DIY Projector Screen - urgent help!!!

[arnprasad]

Hi, I did not see a thread exclusively on DIY Projector Screen. So thought its worth it.

I am planning a second HT setup - this time with projector. This weekend I will order either Optoma 66 at current prices or Acer 5360 if it comes down to 430 dollars (its been yo-yoing a lot).

Now coming to the screen - I have seen few folks having DIY screens in their signature. Need some help - please note that I am not a tools man and have trouble fixing a nail into the wall - hence all work will be outsourced to a local carpenter.

1) Is DIY possible for people with no tech/tools/carpentery skills?

2) If yes - what all raw materials/basic stuff do I need?

3) On Amazon - I see that they are selling some kind of projector material along with black tapes - I am assuming that it comes folded like bed sheets and hence will be easy to carry in a small suitcase and should not weigh much - not sure if these things are available in India at affordable prices - so should I ask my friend to get one of these?

4) If answer to above is YES - then what is the biggest size I should get assuming I have a room with a breadth of 12 feet? do I get the biggest one or should I leave some space?

Amazon.com: Blackout Fabric for DIY Projector Screen-66x110-Inch: Electronics

5) If answer to 3 is yes - is there anything else on Amazon that I need to get - small, affordable and fit into a small suitcase?

6) Once I get this material - how do I go about getting the screen done?

7) For someone who is not a videophile - who thinks his 720p cheapest Plasma is the best tv in the world - is it worth all this effort or should I just concentrate on having a smooth wall with the right color of paint? Is such DIY screen comparable to the ready made screens available? 90% of my viewing will be on my Plasma. Of the 10% - I would say majority will be my kids and I playing our WII on the giant projector screen (480p) and rest will be HD channels on Tata Sky or the 1-2GB rips of movies from torrents. As of now - blu ray viewing will be close to Zero till I figure out a cheap way to rent Blu rays

8) And lastly are affordable ready made screens available in India? and if so at what kind of prices

Thanks in advance for all your help:yahoo:

 

[echo77]

If you are not a videophile, definitely a wall will be a cheaper option. To improve perceived contrast, you could consider painting or sticking a black border around the screen area. I have not dwelt on projectors, but it is something I have in mind some years down the line. I will not know current prices.

 

[tma]

4:3 Manual pull down screens of around 80-100 inches will be 5-7k or so.
Would this fall into your affordable category?

 

[arnprasad]

4:3 Manual pull down screens of around 80-100 inches will be 5-7k or so.
Would this fall into your affordable category?

Yeah - and these are "proper" screens for projector? pardon my ignorance and are prices in India?

Any weblinks you can post? Thx

 

[rajadeep]

A 100in 4:3 screen will be less than 85inches in 16:9... I have found a source for good cheap screens in mumbai... 100in 16:9 moterised is 11k & manual pull down is 6-7k I think... I have the price list with me at home so will confirm the prices to u later... The screen material u are talking about on amazon is 41-42$ there & the same seller is selling it for $40 flat on eBay.... Sellers name is Carl's place if I remember correctly... I too was considering him until I found this great manufacturer in mumbai... Visited him & chked out the sample vs a costlier grandview screen & found no diff at all... This manufacturer is highly regarded in the DJ equipment dealers for using good quality parts... Anyway I will reply later when I reach home...

 

[arnprasad]

A 100in 4:3 screen will be less than 85inches in 16:9... I have found a source for good cheap screens in mumbai... 100in 16:9 moterised is 11k & manual pull down is 6-7k I think... I have the price list with me at home so will confirm the prices to u later... The screen material u are talking about on amazon is 41-42$ there & the same seller is selling it for $40 flat on eBay.... Sellers name is Carl's place if I remember correctly... I too was considering him until I found this great manufacturer in mumbai... Visited him & chked out the sample vs a costlier grandview screen & found no diff at all... This manufacturer is highly regarded in the DJ equipment dealers for using good quality parts... Anyway I will reply later when I reach home...

Thanks Rajadeep - Will wait for your reply today evening. Appreciate it.

