Looking to get into projection:)

[Beta Man]

I think you covered it all.... that seems like a GREAT way to go.... but I'm in Ohio.....

I'll read through their other threads for alternatives, but creating my own screen with fabric/border etc. seems like my best bet.

[JJ]

This is about to become my new favorite board on the forums, as all of a sudden I find myself thinking about projection...and since apparently for $1500 I can get a decent screen and a good projector such as that Mitsu or the Acer mentioned or this Sony I saw on their website...all of a sudden...I'm dreaming again!

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

This is about to become my new favorite board on the forums, as all of a sudden I find myself thinking about projection...and since apparently for $1500 I can get a decent screen and a good projector such as that Mitsu or the Acer mentioned or this Sony I saw on their website...all of a sudden...I'm dreaming again!

Yeah... all things considered, it's a cheap way to get a BIG picture..... but it adds up......

1) projector ..... my mitsu 1500 set me back $646 after tax (deal and a half)

2) screen ..... I bought the blackout cloth from a local place, and they charged extra to have it ordered etc... and had a minimum of 5 yards (so I bought 6 yards, so I could have enough for a replacement screen if I ever need it) so that'll get me 100" screen, material was $96

3) wood, brackets, anchors, etc. for screen $20 or so

4) my projector mount will be about $60 or so.

5) $30 or so for a 25 foot HDMI cable


So under/around $900 or so, and I am upgrading from 37" screen to 100"


I looked at projectors for a long time though... but never had a suitable place for one in my current house.... so obviously LCD/Plasma is far more 'versatile'

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Yeah... all things considered, it's a cheap way to get a BIG picture..... but it adds up......

1) projector ..... my mitsu 1500 set me back $646 after tax (deal and a half)

2) screen ..... I bought the blackout cloth from a local place, and they charged extra to have it ordered etc... and had a minimum of 5 yards (so I bought 6 yards, so I could have enough for a replacement screen if I ever need it) so that'll get me 100" screen, material was $96

3) wood, brackets, etc. for screen $20 or so

4) my projector mount will be about $60 or so.

5) $30 or so for a 25 foot HDMI cable


So under/around $900 or so, and I am upgrading from 37" screen to 100"


I looked at projectors for a long time though... but never had a suitable place for one in my current house.... so obviously LCD/Plasma is far more 'versatile'

Yes, I saw that deal you got, when they were clearing them out from BB at $599, In any case, I'm looking at the Sony VPL-AW15 at the moment - screens I completely have no idea about either making or where to get a good one or what the hell this "1.8" number on this Costco screen I'm looking at means...a good month to read up on this board before I make any sort of decision...and I think I could have up to $1500 for all of the things you mentioned, so it is possible - my only concern is the room I would devote to it, I would have to semi-soundproof it because it shares a wall with an efficiency and I play my movies LOUD.

Time to think, I guess!

[AlaskaDon]

My guess would be that Costco describing their screen as 1.8 probably just means that the screen is 16:9

16 divided by 9 is 1.77777 but I would definetly verify that before purchasing it.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Yes, I saw that deal you got, when they were clearing them out from BB at $599, In any case, I'm looking at the Sony VPL-AW15 at the moment - screens I completely have no idea about either making or where to get a good one or what the hell this "1.8" number on this Costco screen I'm looking at means...a good month to read up on this board before I make any sort of decision...and I think I could have up to $1500 for all of the things you mentioned, so it is possible - my only concern is the room I would devote to it, I would have to semi-soundproof it because it shares a wall with an efficiency and I play my movies LOUD.

Time to think, I guess!

That 1.8 number could also be the screen gain. I posted a simple explanation of what that is here.

A DIY screen can save you some bucks and is not as hard as you might think. Here is a website that goes over some simple instructions on how to make one-- they also sell screen material and black flocking for the screen edge: www.BuildYourOwnProjectionScreen.com . The DIY Screen forum at AVS is also a great source of information.

