DIY Theatre Screen Kit Giveaway!

[wbassett]

White Platinum - Light Contrast — $179.00 Value

Polymer Projection Screen Coating Kit - This is their most popular screen surface especially for home theaters. This has a fixed gain of 1.15 and is a no mix/single layer polymer coating. Great for projects with low to medium ambient light conditions. Very easy two coat application and you are ready to go! Same professional image performance as thier Australian Opal but with a fixed contrast and gain. Makes up to a 150" diagonal screen. This screen will have a very light gray appearance due to the contrast enhancement.

We said 2008 was going to be a good year, so and so far it's looking like it may be better than we thought! Let's end January with a contest for a free screen kit giveaway!

Most of our time is spent on DIY since that's what the majority of the people are asking about. There are some excellent commercial offerings out there though that don't always get the attention they deserve.

DIY Theatre has an outstanding, and very unique product. I say unique because this isn't paint, not in the sense that we know paint. It is a specially developed and engineered polymer specifically made for screen use.

Here is a little about the company:

DIY Theatre is based in the Midwest of the United States. Their founding partners have over 20 years of experience in the design and manufacture of projection screens. They manufacture front projection screens for home theatres as well as for boardroom, classroom, exhibition, training room, and video conferencing.

DIY Theatre's Opal and Platinum lines use a non-interference pigment, helping to eliminate color shift and providing greater color intensity. Their screens have been formulated to reflect a broader range of the light spectrum and allow a greater amount of light to be reflected back to the viewer. The product uses microspheres, which are much smaller than glass beads and do not effect the reflection. Microspheres are exclusive to DIY Theatre projection screens.

All production of DIY Theatre® polymeric screen materials are tested with many lab tests from two independent labs. Test results are maintained and samples are retained. In addition, full-sized screens are made and tested from every production lot.

These guys are the real deal, this isn't something made from house paints and whipped up in a garage or basement!

Okay... So that's some background on the company, here's the contest:

State why you need a free screen! Pretty simple. Be creative (but keep things clean and within the forum rules). We'll look at all the entries and a winner will be chosen based on the best/most creative reason why they should get the kit. If you are a new member, make sure you posted in the Member Introduction forum and have at least five posts by the end of the contest period. (Pretty easy since two are already done- The Member Introduction, and the contest entry post, just three left and there are plenty of interesting forums on HTS to post in!) The contest will run until the end of February. At that time a winner will be announced and the kit will be sent.

Here is a little more information about what the winner will get.

This the actual box with everything included.

Your kit will include three bottles of solution. The first will be a primer. You will apply this to the surface you have selected in the size and format you choose. Any size up to 150” diagonal. You will apply this with a specially designed roller cover that we provide and the roller handle and standard paint tray that you supply.

The kit is the White Platinum- Light Contrast shade as stated, but what is that?

The Light Contrast is an N9 shade of gray, which is probably the most widely used gray screen shade out there. Where this differs from just getting a house paint in this shade is this is a specially developed polymer that contains non-interference pigments and microspheres that are specially made just for DIY Theatre.

It even smells good, like a sherbert Dreamsicle, but that's more than just a fancy thing they threw in... As long as you can detect the smell of Dreamsicle the polymer coating is still curing. You can use your screen the same day you install it and it will be dry to the touch within hours. But it will be 30 – 60 days until your screen is fully cured and each day it will look and perform better. In addition to being an indicator of when the polymer is fully cured, it also lets you know when it's safe to clean the screen if it needs it. If you can smell the Dreamsicle fragrance, it's still curing and too soon to clean. Intructions are included so don't worry.

That's pretty much it. So if you want a chance at winning this kit, post the reason why here. If there are any questions about the kit they can be answered here as well. Good Luck, and most of all... have fun!

[mechman]

wbassett wrote:

[imgl]

[/center]

:raped: And I thought my garage was starting to look like a lab! :raped:

I've got a long way to go.

mech

[jt1]

Do we post here for the contest?

[mechman]

jt1 wrote:

Do we post here for the contest?

