- Joined
- Jun 10, 2003
- Messages
- 26,250
- Real Name
- Josh Steinberg
So I have a slightly unusual, makeshift approach to my home theater, and I'm in need of some ideas.
I've got an Epson 5030 projector that used to project onto a pull-down screen that hung in my living room. I went with a pull-down screen because I've also got a 50" television that I use for non-movie viewing. So I had the screen on brackets which extended out from the wall just far enough to clear the TV, and I'd pull the screen down when I wanted to watch a movie, and put it back up afterwards. For about a year that worked fine. Unfortunately the walls in my apartment suck, and the brackets finally fell out. (This wasn't exactly a surprise but I was hoping it would hold a little while longer.)
Unfortunately, I live in an apartment in NYC as a renter, so there are very strict limits to what I can and can't do. I do need some kind of a replacement projection screen, but I can't drill any more holes into that wall. It's drywall and there's a small space behind it, and then some kind of brick wall behind that. (There wasn't enough space between the two walls for a toggle bolt or something similar to spring fully open.) Hanging something heavy duty is out, both for the sake of trying to get some of my security deposit back, and also so I don't have to listen to the landlord complaining about the damage I've done.
As a temporary measure, I've used pushins to put up a white bedsheet stretched very tightly to avoid wrinkles and whatnot. It looks... well, it looks like a bedsheet, but it's better than nothing.
I also know that I will only be in this apartment for another 12-18 months, so I don't want to spend a fortune on a solution that will only be used for a year. So no $1000 screens or custom equipment for me.
I was initially leaning towards a floor-standing pull up screen like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Screens-ezCinema-100-inch-Diagonal/dp/B000PHLC7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448760524&sr=8-1&keywords=elite+ezcinema+plus
(I know that Elite isn't the very best in projection screens, but the previous screen was an Elite and was fine for my temporary dwelling. I plan on doing something more fancy if/when I buy a house, but until then, simple and inexpensive has worked for me.)
And I suppose it will work, but it's $350, and I know it's gonna get used for the next year or so and then that's it. So it seems like it would work as a last resort but maybe I should try something else.
The other option I thought of would be to put the TV on some kind of table or shelf unit that has wheels, and then when I want to watch a movie, I could simply disconnect the HDMI input and power cable from the back of the TV, wheel the TV away from the wall, and project onto the wall. I'd just need to get some kind of better screen surface. I know I could get a fixed frame screen for a few hundred bucks, but that seems to put me in the same position as a pull-up screen - an expensive solution that will only be used for a short period.
Has anybody had any success with painting a screen onto the wall? I was thinking if I did that, the cost of paint has to be cheaper than a brand new screen, I could customize it to be any size I wanted, it doesn't require installing or purchasing any hardware, and I can simply repaint the wall when I'm moving out.
So what do you guys think... pull up screen or painted wall? Another option I haven't thought of? Or is this one of those situations where in trying to avoid spending $350 on a temporary screen, I could end up spending more time, money and effort on a replacement idea?
I've got an Epson 5030 projector that used to project onto a pull-down screen that hung in my living room. I went with a pull-down screen because I've also got a 50" television that I use for non-movie viewing. So I had the screen on brackets which extended out from the wall just far enough to clear the TV, and I'd pull the screen down when I wanted to watch a movie, and put it back up afterwards. For about a year that worked fine. Unfortunately the walls in my apartment suck, and the brackets finally fell out. (This wasn't exactly a surprise but I was hoping it would hold a little while longer.)
Unfortunately, I live in an apartment in NYC as a renter, so there are very strict limits to what I can and can't do. I do need some kind of a replacement projection screen, but I can't drill any more holes into that wall. It's drywall and there's a small space behind it, and then some kind of brick wall behind that. (There wasn't enough space between the two walls for a toggle bolt or something similar to spring fully open.) Hanging something heavy duty is out, both for the sake of trying to get some of my security deposit back, and also so I don't have to listen to the landlord complaining about the damage I've done.
As a temporary measure, I've used pushins to put up a white bedsheet stretched very tightly to avoid wrinkles and whatnot. It looks... well, it looks like a bedsheet, but it's better than nothing.
I also know that I will only be in this apartment for another 12-18 months, so I don't want to spend a fortune on a solution that will only be used for a year. So no $1000 screens or custom equipment for me.
I was initially leaning towards a floor-standing pull up screen like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Screens-ezCinema-100-inch-Diagonal/dp/B000PHLC7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1448760524&sr=8-1&keywords=elite+ezcinema+plus
(I know that Elite isn't the very best in projection screens, but the previous screen was an Elite and was fine for my temporary dwelling. I plan on doing something more fancy if/when I buy a house, but until then, simple and inexpensive has worked for me.)
And I suppose it will work, but it's $350, and I know it's gonna get used for the next year or so and then that's it. So it seems like it would work as a last resort but maybe I should try something else.
The other option I thought of would be to put the TV on some kind of table or shelf unit that has wheels, and then when I want to watch a movie, I could simply disconnect the HDMI input and power cable from the back of the TV, wheel the TV away from the wall, and project onto the wall. I'd just need to get some kind of better screen surface. I know I could get a fixed frame screen for a few hundred bucks, but that seems to put me in the same position as a pull-up screen - an expensive solution that will only be used for a short period.
Has anybody had any success with painting a screen onto the wall? I was thinking if I did that, the cost of paint has to be cheaper than a brand new screen, I could customize it to be any size I wanted, it doesn't require installing or purchasing any hardware, and I can simply repaint the wall when I'm moving out.
So what do you guys think... pull up screen or painted wall? Another option I haven't thought of? Or is this one of those situations where in trying to avoid spending $350 on a temporary screen, I could end up spending more time, money and effort on a replacement idea?