wasn't fitted with one. It cost £49 from Jessops and I reckon that was top whack. I already have a slide projector screen. It's 1) too small, and 2) due to it's fabric material, when un-rolled it has a tendency to curl at the edges making it difficult to get a truly flat surface I find that irritating in use. I was hoping that a sheet of MDF screwed to the wall would be flatter and more like what I want. -- Ron |
#17
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DIY home cinema screen
"Vortex" wrote in message .. . "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. [cut] By the time you've done this you'll be in for 20 or 30 quid. Is it really worth the hassle when you can get the "real McCoy" for 50 or 60 quid? http://www.projectorscreen.co.uk/ David I'm reckoning around £15, and compared to £50/60, yes I'd say it's worth it esp. if what I get is what I want. I was hoping that a sheet of MDF would give a flatter surface than roller-fabric solution, which IME tends to curl at the edges. DIYing projection screens is an ancient and noble art, not a waste of time! -- Ron |
#18
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DIY home cinema screen
Clive George wrote:
"Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... "Clive George" wrote in message ... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've projected onto plain walls in the past (16mm film). Others have mentioned similar experiences : that one thinks it's going to look awful, but in practice it isn't a problem. I agree in general, however it rather depends on the wall! Films are rather different to projecting computer images - the latter are more likely to have large steady areas of block colour, giving you time to notice problems, whereas films have movement and texture of their own which hides imperfections in the screen. This wall is heavily textured, and streaked with odd colours. Some horrendous 70s leftover. ( Yes,it will be re-done at some point! ) I've actually got the projector in place, and it's not satisfactory. So I'm going to set up something better. Fair enough - but my point also applies to the texture of your proposed painted board - ie the texture introduced by eg a roller won't be a problem. cheers, clive agreed - "fine" rollered matt white works pretty well (even for powerpoint type stuff) provided the ambient light level is low enough. I haven't tried satin myself but it should be OK. C -- Spamtrap in use To email replace 127.0.0.1 with btinternet dot com |
#19
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DIY home cinema screen
xscope wrote:
I made a DIY projector screen by making a frame, stretching a cotton sheet over it, and stapling in place. Worked pretty well, and cheap too. Ikea plain white plastic shower curtains are pretty good for front or back projection. They also make good light tents for photography. -- Spamtrap in use To email replace 127.0.0.1 with btinternet dot com |
#20
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DIY home cinema screen
Vortex wrote:
By the time you've done this you'll be in for 20 or 30 quid. Is it really worth the hassle when you can get the "real McCoy" for 50 or 60 quid? http://www.projectorscreen.co.uk/ See you in uk.sod-the-d-i-y-I'll-just-buy-one then -- Spamtrap in use To email replace 127.0.0.1 with btinternet dot com |
#21
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DIY home cinema screen
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:27:02 -0000, Ron Lowe wrote:
I was hoping that a sheet of MDF screwed to the wall would be flatter and more like what I want. Hmmmmm, well you can hope. |
#22
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DIY home cinema screen
"Owain" wrote in message
... Ron Lowe wrote: Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I would buy a white cotton bedsheet, wet it, stretch it over a frame, let it dry and tauten. Owain Yes, that's a possibility. But that's a whole lot more work than painting a sheet of MDF. However, white is not actually the best for LCD front-projection. The LCD panel is not totally opaque in the blacks, rendering the blacks as a blueish grey on a white screen. Using a neutral grey colour for the screen sacrafices some of the ample available brightness for a deepening of the blacks, and improved shadow detail and overall percieved image quality. This is all well documented on the various AV forums and groups. Also, a frame-based solution sticks out from the wall more than I want. 6mm MDF is what I have in mind. I'm fairly well settled on an painted MDF solution at this time. It's just a question of how best to paint it. I'll be having at it tommorrow or Thursday. Needs to be done and dusted by Fri. -- Ron |
#23
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DIY home cinema screen
"Steve Firth" wrote in message ... On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:27:02 -0000, Ron Lowe wrote: I was hoping that a sheet of MDF screwed to the wall would be flatter and more like what I want. Hmmmmm, well you can hope. Yes, I can. Are you seriously suggesting that 6mm MDF will curl at the edges the same as a sheet of 1mm fabric? All the roller fabric-based screens I have seen have tended to resemble a poorly-cut mainsail badly-set in gusty winds. And I was hoping not to need tell-tales on my screen :-) OK, the metaphor is not good. But you get the idea. How do you prevent the sides curling in a roller fabric screen, unless it's stretched over a solid frame, which roller based solutions don't have? And why should a nice sheet of MDF *not* be flat(ter)? -- Ron |
