Blackout cloth, A good inexpensive screen Options

[lustra]

We compared blackout cloth against a white painted wall, and several swatches of fabric from walmart. Blackout cloth has given the best results so far. I believe we spent about $18 on our piece of blackout from JoAnn Fabrics. Due to space constraints we haven't been able to stretch the fabric or put black borders on it... which is supposed to improve the picture quality. We're still getting great results with the fabric just hanging there.

Has anyone found a material they like better than blackout cloth in about the same price range?

[brainchild]

I tried several silver screen treatments. I followed recommendations from a scientific comparison of screen types and went with a very high gain silver treatment. I can say the gain increased tremendously but so did the problems associated with high gain screens, namely, hot-spotting and color shifting. To use the high gain screens the seating arrangement has to be perfectly situated for the type of screen, sometimes just moving your head from side to side can cause a massive hot spot to occur. I came to the conclusion that adding gain at the screen is a bad idea, it would be much better to add light output from the projector instead, and go with a flat white surface for the screen. I agree that blackout cloth is a very good screen material, or a flat-white smooth wall should work just as well.

[oog]

By blackout cloth do you mean muslin? Like the kind available from most fabric stores? While searching for blackout cloth I found a photo-supplier listing backdrops. Muslin 'blackout' backdrops. Also, I noticed that JoannFabric.com has a pretty good deal on good sized pieces of white muslin.

White Muslin @ JoAnn Fabric 90" wide!

As of this writing, it's currently $4.49/yard ideally, one would only need to purchase about 2 yards, since it's already 7.5 feet wide!

[brainchild]

Nope, blackout is a vinylized canvas type material with a very smooth side that is excellent for projection. Searching for it is rather hard and if you go into a JoAnn and ask for it they'll probably look at you funny, but they do have it. Nobody knows what it's called basically, but it is really blackout cloth. It's on large spools toward the drapery section. The bolts are 54" wide. You may have to join 2 pieces if you want a 4:3 screen.

As for the muslin I doubt it would make a good screen. I suggest you obtain a sample first and compare it to various materials...I think you'll end up with blackout. If the screen transmits light, that's light that's not getting back to your eyes. Also irregular surfaces including canvases tend to soften the image, making it appear slighly out of focus.

[freakQNC]

If the screen transmits light, that's light that's not getting back to your eyes.

Did you mean absorbs light? I am a little lost on this... to me if the screen transmits light is light that gets reflected to the eyes. I am wrong? That's why screens come always in colors tending to white (grey, pearl, etc.) rather than tending to black...a black screen will reflect no light and absorb all making a black screen useless for projection.

Where else can I find the blackout cloth? I asked around in NYC and photographers seem to know nothing about it.

thanks

[Rorshach]

Blackout cloth is white or grey; the 'blackout' refers to blocking light from coming in through a window. So it must be very good at reflecting light and thick enough to prevent the light from penetrating the material - both good qualities in a screen.

[brainchild]

Transmits = Light passes through the fabric.
Reflects = Bounces light back to the viewer.
Absorb = Neither transmits or reflects.

[msk1hc]

I am NOT responsible for the name, but I just got some last weekend. The spousal unit is very happy with it, though she did not help out too much when I put together a semi warped wooden frame. It is better than my last try, which was the backside of wrapping paper [semi-glossy and pure white when put on my cardboard freezer box frame]. It also has a sharper image than the sheet I had before that [the sheet let light bleed down the fibers like fiber optics].

This is supposed to be 100 percent cotton, but there is a tight knit side that is semi glossy like vinyl.

Rain No Stain Drapery Lining

http://joann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=24842&PRODID=34538

[mark8261]

I just went into JoAnn fabrics today and asked the woman working there. She said the name is budget blackout. The tag said budget bo, and was $5.99 a yard. She said they use it to line heavy drapes to block light. As soon as i have the projector completed I will be heading back to make my screen. Looks like it would make a nice screen surface.

[payne72]

would this be good blackout cloth?
and would the large size ones have seems in them?

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp...109684%3A110572


thx all
payne

[brainchild]

Haven't tried it, looks different than mine. If you decide to get it let us know. It comes in large sizes.

[payne72]

thx;
I see they have a 54"x80" in stores
i'll try at have a look at it,then i might order a larger peice.

; )

[brainchild]

The kind we use is smooth and plastic on one side and looks like canvas on the other. We use the smooth side.

[payne72]

thx

[payne72]

hehe
I just wrote a letter to roc-lon asking them which grade
of roc-lon blackout cloth wallmart has.


here is the rain no stain by loc-lon found at joann.com(as earlier stated
by msk1hc)
http://www.roc-lon.com/rocmill_uncoat_products.htm

but i though a projection screen would be better with the coated blackout
cloth?
http://www.roc-lon.com/rocmill_coated_products.htm

thx

[brainchild]

I belive JoAnn has the 'budget blackout', that's what I see about town.

[porschekid74]

Has anyone tried joining 2 pieces of blackout cloth together? If so, what did you use on the seem? Is the seem real noticable?

[stick]

I also would like to know the best way to join the cloth together.Also I think I might experiment with painting the cloth with the silver rustoleum paint .Just curious I'll post some pics as soon as I get my project up and running.

[brainchild]

I think you'd be better off painting a piece of 4x8 masonite. It's cheaper too.

[lux]

If you're having trouble finding "blackout cloth" as I know some of our international customers have; it's also called "three pass acrylic backed cotton twill."

here's a link to the google search :
Link

[mark8261]

Now thats a mouth full.

[Eyebath]

Brain, what would happen if you were to drape a material that allows some light to transmit through, over a mirror? I'm wondering how much light would actually reflect back through the fabric? Would it afford any more brightness, clarity? I have a 6' mirror lying around, see what do you reckon?

[brainchild]

Anytime light passes through a cloth it gets diffused which makes the picture fuzzy. I don't think that idea will work too well.

[Movieguy128]

While it should make the picture a little fuzzier, assuming the mirror is jamed right next to the sheet, I wonder if the light diffusion would help the screen door effect without making the image too fuzzy...

[Eyebath]

Hmm...yeah I knew it was a long shot

Lucky, I found a piece of blackout cloth in my girlfriend's airing cupboard, measuring 5' 8" by 7' 8", marked 'blackout lining' in this case.

I might try the silver-on-masonite approach, and maybe stretch a piece of this cloth over the back, make a double-sided screen, hangable on both sides. Gotta keep my thumbs from twitching til my 1515 arrives