Home Theater Forum and Systems banner

Laminate Screen for Acer H5360

4K views 14 replies 3 participants last post by  Harpmaker 
#1 ·
Hello all! I have been doing quite a bit of reading on projectors lately, as when I bought a house a couple months that was one of my main desires. I have a 20'x20' room (it's 2 additions to the back of the house, each 10'x10'), with unfortunate design. It's the only room large enough and light controlled enough to actually be the projector room. On one wall, there is a fireplace, on the opposite wall there is a partially built-in set of shelves that takes up most of the wall, and on the wall in between is a picture window. As that faces the backyard, I have covered it in blackout curtains behind more presentable curtains.

I was originally going to paint the wall next to the fireplace, and simply set the H5360 on one of the shelves. Unfortunately there is a ceiling fan partially in the way, as well as a structural beam from where they built on the newest addition. I would remove the fan, but there is only one A/C vent into the room, and it is next to the entry from the dining room, so the fan is pretty much necessary in Florida, especially when I have friends or the g/f over. And obviously the beam can't go anywhere. It also offsets the entire room in an unpleasant way, and makes the sound system a pain to put up.

I have decided to build a fixed screen and simply place it on the shelving (as the bottom extends forward into the room like a desk), as this will allow me to move it somewhat more to the center of the room and allow for ceiling mounting the PJ, provided I go with a smaller size than I've been using on the far wall. As I have to keep the screen near 5' tall mark, I've decided to go with a 120" screen.

Now, after that dissertation, my actual question is this: Out of the available options, the simplest choice appears to be to use a sheet of WilsonArt laminate, and I've begun pricing the local options. I am simply unsure of what color I should use. I know I should be looking at the Designer White, Fashion Gray, or perhaps the Platinum... but I don't know which would be best.

I have reasonable control of the light level, but there is some leakage from the window during the day. The ceiling and floor are both rather light, as are the walls. While I could repaint the walls, the placement of the screen on the shelving doesn't seem to make that as necessary. And I can replace the carpeting... but the ceiling is popcorn, and I don't have the time or energy to get all of that off to repaint it. I think I will be putting up some dark fabric on the ceiling near the screen, if that would help.

Thanks for making it through all that, if anyone does! :)
 
See less See more
#4 · (Edited)
Well, currently I'm shooting a 160" zoomed down to 153" on the wall next to the fireplace, and having to keystone that to avoid the fan. I would like to have a 140", but I'm thinking even that's going to be a bit larger than I actually need. I'm leaning towards 120" as probably the most reasonable, along with the fact that the beam comes down just far enough that I really only have about 5' of clearance.

I will take a pic in the morning of how much light leaks in through the window. It is easily noticeable with the lights off, but it's not bright enough to read by. And the majority of it is through the top, as I managed to get the sides close enough block everything.

About 70% of the viewing on it will be HD tv and movies, probably 10% 3d movies and games, and the remaining 20% video games. I don't have a lot of time to play games, but now that my girlfriend is moving and I'll only see her on the weekends, that's going to free up a lot of time during the week.

And thanks for the help, and the welcome!
 
#3 ·
Welcome to the forum Gypped! :wave:

One of the problems with laminate screens is that the darker the color the more they have a tendency to hot spot. This is true of all screens, but there is little one can do to correct such hot spotting on laminate.

To answer your question, if I was to use a laminate screen in your situation it would be WA 'Fashion Gray'. Both the lack of 100% ambient light control and the light colors of the room mean that WA 'Designer White' would most likely provide a washed out image.

While you are pricing laminates in your area give some thought to also checking into getting a sheet of Sintra or Komatex PVC foam board which is available in 5' x 10' sheets. The 1mm thickness sheets must be glued to a thicker substrate, but the 6mm sheets don't even need a frame for support. The benefit of painting a screen is that you can adjust the shade and gloss level to fit your needs.

How do you intend on using your screen; movies, TV, sports, video games? Movies and TV usually demand the darkest black levels while sports and gaming demands the brightest image.
 
#5 ·
140" screen is giving you 21fL.