#24
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DIY home cinema screen
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 -0000, "Ron Lowe"
wrote: Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). can I suggest you see how many hours is left on the lamp before going to all this trouble? Borrowing one of these is a biting nails experience ie your friend might want the bulb replacing should it go down whilst in your possion...price a staggering 200GBP or more. ;-) |
#25
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DIY home cinema screen
"SirBenjamin" wrote in message ... On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 -0000, "Ron Lowe" wrote: Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). can I suggest you see how many hours is left on the lamp before going to all this trouble? Borrowing one of these is a biting nails experience ie your friend might want the bulb replacing should it go down whilst in your possion...price a staggering 200GBP or more. ;-) A valid point! However, that's not a problem in this case. It's borrowed from someplace where I have the necessary authorithy to replace lamps on these things as required... However, it would be very unlucky. The lamp on this one is only 100 hours old. I know this, because I replaced it last time. At worst, I'd have to drive for an hour and a half round-trip to get a replacement from stock. Also, I'm only proposing to add a few tens of hours max to it. Also, not that much bother - It's already installed! Projector working, 5.1 surround sound installed and working. Just the screen to do now. -- Ron |
#26
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DIY home cinema screen
On 2006-12-19 18:19:17 +0000, "Ron Lowe"
said: Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? Any of them - over the TV screen - and play charades instead. .... or for a real war - Monopoly. This can help you determine who is completely without ruth. |
#27
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DIY home cinema screen
In message , Ron Lowe
writes Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? If it's only for Xmas, just use a sheet or something or get a piece of 8' x 4' plasterboard Don't forget, the kids are watching a film, not the wall - if it's worth watching, they'll get into the story and not notice what it's projected on to -- geoff |
#28
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DIY home cinema screen
In message , Ron Lowe
writes I'm reckoning around £15, and compared to £50/60, yes I'd say it's worth it esp. if what I get is what I want. I was hoping that a sheet of MDF would give a flatter surface than roller-fabric solution, which IME tends to curl at the edges. DIYing projection screens is an ancient and noble art, not a waste of time! Then use plasterboard - it has an ideal surface to project onto -- geoff |
#29
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DIY home cinema screen
In message , Ron Lowe
writes "Owain" wrote in message .. . Ron Lowe wrote: Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I would buy a white cotton bedsheet, wet it, stretch it over a frame, let it dry and tauten. Owain Yes, that's a possibility. But that's a whole lot more work than painting a sheet of MDF. However, white is not actually the best for LCD front-projection. The LCD panel is not totally opaque in the blacks, rendering the blacks as a blueish grey on a white screen. Using a neutral grey colour for the screen sacrafices some of the ample available brightness for a deepening of the blacks, and improved shadow detail and overall percieved image quality. This is all well documented on the various AV forums and groups. You're turning this into a "project", aren't you believe me, it's really not that important. Kids are not looking for blacks which aren't truly black - they are getting absorbed in a story, they are not going to be over interested in technicals believe me -- geoff |
#30
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DIY home cinema screen
SirBenjamin wrote:
On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 18:19:17 -0000, "Ron Lowe" wrote: Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? Buy a roller blind with a plain backing on one side...cheaper than buyinf MDF and paint. .... aka Blackout blind - My first screen was one of these, black backing with white face. It sufficed for a short while before convincing me I needed something much better. They suffer greatly from rippling - particularly bad for front projection and far worse than that you'd encounter from orange-peel / brush strokes etc. Try it, for a short period you might find it works okay. Re. mdf/hardboard - I wouldn't use hardboard unless you can keep it flat, whilst mounted (flex being similar, but less pronounced than the blind ripples), as far as "perfect" screen colour goes, for a short-term solution, if Icestorm is pricey / hard to get (I think I priced it at around £20 for the amount I'd need, a few years ago now) then any paint should do. I'd avoid brilliant white, though Although try to keep the amount of colour in the paint to a minimum. |
#31
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DIY home cinema screen
However, white is not actually the best for LCD front-projection.
