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Paint Screen for Epson HC 6100 with tan walls and some ambient light

4K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  jmuir 
#1 ·
Hi All -

I have been surfing around the DIY Screen board for the last couple of weeks. The amount of information I have found is just overwhelming. I really enjoy reading about all the testing people have done on the various types of screens. There seems to be a lot more going on here than another forum that I started out on. I have made my way through most of the threads in the sticky section. What a valuable resource those threads are for someone, like me, just starting out in the projector world.

I will start off with my setup. Epson HC 6100, recently picked up on clearance. I, like most, I have gone against the advice of the board and purchased the PJ before thinking about the screen. That's what happens when you purchase a PJ and then realize you have no idea on what to do about a screen. Next time I'll know better. At least I feel that this unit is a decent choice for my viewing needs. The PJ is ceiling mounted 11' 6" from the screen, ceiling is white and walls are a light tan color. See pics below.

Projector

Screen wall


The PJ is located in my basement (approx 25' X 25'), which also is the kid's play run (they are no longer allowed to throw anything), wife's office area (I built her a cubical), and gathering place for the guys to watch sports and play cards. There are two windows that can be blocked off with BOC to make the basement completely dark during the day. Three zones of reset lights are all on dimmer switches.

Viewing: Sports with low light levels in the area furthest away from the screen and movies in complete darkness.

I started off by projecting the image on the tan walls and everyone thought the picture still looked great. A couple weekends ago I marked off the area of the screen, which by the way is a 98" diagonal (almost forgot that key point), by projecting a blue image on the wall and used a level to outline the screen area in pencil. Then taped it off with blue painters tape (about one inch outside the pencil line) sanded the wall with a finish sander, and painted the area with Kilz2 (as recommended). I calibrated using the THX setup, at least the best I could without having the blue filter glasses. I'll do a better calibration once the screen in completed.

Getting ready to paint.


In this picture you can see the tape is outside the line that defines the screen area.


Painted with two coats of Kilz2.


My thoughts of the Kilz2. The image is definitely more enjoyable, in my eyes, than it was on the tan walls. The black levels look great in a completely dark room but could use some help with a little ambient light. The image is both sharper and the contrast seems better. I'm sure some of the improvement could be from my calibration attempt, allow I did not have to adjust the settings that much from the factor settings.

I would like to move onto one of the gray mixes. From what I'm reading this should help some with the light reflection and ambient light while watching sports with friends. With my setup and room would you recommend going with an N9 like the C&S or going darker (N8.5 or N8)? I am also willing to give any developmental mixes a try if needed. I would just need someone to guide me through the process.

Many Thanks,
John
 
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#2 ·
Hi John, thanks for the very informative first post. :T

This is where things get subjective and the shade of gray you go with depends on which you like better - bright whites or dark blacks. Personally, after reading the review of your PJ at projectorcentral I would go with a Black Widow™ screen in your situation (I love my black blacks). If you don't think you would like something quite this dark I would then recommend Scorpion™ N8 for a tried and true mix, or if you're feeling a bit daring, try the semi-experimental Elektra™ N8 mix (two people have made full size screens with this mix and really like it).
 
#3 ·
Thanks Don. I am little concerned going with a shade as dark as the Black Widow. Do you think there would be any problems going that dark as the bulb ages and looses some of it brightness? I am currently running the PJ on the Theater setting. Not sure if that matters. I am really considering trying the Elektra N8. Have you been able to do any comparisons between Scorpion N8 and Elektra N8? I plan on rolling the screen. Does one roll better than the other?

Just realized I made a mistake. Went to Joanne Fabrics this past weekend to purchase BOC for the windows. Since I was already there I decided to get the fabric for the screen surround. Ended up purchasing Black Felt instead of Black Velvet.:whistling: I thought the cost per yard seemed low compared to what I was reading. Well back to the store. Hoping the wife has one of the 50% off coupons.

Thanks John
 
#4 ·
Thanks Don. I am little concerned going with a shade as dark as the Black Widow. Do you think there would be any problems going that dark as the bulb ages and looses some of it brightness? I am currently running the PJ on the Theater setting. Not sure if that matters. I am really considering trying the Elektra N8. Have you been able to do any comparisons between Scorpion N8 and Elektra N8? I plan on rolling the screen. Does one roll better than the other?
Yeah, running in the lower light modes would affect your screen choice. If I've run the numbers right, your PJ in Theater mode (and I assume low lamp mode as well), and at about 1/4 zoom, gives you about 360 lumens of light which for your 98" screen works out to 12.5 fL. which is less than half of what the projectorcentral calc gives for your PJ. The good news is that the PJC calc already allows for a 25% decrease in lamp efficiency due to lamp aging so at worst you could take another 25% off for maximum lumen drop-off due to lamp usage. This still gives you about 9.5 fL. as a worst-case scenario. With this in mind, Scorpion™ N8 or Elektra™ N8 could be the better choice.

We are still some time away from side-by-side testing of these mixes. I'm guessing they will work about the same, but Mech thinks that Scorpion™ would have the brighter whites. We won't know until the actual testing. Both mixes roll well with no preference between them.
 
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