Outdoor movie screen

[shardian]

I've been wanting to do this for a while, and over the weekend we finally committed. Last night we finished sewing the screen, which is not easy on something this big! I cut out the frame, and I just had to see what it looked like before going to bed. I still need to cut the cross bracing for the frame, which is why the screen is sagging in the test mock-up.
As for size, the screen is 16:9 and is 12' diagonal.
First movie showing is this Saturday night, weather permitting. Movie: Ghostbusters.

[ChadTower]

How do you plan on getting that outside and then back inside?  Is there an easy way?  And have you factored in the wind?

The issue I ran into was that I quickly got sick of spending an hour beforehand and an hour afterward setting everything up and putting it all away.  The cart helped with that a lot but my process still needs a bunch of fine tuning.  It just wasn't much fun to have everyone else go in and rest while I had an hour of cleanup to do at 11:30pm.

[Hoopz]

Nice.  Looks like the frame is PVC?

Most of the screens I've seen online show as pretty taut.  Will your cross brace help with that?  I see the sag in the middle of the top support, but are you concerned about the wrinkles affecting the show?

 

[ChadTower]

I'm more concerned with a gust of wind sending the thing to the ground.

Wish anyone I knew had the sewing skills to pull that off.  That is the main thing that kept me from trying the blackout cloth.

[shardian]

The frame only will have to do this weekend. The cross bracing will take out almost all of the wrinkles you see.Next week, I am installing some 2" strapping and eyelets so I can stretch the screen against the frame on the back of the frame. A few bungee cords across the length and width will tighten everything up really nice.

As for mounting, 2 metal fenceposts get driven into the ground, 2 more 'legs' of pvc get added to the frame, and the whole thing goes down onto the posts. I'll probably end up bolting the pvc to the posts, but for now we'll see what happens.

Assembly takes less than 5 minutes with 2 people. Dis-assembly is about the same, but the fittings can be finicky depending on where you start. The metal poles are gonna stay in the ground the rest of the summer, and most of the fall.

I don't have a cart or anything for the projector yet. For now I am just  going to use  ping pong table that will already be out there on the patio. 2 floor speakers and an 80's era amp for sound. A cart with an adjustable mounting pole for the projector would be sweet.

[ChadTower]

The metal poles are gonna stay in the ground the rest of the summer, and most of the fall.

How high are the posts?  I'm thinking of putting in some pressure treated 4x4s with hooks near the top.  That way I can just hang up the pulldown screen with minimal effort.  They'll have to be tall but if I put them in the same spot we're viewing now they'll be close enough to the house to be out of the way.

For now I am just  going to use  ping pong table that will already be out there on the patio. 2 floor speakers and an 80's era amp for sound.

That's what I was doing but with a piece of plywood and sawhorses.  Honestly I liked the sound better with the 60's amp and bigger speakers.

[Fordman]

If you have a Jo-Ann fabrics store near, there are plenty of grannies and old maids    in there willing to sew this for you. They'll probably do it for about $100.00 or if you talk to them kind enough and offer the old maids a date, they'ed probably do it for free! 

All kidding aside, at any fabric store, walk in and ask if the know a seamstress and they will point you ta at leats 99% of their employees that do that on the side or they have business cards of plenty that will do the work!

As for the screen itself, shouldnt be that hard to build a stand that will with stand 5-10mph winds out of pvc.

 
Fordman

[shardian]

Sewing the blackout cloth was tricky. The stuff just does not like needles due to its vinyl like nature. We used upholstry thread, which is WAY stronger than the actual fabric. You will tear the screen to pieces before you ever break a single thread. We experimented alot with scrap pieces, and the seams are pretty sturdy regardless of which stitch used.The main thing we noticed is that more needle holes = more likelihood for tearing. The heavy duty stitches were actually less durable because they created more - and bigger - holes. A simple straight stitch or zig zag stich with well spaced stitch lengths were best.

Also, the sheer volume of the fabric made it difficult to handle. My wife has a nice sewing table, but I had to hold up the bulk of the material at the edge of the table while she sewed. It is definitely not a single person job.

[shardian]

Honestly I liked the sound better with the 60's amp and bigger speakers.

We used the same set of 15" woofer floor speakers and 100 watt Onkyo amp at our wedding reception. It was a large reception haul with vaulted ceiling and a 2nd level seating area. Those 2 speakers filled the entire place with crisp, clear, full range sound. It sounded just as good as most DJ setups I have heard.
Sound quality is definitely one thing I am not worried about.
And if I feel lazy, I always have an awesome 2.1 pc speaker set that I used for the Hallowindow/Monster house thing last October. That setup, though small, puts out a ridiculous amount of sound.

