Well I have a plog for my pj (see sig) in progress and since I plan on the whole monty I figured I'd start a plog here as well.



screen set up is something akin to the pic I have below. I'm turning the living room ( well it is now was the dining room) into a theater room. As of right now I'm planning on:

Wall painted light gray giving me 127" diag screen framed by 2x4 frame covered in boc. Thats the plan for now, the frame and lower shelving + boc will tie me up for a while. Then the screen will be a permanent screen which I'm still researching.



another shot

here I retouched the room with the different elements, particularly highlighting the shelves. ** add info ** I changed the color of the frame so it can actually be seen.

Blue dot is the screen of course

yellow dots and highlights is the shelving unit in progress.

red dots are the front speakers I have atm

green dot is the screen frame which the shelving area will be a part of.

still needed:
Real surround system
timber
BOC
Screen material and backing - I want as little loss from the screen bleeding as can be had and still researching materials for gain.
HTPC - considering mod'ed ps3
A clue or 3

redid the mount for the pj in its plog - which will allow me to move the image verticaly and horizontaly from the mount its self. This should help with the aligning with the screen. its a streight shot to the center of the screen form a pretty shallow angle imo.

ok new mount with a couple of different views. What I've decided to do is:
Cut a 8x8 square out of the ceiling, drop the fan and run wire to the fan's junction box and put an 3 prong outlet with a built in breaker ( like in a bathroom) next tot he pj mount area. I'm also going to snake the a/v cables across the inside of the ceiling and down the inside of the wall with an a/v outlet at both ends. This will allow for zero cables hanging to the floor.

well if you look at my pj plog you already know however I should post it here as well.

I adjusted the design on my mount. The ceiling joice are 16 on center as expected. Only reason I wasn't sure was the age of the house ( 1920's). So I used hangers from HD for the top 4x4x14. In the pics you can see it hase a hole board through it ( 1 1/4") and the piping is plumb. The change is I don't need to drill the same hole in the bottom 4x4x15 5/8" I can just screw the base of the pipe into it ( 4 wood screws) and using a mock up I can do pull ups and hang from the mount @ 215lbs. No cracking etc. quite solid.

I'm cutting wood again tonight and will post pics here of the pj on the mount.

as stated above

ok Thinking about a wrap around screen. the size of the screen I wanted was 111 x 60 and ended up with 150x80.

A friend suggested a wrap around screen. Concave from one side to other. Trying to figure out a mock up I have the material just need the right hanger / supports.

I have it figured out, I'll cut planks in an arch, only need to do the corners and if not I'll just build a frame.

ok the yellow parts is a quick and dirty mock up. The yellow is what I'm, thinking on doing. Not to sure about image stretching or distortion though. I dont believe it should be noticable as I'm using only the same amount of space already used, just flatening out the corners a bit.

Thoughts?

edit typos

remeasured, witht he PJ projecting a test image ( like in above pic. Tweeked the fron fresnela bit and got the projectionto measured center (19" over hang on either side).

My idea IS a success. Camera is down however all I need now is framing lumber. I have some ancient stuff form an old deck but I'm weary of using it. I'll mot likley grab a few 2x4's glue them and cut the arcs from them.

The arcs are the top of a 94.78" radius circle. I'll trace them out and them cut ruff with circular saw then finish on router.

I'm going to make 6 of these top middle and bottom.

Looking forward to seeing this!

Hey me too lol.

My proof worked out quite well, now its just the final assembly. I'll put it up again and take pics later tonight no distorsion that I could precieve at all.

Oh and I have to give credit where do, the same friend who wants to mess with hydrogen for his car saw the projection and just immediately yell DUDE!! You could have an IMAX" lol have to give it to him, great idea

The last time i was at the cinema...Iron Man of course (from recomendations on here), i noticed that the screen was also curved. Not quite to the extent you are trying and possibly at the top and bottom also. I have no idea why it would be like this but it seems you are follwing a well established route. I accidently bought a screen that was too large also so i could be tempted to add a slight curve to it...only downside being it is a motorised one( so the gf doesn't have to see it ), so i would have to scrap the motor and simply use the material.

