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Looking for a decent budget-friendly outdoor screen (1 Viewer)

Aaron Silverman

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Wow, it's been a while since I've ventured into the hardware forums. :)

I've come into possession of an Epson EX-7230 Pro WXGA projector, and I'm thinking about doing some backyard movie watching. I don't really want to build a frame myself, because I need something that can be easily set up and taken down (due to the frequently extreme wind conditions here). Something like the Elite Screens Yard Master, or one of the inflatable types, would probably be the best bet, I think. I realize, as with all A/V gear, that I *could* spend a large sum of money, but that's not going to fly. Getting spousal approval for anything over $200 or so will be difficult, if not impossible.

Note that my backyard is not flat -- there is a bit of a hill sloping down away from the house. It's not too steep, but it is definitely a consideration. I assume that the inflatables have some kind of anchor to prevent 'em tipping over, but I have no experience with them. In fact, my only outdoor home theater experience is with the Scootplex (and as I wrote, I'm not too interested in building something). I assume that I'll have to deal with whatever screen I use leaning backward, but the projector settings can handle any image distortion.

Any tips, recommendations, and/ or warnings from those who have used these kinds of screens would be much appreciated! Are the inflatables worth considering, or are they just a gimmick? Do you need to keep the air pump running the whole time, or can you blow 'em up and leave 'em?

Then again, if anyone has built a DIY outdoor screen that can be taken down easily and can talk about it. . .I'm not ruling anything out completely.
 

schan1269

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Yeah, better answers at a dedicated outdoor site. There is more than one.I actually did an outdoor drive in. Part of my acreage is a 1.5 acre plot that is flat and surrounded by pine trees, with easy road access. I rented a projector capable of a 400" 2.40 and projected it on the side of the barn....before tearing it down(the barn was falling down...but had a good side).I've done more outdoor using the side of the house and an enormous gray tarp bought at Walmart for $30.
 

Aaron Silverman

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That's not really an option -- I would be projecting from next to the house at a screen facing the house. The slope of the yard would prevent multiple rows of seating. Also, I would like to be able to view from inside the screened patio during the buggy months. ;)

Carl's Place -- thanks for the tip. That looks interesting, although it might be above my price range and might require some re-design to put together something relatively portable.
 

Mark McSherry

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I bought the (4:3) 6.75' x 9' wall-hanging kit several months ago. That's a 4:3 diagonal of 131" or a 16:9 diagonal of 120".

The screen material arrives folded in a box along with the 4 corner fittings and necessary bungees. The box measured 5" x 16" x 19". Don't worry about the folded material; under tension the folds completely disappear. The four metal 1" x 10' EMT (electrical metal conduit) pipes which you need to purchase on your own cost $7 each and can be easily cut to the necessary length with a hacksaw.

I splurged and bought the FlexiWhite screen material ($30 over the default Blackout Cloth) so my final price was $180 with free shipping.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Hey, Aaron.

Did you decide on something? How's it working out for you?

I'm considering getting either the Elite Yard Master 120" or Camp Chef OS120 (also 120", but not the RP-capable one). They both seem nearly identical except the Camp Chef comes w/ a gray screen.

I plan to use it more as a portable screen for indoor use (away from my home) rather than outdoors -- ambient light will probably still be an issue either way. I currently just project (from BenQ W1070) onto a white wall in my home (for normal use), which seems good enough for now. Wondering if either screen will be anywhere near as good as the Carl's Place ones (or my white wall for that matter :P ) -- if it beats my white wall, I might just use it at home as well. :D

Yeah, I too am not prepared to spend all that much for this...

Cheers!

_Man_
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Bit the bullet and ordered this... hopefully just in time for a movie night I'm hosting away from home this Saturday:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MAPCZEM

Might've gone for this (or something similar or even actual DIY) instead, but the one place where I host periodic movie nights just won't work for it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H45LDFU

Will probably just be using some old Yamaha 10W/channel sat+sub computer speakers for these (indoor) movie nights -- still need to pick up a (20ft?) long mini stereo cable to run from PJ to them. Speakers will lack oompf, but should probably be adequate enough for this particular purpose -- we don't expect to be screening any big Hollywood blockbuster action flix that need the extra oompf though decent clarity for both dialog and musical soundtrack would be good. They'll probably serve a bit better than the boxy-and-boomy, distortion riddled sound of the old 4x3 RCA(?) RPTV we were using before this anyway...