[ChadTower]

Hrm.  Maybe if I plant those posts wider and put a treated 2x4 across the top, as I had been thinking at first, that would be better.  That way I can put hooks for the screen I have now and gives me the ability to mount a wider screen like this one should I actually get one made.  

Let us know how the cloth actually works out in terms of colors and brightness.  There was a HUGE jump in quality from the vinyl siding to the actual projection screen but we had to shrink the pic to 96" wide.  That's the perfect size for inside my house but small for outside.  Your screen looks roughly the same size I had on the side of the house so (knowing we have the same projector) you shouldn't have any issues with it.

Yeah, I think the sound issue I have now is twofold... one, I didn't point the speakers in the direction of seating well enough.  Two, there's no large cone in those little speakers.  They stay clear at high volumes but they're just not pushing enough air for low frequencies in movies.  The Sony receiver might be part of the issue, too, as it just may not have the power.  The old GE definitely did a better job and I might swap it in.  That one is RCA connections, though, and I don't really like chopping the end off a cable to split it.  Never did get good results with that.

[shardian]

I don't have the same projector. I bought that Infocus for a co-worker.
I have a Viewsonic PJ400 lcd projector. I double checked, and your projector will be pretty much identical results

BTW, I used this site for all of my calculations.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm

[ChadTower]

I watched a movie on a piece of canvas stretched between two palm trees out on a beach and it looked fine.

It looked fine on the siding.  But it looks better on a screen.  And if you were to do it every other week for 6 months the amount of work involved with setup and teardown would get old very fast.

[ChadTower]

BTW, I used this site for all of my calculations.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm

Any idea what the estimated gain is on that cloth?  I'm not 100% sure what gain is but that's how this calculator is rating the screen.

[shardian]

I watched a movie on a piece of canvas stretched between two palm trees out on a beach and it looked fine.

You guys are over complicating this.

 

If I had 2 nicely placed palm trees at an ideal location from my house, away from neighbors on the beach, then I would agree with you. I loved my window setup during Halloween, but I don't think it is a great idea to broadcast my movies in my front window right out by the road and other houses.

Blackout cloth is necessary so the image doesn't bleed through and light up the whole tree line...and reduce my screen brightness/contrast.


Final reason: I did this because I can, and it looks far more professional than a sheet draped over some trees. You didn't have to restore that sea witch - it would have worked perfectly fine without all that work. I think you overcomplicated that!  

[shardian]

AVS forum guru's have spent a crap load of time figuring gain out. Blackout cloth has an average gain of 1. Depending on who you ask, it ranges from .8 to 1.2

I tested out both sides of the cloth, and we felt the white cloth side looked better and was brighter than the smooth, offwhite side. Besides, the white side just looks better standing there than the other side. 

[shardian]

This setup is simple. Trust me, I initially thought of what Chad is talking about - permanently mounting poles or something. My wife stepped in with the K.I.S.S. philosophy to save the day.

It took me like half an hour to measure and cut out the frame. Screen construction took around 4 hours spread over 3 nights which includes measuring, marking, cutting, and sewing.

[shardian]

And on that note:
Make a PVC frame for your screen chad. Worried about wind? Throw something heavy over the feet of the stand. You're lucky you all have flat land to deal with. My screen is down the hill from my house - metal posts is the only way I can put mine up.

[ChadTower]

Sure, guys, sure, but I'm simply urging you to aim for simplicity so you can actually enjoy yourselves.  Making it so complex will make it so much work to set it up that you'll avoid doing it and then we'll see your setup on B/S/T next year.

Well that's the point of making the setup easy.  By the end of last year I wasn't interested in doing it anymore because of how long it took.  I don't mind one time work, though, so I built the cart.  I figure if I set up that mount I described, and we stop using it, my wife will use it to hang plants or something.  My family really enjoys the movies so it's worth the effort as long as I keep it where I don't hate the process.

The 4x4 posts aren't a permanent thing, anyway.  All you have to do is dig a post hole and keep the thing plumb.  I don't think I need a full frame but pipes at the top and bottom would be necessary to keep it spread.  I don't get much wind in my yard.  It's a small area enclosed by 12' bushes, a house, a 12' fence, and several trees.

[Vanguard]

I made an outdoor screen out of the extruded aluminum channel used to build pool enclosures.

I got my cloth from a company called Dazian who has a reflective stretchy fabric for projection screens.

http://www.dazian.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?action=color_family

The aluminum channel has a groove in it that you push a rubber spline into that holds the fabric in place.  Since the fabric is stretchy, I was able to pull the fabric while attaching with the spline.  The screen came out perfectly smooth with no wrinkles. 