Yep!

mech

[jt1]

Why do I need a free DYI screen kit? Late last year I finally convince the Mrs. to finish our basement for recreational use and keeping up and coming teenage daughter home on the weekends. I wanted our place to be the hang out for her and her friends. I refinanced and got just enough money for a low budget finish out with no thought of an HT. The thought of HT soon developed although to be a very low budget additon only if there was money left over after the rest of it was done. Meantime her sister had some baby dashcunds that Mrs. and daughter begged for. I immediatley said no and had some major conflicts right before Christmas. Wife made a comment to someone that I could build the HT if she got the pupply and a light came on. Still saying no I asked her sister to keep the puppy until Christmas so I could suprise her and my daughter which I did. Guess who is taking care of the free puppy now. If you guessed me that would be correct. So now I have permission to add the HT and hired a friend from church to help with the framing, plumbing, and electrical until budget runs out then I will hang sheetrock with friends and then have his crews finish the sheetrock. He is doing great work except he and his crew is painstakingly slow. I have now spent to much on labor and will forced to cut back on the HT. Winning the DIY kit would greatly help me get back on track and save some money plus boost me regretting hiring a friend and accepting a free puppy.

[wbassett]

jt that's a perfect type of entry post!

[MatrixDweller]

I decided to build a screen out of laminate material. I picked up a sheet of white Formica and built a frame. It looks pretty nice, but I know I could do better. I would love to get the contrast enhancements of a grey screen and have something that does not show hotspotting. I've been tempted to use paint but was scared to try it because of the complexities involved. I know I'd end up getting an uneven coat or have streaks. Then there's the question of getting the right shade of grey. The White Platinum solution makes it look easy and has all of the tools and instructions I'd need to do a good job.

I am almost finished my HT room and will be showing my first movie in there by the end of February or sooner. It would be nice to have a professional quality screen surface. I'm also on a budget and have almost gone broke with all of the construction costs. The idea of buying a premade screen is not an option and building another one would not sit well with the wife.

Some question though...

What types of surfaces can be painted over?

Would I be safe using your product on laminate? The Formica I have has a matte sheen and is slightly textured (not smooth as glass).

What is the optimal material to use your product on?

[tonyvdb]

Well, lets see. Why do I need a DIY Theatre Screen Kit. Well first of all I am a new owner of a house in my home city of Edmonton and its the first time that I have had the room for a real dedicated theater room. My painted on 96" screen size was determined by the space I had to work with in the basement on the end wall that joins our 14 year olds bedroom, one of 5 daughters.
Yes you read that right 5 girls and my wife. I'm the only guy in the house and its the only room in the house that I can truly call my own space although the entire family watches movies in there on many ocations. Imagine what it would cost for all 7 of us to go to a movie theater these days. Mu budget simply doesn't allow for a real screen.
So needless to say a real screen surface for our screen would be great as all I have for a projector is an old Sanyo Z2 and the lumins are not that high so the better the screen surface the better the image will be.

[wbassett]

Not my product (wish it was though!) but alas I have no affiliation with DIY Theatre other than talking to them a couple of times and getting some test panels to evaluate.

I can answer the questions though.

MatrixDweller wrote:

What types of surfaces can be painted over?

Their kits all come with a primer, so anything you can paint with primer and paint you can apply this to. Same rules apply- make sure it is clean and smooth and you'll be fine.

MatrixDweller wrote:

Would I be safe using your product on laminate? The Formica I have has a matte sheen and is slightly textured (not smooth as glass).

Considering 99% of their customers paint directly on the wall, yes the laminate would be fine. Most walls have just as much if not more texture than any laminates I have seen. In fact, usually laminates have less.

MatrixDweller wrote:

What is the optimal material to use your product on?

Again anything that can be painted.

When I talked to them awhile back they explained that it's a polymer and not a conventional paint, but it is applied exactly the same way as paint. So anything you can paint you can apply this to.

Their ideas and methods are actually pretty interesting. What they explained was that all screens start out in a liquid form. I never really thought of it that way, but they are right. PVC, vinyl, it all starts out liquid and then is processed and formed into sheets, coated, treated, cut, then mounted. What DIY Theatre did was to basically keep the screen in 'liquid' form until it's applied. Sounds like a fancy way of saying 'paint', but it really is a lot different than just common house paints. I especially like the fact they use no pearlescent or other iridescence and went with non-interference methods.

