What are good alternatives for an inexpensive projector screen

crow121 · 12-02-04, 06:35 PM

White wall?
Bed sheet?
I've heard something at Wal-Mart or something like that

ANy suggestions?

svadas · 12-02-04, 08:10 PM

I've seen a lot of DIY posts about black-out fabric being used like a canvas over a frame.

DoogieHowser · 12-02-04, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by crow121
White wall?
Bed sheet?
I've heard something at Wal-Mart or something like that

ANy suggestions?

I would like to know too. I just made the plunge and purchased an infocus 4800. Right now I am using an off-white wall. And the picture is amazing. But I know it can be better.

Numanoid · 12-03-04, 01:21 AM

Don't knock the white wall. That's what I use. Other DIY screens on the cheap are:

1) Blackout cloth, which can be picked up at any fabric store such as JoAnn's. It's made to be used as drapery, but works very well as a screen.

2) Plastic laminate from Menard's et. al. called Parkland Polywall. I picked up a sheet of this myself, but it was so similar to my bare wall, I didn't bother making a screen.

There is an entire Do-It-Yourself Screen forum at AVSforum.com:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...hp?forumid=110

TomMiller · 12-03-04, 11:05 AM

I myself use a white wall. The main drawback to it that I see is that it tends not to smooth the image as much as a real screen, making screen door visible at distances where it wouldn't be if I use a real screen. But that isn't a huge deal, as I sit back at a range where screen door isn't visible either way. I bought Behr flat white paint at home depot, and used four coats (over a dark wall), sanding after each coat, and painted myself a 117" diagonal 16:9 rectangle.

I bought some blackout cloth and played around with it. The image was nice, but the size was a serious constraint. I couldn't go nearly as large as I wanted to without having a visible seam. I didn't see a big image difference between the blackout cloth and the white wall anyway.

Be wary of the DIY screen forum at AVS. You can get some great advice there, but there are an awful lot of obsessive crackpots that must have been alchemists in a past life ("Add just one teaspoon of Heinz Ketchup to your white paint to counteract the green shift in your lens. We call this Pennsylvania Paste. Then buy eight cans of silver spray paint. Now alternate a spray paint layer with a layer of Pennsylvania Paste, for a total of 58 layers, over a silver hand mirror. Sand each layer in a way so that the total thickness of all layers is 5". You may need to do this several times before you get the thickness right. While doing this, stand on one leg, while swinging a dead cat in your left hand, in homage to Grzboken, the patron demon of Home Theater. And whatever you do, Don't forget to stir each can of paint exactly 167 times!!!)"

Numanoid · 12-03-04, 01:51 PM

It's funny 'cause it's true.

TheMadMonk · 12-03-04, 05:14 PM

I use a 4x8 piece of white tileboard, painted gray. Looks great. (I tried the plain wall, sheet, and blackout cloth in the past).

Josh Z · 12-03-04, 07:29 PM

Most projector users start out with a white wall and progress from there. That's certainly what I did. Blackout cloth is a good, inexpensive solution for a starter screen, but when I initially went looking I found it very difficult to find a suitable sized chunk of it that had no dings, dents, or tears that might be visible in the movie image. Just be aware to look for these things when you shop.

Another option worth considering:

http://www.goosystems.com

12-02-04, 06:35 PM	#1
crow121 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: MD Posts: 563	What are good alternatives for an inexpensive projector screen White wall? Bed sheet? I've heard something at Wal-Mart or something like that ANy suggestions?

12-02-04, 08:10 PM	#2
svadas DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: May 1999 Location: cleveland, oh USA Posts: 1,062	I've seen a lot of DIY posts about black-out fabric being used like a canvas over a frame. __________________ “I think what we did was dumb, dumb, dumb” - Jeff Bezos

12-03-04, 01:21 AM	#4
Numanoid DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Down in 'The Park' Posts: 27,011	Don't knock the white wall. That's what I use. Other DIY screens on the cheap are: 1) Blackout cloth, which can be picked up at any fabric store such as JoAnn's. It's made to be used as drapery, but works very well as a screen. 2) Plastic laminate from Menard's et. al. called Parkland Polywall. I picked up a sheet of this myself, but it was so similar to my bare wall, I didn't bother making a screen. There is an entire Do-It-Yourself Screen forum at AVSforum.com: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forum...hp?forumid=110 __________________ Regarding Numanoid: "...don't pay attention to that guy, he has 26455 posts and about seven of them have been useful." - Szczesny

12-03-04, 01:51 PM	#6
Numanoid DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Down in 'The Park' Posts: 27,011	It's funny 'cause it's true. __________________ Regarding Numanoid: "...don't pay attention to that guy, he has 26455 posts and about seven of them have been useful." - Szczesny

12-03-04, 07:29 PM	#8
Josh Z DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Boston Posts: 9,763	Most projector users start out with a white wall and progress from there. That's certainly what I did. Blackout cloth is a good, inexpensive solution for a starter screen, but when I initially went looking I found it very difficult to find a suitable sized chunk of it that had no dings, dents, or tears that might be visible in the movie image. Just be aware to look for these things when you shop. Another option worth considering: http://www.goosystems.com __________________ Josh Z Critic, High-Def Digest (Blog updated daily!) Contributor, Home Theater Magazine Curator, Laserdisc Forever \| Cinema Zyberdiso My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of my employers.

12-03-04, 11:05 AM	#5
TomMiller Member Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 244	I myself use a white wall. The main drawback to it that I see is that it tends not to smooth the image as much as a real screen, making screen door visible at distances where it wouldn't be if I use a real screen. But that isn't a huge deal, as I sit back at a range where screen door isn't visible either way. I bought Behr flat white paint at home depot, and used four coats (over a dark wall), sanding after each coat, and painted myself a 117" diagonal 16:9 rectangle. I bought some blackout cloth and played around with it. The image was nice, but the size was a serious constraint. I couldn't go nearly as large as I wanted to without having a visible seam. I didn't see a big image difference between the blackout cloth and the white wall anyway. Be wary of the DIY screen forum at AVS. You can get some great advice there, but there are an awful lot of obsessive crackpots that must have been alchemists in a past life ("Add just one teaspoon of Heinz Ketchup to your white paint to counteract the green shift in your lens. We call this Pennsylvania Paste. Then buy eight cans of silver spray paint. Now alternate a spray paint layer with a layer of Pennsylvania Paste, for a total of 58 layers, over a silver hand mirror. Sand each layer in a way so that the total thickness of all layers is 5". You may need to do this several times before you get the thickness right. While doing this, stand on one leg, while swinging a dead cat in your left hand, in homage to Grzboken, the patron demon of Home Theater. And whatever you do, Don't forget to stir each can of paint exactly 167 times!!!)"

12-03-04, 05:14 PM	#7
TheMadMonk DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 3,172	I use a 4x8 piece of white tileboard, painted gray. Looks great. (I tried the plain wall, sheet, and blackout cloth in the past).