I put some 4x4 post in the ground in the backyard and clamp the screen to them when we have a movie.  When I'm done, I just slide the screen into my garage along one wall.

The screen is about 11'x6' in size.  I also built a stand that holds the laptop and AV equipment that I just roll out to the yard and were read to go.  I have outdoor speakers in the yard so I just wheel my AV rig up to the projection spot and I hook into my outdoor speakers via a box I put in the ground.

Setup and teardown takes no more than a few minutes.

Unfortunately we've had so much rain this summer that we haven't had 1 showing yet.

[ChadTower]

Nice!  I'm thinking something I can roll up for easier storage works better for me.  For now the 96" actual screen is definitely good enough, though.

[shardian]

The PVC screen material is definitely an upgrade to blackout cloth...but at a big price difference. 8 yards of blackout cloth set me back around $21.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, I only have the pulldown screen because I got it for $65 off CL.

[SithMaster]

Why can't the screen be mounted to the side of the house?  If you use the cloth then you could use those metal eyelets and some screws on the siding to hold it up.  Taking it down wouldn't be difficult.

[ChadTower]

Because I don't want to poke holes in my siding... or the asbestos shingles that are under it.   

[SithMaster]

Because I don't want to poke holes in my siding... or the asbestos shingles that are under it.   

That would be a problem.  Well then there is the use of velcro.

[ChadTower]

Hrm.  The vinyl siding is not meant to bear any weight.  Might not hold.

The 4x4 post idea is the easiest by far, I think. 

[ChadTower]

Put two eye hooks in your overhang, run two ropes down to upper corner grommets on your screen, and then two ropes going from bottom corner grommets to tent stakes in the ground?

Hrm... that could work.  I'll check the overhang.  Might not have a ladder that reaches up there as that's the vertex of my roof.

[shardian]

Last night I picked up 2 more sticks of PVC, went home, ate and laid down. Summer sickness sucks! My wonderful wife even got the PVC out of the car. This morning she drove by a yard sale and picked up some sort of cart for the AV projector stuff. Boy did I land a keeper. Now if only I could convince her to apply some vinyl to the pacman...

I hope I feel better this evening so I can get everything set up and tested out.

[ChadTower]

Bah.  My wife won't even set up the chairs to watch a movie. 

[koz319]

Shardian,

Nice job on the screen!

Not trying to take away from the DIY aspect, but for anyone interested in an outdoor screen, wal-mart has the inflatable gemmy screen on sale for $163.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7983503

I know I mentioned this before, and I know it's more expensive than the DIY solutions, but after trying several different DIY solutions, I'm pretty happy with this. Setup is not too tough, and it stows in a duffle when you're done.  No permanent mounts necessary.  Three downsides to this - it's not good in high wind,  the tiedown ropes are not adjustable as delivered (easily fixed), and it's more fun to DIY 
 

So my only question now is - what's the 1st movie gonna be?   

Koz

[ChadTower]

Heh, read the rewiews... "the fan didn't work, it won't go back in the bag, didn't work in wind, the fans suck up grass, and the bag was ripped" and then the person gives it a 5 star rating.   

[shardian]

Shardian,

Nice job on the screen!

Not trying to take away from the DIY aspect, but for anyone interested in an outdoor screen, wal-mart has the inflatable gemmy screen on sale for $163.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7983503

I know I mentioned this before, and I know it's more expensive than the DIY solutions, but after trying several different DIY solutions, I'm pretty happy with this. Setup is not too tough, and it stows in a duffle when you're done.  No permanent mounts necessary.  Three downsides to this - it's not good in high wind,  the tiedown ropes are not adjustable as delivered (easily fixed), and it's more fun to DIY 
 

So my only question now is - what's the 1st movie gonna be?   

Koz

That's a great price for a blow up screen that size. The reviewers also say the screen is detachable. It won't work for my setup due to the hill in my back yard. I'm setting up the projector at the edge of my patio, and projecting to the screen 20 feet down the hill. The land will not be flat where the screen goes.

[ChadTower]

The reviewers also say the screen is detachable.

Wouldn't it have to be detachable?  A good screen would get all crinkled up and crappy if you just jammed it into a bag.

[shardian]

Wouldn't it have to be detachable?  A good screen would get all crinkled up and crappy if you just jammed it into a bag.

Well it is from Wal-Mart, and priced at a fraction of competitors.

[ChadTower]

Well it is from Wal-Mart, and priced at a fraction of competitors.

Fair enough.   

[ChadTower]

Heh, yeah, because the owner of that house is looking for a $30 solution to add on.   