MatrixDweller wrote:

I decided to build a screen out of laminate material. I picked up a sheet of white Formica and built a frame. It looks pretty nice, but I know I could do better.

Seeing you said Formica and not DW I'll be like Drew Cary and give you a 1000 meaningless points
(Can you tell my wife and I are huge Who's Line is it? fans? )

Just kidding... I'm trying to make this a fun contest too.

[wbassett]

Wow Tony, living with six women!

The contest just started and you guys are making it tough already to decide!

These are perfect examples of entries... keep 'em coming!

[MatrixDweller]

wbassett wrote:

Seeing you said Formica and not DW I'll be like Drew Cary and give you a 1000 meaningless points
(Can you tell my wife and I are huge Who's Line is it? fans? )

Just kidding... I'm trying to make this a fun contest too.

I looked for WilsonArt DW in my area. Home Depot wanted $180 for a sheet. A little out of my price range.

[wbassett]

Just an FYI... we actually have another member that just got done making a screen from DIY Theatre. Electronbee has a thread on it as well and here are his initial comments...

electronbee wrote:

Any ways, this paint is definitely more reflective. I have not even turned the projector on and the last coat is still drying but it's that obvious! Although this isn't a scientific observation, going by the illumination from the spot lights set off to the left and right of the screen edge, the lighting is more uniform. Before, the center of the screen was fairly dark. Now, it's considerably brighter and the illumination is more even across the entire screen.

And what were his next comments??

electronbee wrote:

I LOVE IT!!!

Whatever mojo they got in that paint really works!

...

Everything looks outstanding, the image looks like it is like "floating" in front of us.

This is a chance for the same type of screen, but better! How could it be better? It's free of course!

[wbassett]

MatrixDweller wrote:

I looked for WilsonArt DW in my area. Home Depot wanted $180 for a sheet. A little out of my price range.

Yowsers, yeah that is too much. If that ended up being your only option I would probably have told you to go this route.

[Nietzsche]

Do I post here to enter for the contest? Thanks

[mechman]

Nietzsche wrote:

Do I post here to enter for the contest? Thanks

Yes sir!

mech

[paints]

Hi folks!

This is a very gracious contest you have running here with some very worthy contestants (Six ladies and one guy?!?!?..if I had a vote...Ding!Ding!...Winner!) So I won't even bother trying to conjure up the sorryest and heavyiest on the syrup sad story thats ever been told.

Instead I'll just lay it out there why I am deserving of this wonderfull DYI Screen.

I live in Kansas.

Do I win now? Or was I just disqualified?

Hey there Mech, WBasset and Tiddler! Good to see you guys rolling over here and good news! Next month I've finally gotten clearance to launch on buying my projector. Heh...hopefully I'll have decided which pj to get by then. One day it's the Benq W500. The next it's the Panny AX200. The Benq's easier on the budget which would help when I start scouping up the audio gear. But the Panny's smoothscreen would probably be the smarter buy since one of the couch's in my sports room would fall in 1.5 screen rule. The extra lumens don't hurt either.

At least I won't haft to worry about replacing a lawn mower this year instead of buying a pj which was the plan last spring.

Great site.

[mtbdudex]

Ok;

Here is my entry.

I budgeted 10k for all my HT gear, now I'm at 12k+ w/o screen purchase yet!

So winning this contest would help me with a DIY screen


AND keep food on the table for my 3 young kids.



Yes, that is a 1991 Mitsubishi 50" TV, just 30" deep, I'm the original owner, gosh we thought those were so cool back in the day
It entertains them while the basement is being finished, then I have to get rid of it.


So, if I win this I will use it and show it off via these forums and my home webpage:
Our Loghome webpage

Have a nice day.

[Nietzsche]

man, using the kids..........


hahaha

[mtbdudex]

Nietzsche wrote:

man, using the kids..........


hahaha

Well, I've seen people use dogs/cats for excuses, why not use my kids??

Plus;
I'm sure they will enjoy a nice wide screen eating the food with the money I saved...............

Ha Ha