'DIY' VS 'Brand' Projector Screen

[djOS]

I made a 3-pass blockout screen, complete with black frame that looks as good as most commercial screens for my Panny 500.

Total cost of materials - under a hundred

Total hours to make - about fifteen

Tools needed - square, tape measure, pencil, hand saw, mitre box, cordless drill, screwdriver, hammer, corner clamps, staple gun (borrowed).

I can't compare it with a commercial screen because I don't have one, but calibrating with Digital Video Essentials I only had to make a minor adjustment (reduction!) to the contrast to get the "perfect" picture.

In the end, I am happy. And that's what counts.   

Best of luck,

Dik

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Yep me too, Samhain & myself made my 90" screen in 1 afternoon.

Im gonna paint mine with, at the very least, the brightest, whitest & flattest paint I can find. (Samhain & I have been experimenting with adding pearlesant paint too)

I do have a minor issuse with the pine frame bowing ever so slightly at the top and bottom but im sure I can fix it with some bracing. So far there are no wrinkles or stretch marks in the fabric.

Im yet to add a border but even so the PQ is great and my friends and family cant believe that Samhain & I made it!

[david_w]

Thanks for all the help. Would you happen to have some sort of guide or tutorial on how to best make the frame? Like I said, I am unco, and trust me when I say that all the hardware will be borrowed.

The (tiny) room this will be used in will be (eventually) completely light controlled, so would I be better off getting the whitest material, and putting the AE700 on low?

thanks

[AVroom]

david, here's several links to DIY projects, the first 2 being the best;

http://projectorspecifications.com/diy_screen.php

http://members.shaw.ca/danhanson/Theater/s...reenproject.htm

http://www.g4tv.com/screensavers/features/...tor_Screen.html

I varied the framing a bit because I wasn't making as big a screen, so I only used 19 x 48mm pine and therefore put in 2 evenly spaced vertical braces rather than one. This stops any inward bowing of the lighter timber when you tightly stretch the blockout.

My number 1 tip before you start anything is to get the exact 16:9 dimension that your projector will emit. Shine a blue screen onto the wall where the screen will hang and measure it.

I didn't do this on my AE500 (I used dimensions off projector central) and have ended up with a screen about 1" too narrow. Fortunately, the cost was so cheap and the project so easy, I'm now building a bigger screen

[biot]

biot - I remember reading your praise of Nulon on the AVSForum website, can you give some more information on what it is/composed? My assumption is that its balck and rubbery, but of course this cant be true! You have peaked my interest at the right time as I was about to just give up researching (coming up to 2 years now) and just build a BO screen. Any info on Nulon would be great.

And welcome to the forums by the way!

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Actually i have been hanging around the forums for awhile.....just not active.

Glad u remembered me from AVS to btw....alot of people got a small education into Nulon.

Yes well i went through the BO cloth stage.....BLAH.....no where near as good as Nulon.

The rubber backing is similar to BO cloth as is on Nulon except alot smoother. The other side on the nulon is a very fine looks like nylon type weave - much finer than BO cloth. I found the sharpness increase to be alot better of BO. My only concern with Nulon is that there is a gain factor being what it is and it comes in many colours except grey - is used the white and its very white so some adjustment is required of your projector, but it is alot more white than BO cloths off white.

From what i have been told Nulon is used for making waterproof clothing and luguage. The only other drawback i have found is it only comes in 1.5 meter wide rolls which is a pain for 4:3 because u can only go so wide.

Just go to Clarke Rubber or Spotlight and check it out....Spotlight u can order it online. I would go as far to say, dont waste ya money on BO cloth.

[djOS]

On Saturday I finally got around to putting in a Center Brace on my Screen to prevent bowing in the middle and it worked like a charm.

Also on Sunday Samhain & Myself Painted my Screen.

Biot you are correct that the BO rubber side isn't pure white but once painted, it comes up a treat!

We actually used a Paint blend for the screen to get about 1.4 in gain. For those interested we bought the advanced 101 Dulux flat white and mixed it with Wattyl Light Pearlesant base. The ratio is about 3/4 white & 1/4 pearl. (2 coats were required)

Anyway it came up extreemly well with no hot-spoting or blooming and it has'nt negatively impacted the blacks either. It makes for a much brighter image and excellent natrual colours. I was even able to turn my brightness down by 10 points on the PJ which is a bonus.

[John_Barber]

The only other drawback i have found is it only comes in 1.5 meter wide rolls which is a pain for 4:3 because u can only go so wide.

So how about 1.5 metre HIGH rolls, then you can make it as wide screen as you like. (Or am I missing something here).