 

[tma]

How urgent is your request? I am travelling presently and will be back in a couple of days.

The price was quoted for a Grandview screen from a dealer in BLR.
I can pm the details if interested once I am back - (the mobile no is in the non roaming sim )

 

[arnprasad]

How urgent is your request? I am travelling presently and will be back in a couple of days.

The price was quoted for a Grandview screen from a dealer in BLR.
I can pm the details if interested once I am back - (the mobile no is in the non roaming sim )

Not urgent at all..I am yet to buy a projector:lol:

couple of friends are in US and will be back in two weeks time.. Hoping they will get one for me.

 

[gcpraveen]

Not urgent at all..I am yet to buy a projector:lol:

couple of friends are in US and will be back in two weeks time.. Hoping they will get one for me.

Hi,
Even I am planning to buy from amazon, my friends parents coming from US, so plz pm me if you find best price for optoma hd66 - currently $534 + tax.
Which comes to 30k.

Any deals will be there in amazon on October?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[arnprasad]

I think projector is one category of electronics where for similar specs prices keep falling year on year - it has still not stabilized. I believe no 1080p projector was available for less than 1K one year back and now its around the 800 dollar mark.

Similarly when I googled deals on HD66, I see that 1 year back 600 dollars was a great deal - so I guess 530 dollars with free shipping is a fair price.

Not sure when they are coming - but even in black friday type deals - they all get over before people like you and me can lay our hands - its like trying to book Tatkal tickets online:lol:

So the best you can do is register for price alerts on Amazon, Tigerdirect and Newegg and hope it comes down.

For example - HD66s nearest competitor - the Acer 5360 was on sale for 420 dollars on Newegg and Amazon matched it - this was 3 weeks ago. Then when the sale ended it went back to 500+. Then Tigerdirect had this on sale for 430 dollars - and now again it has gone back to 500+ - so you have to be on the lookout on a daily basis. hope this helps!

 

[sunshine_vsk]

Rajadeep,

Please let me know if you have the pricing for 106'' 16:9 screen. Also please share the dealer's contact...

 

[abhilash220]

Hi, I did not see a thread exclusively on DIY Projector Screen. So thought its worth it.

I am planning a second HT setup - this time with projector. This weekend I will order either Optoma 66 at current prices or Acer 5360 if it comes down to 430 dollars (its been yo-yoing a lot).

Now coming to the screen - I have seen few folks having DIY screens in their signature. Need some help - please note that I am not a tools man and have trouble fixing a nail into the wall - hence all work will be outsourced to a local carpenter.

1) Is DIY possible for people with no tech/tools/carpentery skills?

2) If yes - what all raw materials/basic stuff do I need?

3) On Amazon - I see that they are selling some kind of projector material along with black tapes - I am assuming that it comes folded like bed sheets and hence will be easy to carry in a small suitcase and should not weigh much - not sure if these things are available in India at affordable prices - so should I ask my friend to get one of these?

4) If answer to above is YES - then what is the biggest size I should get assuming I have a room with a breadth of 12 feet? do I get the biggest one or should I leave some space?

Amazon.com: Blackout Fabric for DIY Projector Screen-66x110-Inch: Electronics

5) If answer to 3 is yes - is there anything else on Amazon that I need to get - small, affordable and fit into a small suitcase?

6) Once I get this material - how do I go about getting the screen done?

7) For someone who is not a videophile - who thinks his 720p cheapest Plasma is the best tv in the world - is it worth all this effort or should I just concentrate on having a smooth wall with the right color of paint? Is such DIY screen comparable to the ready made screens available? 90% of my viewing will be on my Plasma. Of the 10% - I would say majority will be my kids and I playing our WII on the giant projector screen (480p) and rest will be HD channels on Tata Sky or the 1-2GB rips of movies from torrents. As of now - blu ray viewing will be close to Zero till I figure out a cheap way to rent Blu rays

8) And lastly are affordable ready made screens available in India? and if so at what kind of prices

Thanks in advance for all your help:yahoo:

I built a screen recently and

1) You don't need any previous experience. Atleast I didn't have.

