HT Upgrade: Wet Bar, AT Screen, Fireplace.

[WakeJunkie]

After hanging up that muslin sheet....my bet is you already have the spandex screen on order.

Hahaha, muslin is what I used for my test screen within the frame that I built. Looked absolutely horrendous. Moire everywhere. Somehow my guests didn't seem to mind when we test watched a flick. Something is definitely wrong with their eyes, lol. Last summer I was at another forum members home listening too and watching on his setup. Beautiful Lascala setup with all Mcintosh gear. Great projector, top of the line Oppo, but what really amazed me was the screen. His Lascalas were all behind it, the front three anyways, he had RS-7's for surrounds. No sound degradation at ALL. Amazing. Went I got around to building my screen I PM'ed him for advice and info as to where he got his screen from. He directed me to Seymour's XD AT (Acoustically Transparent) screen. Win and win. This stuff is awesome. Not cheap but definitely what you'd expect from the term Acoustically Transparent. As a side note I purchased enough for two screens, two rolls that is, as I had grand ambitions of installing two drop down screens. I've since opted out of my original plan and now have one roll left over. If Wake would like it at a discount lemme know before I sell it off. It's great stuff. I can get exact dimensions but it should be large enough to do almost 120", I think.

I also give a big thumbs up to Seymour screens. Its the only screen i have owned so not much to compare it to but very happy. The AT part is great not even a single db lost with it. It is spendy though but from what i read its a top brad for the AT screens.

PM me the measurements and a price. I will do some research.

[WakeJunkie]

The best part about spandex is price.

I will build the screen with the track system so I can replace the fabric easy.

I can always upgrade in the future.

I have a lot of upgrades to the room planed.

[Tremors]

Spandex pros: Price, Decent image quality. Cons: Difficult to stretch proportionately without creating waves. To attain the best imaging you'd need two layers, front white/back gray as best I've discerned. Two layers= More difficulty stretching and therefore a higher likelihood of waves. Stretchy material doesn't stay stretchy forever, so re-manipulation of the material is required after some time (the time depends on the spandex).....As you can see/imagine it can be a real bugger to work with. The track idea is good and often implemented, this will save you time over the long run with respect to replacing/re-stretching the material. Quite honestly I put a lot of consideration into using it. The price being the biggest factor in my desire to go with it. The thought of having to re-work something was not appealing at all, however. When I do something I try my best to do it once, as I believe we all do. Redoing things is time consuming, costly, and lessens the overall enjoyment. A couple hundred bucks difference was well worth it too me to not have to ever think about it again. PS: Youth, Shaun passed on the roll I have as it won't be big enough for him. If you're interested send me a PM as ill probably be posting it in the Garage Sale pretty soon. Shaun, let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to share any info that I have

[Tremors]

Just realized I was talking about him as if he weren't here, whoopsies.

Too funny. Were you having an out of body experience there Trev?

I've considered going to an AT screen myself. I want wake to have an opportunity to buy your Seymour material first. If he passes, let me know. I "might" be interested.....still trying to decide if I am going to go that route with my HT.

Pure pressure do it! do it! lol.

I'd prefer to say "Good information, Good information!!". Although realistically I'd probably have never even considered it if I hadn't happened upon this setup at another Forum members home. Another thumbs up to this great community! The ideas shared, respect given and camaraderie built all make this a very worthy "waste" of my time when I'm bored on the Internet. But I'd still spend a lot of time here even if I weren't bored You guys are good peeps, as they say

[WakeJunkie]

I agree with you completely. Had the fabric been larger I would have jumped on it.

Thanks for the offer.

Spandex pros: Price, Decent image quality. Cons: Difficult to stretch proportionately without creating waves. To attain the best imaging you'd need two layers, front white/back gray as best I've discerned. Two layers= More difficulty stretching and therefore a higher likelihood of waves. Stretchy material doesn't stay stretchy forever, so re-manipulation of the material is required after some time (the time depends on the spandex).....As you can see/imagine it can be a real bugger to work with. The track idea is good and often implemented, this will save you time over the long run with respect to replacing/re-stretching the material. Quite honestly I put a lot of consideration into using it. The price being the biggest factor in my desire to go with it. The thought of having to re-work something was not appealing at all, however. When I do something I try my best to do it once, as I believe we all do. Redoing things is time consuming, costly, and lessens the overall enjoyment. A couple hundred bucks difference was well worth it too me to not have to ever think about it again. PS: Youth, Shaun passed on the roll I have as it won't be big enough for him. If you're interested send me a PM as ill probably be posting it in the Garage Sale pretty soon. Shaun, let me know if you have any questions and I'd be happy to share any info that I have

[WakeJunkie]

Note to self....screenshots from a cell phone suck.

You get the idea of the size. Room is 17',1" wide. 130" projected screen size.

Edited November 24, 2014 by WakeJunkie

[WakeJunkie]

Using backer on the concrete block wall just because it has been painted and I need better adhesion.

This is how I attached the backer. 1/4" hole with a hammer drill and drive two nails in at the same time with a big framing hammer.
It takes some practice to drive two nails into the same hole, but the hold is fantastic and is really fast.
A trick I learned from a buddy that builds bridges. This is how they attach formwork to existing concrete.