[koz319]

That's a great price for a blow up screen that size. The reviewers also say the screen is detachable. It won't work for my setup due to the hill in my back yard. I'm setting up the projector at the edge of my patio, and projecting to the screen 20 feet down the hill. The land will not be flat where the screen goes.

How steep is your hill?  The inflatable frame is actually sort of flexible, so if the grade is not too steep, it should work just fine. (shorter tie ropes one one side, longer on other, screen will angle)
 

[shardian]

Ideal for sledding steep on the side I prefer to put the screen.

[koz319]

Never been sledding, but I would imagine the hill is definitely too steep.

Post pics when you're done!

Koz

[jfunk]

My wife and I bought this screen from target.com...  The first one we got had a busted motor, but the second one was great (free shipping - and fast - so no big deal there)...

Got a fairly cheap all-in-one dvd/projector from Sam's Club..  Looking to try it out a few times this summer 

Looking forward to seeing other setups on here... 

-Jason

[shardian]

How loud is the motor in those blow up screens?

[shardian]

Didn't get home from a wedding shower until 9:30, but still trucked at getting this set up and tested.
I cut the center supports and legs, drove in the posts, and assembled the screen. I slid the legs onto the posts, and then lifted the screen into place...by myself. As you can see, the screen is crooked due to the way the back yard slopes down and away to the left. I'll get out a level and trim the right leg accordingly. Setup was a breeze, even working by myself.

After these pics, I tinkered with the screen and got rid of a bunch more wrinkles. I was more than impressed with color and screen brightness. I also noted that I could move the screen farther down the hill and use the zoom function to shrink the screen. Height wise, I don't think I want to go down the hill any more though.

P.S. without paying attention to the words at the bottom of the screen, what movie am I playing?




* I actually got a request from a friend to play One Crazy Summer at the shower this evening. I totally didn't expect anyone in my group to know either Savage Steve movie. That was awesome!

[ChadTower]

You can't sled on that hill!   

I'm impressed by the pic on the blackout cloth, though.  Now I'm more motivated to give that a shot.  Wish I could sew.

[shardian]

Yes you can, I just didn't photograph the side that is steep. The side I am standing on taking the pic has a very gentle slope. Below the shed it gets really steep.

[koz319]

How loud is the motor in those blow up screens?

They sound like a hairdryer on low, but not quite as loud. 
The first time I plugged it in to inflate, I was worried they might be a little loud. Once the screen inflated and was upright, it muffled the sound some, and it was not distracting during the movie.  There's no way it would be acceptable in my theater, but outdoors it doesn't seem to be an issue.
(The blowers are the same as those inflatable Christmas lawn decorations, if you've ever heard one of those.)

BTW, Pics look good! And as far as the name of the movie, just remember, it's tenticles. NT.  Big difference.

[jfunk]

koz is right.  Outside, the noise isn't much at all.  If you put it inside though (if you have room), it's kind of obnoxious 

-Jason

[shardian]

Luckily the weather cleared up in time for movie night. We were getting really bad T-storms until about 7 or so. I leveled out the screen and it went great. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics. We had 10 or so people over and everyone LOVED it. People walk up to me at church I don't even really know and say "Hey, your the guy with the arcade and movie screen, right?" It's awesome.

About 20 minutes into the movie, the wind started kicking up. I saw the screen lurch forward then back at least 1-2 feet both ways. My stomach did a few sickening flips, but the screen held up wonderfully to mild wind. Probably 10-15 mph.

[shardian]

Oh, and I've decided to keep the screen fully assembled in my gameroom against the wall for the rest of the season. This way, it takes all of 2 minutes to pull it out the door and set it on the legs. Same for taking it down. I can do it by myself, but it is safer with 2 people.

[shardian]

I just remembered something from Saturday night that was awesome. The back patio is right off of my gameroom, and you have to walk through the gameroom to get to the food/bathroom in the basement. I killed all the lights in the gameroom, but left all the games on. Whenever I walked into the gameroom during the movie, it felt EXACTLY like walking into the old gameroom/snack bar of the drive-in theater's of my youth. Every time I walked in, I was brought back to the smells, sights, and sensations of being a kid. I'd just stare at my games for a minute or 2 before walking on to what I was doing. It was the absolute best part of the whole experience.

It also made it painfully obvious that fixing the marquee and coin door lights in some of my games has become a priority.

[shardian]

It also made it painfully obvious that fixing the marquee and coin door lights in some of my games has become a priority.

Marquee lights - check!


The Narc and JK are MAME, so I need to make wiring harnesses to plug into the power supply of the PC's. That or hack a wall wart. The CP glass on the Xevious has had the light wiring cut. I have the wiring, I just need to pull the game out to run the new power cord. Coincidentally, I figured out why the speakers and colors were all messed up - the pcb had fallen off the old mounting feet in the cab and the jamma harness was loose. I reached through the coin door and got the harness back on right - so now the game is 100% again. Sweet! It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get a free 30 minutes in the gameroom.

