DIY Dead?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been gone and out of the scene for a very long time. I was surprised though to see the lack of posts and threads here now. I would have thought with COVID and people staying at home that more people would be looking at DIY methods if for no other reason than something to do!

Years ago I kinda predicted that with the new super big High Def TVs available now, that projector setups would start dying off and things would go back to projectors being used for dedicated theater rooms. Truth is, with 80", 82", 85" and larger 4K sets that are available now at insanely low prices (I remember paying $2400 for a Sony 55" rear projection TV back in the day!), well the images that these sets produce often even the playing field over having a HUGE projector screen that has too many restrictions and variables that can compromise the image quality. It is very realistic to score an 80" plus size 4K set cheaper than the cost of a good 4K projector and screen. Of course DIY screens help offset the price a bit... okay significantly... but it still can cost as much or more for a projector. So why do it?

As the saying goes- 'Go big or go home!' There is just something about watching the latest movie on a big screen with some popcorn and the right sound system. That's why I am going to be setting up my home theater system again. I have a 75" 4K TCL that has an absolutely incredible picture, but I still like watching movies on a big screen. Plus with HBO Max now starting to show new release movies the same day they are released in the theaters, well movie night once again has me excited! I'm also going to be setting up a portable outdoor theater and screen. So yeah, I'm thinking I'm back!

I see that some people have posted saying there doesn't seem to be any experts chiming in anymore. Don... Harpmaker did sadly pass away a few years back. He was a great guy and is missed very much. Don and Mechman were my cohorts in crime so to speak, and when I disappeared they kept going with the testing methods I was always preaching about, and I see they were even working on some new DIY screen paints as well.

I'll end this lengthy re-introduction post with this- For anyone interested in DIY screens, I'd say this thread is the absolute best place to start. Most if not all of your questions will be answered from the indexed items and you'll learn more about CIE, D65 neutrals and color science than you wanted to! Don't let that scare you off though, all that testing was to prove the theories and back up what we were saying. Here's the link