Best of luck to you, the designs look good and can't wait to see the results (and probably steal)

You cant steel what is freely given

Thanks! I like the way all of our projectors, setups, etc. are massive hybrids of evreyone's ideas with a few personal touches and finishes.

I eagerly await the results!

The board seem was gettign weak and starting to bend a bit, on the first few test it was fine. Nice curve no crease. the arch here is wrong, its off by a few. the idea is still the same though. it takes the kinked overlap and turn it into one smooth picture. the " 123 " is to scale, its not magnified any by anything. its as drawn.


edit


was thinking, I need to make the frame for the arch: top middle bottom not a full frame with that hardboard covering it however I would like some black out stretched nice and tight over it. problem with building it as a full frame is the whole " boat in a basment" thing, not to mention getting the cloth to follow the arch. I was thinking maybr something like a drum head?

Nice!

I can imagine this could be quite logistically challenging! how are you going to stretch the cloth evenly over the curve and fix it down? Staples? or a firm border?

This is the sort of thing i get involved in before i realise i need about 4 arms to hold everything in place.

thats the $100,000 question

This sort of task would be easier if it wasn't already wall mounted, but thats what diy is about...overcoming lifes little problems. My suggestion would be to stable it at either vertical end, but not too tight. With it then roughly in place you could then staple the top and bottom in the middle. Then by halfing the distance each time (like suturing), staple each side, and being a sheet, it will have a bit of give about it so by the time you have halfed each side several times it should get relatively taught. the problem being judging how tight to make the first staples across the screen so you don't run out of material...i will leave that with you!

was thinking about runners, assemble the screen in house, and have some runners and just slide the hardboard _ material along and the whole screen will take shape.

addinfo

ok Need some input. I want to put grooves the eadges of the frames for channels. I want the screen to slide along the channels. I want the channels attached the the screen and the wood to interlock, allowing the screen to conform to the arche.

now the problem rains - rigidity.

I want this modular as much as possable. but it looks like a boat in the living room just may happen. assemble it in the house and put it up

edit

Looking to run a cable from my computer room to the pj ( no dedicated htpc yet and not for quite some time). its ruffley 50 to 60 feet all to gether that I'll need. I would like to do it with 2 cables as I would need to patch in to the cable conected to the PJ for any other hdmi source. My video card is dual dvi out. no vga.

I am not entirely sure i caught what you were describing. Did you mean haivng the sheet almost like a curtain, being able to be pulled round on runners across the arc?

If this is the case in order to get the screen nice and tight without wrinkles it would have to be pulled and held under tension. if using runners i would anticipate that it would pull back round on its own unless you devised a way to fix each individual runner in place.

Could i suggest another method...

as it seems this is to be a rather permanent fixture, there is no need to have it able to move back and forth. instead of using the unsupported board that is is use at the moment i would advise a more rigid frame. Using curved pieces of 2x4 or someting similar from a hardware store to create a boxed frame. to this fabric could then be pulled under tension to remove wrinkles, then stapled in place.

I was going to do a sketchup file but am meant to be studying at the moment so i made a quick sketch...sorry its a bit rubbish...and on the back of an envelope.


Click to view attachment

Hope it helps.

It seems that it'd be easier to bite the bullet and reposition the projector closer to the screen so that there is no over-run. And patch or cover the previous hole, if needed.

Unfortunately thats not an option, and no matter what I still need to build a screen.



Where to start -

The frame is exactly what I'm thinking about. that board in the picture was a mock up proof of concept real quick and dirty.

The frame on the wall 100% forsure, now take said frame and on the eadge faces rout a channel for some runners.


- screen -


Subframe for the screen to retain its taughtness, and have it glued (current though on this anyway) to some hardboard to retain the arched shape.

the attach the subframe to the frame on the wall via the runners.


now that woudl require interlocking channel, or a crawlspace to secure the frames.