[Fordman]

Why not use this instead?

 http://www.target.com/Elite-Screens-Diagonal-Projector-M100NWV1/dp/B0009HZC52/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1XW358D4RE4X16TV4V84&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B00154JDRG&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

Take 2 - 4 X 4 posts (6.50 each), make 2 stands so they dont fall or that they're not permanant, but mobile, make the screen mountable (as stated can be on the description), but removeable at the same time, pull down the screen, make the sides attach to the same 4 X 4 posts and there you have it, one outdoor projection screen system

Seems simple and under $150 and no blower noise!

Matter of fact, I think I might build one this week end! Gotta wait and see what my work schedule is going to be this weekend. I'll know by Thursday!

 

Fordman

[shardian]

Why not use this instead?

 http://www.target.com/Elite-Screens-Diagonal-Projector-M100NWV1/dp/B0009HZC52/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1XW358D4RE4X16TV4V84&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B00154JDRG&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

Take 2 - 4 X 4 posts (6.50 each), make 2 stands so they dont fall or that they're not permanant, but mobile, make the screen mountable (as stated can be on the description), but removeable at the same time, pull down the screen, make the sides attach to the same 4 X 4 posts and there you have it, one outdoor projection screen system

Seems simple and under $150 and no blower noise!

Matter of fact, I think I might build one this week end! Gotta wait and see what my work schedule is going to be this weekend. I'll know by Thursday!

 

Fordman

That screen is not actually 100". For a 16:9 movie, it will be about 79" diagonal. Keep that in mind. That is pretty small for an outdoor screen.

[Vanguard]

For my 4x4 posts, I went to Home Depot and got some of the vinyl fencing posts.  I cut a 6 foot post in half and burried them in the yard.  I put rocks at the bottom of the hole I burried them in so that they wouldn't fill in and water could drain.

I also got 2 of the vinyl caps.  When I show a movie, I remove the caps and drop the 4x4 posts into the vinyl sleeve in the ground.   When done, remove the posts and replace the caps.

[Wade]

It also made it painfully obvious that fixing the marquee and coin door lights in some of my games has become a priority.

Marquee lights - check!


The Narc and JK are MAME, so I need to make wiring harnesses to plug into the power supply of the PC's. That or hack a wall wart. The CP glass on the Xevious has had the light wiring cut. I have the wiring, I just need to pull the game out to run the new power cord. Coincidentally, I figured out why the speakers and colors were all messed up - the pcb had fallen off the old mounting feet in the cab and the jamma harness was loose. I reached through the coin door and got the harness back on right - so now the game is 100% again. Sweet! It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get a free 30 minutes in the gameroom.

Sweet!  It's looking like a real gameroom.  Gamerooms HAVE to be dim to be proper.   A couple mood lights are okay, or one over the pool table or what not, but the flourescent?  No way.

I've found that even if I turn off all the overhead lights and only use the neon lights and billiards light, my room ends up being too bright!  Sometimes, less is more.

That said, I still often think about getting some game related neons for the classics room!

Wade

[ChadTower]

Exposed sheet rock outdoors?  Or do you mean taking it out and putting it away every time?  That would be a pain in the ass.  I'd use painted MDF if I were going that route.

And yes, now I can haul it, I have a truck.   

[ChadTower]

It has been raining in the entire northeast pretty much since April. 

[shardian]

Oh yeah, I forget you guys have humidity in the rest of the country.  Ah well, seemed like a cheap material to play with.

That and it weighs a ton compared to a piece of cloth and some PVC!

[shardian]

It also made it painfully obvious that fixing the marquee and coin door lights in some of my games has become a priority.

Marquee lights - check!


The Narc and JK are MAME, so I need to make wiring harnesses to plug into the power supply of the PC's. That or hack a wall wart. The CP glass on the Xevious has had the light wiring cut. I have the wiring, I just need to pull the game out to run the new power cord. Coincidentally, I figured out why the speakers and colors were all messed up - the pcb had fallen off the old mounting feet in the cab and the jamma harness was loose. I reached through the coin door and got the harness back on right - so now the game is 100% again. Sweet! It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get a free 30 minutes in the gameroom.

Sweet!  It's looking like a real gameroom.  Gamerooms HAVE to be dim to be proper.   A couple mood lights are okay, or one over the pool table or what not, but the flourescent?  No way.

I've found that even if I turn off all the overhead lights and only use the neon lights and billiards light, my room ends up being too bright!  Sometimes, less is more.

