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If you want to make a good looking, good quality projector screen and you don't want to spend a lot, this is one good way to do it. My total cost for the screen was around $50. I didn't add it up exactly. I got some of my ideas from other instructables and some ideas from AV forums. I wanted to find an article just like this, but it wasn't here, so I decided to post this. I learned little nuggets of wisdom along the way that I will share with you. Feel free to share alterations that you made. I shared my particular measurements throughout as an example. Yours will likely vary, but you can use the same basic principles.
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Signing UpStep 1Preperation
Before getting started, here's a list of supplies you'll be using:
Tape
Staple Gun, Staples
Wood Glue
Hammer
Measuring Tape
Pieces of 1"x3" Poplar (you'll get the measurements in the instructions)
1" pieces of plastic trim
Paint Roller, Paint Pan
Primer Paint
Paint for the Top Coat
Sandpaper
Chalk
Drywall Anchors
Screws with O-rings
Screws with Hooks
Here we go...
1. Install the projector where it will be
2. Measure hight & width of the screen while the projector is on (mine was 45x102.5).
3. Pick your paint:
For the higher end, you can use screen goo - http://www.goosystems.com/index.php
http://www.theaterthings.com/
There's plenty of info about that product at those sites. I plan to use that some day (when I get more Christmas money). It sounds like a great solution.
If you want to be cheaper, like me, for now, you can select a normal paint.
--at this point I should mention that I found Home Depot more useful than Lowes for several things in this project - 1. they carry Behr brand paint and 2. they cut pieces of wood to length and sell it by the foot--
I went to Home Depot and picked several paint chips from white to light grey. Some AV forums suggested Behr 'Silver Screen" paint (770E-2). This is what I ended up using. When you have grey, it appears to be a better contrast ratio than white does. Also, I used a matte finish because it's less reflective and that's what you want.
So, I suggest picking up several different shades (make Silver Screen one of the options) and get a small stack of each individual color. When you get home, tape all of the chips of one color together so that it makes a square that is about 2-3 square feet in area.
Slap them up on the projector wall. I used painters tape as an adhesive so that it wouldn't mess up the walls. Now, watch part of a movie. Find one with good colors and sections with good blacks. Do your best not to compare the white to the greys, because you may think, "Oh, the white looks better compared to the grey." but remember that when the whole screen is one color you won't notice that. The white may have 'popped' better in my test, but I think I'm better off with the grey (because of contrast ratio). With the black border (very important & addressed later) it looks great.
Tape
Staple Gun, Staples
Wood Glue
Hammer
Measuring Tape
Pieces of 1"x3" Poplar (you'll get the measurements in the instructions)
1" pieces of plastic trim
Paint Roller, Paint Pan
Primer Paint
Paint for the Top Coat
Sandpaper
Chalk
Drywall Anchors
Screws with O-rings
Screws with Hooks
Here we go...
1. Install the projector where it will be
2. Measure hight & width of the screen while the projector is on (mine was 45x102.5).
3. Pick your paint:
For the higher end, you can use screen goo - http://www.goosystems.com/index.php
http://www.theaterthings.com/
There's plenty of info about that product at those sites. I plan to use that some day (when I get more Christmas money). It sounds like a great solution.
If you want to be cheaper, like me, for now, you can select a normal paint.
--at this point I should mention that I found Home Depot more useful than Lowes for several things in this project - 1. they carry Behr brand paint and 2. they cut pieces of wood to length and sell it by the foot--
I went to Home Depot and picked several paint chips from white to light grey. Some AV forums suggested Behr 'Silver Screen" paint (770E-2). This is what I ended up using. When you have grey, it appears to be a better contrast ratio than white does. Also, I used a matte finish because it's less reflective and that's what you want.
So, I suggest picking up several different shades (make Silver Screen one of the options) and get a small stack of each individual color. When you get home, tape all of the chips of one color together so that it makes a square that is about 2-3 square feet in area.
Slap them up on the projector wall. I used painters tape as an adhesive so that it wouldn't mess up the walls. Now, watch part of a movie. Find one with good colors and sections with good blacks. Do your best not to compare the white to the greys, because you may think, "Oh, the white looks better compared to the grey." but remember that when the whole screen is one color you won't notice that. The white may have 'popped' better in my test, but I think I'm better off with the grey (because of contrast ratio). With the black border (very important & addressed later) it looks great.
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Thanks
- Projection Medium: LCD (3.5 Inch Panel)
- Contrast: 500:1
- Brightness: 1000 ANSI Lumens
- Resolution: 640x480
- Audio Output: 2W x 2
- Lamp Power: 175W
- Display Mode: 4:3, 16:9
- Optic Properties:
Lens: Manual FocusingProjection Distance: 1.0-5.0 Metres
Projection Size: 30-150 Inches (Diagonal)
- TV Tuner Properties:
- Color System: PAL/NTSC- Frequency Bands: VHF-L, VHF-H, UHF
- Antenna Impedance: 75 Ohm
Home Theater
Not a bad idea though, especially if the drop cloth comes in a size close to your particular measurements.
Polystyrene would be a cheap, very quick way to get a screen - paint free. At our church, we have a coffee house kinda thing with a band and we have a projector that projects onto polystyrene and it looks just fine (not to the videophile I imagine). Here's a link to the set up when it's not using the projector: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8490405@N08/566295643/sizes/l/