The LCD panel is not totally opaque in the blacks, rendering the blacks as a blueish grey on a white screen. Using a neutral grey colour for the screen sacrafices some of the ample available brightness for a deepening of the blacks, and improved shadow detail and overall percieved image quality. You're turning this into a "project", aren't you Yes, that does seem to happen with me, for some reason.... My last 'small' job ended up with a complete new unvented hot water system. But it was exactly what I wanted in the end. -- Ron |
#32
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DIY home cinema screen
"raden" wrote in message
... In message , Ron Lowe writes I'm reckoning around £15, and compared to £50/60, yes I'd say it's worth it esp. if what I get is what I want. I was hoping that a sheet of MDF would give a flatter surface than roller-fabric solution, which IME tends to curl at the edges. DIYing projection screens is an ancient and noble art, not a waste of time! Then use plasterboard - it has an ideal surface to project onto -- geoff That's not a bad idea as a temporary solution! I might even have a big enough sheet in the garage. I might give this a try. -- Ron |
#33
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DIY home cinema screen
Ron Lowe wrote: "Steve Firth" wrote in message ... On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:27:02 -0000, Ron Lowe wrote: I was hoping that a sheet of MDF screwed to the wall would be flatter and more like what I want. Hmmmmm, well you can hope. Yes, I can. Are you seriously suggesting that 6mm MDF will curl at the edges the same as a sheet of 1mm fabric? All the roller fabric-based screens I have seen have tended to resemble a poorly-cut mainsail badly-set in gusty winds. And I was hoping not to need tell-tales on my screen :-) OK, the metaphor is not good. But you get the idea. How do you prevent the sides curling in a roller fabric screen, unless it's stretched over a solid frame, which roller based solutions don't have? And why should a nice sheet of MDF *not* be flat(ter)? -- Ron I built a screen for my projector out of MDF and I did strengthen the edges because while MDF won't actually curl up like cloth it will curve and is actually more likely to curve if you paint one side. As for painting it, I used a good quality primer and then two coats of white emulsion and the results were good. I believe that the icestorm simply darkens the whole picture slightly and while some poeple say this improves contrast, I'm not convinced at all as contrast is pretty subjective anyway. There is a lot of useful advice on www.avforums.com and it's well worth having a look there for more information. Cheers Mike |
#34
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DIY home cinema screen
"Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... "Doki" wrote in message ... "Ron Lowe" wrote in message ... Hi, all. I've borrowed a projector for the xmas period, and am setting up a temporary home cinema for the kids ( and me! ). The wall is not great as a screen, so I was going to make a simple one. I was going to get a thin sheet of cheap MDF or hardboard, and paint it. The various AV forums suggest painting the screen material with Dulux "IceStorm 5 or 6", which can be mixed at any shed. The question is: how best to apply the paint to minimise texturing? Texturing is OK under diffuse light, but is rather ruthlessly revealed under intense projector light. I've always thought rollers give a rather textured finish, but then again, brushes can leave brush-strokes too. I don't have an air gun, but could possibly borrow one. ( cue horrid orange-peel effects from inexperienced air-brusher. ) I am also suspicious that 'regular' emulsion paints will not work well in an air gun, for reasons unspecified. Bung them up, or something? Which would you do: brush or roller, or air gun? I'd spray it. But I've sprayed bits and bobs before. TBH if you thin the paint and spray it, the worst that can happen is runs. Orange peel is caused by paint hitting what you're painting too dry or not thinned enough - not too hard to get with a solvent based paint, but with emulsion? Just slap some more on and it'll level itself out. I'd paint it laid flat or at an angle rather than upright... And you're right that emulsion is too thick. You'll need to thin it. You might get it though a primer gun... Or just use a system designed for paint... Hmm, ( looks in garage. Finds box compressor came in. Finds air brush, and dusts it off. ) So what would you thin an emulsion with? Just water? How thin? 50/50? less? more? Like how much to dilute a 1litre tin? Just suck it and see? I might just do some suck-it-and-see tests just for fun tomorrow. I've never sprayed emulsion. Given how jellyish most emulsion is, I'd expect at least 50:50 with water through a primer gun. No idea about an airbrush, not really the same as a spray gun. Be careful to make sure you clean the gun well and dry it if it's not designed for water based... |
#35
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Success! DIY home cinema screen
Just a follow-up in case anyone is interestied in doing anything similar.