2) I built mine using wood logs. But if I ever build another one, it will be using steel rods. I used canvas as the material and it should not be expensive. I used Goo screen paint. But it is comparitively an expensive option and you can google for a paint which suits your need.

3) Check the price of the cloth you mentioned. It is likely that it may end up costing more than Goo projector paint.
Goo Systems Global-Paint a High Definition Home Theater Screen
The website is not really accurate about the amount of paint you need. I used just 500ml each of reflective coat and finish coat and 250ml black border paint. Screen size is 126" and is 2.35:1.

4) Size of the screen should be based on the resolution of the projector and length of room. If you are planning on a 1080p projector, go as big as possible. Just my suggestion.

5)Seymour is an option. But again since you mention affordable, this may not be right for you. You will end up spending around 16K for a 120" screen cloth.
Seymour AV | Center Stage screens. They will ship it to India I guess.

6)I have attached a few pictures and those are pretty much self explanotory. I used two rectangular wooden frames of same size for my build. Canvas was fixed on to the first one. Second one was for the black border. One of the most important things you should not overlook is the size of the border. I would suggest atleast 3".

7)I have seen expensive projector screens and it does make a differenece. But its upto you to decide if its worth the extra money. I thought it is not and went diy route. If you build one, you try to make it the best. You may change your projector in the future, but most probably stick to the screen for a while.

8)Sorry. No inputs.

Hope this helps.

 

[rajadeep]

Srry folks for the late reply... Prices of some of the screens are as below...

Pioneer brand(manufacturer's original brand) 16:9
92"(45"x80") = 5k(manual) , 10k(motorized without remote), 15k (motorized with remote)

100"(49"x87")= 6k(manual), 11k(motorized without remote), 16k(motorized with remote)

110"(54"x96")=7k(Manual), 12k(motorized without remote), 17k(motorized with remote)

120"(58"x104")=10k(Manual), 15k(motorized without remote), 18k(motorized with remote)


Add 4k to these prices for a Grandview Manual with CSR(the system that slowly retracts the screen) & add 4k to the motorized with remote screen prices to get the respective Grandview prices... Grandview does not have motorized without remote option...Also u can add 2k instead of 4k to calculate the prices of another brand they stocked called picture perfect(its priced in between Pioneer & Grandview)... I will try to explain the diff terminology that I have used in this post...

1)Manual:- This just means that it is a manual pull down screen...
2)Manual with CSR:- This too is a Manual pull down screen but when u want to retract the screen after using it it retracts slowly... A great feature to have...
3)Motorized with remote:- This means that the screen is motorized with a RF remote control... The costliest option... Not my personal choice considering the increased cost & the fact that u have to deal with 1 more damn remote on ur table...
4)Motorized without remote:- Like the name says, it does not come with a RF remote... What it does come with is a wired switch to use the screen... I liked this option as the wire can be extended to place the switch on anywhere on the wall which is convenient to u...Like next to ur couch... & u end up saving 5-7k coz u save on the RF remote... So u get the joy of a motorized screen at a bang for buck price point...

I would further like to add when I visited the screen manufacturers facility I tried to compare the screen material of Grandview & Pioneer... What I found was there was no diff at all... It was the same shade of white & the texture was the same so was the thickness... Infact I would like to seen someone do a blind test of the materiels & try to tell the diff... Another point my Uncle who recommended pioneer made was that they use almost all metal parts to manufacture pioneer screens where as the grandview ones are manufactured in China & they use a lot of plastic parts... My Uncle deals in DJ equipments & so he knows these screens are very durable... He has been using them for the last 15 years or so...So have most of the Audio professionals in Mumbai... Grandview sells more coz of its brandname... Like u ask anyone about bose they will instantly recognize the brand... But when u pit Bose against other systems like Onkyo or Yamaha then u will know which has real value for money & which does not
Hope this post helped u guys out...