Once you get over the fright/confusion of setting up an FP system, it really is an economical way of getting a big, high quality picture in your home. Setting one up is not as hard as most people think.

Cheers mate!

[JJ]

Ah! Screen gain - that's what it was. So what would be a reasonable number?

And I'll look into these DIY screens, it seems like something I could manage...whether or not my last year as an architecture major gives me the time...that's something different...

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Ah! Screen gain - that's what it was. So what would be a reasonable number?

And I'll look into these DIY screens, it seems like something I could manage...whether or not my last year as an architecture major gives me the time...that's something different...

Well, that depends on your application. Most screen material out there are close to or at unity gain (1), with a few specialized screens both below and above that. In a nutshell, a lower gain screen can improve the perception of black level at the expense of luminance, while a higher gain screen can improve luminance at the expense of your black levels. If you have complete light control, then you have your choice of screen material depending on how you like your picture (although screen size and your projector's light output strongly play into this). If you have some ambient light, then either a high gain screen (like a DaLite High Power or Vutec SilverStar) or a Stewart Firehawk-- which does a great job of rejecting ambient light-- can work well. If you have a lumens-challenged projector, then a high gain screen is useful. If you have a black-level challenged projector, then a high contrast gray screen may be helpful. An acoustically transparent screen can be useful in a space challenged room so you can use a wider screen and put the speakers behind the screen. And so on and so forth.

There are pluses and minuses to each of these screen materials, with unity gain screens falling in the middle (which is why most people go with this).

In addition to DIY projects, there are some very affordable pre-made screens out there (both pull down and fixed frame) that I would not overlook in your research of what FP system might work for you.

If you are an architecture major, I would suspect that you would have no problem designing/making a screen. Good luck with school and your potential front projector project!

[JJ]

One last question. As far as ready-made screens, what would be a good choice in the $300 range? I see some Elite brand screens in Amazon, around 100-125 inches for that price range - checking out their website, it appears to be the Home Series...damn! All this research! And it's supposed to be my summer break.

EDIT: i.e., say this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Elitescreens-1...6509586&sr=1-2

[Brain Sturgeon]

The Elites are popular. Another quality pull down screen in that price range would be a DaLite Model B High Power.

I came across a post recently from Jason at AVS that stated:

"... $300 is expensive. You can get a Model B 52"x92" HP for quite a bit less from me."

Linky:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...86&postcount=2

[Beta Man]

I'd calculate the throw distance before I decide on a screen size..... My "ideal" to "actual" changed, when I made my mind up on the placement etc.

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I'd calculate the throw distance before I decide on a screen size..... My "ideal" to "actual" changed, when I made my mind up on the placement etc.

Its all research at the moment - I don't even know what throw distance is - I want to guess the distance from projector to screen??

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Its all research at the moment - I don't even know what throw distance is - I want to guess the distance from projector to screen??

yep.... lens to screen.... depending on the projector, you may not be able to get a 130" screen in the space you have.... for instance, my projector (off the top of my head) would have to be mounted 16 feet from the screen, to get a 130" screen.... (may be less, but it's an example) so since I have to mount the projector, the lens is about 12" from the back of the wall, so if I mount the screen directly flush on the wall, I need a room that's 17 feet long to get a 130" image.....

[JJ]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

yep.... lens to screen.... depending on the projector, you may not be able to get a 130" screen in the space you have.... for instance, my projector (off the top of my head) would have to be mounted 16 feet from the screen, to get a 130" screen.... (may be less, but it's an example) so since I have to mount the projector, the lens is about 12" from the back of the wall, so if I mount the screen directly flush on the wall, I need a room that's 17 feet long to get a 130" image.....

Ah, that is crucial - how is this determined, Beta - is it by projector? I'm looking at the Sony VPL-AW15 at the moment, probably for a 100" or 120" screen - is there a specific...lol...specification I need to look at to determine this distance?

