I agree that this topic didn't get as much attention as it could of or should of elsewhere.
This is a very interesting topic that I have heard serveral people complain about. Granted, some people do like having a noticable and pronouced screen on their wall... in a way it just screams "I have a Home Theater!" but many people like things to be aesthetically pleasing and blend in with the decor.
I like the ideas that you are showing that can be done inexpensively and anyone can easily set them up.
My ultimate screen is going to be a bit complex and with all the things I have on the burner right now, sometimes I think I will never get to building it- so these ideas are very interesting.
My plans (whenever I can get to them) has several items I want:
- Center Channel Speaker built into the black trim border
- A retractable wall mural, that when the screen isn't being used it looks like I have a framed tapestry on the wall and not a screen. (I thought that would match my sword collection nicely
) - A remote controlled masking system
- A slotted track system so I can quickly change screens for testing purposes
That's my dream screen frame. The speaker in the frame isn't as crazy as it sounds. Da-lite actually has one that uses JBL speakers. Since I have Bose 501's as my mains (yes they are old... yes they are huge... but they sound incredible for both music and movies) a VCS-10 center, and soon 301's in the back, the VCS-10 is actually perfect size to incorporate in the bottom border of the screen.
If anyone asks "Why Bose?" I got the 501's back in '86 for $45 and refurbished them myself and have yet to hear a smaller 'cube' or fancy slim tower speaker give the same sound and bass. Personally I am not a fan of the newer Bose line, but that is just a personal preference on my part.
Anyway, I digressed. It will obvously be quite awhile before I get the above dream screen built, so I am actually looking at some of the links and ideas you have posted here. Probably a laser show or something like that since it would be a daytime thing. At night I am watching movies and the decorative aspect of it would be shut off. I'm still looking through your links though... lotsa neat stuff!