Last night I had an idea for the frame, I can come in from the back of the wall. Behind the wall I'm using is the cellar stairs. I can opent hat up to secure the frame to the wall joice. This would negate the need for sectional frames. Doing this I would have to call in a extra set of hands or 2.

The only things that remotely seems hard to me right now is figuring out ho to keep the material arched when taught.


Thanks for the great ideas - keep'm comming

My dad came over, and we talked about the pj over some coffee and he had a rather interesting idea - and so did I.

to mount the screen as a whole I can come in from the back like I said however I cane use blackiron pipe nipples and cuplers to secur it from behind.

His ideas was to make a tube frame - like a runner - for the pj to slide on with some reenforcement and bumpstops in the back. No additional wholes in the ceiling, and the pj can be moved forward, or back as needed.


may just do both

ok so live and learn - took down the entertainment center and I am going to recycle it - pic when its getting done - now this prompeted the firing up of the pj to map out my plan. well its not 75" its 86" - only 16" off the floor.

Well I starte dplanning and checking and the test plexy I have in the pj sets me up for a 4:3 according to the measurements. Focalcalc says, now that I measured the distance form the triplet tot he screen, 12.5' will give me a 150" screen. I used a screen calc on the web and that sets me up for 73 high and 130 wide@16:9. Now with those measurements I'm only 7" overlap which is a big differance and I means rethinking the screen again.

The same calc says that 4:3 will give me 90 high and 120 wide, which is off a bit as we

put the lcd in - same results (at least I made the test screen correctly ) so I took off the faceplate and made room for the 18"buhl.

problem solved.

went back over my math - everything 100% wrong. I have it figured out now. I actually had a 173" diagnal screen

86" hight / .496 = 173 diag
173 * .87 = 150 wide

16:9 screen math

I don't know if you have Excel installed, but here is a nice little Home Theater calculator spreadsheet. It does all the work for you.

Great link thanks Quasi

ok - confusion is setting in.


according to that spreadsheet I should have:

16:9 116 wide x 65 high for 133 diag
16:9 129.8 wide x 73 high for 148 diag


measured:

116 wide x 73 high

spredsheet tells me:
16:10 116 wide x 73 high for 137 diag...


does all this sound right? I'm looking up screen material and want to nail this.

Ebay matt white fiberglass material

anyone dealt with these guys before?


edit these guys as well..
here

well I screwed the lcd, it works - though 1/4" on lcd vertical stripe on verry right side and about 1/4 the way in from the left. Its my fault for not being carefulle enough. SSSoooo...


new lcd or screen....

off to hd tonight to take a look at black iron pie (edit PIE? MMmmmm nummy, Pie - black iron pipe), say 25" worth

*** repost from pj plog, relevent though ***

ok I moved the projector 25" forward and it fits like a glove. What I did was:

original mount was 4x4 (on some hangers between the ceiling joices) with 1 1/4" hole drilled through it. I used 8 inches of black iron pipe attached to a flange and put the pipe through the hole.

a lip on the flange fit snug into the hole and the pipe stuck through the ceiling ruffly4 inches and then I attacked another 8" pipe on a flange screwed to a 4x4 that made the pivot mount for the PJ its self.

Well...

I turned the cieling section 90 deg and used an 18" pipe, elbow, 4" pipe and flange to make a counter to the projector hanging from the extra 24" pipe + elbow.

Drilled a 1" hole int he sheetrock and the pivot mount ( 4x4,flange,pipe painted white) screwed right into the elbow.

*****************

Painted the wall with some white paint I found form the houses' previous owner. Its ancient, and has a slightly blue hue to it however its better then the unpainted wall with my measurements all over it. I busted down the entertainment center and rebuilt it to my specs and bought a 6.1 receiver ( sirus ready) on clearance at radio shack so now I'm making do with the speakers I have, which sound ok, however I'm planing on a matched set later in the year.

upgraded to HD cable, and the box upconverts the sd channels. Now looking into building custon speakers for the 6.1 I have.