That said, I still often think about getting some game related neons for the classics room!

Wade

Thanks Wade. You need to come to the next 80's movie night!
I picked up the stuff to fix the control panel glass light on Xevious. I decided to try out a blacklight bulb there. It is worth a shot to see what it looks like.

[ChadTower]

Nothing complex but very nicely done.

[Vanguard]

Have you guys seen this:

http://backyardtheater.com/

It's the arcadecontrols.com of outdoor movies.  I think I actually learned about this site on this forum.

[ChadTower]

Whoa, no I hadn't seen that.  I'm definitely going to have to poke around and see what those guys have built.  Nothing about what I am doing is unusual or pushing the envelope so I'll bet there are a couple solutions there that fit perfectly. 

Thanks!

 

[shardian]

Yeah I've spent time on that site from back when I was in the diy PJ hobby. Maybe I'll take some better pics next time I host a movie and add mine to the database.

[Wade]

Yeah I've spent time on that site from back when I was in the diy PJ hobby. Maybe I'll take some better pics next time I host a movie and add mine to the database.

"DIY PJ hobby"??  Do you make your own zip-up pajamas with the built-in feet?

(My brother actually has a pair of those and he's like 250+ lbs!)

Wade

[protokatie]

Well, I as the renaming of the thread as per this post states, I got the OK from the next door neighbors to set up a screen and use their driveway as the seating area! This is of course only for Saturday night matinee only, and the sound system has to be friendly, but they seemed to be cool with using their grill too.

The only thing stopping me is getting a decent (or crappy but OK) projector and some sheets that don't have too many cumm stains on them! (Or blackout cloth, which ever is either cheaper or less disgusting).

Anyone have a good link for a 500 or so dollar projector? And some good "stain free" cloth?

EDIT: when I say stain free, I am not refering to the "cumm" stuff I joked about before, but for a cloth that will last for a decent time outside under weather and will give a good picture)

[shardian]

Yeah I've spent time on that site from back when I was in the diy PJ hobby. Maybe I'll take some better pics next time I host a movie and add mine to the database.

"DIY PJ hobby"??  Do you make your own zip-up pajamas with the built-in feet?

(My brother actually has a pair of those and he's like 250+ lbs!)

Wade

Building your own projector. The forums were bought out and shut down, and then I lost interest. Never ended up finishing mine. It's still sitting in the garage. It was a very clever design too...

[Edgedamage]

Build your own projector:
http://lumenlab.com/projectors/
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showforum=54

[shardian]

Well, I also lost interest because we got a real projector. When the real deal weighs about 30x less, is 25% the size, and has WAY better specs, its easy to see why. 

[Edgedamage]

My work ruined the home projector idea for me. After seeing a post production projector home ones don't do anything for me anymore.
http://www.barco.com/corporate/en/products/product_specs.asp?element=3195&lid=EN
http://www.christiedigital.com/AMEN/Products/christieCP2000SB.htm
Both of these projectors are running off one of these:
http://www.doremicinema.com/dcp.html

[Fordman]

Hello All,

After reading this thread and viewing the various other home-brew outdoor theaters found on www.backyardtheater.com , I decided I was going to have one of my own.

I originally was going to shell out the cash for a pre-made screen. NA! Baby NA! After looking on ebay for screen material, there is plenty to choose from and they all tout their pluses and minuses and tell me how their's is 'the best'. Then after reading a little more, I have found that black-out cloth, the same stuff found on the back of curtains, seem to be the choice of the DIY'er. I purchased 3 yards for $12.00 at Hancock Fabrics. Instead of making a PVC frame for the screen, I stole this guys frame idea.



I made an adjustment to the screen for the height to be 54" and the length to be 96" to give me a 110" screen; diagonally. At first, in the corners I used 'L' brackets. MISTAKE! Alot of DIY screen website and youtube videos show them being made with 'L' brackets. USE THE CORNER BRACES as shown in the dimentional diagram above. Very sturdy frame and very light weight.

Here is the screen attached to my shed as opposed to an independent stand. I thought about the wind factor and up against my shed, it isnt going anywhere!



My shed is a huge 10' X 12' shed with lots of loft space!

Back to the screen, the black-out cloth stretched very well and I dont have any wrinkles.

I attached the screen to the shed with 3 of these &

I had to take the straight pieces and make a hook out of it by bending it so the hook part would hang in the strap. EASY UP, EASY DOWN! 1 man job and QUICK!

Total Screen price tag = $30.00 after tax.
$12.00 for black-out cloth
$16.00 1" X 4" pine x 4 ~ $4.00ea
I had some scrap wood for the braces and staples to stretch the screen. I also had the brackets for hanging the screen.