All Best Buy mentions about it is "Short Throw Distance Range" - perhaps the Sony website will let me know more...

[m_tyson]

Try this calculator: http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...ulator-pro.cfm

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Ah, that is crucial - how is this determined, Beta - is it by projector? I'm looking at the Sony VPL-AW15 at the moment, probably for a 100" or 120" screen - is there a specific...lol...specification I need to look at to determine this distance?

All Best Buy mentions about it is "Short Throw Distance Range" - perhaps the Sony website will let me know more...

[AlaskaDon]

Originally Posted by m_tyson

Try this calculator: http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...ulator-pro.cfm

Also take a look at the VPL-AW15 review at that same site. I would post a link to it, but happen to be using my PS3 atm. Low light output seems to be the biggest drawback to this projector so you'll want to make sure that fits with your plans. Personally I would plan for a batcave type of installation and keep screen size to about 100".

They also recommend lamp replacement every 1000 hours as you can't really afford the drop in lumen output that will occur after that. As to your throw question, the AW15 will give you a 100" image mounted in a range of 9.6' to 15.7' so you could get this to work in just about any room you want to put it in. It also has very generous horizontal and vertical lens shift. Overall a very easy installation

[JJ]

Originally Posted by AlaskaDon

Also take a look at the VPL-AW15 review at that same site. I would post a link to it, but happen to be using my PS3 atm. Low light output seems to be the biggest drawback to this projector so you'll want to make sure that fits with your plans. Personally I would plan for a batcave type of installation and keep screen size to about 100".

They also recommend lamp replacement every 1000 hours as you can't really afford the drop in lumen output that will occur after that. As to your throw question, the AW15 will give you a 100" image mounted in a range of 9.6' to 15.7' so you could get this to work in just about any room you want to put it in. It also has very generous horizontal and vertical lens shift. Overall a very easy installation

Yes, the room I would have it in has a small window I could easily place dark curtains over - there would be no exterior lighting in it during movie time. 1000 hours - got it. I saw, I'm probably looking at a 100" screen - although 120" is tempting, I think 100 will do just fine. Thanks, Don!

EDIT: Doublethanks for that website, fellas - the reviews that they give and the information helped a lot - and they also have links to find screens from online wholesalers - including the one I had my eyes on. time.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

Yes, the room I would have it in has a small window I could easily place dark curtains over - there would be no exterior lighting in it during movie time. 1000 hours - got it. I saw, I'm probably looking at a 100" screen - although 120" is tempting, I think 100 will do just fine. Thanks, Don!

I ordered 6 yards (216 inches) of Blackout cloth..... I'm planning on making my screen myself, and because I had to order a minimum of 5 yards, I just got the extra, so enough to get two screens out of it.... since 5 yards is just a little too short to make 2 screens (when you factor in an extra 3 inches on each side, or 6 inches total, for stapling to the back of the frame)

If you're up to the challenge, PM me, and we could work out a trade etc. for the cloth (no idea what shipping would be on it, I'd just cut off 108 inches, and put it back in whatever package they shipped it to me in ) It's supposed to be arriving Tomorrow or the next day.... If you think about tackling this, check out some of the DIY thread ideas, etc... basically, a 16:9, 100" screen is 87" wide, 49" tall....... so you cut the 108" screen down to 104 or 105 inches, and it comes 56" tall I believe, (or 55", she thold me on the phone, and I can't remember, but I know it was enough to leave stapling room) so no need to cut the screen that way......

Make a basic frame, reinforce it with metal brackets, and a cross-beam or two, and you just follow the DIY directions to pull it, staple it with fabric staples to the back of the frame, and hang-and-go!!!!

I'll have more info about it when I tackle the job myself, but I don't think I'll be setting up my projector for a month or so.... too much other stuff to do in the new house, the theater room is pretty low on the priority list (at least it's low on my wife's priority list! )