PS almost forgot to post the contact info
Contact us - Pioneer Screens

 

[arnprasad]

@ rajadeep - at the 500-550 price point - do you recommend we go with DLP based or LED based 720p projectors? Only advantage of LED is that bulbs will last 5-6 times DLP based bulbs? Thx

 

[rajadeep]

Lolz If I was at a $550 price point I would drop the idea of a 720p projector... I would upgrade my budget by $75-150 & buy a refurbished or new 1080p bright projector... Back to the question of bulb vs LED projector, I am a fan of bright bulb projectors... This is the reason I would never choose a LED projector unless I was gonna use it for data & run it for an average 10 hours a day... Brighter bulb based projectors also mean that u dont have to turn ur room into a bat cave everytime u wanna watch something... Basically I would not buy a LED projector & in bulb options I would not buy a 720p projector for $550 odd... I would rather upgrade my budget to atleast $625 & buy a refurbished 1080p Benq W1100 from Benq.com... But I also feel it is ur money & u have to make the final call as to what u want & be happy with ur decision...

 

[gcpraveen]

Did you bought the screen? I am looking for 80" to 100" (16:9) manual pull down screen for Acer H5360.

my budget was 3K to 4K for DIY, but If I can get 100" for 6k, I will opt for that.

@rajadeep: will they ship to bangalore?

@tma : where in bangalore , I can get at this price?

 

[just4kix]

I purchased a Liberty 8'x6' screen for Rs. 6000/-. It is a pull-down/self-lock type.

 

[arnprasad]

Did you bought the screen? I am looking for 80" to 100" (16:9) manual pull down screen for Acer H5360.

my budget was 3K to 4K for DIY, but If I can get 100" for 6k, I will opt for that.

@rajadeep: will they ship to bangalore?

@tma : where in bangalore , I can get at this price?

Hi..No I did not buy as three of my friends went to US and I was hoping each will get something (speakers+projector) Only one of them got me the Pioneer BS22 speaker pair. So as of now back to checking the prices on Amazon and hoping some day my dream will come true

@Rajadeep - For full HD Projector with 3D Compatibility - has any one hit the 700 dollar mark in the past few months? Thats a sweet spot since it is closer to the customs duty free limit and there should be no hassles from them at the airport - assuming of course some one will get it for me. Other alternative is 5360 for 420 dollars if we can grab it

 

[just4kix]

Hi..No I did not buy as three of my friends went to US and I was hoping each will get something (speakers+projector) Only one of them got me the Pioneer BS22 speaker pair. So as of now back to checking the prices on Amazon and hoping some day my dream will come true

@Rajadeep - For full HD Projector with 3D Compatibility - has any one hit the 700 dollar mark in the past few months? Thats a sweet spot since it is closer to the customs duty free limit and there should be no hassles from them at the airport - assuming of course some one will get it for me. Other alternative is 5360 for 420 dollars if we can grab it

There is no 3D projector around $700 mark - at least I haven't come across any. All 3D projectors use active 3D technology and it needs to be verified whether the active 3D glasses that work with TV will also work with PJ. I believe that they logically they should but who knows?

 

[arnprasad]

There is no 3D projector around $700 mark - at least I haven't come across any. All 3D projectors use active 3D technology and it needs to be verified whether the active 3D glasses that work with TV will also work with PJ. I believe that they logically they should but who knows?

From whatever I have read on Amazon reviews and other sites - the TV glasses wont work. But a pair is sold for around 40 dollars I think - DLP ones.

3D compatible projectors are around the 800 mark now with avsforum recommending the Viewsonic one I think (sorry most of my comments are "I thinks") which was around 780-790 types. For these projectors either we need computers with some nvidia 3d hardware or another 250 dollar 3d compatible optoma thingy.

I eventually want to build a HTPC/NAS thing where I would want this nvidia hardware and then I can hook it up to these 3d compatible projectors.

Unlike other electronics where prices have kind of stabilized - the projector price for 1080p ones have been coming down and since I have seen the 5360 being sold for 420 against its normal price of around 520 - wondering if these 750-850 range 1080p projectors too swing +/- 100-150 dollars