I also was going to shell out the cash for a new projector. NA! again!

I shopped the big box stores and the little guys. $650.00 + for a decent projector. Pawn shops were wanting 95% of retail for one also. Craigslist 'Is What It Is', mostly junk. eBay was my final option. After reading several auctions and lots of research at www.projectorcentral.com, I found a Dell 3300MP http://www.projectorcentral.com/Dell-3300MP.htm on eBay for $200.00 after shipping.

After waiting the 3 days it took to get here from Washington state to Ohio (extremely fast I think!), I plugged it in, pointed it at our bedroom wall.





Colors look great on the wall!

Then after the screen build and now it's dark,



Ted Stryker starting to flashback to the war!



And a pic of Ted & Elaine.

VERY VERY Pleased with the end result.   

We have set a movie date of Aug. 15 for relatives and friends (hopefully it doesnt rain, 15 days straight now). They all think we're nuts for doing this and some have even questioned how in the world are we pulling this off. As we gave it a test run tonite, everyone that usually walks the neighborhood stopped and watched from the street. YES! We got the envy of the neighborhood! We definately '1UP-ed' a certain neighbor and he took notice!

Thanks for the idea for this project and if anyone needs help, give me a PM or make a post to this thread!

Fordman

[protokatie]

Although you have landed the screen: "Good luck, we are counting on you!"

[DaOld Man]

You guys have me thinking about this outdoor movie thing. Seems like it would be a great way to have saturday night get togethers or parties.
Grill out and shoot the BS until it gets dark enough to watch the movie.
Sounds like fun.

I was thinking about mounting the screen on the hill like shardian had to do.
I dont think I will have that problem, but, I was thinking that it might be pretty neat to mount the screen at the top of the hill running across the hill, and the projector at the bottom, on a stand above everyones heads.
If the hill wasnt too steep, it might feel more like the ole drive in movies.

[ChadTower]

That's a good frame design... but what prevents me from doing that is that I have no place to store something that large while also keeping it clean.

[protokatie]

That's a good frame design... but what prevents me from doing that is that I have no place to store something that large while also keeping it clean.

The joining members could be held together with double hinges with the hinge bolt. To collapse/take apart the frame, simply remove the hinge bolts. The screen would have to be removable from the frame, but it could work. I would say use anchor eye-lets in the screen with bungee cords to make the screen removable.

Just my 2 cents, as it certainly CAN be done.


EDIT: The hinge idea was from how my cab is designed, with the top part bracketed to the base with hinge pieces. This makes it transportable since the top could be removed, but gives a strong connection when in place. Remember, hinges aren't just for doors, when properly used they make great brackets.

[Fordman]

The frame is very sturdy & light weight but a bit bulky. So far, I have only stored this inside the house but I admit, finding a permanent clean place for storage is going to be a task. The black-out cloth is just like anything else, it can only be stretched so much until it gives out. But, it is very cheap if it has to be replaced.

My sister in law is a wiz with a sewing machine. She says to sew a zipper on to the screen around the frame. As it zips on to the permenantly attached part of the zipper on the frame, it will stretch the viewing portion of the screen to take the wrinkles out. That way it can be removed and kept rolled and clean. I gave her $50.00 for new black-out cloth and zipper. We'll see how that turns out.  The frame can also be made to fold in half for easier storage. We'll see how that works out also! 

Second night for testing and NO RAIN! The pics are from my cell phone and I'm kinda off to the left of the screen.



"You, quadraped, you sprekin' de' English?"



Overall, We're all very happy.

Also, my neighbor that I '1UPed' was fast at my door this morning, wanting to know how I made the screen. I told him I bought it from a guy on craigslist for $250.00.  He asked about the projector, I said it was from Best Buy and it had a special bulb for outdoor use and was $1,100.  He wont be having any movies in his backyard!  He's too dumb to check it out on the internet! He's pissed because he's the type that has to have everything and be the neighborhood show off! 



 

Fordman

[ChadTower]

A zipper... let us know how that turns out.  If it's good you'll be able to make a few more and a couple bucks! 

protokatie, I know it could be done, anything could be done.  It's a matter of how much work you're willing to put in to watch 6-8 movies a year.  I do already have a real 96" square retracting screen to use so the bigger size would be just to upgrade and to go widescreen.

[shardian]

I haven't had a chance to set ours out again yet. It is frustrating! I'm still a bit under the weather, but I am hoping to get better, clean the gameroom, and set up one for this Friday.