Also probably need to figure out a way to safely prop the screen up maybe 1/2-ft-or-so higher -- bottom of the screen is only ~2ft from ground.

Gonna be screening Young Frankenstein this time... and then maybe Hugo next time in early Dec...

_Man_
 

ManW_TheUncool

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The movie night (showing Young Frankenstein) went well w/ the new screen (and my old Yamaha sat+sub computer speakers).

Nice screen and frame... though I haven't watched anything colorful on it yet -- just YF. Took a bit longer to set up than I'd like -- and the snaps can get pretty hard to work as tension increases each step of the way -- but maybe it'll go smoother and faster next time out. Still need to figure out some logistics w/ overall setup, including finding a way to safely elevate the screen (to minimize blocked views) -- checked w/ Elite, but they don't offer optional leg extensions.


BTW, what's up w/ my 2nd Amazon link (for the so-called DIY screen) getting swapped for an eBay listing??? Pretty sure I included this link instead:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H45LDFU/


Just noticed that Sam posted the Wirecutter review recommending the Silver Ticket screen sometime around when I decided to order the Elite YM2. The Silver Ticket isn't quite what I was looking for (since it needs to be hung and might also take more effort and longer to set up), but sounds good otherwise. That review also recommended an Elite screen using CineWhite material as a very close runnerup (w/ comparable performance, but more difficult setup). This one I ordered also uses CineWhite material, so that's reassuring. :biggrin:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/335525-the-wirecutter-on-100-screens/


_Man_
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Huh... Weird... That 2nd Amazon link for the Elite DIY 114" screen got swapped again (in my last followup). What's up w/ that? :huh:

Anyway, if anyone's interested in that 114" screen -- not the one I bought -- Amazon's price is much better than that swapped-in eBay listing that hijacked the link (2x now)...

_Man_
 

Aaron Silverman

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Both of those links go to eBay for me.

I am ready to drop some cash on this but Lucy is not. She's convinced that this is something we'd use once or twice and then would rot in the garage. She suggested buying a white king-size bedsheet, which would probably be fine aside from me having to build some kind of frame for it. :) I don't think there's a good place on the side of the house where I could mount something -- it'd have to be freestanding.

I've enlisted some neighbors to help me work on her, but I'm not sure there are enough of them. . .
 

Aaron Silverman

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It didn't say two-day shipping, but I'm not complaining. :) They even showed up an hour early (after calling to check that it was OK). I dumped out all the parts and prepared myself for the inevitable "where the hell are you gonna store that" spousal beating.

So Lucy came home, took one look at it, and said "why bother assembling the frame; just clip the screen to the baseball pitching net." Genius! Sorta.

We managed to set it up and watch Raiders and Top Secret, although we finished the latter on the garage door because the wind started to pick up. I think I might have to bite the bullet and assemble the frame, in which case we might just lean it up against the garage door to use it, 'cause windless nights are a rare commodity. Just gotta figure out where to store it in between movie nights. Also, the hooks on the baseball net were just far enough apart to stretch the clip holes more than I'd like.

I'll update as I figure this out.
 

schan1269

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When I do this(exceptionally large yard...7 acres) I have two trees that are 10 feet apart. They are used for a hammock. I went and made a solid bar(aluminum) the exact distance between the hooks for the hammock. That provides support against wind. Additional eye hooks were put into both trees and use rubber tarp straps on the 4 corners, to the trees.My screen is perforated plastic sheeting, covered in off-white fabric found at Jo-Ann's. The frame is 2" dowel rod with a 1/2" slit dead center. The ends cut 45°.Entire cost for material was $80(including the 9' aluminum tube). Used twist ends on both ends of the tube(essentially became a 10' long twist link).Took maybe 2 hours.Set up takes 5 minutes.
 

Aaron Silverman

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Nice!

I don't have trees that would work, so I think some sort of against-the-house setup will be required. Wind here is a major issue.
 

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