Q. I am in need of a fixed projector screen for my deticated home theatre. I am building my theatre and i am trying to keep it as low cost as I can while still making it nice and functional. I am in need of a projector screen and I really do not want to spend 2,000 or even 500 dollars for a screen. I have read that you can make your own using photo paper and a black frame for about a $100. I also know that I can paint one on the wall using goo kits for a couple of hunderd dollars as well. My other thought was to buy an inexpensive pull down screen and cut it from the mechanism and fram it.
What is the best option here and what is going to give me the best bang for the buck? Any other suggestions for making a good home theatre projection screen for a low price?
What is the best option here and what is going to give me the best bang for the buck? Any other suggestions for making a good home theatre projection screen for a low price?
A. The first answer is a good approach. I also recommend the AVS DIY Screen forum. However, I chose to paint my own screen The two approaches (blackout cloth and paint) have different advantages and disadvantages ... which I'll address at the end of this response.
I wanted as large as possible a a 4:3 screen (that is the native format of my projector) so I can show 4:3 images height while also showing 16:9 (or other widescreen images) full width (vs 4:3 as a subset of 16:9, and therefore much smaller).
I have a dedicated home theatre so I was able to use an existing wall for the screen.
In brief, I figured out the maximum width of screen I wanted based on my seating distance (You want the screen to cover a 36-40 degree angle left to right). In my case this was 96" wide. So for a 4:3 screen I needed a 72" height (more than possible with 54" blackout cloth). I made sure the drywall was smooth and then painted a 98" x 74" rectangle with three coats of a 3:1 mix of Behr Siverscreen and White Opal Pearlescent paint (wet sanding between coats).
I then fine tuned the projector to centre the image on the slightly oversize painted "screen" and masked the surface to a 96" by 72" size by painting the surrounding wall a medium blue-grey (the colour of the room).
I did not bother with black masking because:
- I project a wide range of image sizes and aspect ratios, so no single masking size works, and I was not interested/willing to build a motorized masking system
- I have not found a black border to be necessary.
So ... I made a fixed screen in several hours over a couple of days for about $50 in paint.
How does it perform? I'm very satisfied. Movies and HDTV look great. I even taped samples of commercial screen material on the surface and compared, and frankly could see no difference. As far as I'm concerned I have a screen equivalent to at least a $500 commercial screen, for 1/10 the price.
Ok, to the advantages and disadvantages of the blackout cloth and paint approaches:
- blackout cloth is limited in width and you can't vary the screen colour.
- paint can be any size and adjusted for specific conditions (e.g. I wanted a light grey screen rather than white).
- The paint approach doesn't require carpentry skills, but does require some familiarity with drywall and painting skills.
- The blackout cloth approach yields a portable, or at least movable, screen, while paint is fixed in place.
- Arguably paint is cheaper.
See the links below for some pictures / screen shots and the AVS DIY Screen forum.
I wanted as large as possible a a 4:3 screen (that is the native format of my projector) so I can show 4:3 images height while also showing 16:9 (or other widescreen images) full width (vs 4:3 as a subset of 16:9, and therefore much smaller).
I have a dedicated home theatre so I was able to use an existing wall for the screen.
In brief, I figured out the maximum width of screen I wanted based on my seating distance (You want the screen to cover a 36-40 degree angle left to right). In my case this was 96" wide. So for a 4:3 screen I needed a 72" height (more than possible with 54" blackout cloth). I made sure the drywall was smooth and then painted a 98" x 74" rectangle with three coats of a 3:1 mix of Behr Siverscreen and White Opal Pearlescent paint (wet sanding between coats).
I then fine tuned the projector to centre the image on the slightly oversize painted "screen" and masked the surface to a 96" by 72" size by painting the surrounding wall a medium blue-grey (the colour of the room).
I did not bother with black masking because:
- I project a wide range of image sizes and aspect ratios, so no single masking size works, and I was not interested/willing to build a motorized masking system
- I have not found a black border to be necessary.
So ... I made a fixed screen in several hours over a couple of days for about $50 in paint.
How does it perform? I'm very satisfied. Movies and HDTV look great. I even taped samples of commercial screen material on the surface and compared, and frankly could see no difference. As far as I'm concerned I have a screen equivalent to at least a $500 commercial screen, for 1/10 the price.
Ok, to the advantages and disadvantages of the blackout cloth and paint approaches:
- blackout cloth is limited in width and you can't vary the screen colour.
- paint can be any size and adjusted for specific conditions (e.g. I wanted a light grey screen rather than white).
- The paint approach doesn't require carpentry skills, but does require some familiarity with drywall and painting skills.
- The blackout cloth approach yields a portable, or at least movable, screen, while paint is fixed in place.
- Arguably paint is cheaper.
See the links below for some pictures / screen shots and the AVS DIY Screen forum.