[ChadTower]

I tried hard to find time last year and still we did it probably 4 times.  We did start late in the year.  This year we've done it twice but it seems as though something always pops up or the weather isn't good enough.  Doesn't help that over the summer it's not dark enough to start the show until around 9pm.

[Fordman]

Tonite's Flicks: Bee Movie & WWF's The Rock! (I never got the 'F' out!)





I'm going to have a Wrestling Night! Featuring anything PRE 1990!

Jerry Lawler vs Macho Man

Ric Flair Vs Dusty Rhodes 1983 NWA Tile Match

Ric Flair Vs Sting 1988 Clash of Champions

Ric Flair Vs Ricky 'the Dragon' Steamboat Wrestlewar 1989

'Rowdy' Roddy Piper Vs Greg 'the Hammer' Valentine Starcade 1983

A little Road Warrior Action too!

And many more. Card Subject to Change!

 

Fordman

[shardian]

I'm showing a movie tonight, but don't know yet what I am showing.

[ChadTower]

Dude that's a pretty good list of matches!   

[shardian]

End of summer bump. So how many times did you guy's do the movie thing?

We did a few group movie nights, but lately we've been doing it just for ourselves. My wife loves watching movies out there. We watched Space Camp Sunday night.

I figure we'll watch a handful more through october, and have a grand Finale on Halloween. Then I'll collapse the screen down for storage.

[shardian]

I wish we lived in a place that had 70+ winters. Sometimes the cold and snow is fun, but I would much prefer to live in beachland 24/7 and visit the snow/cold for vacation. My wife has family in Florida that take their vacations as ski trips or Alaskan cruises. I'm so jealous!

[shardian]

Anyways, yes it will come down following Halloween.

[ChadTower]

Halloween around here usually represents the end of these things.  Last year it was 30 on Halloween and never got any warmer after that.  Our last outdoor movie in 2008 was the week before Halloween and we had a fire and the family was in winter coats and blankets.

We have probably been able to do it 5 times this summer.  It has been a busier one than usual.  We don't have anyone over, though, since our neighbors are about as friendly as Chris Benoit.

[shardian]

We've invited neighbors before, but I don't think they believe us when we tell them what we have out there. Personally, I wouldn't doubt a guy who has a full blown arcade in his house! Not to mention most of them have seen my Hallowindow setup.

Case in point - I've invited the next door kid EVERY TIME I've had a game night or movie night. Monday afternoon, him and his mom were talking to my wife, and they mentioned they kept hearing noise the night before and went out to check it out. Then they saw the screen and thought it was awesome. She asked why we never invited them over for it? My wife just chuckled and pointed out that we had...

One thing I do like about just showing for us and maybe the in-laws is that I don't have to clean the house.

[ChadTower]

Frankly I'm surprised no one here has called the cops on us yet.  Or that we haven't had a random drunk wander over to our yard and start a problem.  Last year we had animal control visit us and a drunk driver roll into our yard.

[shardian]

Frankly I'm surprised no one here has called the cops on us yet.  Or that we haven't had a random drunk wander over to our yard and start a problem.  Last year we had animal control visit us and a drunk driver roll into our yard.

Our screen is very secluded. Blackout cloth makes for a great screen, but the main reason I wanted it was so that the image didn't got through and light up the trees and possibly the road beyond. You might catch a brief glance of the screen between the house and shed if driving by, but barely if at all.

[ChadTower]

Ours is too.  It's right up against the house.  Directly across the yard are trees and a 10' wooden fence with no gaps.  Facing the screen, to the left, are 13' thick bushes, then a main street.  To the right are lower but still thick bushes and my neighbor's yard.  On the other side of that fence, though, is a pizza place, and across from that pizza place is a bar.  So even though you might not SEE the screen people can hear the movie if everything else dies down for a while.

[ChadTower]

I said animal control, not police.  She said she was looking for a black Rottweiler that was roaming around.

Actually would have been better if it were the police.

[Fordman]

Here in Cincy on Labor Day weekend, we mark the end of summer with a little party called Riverfest. At the end of the day a local radio station and some corporate comglomorate sponsors a fireworks show. It is locally televised and has been on just about every station in town. They all try to out do each other with camera angles and aerial shots and the likes. This year it was actually in HD. So I put up the 'ole outdoor screen, antenna, HD converter box, VCR for the tuner and projector.

The pics are from my cell phone, so they arnt the best quality.



I made th speakers removable from the side of the screen.



Here comes the fireworks:





Not too bad! Then it was 'A Bug's Life' for the kiddo's





 

Fordman

[ChadTower]

 

So, we did a nice movie tonight, but when I was taking the screen down it fell.  The bottom bar ripped off the screen for about half of its width.  Now I have to see if it's possible to repair that or if I just borked my 96" screen.