Cheers

JB

[Samhain]

On Saturday I finally got around to putting in a Center Brace on my Screen to prevent bowing in the middle and it worked like a charm.

Also on Sunday Samhain & Myself Painted my Screen.

Biot you are correct that the BO rubber side isn't pure white but once painted, it comes up a treat!

We actually used a Paint blend for the screen to get about 1.4 in gain. For those interested we bought the advanced 101 Dulux flat white and mixed it with Wattyl Light Pearlesant base. The ratio is about 3/4 white & 1/4 pearl.  (2 coats were required)

Anyway it came up extreemly well with no hot-spoting or blooming and it has'nt negatively impacted the blacks either. It makes for a much brighter image and excellent natrual colours. I was even able to turn my brightness down by 10 points on the PJ which is a bonus. 

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DJ - Just for the record I would say that the new brighter screen certainly did effect the blacks in that as the GAIN increased the light reflection to make the whites brighter, it also of course raised the black level equally.

By knocking the brightness down 10 notches we in effect counteracted the added GAIN to a certain degree, to drop the black level down ot a nicer point - HOWEVER the end result was a brighter image with great blacks overall.... undoubtedly achieved only through the excellent overall black level of the Sony HS50.

On another note, the guy from the custom install place in Burwood called me up tot ell me he may not be able to make it for the 5pm audition of the Mits HC900 on the Screen Technics Matrix White.... though he will call me at 4:30 to perhaps set a later time around 6pm.... so here's hoping.... gimme a call at 4:45 ok?

[biot]

The only other drawback i have found is it only comes in 1.5 meter wide rolls which is a pain for 4:3 because u can only go so wide.

So how about 1.5 metre HIGH rolls, then you can make it as wide screen as you like. (Or am I missing something here).

Cheers

JB

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yes fabric industry call it width....when we use it, it is height....like is said 4:3 is a pain because u cant really get past 2.0 meters wide......if u are 16:9, well u r in better luck arent u ? at least u can go 2.6 meters wide which would be more than ample for most people to handle.

[Mantaray1503560001]

Curtain blackout material seems the way to go, price wise. 

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I used 3 pass blockout on 2.5m( 100" ) screen , took hour or 2 to do. Since I have a window behind the screen, I hinged it to the ceiling now have a 12v geared motor to power it up against the ceiling when not in use. The Ae700 is also ceiling mounted. All up around $100 including new motor , spent more time geting the motor right, initially tried a old 7,2v drill motor , a little noisy but a good test.

I have compared 3 pass with ceiling white , could not pick any difference. Screen Goo may be a option in the future.

[Hydrology]

biot - will investigate the Nulon this week. Which side of the material do you project onto?

BTW it doesnt come up if I search on the Spotlight website.

[Santa1503559644]

biot - will investigate the Nulon this week. Which side of the material do you project onto?

BTW it doesnt come up if I search on the Spotlight website.

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Did you try a foamboard, btw, Mark?

[biot]

biot - will investigate the Nulon this week. Which side of the material do you project onto?

BTW it doesnt come up if I search on the Spotlight website.

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Better off ringing spotlight national order number then checking the website....every store spells Nulon differently also. Clark Rubber was the easiest i found to get it from because they knew what the hell it was:)

[Hydrology]

I got some samples of foam board from a printing place. Sharpness was great but unfortunately lots of hot spotting. Impossible to clean completely as oils from your fingers or even moisture left a mark, which is obvious in bright scenes. Apart from that I wouldve been really happy. Gonna ring Clarke Rubber today and find out more on the Nulon, as i couldnt find much info on the web about the product. Hopefully they have a light grey which will help with the contrast issue. I dont mind sacrificing a little lumens output. Biot - what way is it sold and how much?

[Hydrology]

Update on Nulon.

Impossible to find! Rang a couple of Clark Rubber stores over here in WA. First one didnt know much about the product but took the time to search his computer, then gave me a couple of numbers for stores in other suburbs that were showing it on their computers. Upon ringing, they informed me they never heard of the product, despite me telling them its on their god damn file! So biot - whereabouts did you get your Nulon from (State and Suburb)? Any links to any manufacture sites?

[Santa1503559644]

I got some samples of foam board from a printing place. Sharpness was great but unfortunately lots of hot spotting. Impossible to clean completely as oils from your fingers or even moisture left a mark, which is obvious in bright scenes. Apart from that I wouldve been really happy. Gonna ring Clarke Rubber today and find out more on the Nulon, as i couldnt find much info on the web about the product. Hopefully they have a light grey which will help with the contrast issue. I dont mind sacrificing a little lumens output. Biot - what way is it sold and how much?

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I don't run a lamp-based pj (and use a truly dark room and w-a-y too big screen), so I dont get the hot-spotting.