120" screen is 29fL.

According to what PJCentral measured though, 974 lumens (movie mode) and 623 lumens (dark cinema mode), gives you roughly 25 and 17 fL respectively for a 120" screen. I think you could probably get by with Designer White as long as your environment will allow it.
 
#6 ·
I have seen the measurement before, but I have no personal experience with projectors besides this one, and with the terminology in general. So I'm not entirely sure how bright that is, or how close it is to what most people would recommend. I'm assuming there's a guide somewhere for it? Normally, I would just go looking for it myself, but I'm about to go shopping before I pass out for the day... and I've gotten 7 hours of sleep over the past 55 hours, so I'm a bit spacey as well. >.>

In any case, while I was starting laundry a bit ago, I took pics of the den with the lights on and off. If you can see an alternate configuration that you think would be better than what I'm considering, feel free to let me know. The shelving is attached to the wall, in inaccessible locations (it was attached while being built), so I'm not entirely sure I can get it off the wall without damage. If I can, I may be able to swap it to the other side of the room. Or trash it altogether, although I would prefer not to for sentimental reasons. The light level in the room with the doors closed and the lights off is about the same as a what you see in a movie theater during previews. Bright enough to see everything in the room, but not enough to distinguish colors or read.

And now to see if I can get the pics in here...

Room Property Furniture Lighting Interior design


Room Wall Property Interior design Ceiling


Room Lighting Property Interior design Light fixture


Room Lighting Wall Furniture Interior design


Black Darkness Sky Light Atmosphere


Black Sky Atmosphere Darkness Light
 
#7 ·
You could get by with Designer White easily. :T Worse comes to worse, you could paint it down the line sometime.

fL = foot lamberts which is a unit of luminance - how bright it will be. The normal recommended guideline for a projector setup is 16fL. If it is much brighter than that you can suffer eyestrain from the content. 17fL in dark cinema mode is close enough. That number is derived from a unity gain screen though (1.0 gain). DW has a gain of 1.2 so it will really be around 20fL.

If it becomes bothersome you can always paint it with a neutral gray. Something in the N8 range will drop the fL to around 13-15. Black Widow™ would give you 15fL.
 
#8 ·
Thanks a ton for the help and the info!

So, is white generally preferred for use over gray then, if you can control the light enough? And it occurred to me while I was out this morning that I can actually spend another $30 at Walmart and get mini blinds to knock the light level in the window down a bit more. If I do that, it should completely eliminate all the ambient light from the window. Especially as there is still mounting hardware in the window.

The only other problem I can think of is the light reflecting off the ceiling and washing out the screen, but other than throwing fabric up above the shelving I can't really think of anything simple to be done about it. Do you think that would be necessary, or at the very least a good idea?

And I priced out 5'x10' and boy, there's some variance in pricing here. At the actual WA dealer in town, it's $103; Lowes was $120... and HD was the clear winner at $91.
 
#9 ·
Thanks a ton for the help and the info!

So, is white generally preferred for use over gray then, if you can control the light enough? And it occurred to me while I was out this morning that I can actually spend another $30 at Walmart and get mini blinds to knock the light level in the window down a bit more. If I do that, it should completely eliminate all the ambient light from the window. Especially as there is still mounting hardware in the window.
With light walls and ceiling a gray screen would usually be the best, but IIRC Mech has used a Fashion Gray screen in the past so has actual experience with a laminate screen. And as he said, you always have the option of painting the white laminate later if you need to.

The only other problem I can think of is the light reflecting off the ceiling and washing out the screen, but other than throwing fabric up above the shelving I can't really think of anything simple to be done about it. Do you think that would be necessary, or at the very least a good idea?
Light bouncing back onto the screen can be a problem with light colored room surfaces causing the image to lose contrast. Limiting ambient light from windows can only help the image. As for needing the dark or black fabric to absorb light so it doesn't reflect back onto the screen, that can be a very subjective thing. A black fabric will always absorb more light than a black paint because the fabric is much thicker than the paint. Velvet is used most often, but any fabric that has no gloss (like fleece or fake fur) can be used as well.