What is a good place online to get deals on HDTVs?
Q. Im plannin on gettin buyin an Hdtv lcd for around $500. i was wonderin if there were any online stores where i can get more bang for my buck.
A. Amazon.com is very good on TVs, usually easily beating the electronics stores. And they usually offer free delivery, and depending on what state you live in, there may be no sales tax as well.
What are the benifits of upgrading my graphics card?
Q. I currently have the stock version of the dell dimension 2350, and I was considering upgrading the graphics card so I can play simpler MMOs like City of Heroes.
I was thinking of going with the ati raedon 9250, as it seems to be the most bang for my cheapass buck. I only have a PCI connection, NOT a PCIE, if that helps.
Aside from reducing loading times for gaming, what other benifits will I get?
It IS a PCI connection, either that or the box picture is lying to me in the big bold letters that say PCI instead of PCIE.
http://shopper.cnet.com/graphics-cards/ati-radeon-9250-256/4014-8902_9-31139242.html#p5
Thanks for the detailed answer, Mr. Perfect. Do you know how I would be able to tell if I've got enough power for the graphics card? I know I have enough RAM, as I'm only using about 1/3 of what I started out with, but I have never checked for power usage.
I was thinking of going with the ati raedon 9250, as it seems to be the most bang for my cheapass buck. I only have a PCI connection, NOT a PCIE, if that helps.
Aside from reducing loading times for gaming, what other benifits will I get?
It IS a PCI connection, either that or the box picture is lying to me in the big bold letters that say PCI instead of PCIE.
http://shopper.cnet.com/graphics-cards/ati-radeon-9250-256/4014-8902_9-31139242.html#p5
Thanks for the detailed answer, Mr. Perfect. Do you know how I would be able to tell if I've got enough power for the graphics card? I know I have enough RAM, as I'm only using about 1/3 of what I started out with, but I have never checked for power usage.
A. There still abundant PCI cards out there:
Under $100 USD:
1) Geforce FX 5500 PCI 256MB
2) Radeon 9250 PCI 256 MB
Over $100 USD:
1) Radeon X1550 PCI 256MB (supports HDTV)
Benefits:
1) Play games at full speed with ultra detail settings.
2) MAX resolution; no longer have to play in 800x600 so the game could run faster.
3) Many cards (even PCI) support High-Dynamic Range lighting seen in HL2 Lost Coast, also Anti-Aliasing, bump-mapping, and Antiscroptic Filter, which makes games look that much more realistic and believable!
4) T&L: Transform & Lighting; this feature is usually not available on integrated graphics, and is required to play most 3D Games.
5) Decode/Encode video faster; looks better too.
As for playing city of heroes, the ATI 9250 should be sufficient, but make sure you have enough RAM and also a suitable power supply, because most graphic cards require a lot of power. I think the 9250 needs about 250W, but you can check the product box.
========================================
RE: Power Supply
1) Open up the PC case.
2) Check the top-back of the case for a box-shaped object with many red/yellow power cables coming out of it.
3) That should be the power supply unit (PSU).
4) There should be specifications written on the side.
5) Check the MAXIMUM output (Measured in Watts) to see if it meets the requirements for your card.
If you have 250W of better, it should be sufficient for most PCI cards. As for my personal experience, I have only 200W on my Celeron D processor, yet I could still run a Geforce FX 5500 PCI 256MB card that says it need "minimum of 250W".
Under $100 USD:
1) Geforce FX 5500 PCI 256MB
2) Radeon 9250 PCI 256 MB
Over $100 USD:
1) Radeon X1550 PCI 256MB (supports HDTV)
Benefits:
1) Play games at full speed with ultra detail settings.
2) MAX resolution; no longer have to play in 800x600 so the game could run faster.
3) Many cards (even PCI) support High-Dynamic Range lighting seen in HL2 Lost Coast, also Anti-Aliasing, bump-mapping, and Antiscroptic Filter, which makes games look that much more realistic and believable!
4) T&L: Transform & Lighting; this feature is usually not available on integrated graphics, and is required to play most 3D Games.
5) Decode/Encode video faster; looks better too.
As for playing city of heroes, the ATI 9250 should be sufficient, but make sure you have enough RAM and also a suitable power supply, because most graphic cards require a lot of power. I think the 9250 needs about 250W, but you can check the product box.
========================================
RE: Power Supply
1) Open up the PC case.
2) Check the top-back of the case for a box-shaped object with many red/yellow power cables coming out of it.
3) That should be the power supply unit (PSU).
4) There should be specifications written on the side.
5) Check the MAXIMUM output (Measured in Watts) to see if it meets the requirements for your card.
If you have 250W of better, it should be sufficient for most PCI cards. As for my personal experience, I have only 200W on my Celeron D processor, yet I could still run a Geforce FX 5500 PCI 256MB card that says it need "minimum of 250W".
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