What I love about the board, for CRT at least, is the total lack of texture (bad for hot-spotting with very bright setups) and that sharpness. The lack of serious colour modification (it appears!) is another plus.

WRT Clark Rubber ... I suppose you tried the Cannington store? At least the guy who runs the place was willing to get stuff in from memory when I was asking for slightly non-standard product {the B&D gear for the missus ... only joking!}

[biot]

Update on Nulon.

Impossible to find! Rang a couple of Clark Rubber stores over here in WA. First one didnt know much about the product but took the time to search his computer, then gave me a couple of numbers for stores in other suburbs that were showing it on their computers. Upon ringing, they informed me they never heard of the product, despite me telling them its on their god damn file! So biot - whereabouts did you get your Nulon from (State and Suburb)? Any links to any manufacture sites?

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Thats unbelievable....just about every clarke rubber store in Melbourne has it (or had it when i got some).

And no light grey I can assure u off that

I have been to 3 spotlight stores in Melbourne which had it and i have also rang the national mail order number because this is where is found out it was impossible to get it in any width greater than 1.5mtrs.

I would also double check the spelling because alot of these places spelt it different ways which made it hard to track down on the internet.

Also when i spoke to a person at Clarke Rubber @ Nunawading in Victoria, he knew straight away what i wanted it for when i asked if it came in a width greater than 1.5mtrs and then he proceeded to tell me how sh*t hot it was and it was a best kept secret.....i kid u not, once u try it u will be burning your piles of BO cloth.

[djOS]

i kid u not, once u try it u will be burning your piles of BO cloth.

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LOL, I must admit that while I am generally happy with my current screen using BO Cloth im seriously considering building another one simply cause I think I can build a better mouse trap 2nd time around.

Btw, if I use a pearlesant paint mix again i will use a 2/8 mix rather than a 1/4 mix with the white paint as I have noticed that very very occasionaly it can look a touch sparkly. This only occurs if the screen is displaying a bright uniform green or blue but even so it bothers me a little.

[Hydrology]

Went into Spotlight and came out empty. This stuff is as hard to find in this country as Gatorboard!

Incidentally I did find a place who sells Nulon wholesale - http://www.shawaust.com.au/main.htm

see under "wholesale". If I come up empty by the end of next week I may have to give them a call. Biot - any chance of some photos of your screen?

[Spoonfed]

Never heard of this Nulon stuff (well i thought Nulon made car products haha), but 3pass is easy as to find

As for Gatorboard, not hard to find, but its quite pricy, for indoor general Foamcore should be ok and cheaper. Id probably go 10mm foamcore, is quite ridged and still very light.

[biot]

Went into Spotlight and came out empty. This stuff is as hard to find in this country as Gatorboard!

Incidentally I did find a place who sells Nulon wholesale - http://www.shawaust.com.au/main.htm

see under "wholesale". If I come up empty by the end of next week I may have to give them a call. Biot - any chance of some photos of your screen?

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Bingo, u found a supplier alright. Yeah i will see if i can get the camera into action a take some shots - still learning to tame the beast especially in a under lit room.

I use to have a scan of some Nulon off cut, i will see if i can find that first.

Interesting, the wholesale says 7 colours....maybe there is hope. I have only ever seen Black, White, Yellow, Green and Brown.

[Hydrology]

Emailed that wholesaler so Ill see what they say regarding availability over here and pricing. Look forward to the pics biot.

[biot]

Emailed that wholesaler so Ill see what they say regarding availability over here and pricing. Look forward to the pics biot.

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http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/biot/nulon_surface.jpg

this is a scan of some cut off material which has been zoomed up x2+

(well it was scanned at 600 dpi and converted to 72 dpi)

great cant use any external links here

[biot]

Here is a copy of the email reply i got from shaw :

In regards to your query about our Nulon product. The biggest Suppliers of the PVC Coated Nylon product is Spotlight & Clark Rubber stores in Victoria.

Nulon comes in:

Red

Royal Blue

Navy Blue

Yellow

Green

Black

White

So it is available - it does exist well in Victoria anyway

[Hydrology]

Biot - Found the W.A. rep so will give them a try later today. had al ook at the photo, you mentioned it was 2x zoom, how does the "texture" affect sharpness? I cant remember what PJ you're running. Look forward to a pic or two of the screen itself...

[Santa1503559644]

Biot - Found the W.A. rep so will give them a try later today. had al ook at the photo, you mentioned it was 2x zoom, how does the "texture" affect sharpness? I cant remember what PJ you're running. Look forward to a pic or two of the screen itself...

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Did you try spotlight, btw ... I think they're having a sale ATM too...