And I priced out 5'x10' and boy, there's some variance in pricing here. At the actual WA dealer in town, it's $103; Lowes was $120... and HD was the clear winner at $91.
It pays to shop around. ;)

You will probably find that you end up using different projector modes for the different purposes you will use the PJ for. The good news is that PJ has a very wide range of light output so it looks like you are covered. :T One of the more challenging things is showing a 3D image since it is usually only about 1/3 the brightness of 2D material.
 
#10 ·
Thanks a ton for all the help. I'll probably call HD in the morning while I'm waiting for the new fridge to show up, and get the order in for the laminate.

It's a good point that I can paint it if it's too bright, as it hadn't really occurred to me. I was going for a 1-step solution, as I have enough on my plate with the new house, and I didn't really want to add painting a screen into it. But if it's something I can put off for a month or two, well, that's different. Thankfully, I'll get to reclaim the living room on Saturday, and get some of the stuff out of den as well, when I move the previous owner's things out, finally.

And then to find someone locally who can install a heat reclamation unit for the AC to water heater... blargh.
 
#11 ·
So, after some consideration, replacing of ceiling fans and my girlfriend helping me figure out how to arrange furniture so it looks alright... it has been decided I will shoot onto the wall next to the fireplace, and just leave the PJ on the shelving behind the couch and love seat. I will be mounting it to the bottom of the topmost shelf, although that doesn't change anything else now. And as there is now no overhead lighting in the room, my friend is going to help me set up can lights on a dimmer when we both have a spare weekend.

So, now the question is... at appx 160", what paint would be best? The wall is comparatively new, and appears to be true and straight. The plan now is to paint out the actual screen, and get some trim to make it look like it's framed. Assuming I did the math correctly, in the movie preset in eco mode, it's currently 12.5fL, and in dark cinema it's 11.5fL. The ceiling will be staying white, at least for the foreseeable future. I'd like to go with some sort of gray, as I would to be able to watch with a low level of ambient light since I find that more comfortable. Would C&S be as dark as I should go, or would I be able to get away with BW? I couldn't find the gain for those, although I'm sure I just didn't look hard enough.
 
#13 ·
So, now the question is... at appx 160", what paint would be best? The wall is comparatively new, and appears to be true and straight. The plan now is to paint out the actual screen, and get some trim to make it look like it's framed. Assuming I did the math correctly, in the movie preset in eco mode, it's currently 12.5fL, and in dark cinema it's 11.5fL. The ceiling will be staying white, at least for the foreseeable future. I'd like to go with some sort of gray, as I would to be able to watch with a low level of ambient light since I find that more comfortable. Would C&S be as dark as I should go, or would I be able to get away with BW? I couldn't find the gain for those, although I'm sure I just didn't look hard enough.
To be honest, this is where things get very subjective. Mech and I both have meters to actually measure screen illuminance (the amount of light hitting a screen) and we both like the looks of a BW™ screen when it's struck with 12 fL of PJ illumination. The rub comes because a few other users saw such an image as being too dim for them. No one is right and no one is wrong here, it just falls to personal preference.

The peak gain of BW is 0.89 and the peak gain of C&S™ Ultra is ~1.0 (Mech didn't have time to do a full gain test of this mix yet).

The safest thing to do is to prime your screen area on the wall with a white primer and then use it as a screen for a while, this will tell you how a white screen will work in your situation. Calibrate your PJ to that screen and watch it in the sorts of lighting conditions you will have and see where the image lacks (if it does).

C&S™ Ultra will help add a bit more perceived image contrast than the primer since it is a very light gray mix, but it should maintain the whites of the primer screen (don't use the primer as a permanent screen because it wasn't designed to be a finish coat and will discolor over time).

You can add some N6 gray paint (tint formulae in the Elektra™ thread) to darken C&S™ to an N8.5 or N8. This will help more with ambient light and image contrast.

Or you could go the full monty and use BW™ to get the maximum perceived contrast and ambient light absorption.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top