I just got a sheet of 6mm MDF from the local B+Q, and had them cut it to size on their large saw ( easier to transport, and 1 less job for me at home ). In my case, the sheet was cut to 1470 x 1120. This allowed approx 50mm border all round the image. ( Obviously, you need to measure the image as projected on to the wall before you go... , also remember to set the zoom on th eprojector as you want it first! ) The first thing to do is to determine where exactly it needs to be mounted, So I ran the projector onto the wall and marked the extents of the image. I then marked the extents of the sheet onto the wall, knowing the border size I had allowed. Then you need to determine the locations of the uprights in the wall, and mark these high up on the wall. Offer the sheet up and align it correctly horizontally ( don't care about vertically yet ), and transfer the positions of the wall uprights onto the sheet using a plumb line. In my case, I was able to use 4 fixing points top and bottom. I then drilled any countersunk the 8 mounting holes, and then offered the sheet up again. This time, I aligned it correctly both horizontally and vertically against the markings I made earlier. This required a large table and some misc. shimming to get the thing aligned vertically. I then fixed it to the wall with all 8 screws. I had intended to then remove it now that all the alignment stuff was done, and paint it horizontally, but I couldn't be bothered and decided to paint it in-situ. I loosened the mounting screws enough to get sheets of newspaper as masking materiel down the back and sides, to protect the surrounding wall, and then re-tightened them. This worked very well. 1 coat of MDF primer, using large roller. This was almost good enough on it's own! Wait 1 hour, 2 coats IceStorm 5 matt with large roller. Perfect result. No texturing. Very even finish. Rollering was the way to go. 100% happy with result. And quick, too. MDF: £6.50 IceStorm Paint (1 liter ): £9.98 I already had the primer and rollers. All in all, I'm very satisfied with the result. It's perfectly flat, no image distortions. The colour is good, and the finish is good. -- Ron |
#36
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Success! DIY home cinema screen
On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:17:58 -0000, "Ron Lowe"
wrote: MDF: £6.50 IceStorm Paint (1 liter ): £9.98 I already had the primer and rollers. All in all, I'm very satisfied with the result. It's perfectly flat, no image distortions. The colour is good, and the finish is good. So what films do you intend to watch? Personally I would have just pinned and stretched a white blanket on the wall...saves £16 |
#37
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Success! DIY home cinema screen
On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:31:33 GMT, SirBenjamin
wrote: On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:17:58 -0000, "Ron Lowe" wrote: MDF: £6.50 IceStorm Paint (1 liter ): £9.98 I already had the primer and rollers. All in all, I'm very satisfied with the result. It's perfectly flat, no image distortions. The colour is good, and the finish is good. So what films do you intend to watch? Personally I would have just pinned and stretched a white blanket on the wall...saves £16 Route-off you old scrote! The bloke is happy with his DIY and has a nice glow from doing it himself. ) |
#38
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Success! DIY home cinema screen
"SirBenjamin" wrote in message
... On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:17:58 -0000, "Ron Lowe" wrote: MDF: £6.50 IceStorm Paint (1 liter ): £9.98 I already had the primer and rollers. All in all, I'm very satisfied with the result. It's perfectly flat, no image distortions. The colour is good, and the finish is good. So what films do you intend to watch? Mostly the kids stuff. We've got all the current kids animated stuff, from Wallace + Grommit to The Wild etc. and the older one also likes LOTR and Star Wars. These all benefit from the Big Screen treatment. I've ben sitting in ther the last 2 nights, and it's been excellent. I have to say, Standard Definition DVD , even over Component Video and Progressive Scan ( which both the player and projector support ) looks distinctly average at this screen size / viewing distance. Doesn't bother the kids, but if you are a little critical, it will bother you. Only to be expected, of course. And that's why High Definition becomes important. I've just 'obtained' a High-Def 'test' copy of Star Wars 3 .ts file at 1280i from bit-tormumble for comparison purposes, and will try to arrange for a laptop with sufficient video capability to be in the cinema room to compare HD / SD on the same movie. I've viewed the HD movie on the PC monitor, and it looks promising. Not yet took a laptop through to the cinema room for tests. My Laptop is currently runnig Vista, so that throws another unknown into the equation. I'm using VLC player to play back .ts HD files right now, and I've not yet had time to try the VLC / Vista compatability. Could throw the legacy WinXP HDD back in the laptop, but I'm trying to give it up. Personally I would have just pinned and stretched a white blanket on the wall...saves £16 Depends on your criteria. Price was not my main issue. In general, the reason I DIY is to get what I want, at the standard and quality I want. And this generally exceeds commercial offerings. If it didn't, I'd buy the commercial offering. I'm happy that I was able to exceed commercial products price-wise by a substantial margin, whilst not conceding on quality. I think a pinned blanket would not have reached my quality bar. But each to his own. That's the whole DIY ethos. -- Ron |
#39
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Success! DIY home cinema screen
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Ron Lowe" saying something like: IceStorm Paint (1 liter ): £9.98 Dulux? I can't find any mention of it on their site, so I wonder if it's been discontinued. Is it a light grey or silver? -- Dave |
#40
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Success! DIY home cinema screen
"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message ... We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Ron Lowe" saying something like: IceStorm Paint (1 liter ): £9.98 Dulux? I can't find any mention of it on their site, so I wonder if it's been discontinued. Is it a light grey or silver? -- Dave It's been re-named recently, apparently. On the new colour swatches, it's called "Ebony Mists 5", ( where Ebony Mists 1 thru 5 is a range of greys. ) although when the paint mixing person went to the mixing machine computer, they still entered the name 'Icestorm' to search the machine's database of names. So they've not updated the mixing machine software yet ( at least here in Aberdeen. ) The code is 00NN 62/000 -- Ron |
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