New HT Room Controlled Light.... Which Screen?

[CompguyRG]

I'm enthralled, and a bit overwhelmed, with all this new information as a first time DIY HT guy. I'm looking to put together a 110" screen (96x54) in my new room. (Seen in this thread http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...ggestions.html) I just finished painting and the room will be fully light controlled. I wanted to see what type of screen/paint you all recommended. Feel free to put the instructions in newbie. Thanks so much for taking the time to make these threads, it helps out us new people to no end. It is really appreciated,

Thanks in advance,

Richard

[mechman]

Richard,

Are you going to stick with the PT-AX200U? How far away from the screen will it be - the throw distance?

If it's far enough back, say greater than 17', you could go with a white screen very easily. The foot lamberts at 17' are 15 which is a touch on the bright side but still not that bad. And your dark walls help alot as well.

What will you be painting? The wall? If so we normally suggest just starting out with Kilz2 as a good baseline and then going from there. If you want deeper blacks we can look at grays. If you like the whites we can explore those options as well. And thirdly, you may just like Kilz2. Then we don't have to do anything!

[CompguyRG]

Mech,

To answer your q's:

Yes I think I'm going to be sticking with the PT-AX200U. I used this link http://www.projectorcentral.com/Pana...ulator-pro.htm
to calculate roughly a 14' 10" throw onto a 110" screen. I could increase the screen size to 126" and throw from 17', the wall is large enough. I was looking at this seating optimizer (http://www.htmart.com/pages.php?pageid=16) and I don't think I can go much larger than 110" because my seating is at 12' and 17' respectively.

I am putting the screen over the window for acoustics purposes, so I am having to build one. Which presents another obstacle. I'm a bit unsure where to buy materials large enough, any advice there would be helpful as well. That being said, I'll need some advice on what color, paint, etc. I should use and on what materials. I've been perusing the BW thread, phenomenally informational, along with the other sticky threads as well. I am, as yet, still a bit unsure what type would fit my room, however.

As far as personal taste, I love vivid color and crisp imaging. I would assume darker blacks provide a greater level of contrast making the colors appear all the more bright. Since the room is dark, the image should pop. I wouldn't say I have super sophisticated taste, but I figure as long as I'm making it, might as well make one I'll be happy with for a while!

[mechman]

Well for building a screen you can make a frame and stretch BOC (Black Out Cloth) over it. That's relatively cheap. An other option is to put sheetrock on the frame. You can also use mdf - usually a special order through a local lumber yard. These last two options are a little more expensive. A little more expensive yet would be to get a 5X8 sheet of Designer White laminate. It's one of the best DIY white screens out there. And if it turns out you don't like it, you could paint it. But that would be a shame!

Regarding the calculator over at PJ Central, if you look at the left side you can see that the throw distance can be anywhere from 11-22.5 feet. The further back the lower your fL will be. At 14'10" you're at an eye searing 21fL. and I incorrectly stated that at 17' your fL will be 15 - it would be 19fL for a 110" screen.

I know that your pj can handle the Black Widow mix. But there are a couple of things you can do to use a white screen too. One is to move the pj back some. Another would be to use a ND filter. The third you can do is to use a gray screen!

Let's figure out your frame and your substrate first though and then we can work on the paint!

[CompguyRG]

So, I've just stumbled upon the coolness that is anamorphic lenses and CIH Cinescope. I've heard, and read, quite a few positive things about it. Before I build a screen, I was curious to see what you all thought. I want to make sure I'm getting the best "experiene" I can, and I'd be willing to get another lense to achieve, what seems to be, a cooler movie watching experience.

As far as the materials go, I think blackout cloth would probably be my best bet, not to mention the cheapest.

Thanks a ton for all the help so far, it is really appreciated!!

-Richard

[mechman]

Talk to Mark Techer and Prof. over in the anamorphic projection forum!

[Prof.]

We're only too happy to help you setup for CIH cinemascope projection..

[foraye]

Try Laminate...I've gotten excellent results...