Blackout cloth and masking system (1 Viewer)

[JakeCo]

I will be using blackout cloth as my screen material for my DIY screen. I'm building the screen in 1.85:1 format (48" x 85.5") and would like to have a masking system for 2.35:1 movies. I have read about magents and other things to create a masking system but none seem plausible when attached to a cloth screen. Does anyone have any ideas on how to mask when I am using a cloth screen that is scretched over a 48" x 85.5" frame made of 1x4's? Thanks.

 

[Dustin B]

I haven't done this yet, but I'm getting really close to deciding it's time to start. The only thing that has changed from this post is I've decided to go to a 1.78:1 screen and only use the full height for 4:3 material. 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 will be kept constant area.


http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...32#post1969232

A couple posts down from this one I describe my plan more specifically and give a link to a guys site that gave me the idea.

 

[JakeCo]

Dustin:
So you plan on using a motorized masking system with power-door motors? You say that your main screen will be 1.78:1 meaning that it will be a true 16:9 ratio? (i.e. 48" x 85.3") You say that 1.85 and 2.35 will be kept constant area, what do you mean by this?

 

[Dustin B]

This post explains constant area.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...344#post107344

I plan on using the full screen width for 2.35:1 and using TheaterTek to shift the image to the bottom of the screen so I only require 3way masking. For 1.85:1 I'll reduce the width and also shift the image down to the bottom of the screen. 4:3 using a 1.78:1 screen's full height on a 16:9 panel projector will require no image shifting and have a screen area slightly smaller than the other two aspect ratios.

And yep, power window motors from a salvage yard and some counter weights are the plan.

 

[JakeCo]

Wow, this is great info. A couple more questions if you dont mind. First, what exactly is TheaterTek? Also, I thought that 1.85 and 2.35 movies had the same screen width, is that wrong? I read the other post a few more times and it looks to me like for the top motor, its just black material being lowered down with no need for counterweights. But the lower motor, needs the counterweights to raise the black material. Is this right?

 

[Dustin B]

For his design correct on the counter weights. I plan on counter weighting my top mask, as I plan on attaching a motor to it, and hanging vertical curtains from it. So when all is said and done I think it might be a bit much for a power window motor. So I intend to use counterweights to make it lighter for the motor.

http://www.theatertek.com

Theater Tek is a software DVD player. It has extensive aspect ratio control capabilities (including resizing the image) and a bunch of other niceties. I intend on using it's aspect ratio control to make 1.85:1 movies not take up the entire width of the screen to get the constant area effect.

 

[JakeCo]

Damn, this is gonna sound stupid. I think alot of this just clicked for me, as far as when you say moving the image up and down. You are using a HTPC, right? I thought you were originally talking about a regular setup of a stand alone dvd player. Also, how do you plan on couterweighing the top motor? Doesn't the top motor just use gravity to lower the top mask down?

 

[Wes]

You can look at my manual system on my site, I had planned on motorizing it but just have not done it as of yet.

Link Removed

Wes

 

[Dustin B]

I'm expecting the top mask to be too heavy when it's completed. So I'm planning on connecting it to pulley's above it that will have counter weights. The counter weight for the top mask will be heavy enough to make the top mask seem a nice easy weight for the electric motor. The counter weights in this case aren't for simulating gravity but instead for making it seem less for the electric motor.

And yep I'm planning on full fledged HTPC. Sorry I didn't make that clear before.

You may find these links interesting for HTPC:

http://www.digitalconnection.com/Pro...ses/ci6011.asp
https://www.dcpuraty.com/store/Produ...Code=MAREVO71T

Also gonna get the cheapest ATI Radeon 9000 video card I can. Haven't figure out where I'm gonna get the IRMan or the video capture card yet though. But I will soon.