Edited November 24, 2014 by WakeJunkie

[Tremors]

The two nails trick is super cool. Thanks for sharing that as I'm sure it'll come in handy for someone out there someday

[WakeJunkie]

The two nails trick is super cool. Thanks for sharing that as I'm sure it'll come in handy for someone out there someday

It is crazy how much it will hold. I poured a 35ft long 9ft tall concrete wall 18" thick several years ago. One side had a slab floor and this is how I attached form supports. I used doublehead #16 nails for that so we could pull them out. When it came time to remove it I put a prybar under the 2x4 that was nailed down and pulled.
I destroyed the 2x4s trying to get the first few out. The nails held more than the 2x4 could handle. That was all I needed to see. Been using this technique ever since.

[WakeJunkie]

Screen has been ordered!

Product Cost:				72.00
Shipping Cost:				14.10
Grand Total:				$86.1
6409	Moleskin Matte (Silver)	$12.00	3.0	$36.00
977	Moleskin Matte (White)	$12.00	3.0	$36.00

www.spandexworld.com

[The Dude]

So do you use both of them together, nice looking build by the way.

[TasDom]

Screen has been ordered!

Item#

Name

Price

Yards

Total

6409	Moleskin Matte (Silver)	$12.00	3.0	$36.00
977	Moleskin Matte (White)	$12.00	3.0	$36.00
Product Cost:				72.00
Shipping Cost:				14.10
Grand Total:				$86.1

www.spandexworld.com

Wow that sounds so inexpensive to make a screen. hmmmmmm I hate this hobby!

[WakeJunkie]

So do you use both of them together, nice looking build by the way.

Yes, the debate on gray or white on top is still up in the air and depends heavily on your projector and ambient light conditions.
I will try both and decide.

Youth has alot of info in his AT Screen build thread on ATS.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1426901/my-first-venture-into-building-an-at-screen

[WakeJunkie]

I didn't have much time, but I made a little progress last night.

Edited November 24, 2014 by WakeJunkie

[WakeJunkie]

Finishing one project before starting on another just doesn't make sense for a guy with A.D.D.
I started scavenging parts for my Remote Controled Electronic Masking System.

Motor is on the right. On the left is the unit that sets the stop point for up and down. It is basically a rotation counter.
I was worried that I wouldn't be able to set it low enough that it only moved the 8 inches down required for masking.
It had Allen wrench adjustments that made it easy and after about 100 turns I had it limited to about 8 inches.
I wrapped a fabric tape measure around the tube and you can easily hear the mechanical relays engage and disengage at the top and bottom of the range.My 16:9 130" diagonal screen should be 113" wide and 64" tall. A 2.35:1 that is 113" wide is 48" tall.
64-48=16"
I set it based on 8" down and 8" up. Just getting it in the ballpark right now, I am sure there will be plenty of fine tuning after it is built.

More details to come on this as I build it.

Edited November 24, 2014 by WakeJunkie

[MichaelandKlipsch]

Looking great so far. I just ordered an automated motorized curtain system but I still want to add horizontal masking. Im doing a similar project just the opposite. I have a 115 2:35 screen and want to mask for 16:9 content. If you have time could you list the parts you are using/where you purchased them. Id like to do the same and learn from you.

[WakeJunkie]

Looking great so far. I just ordered an automated motorized curtain system but I still want to add horizontal masking. I’m doing a similar project just the opposite. I have a 115” 2:35 screen and want to mask for 16:9 content. If you have time could you list the parts you are using/where you purchased them. I’d like to do the same and learn from you.

All the parts shown so far are from my existing Da-Lite 100" remote control electric screen.
Instead of selling it and hunting for parts I just sacrificed it for the cause. Parts seem to be worth more than the screen is.

I will have to replace the existing tube (1 1/2" inside diameter) with a longer one to reach across the larger screen.
The tube will have a line hooked to each end of the bottom masking wound backwards.

When the tube spins to roll down the top masking, it will roll up the bottom masking.

[WakeJunkie]

I have been searching and have not yet found anyone posting settings for their Epson 8350 using a silver/grey screen.
Anybody have one they could share settings as a starting place for mine.?

I found settings for a white.

[WakeJunkie]

I went ahead and took all the AV gear out of the room out of fear of dust dammage.
I will be cutting a hole in that concrete wall soon to build a window to set my Center channel in behind the AT screen.

Of course no build thread is complete without the famous Blue Tape Screen!
I have all the materials to build the screen and have to talk myself out of it. Once it gets mounted it is hard to get anything done laying in the beanbag eating popcorn.

Edited November 24, 2014 by WakeJunkie

[Youthman]

Of course no build thread is complete without the famous Blue Tape Screen!

Ha! I totally did that before I began any work in my HT. I had masked out a 55" TV, went to the back wall and frowned. It was the deciding factor for me that I needed to go with a projection screen as 55" would never provide that big screen movie theater experience.

Makes sense to build the wall and mount the screen last. It's motivation to get it finished quicker.