TURBOED Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 When my brother offered me his old projector (InFocus SP4805) for $70... I figured it was a sign from above that I should have a theater in my basement. So over the last month or so, I have been piecing together some audio equipment to go with it, and last weekend I finally got down to business. Thought it would be fun to update a thread as my build goes along. This post will be all projector mounting and screen building, since that is basically what I have finished right now. Projector Mount: I didn't take any unmounted shots, but it is pretty straightforward. Cost was under $20, and it gave me adjustment of every corner via the wingnuts connecting the two boards. http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0750.jpg http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0745.jpg And now onto the screen. I was planning on doing a simple wood frame with blackout cloth canvas stretched across it. I had a little challenge, since the screen would be partially covering a window, and the window sill sticks out about 2.5". Because of that, I made the frame out of 1x4's to add depth and get over the window, and had to notch it to fit over the window frame. Frame: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0744.jpg Window I have to cover (and a sneek peak at some of the audio goodies): http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0746.jpg I then covered the window in blackout cloth to keep light from leaking through: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0747.jpg Then stretched the fabric over the frame: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0751.jpg And mounted the frame to the wall with some L-brackets. I wanted to solid mount to the wall to gaurd against bowing of the wood from the tension of the material on the frame. Also, the material covering the window will eventually get wall-colored paint: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0753.jpg Finally, I took more 1x4's and routed the inside edge with a round-over bit. Some black spray paint and a nail gun later, and we have a nice frame: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0757.jpg (note - There was a lot of light in the room for this pic, and this is not the brightest of projectors. Picture is of course 100x better with lower light) Total cost so far: Projector - $70 Mount - ~$20 Screen - ~$50 Will update later this week as I start to run all of the audio components Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffro Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 awesome, 70 bucks for the projector? nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bruh Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 can't be that deal for everything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBOED Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 awesome, 70 bucks for the projector? nice! Yeah, it was the first projector my brother bought for his theater 5 or so years ago. The light tunnel went bad so he just bought a better projector. After I bought my house, he told me if I bought a new light tunnel ($70), he'd give me the projector. It's not great... just a 480i DLP projector. Doesn't do too well with much ambient light in the room, and the color wheel is pretty loud, but a 95" DVD resolution screen for $70 was well worth it to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clifford Automotive Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Tell me more about the material you used for the screen and where you got it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaplay1647545503 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Tell me more about the material you used for the screen and where you got it? +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBOED Posted March 1, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I got it at Jo Ann Fabrics. The official name for the material there is "Budget Blackout Cloth." It is actually meant to use as a drape lining to keep light out of a room. It's nearly 100% reflective, which makes it perfecct for a projector screen. Pretty widely used as a budget friendly DIY projector screen. Cost is only like $6/yard, although I got it 50% off on a random sale weekend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaplay1647545503 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Jo Anns also has 40% off coupons in the sunday papers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrodh Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Looks pretty sick man especially for a DIY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorne Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I had a project before I bought my 52inch CRT HD TV. I loved it 102 inches off my infocus LP4xx. Movie night kicked ass. It was a 800x600 Computer projector I just used a pc as my media source. nice setup. The best part is that each of those pieces can be swapped out as upgrades are found! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug1647545489 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Having a little theater is like modding a car. Soon you'll want a better projector, then comes a better sound system. Before you know it you're buying theater seating and a popcorn machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 I was going to try blackout cloth as well, but the shower curtain I had worked well enough that I didn't bother. I need to mount the "screen" and make a frame but i'm lazy and stuff. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1136139&postcount=11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sol740 Posted March 1, 2010 Report Share Posted March 1, 2010 Love the frame job. Looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthmonkey Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 http://www.veryfunnyads.com/?oid=25221 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evan9381 Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 it looks good, although i think the screen placement with the window looks dumb...i probably would have put it up to the ceiling to cover it all the way, but thats me. but it's your basement and if you like it thats all that matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubar231 Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Very nice, looks good, cheap, and works. What else could you ask for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Lee Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Pretty sweet. I had a setup like this for about 2 years until I got a LED TV recently. Just projected onto my apartment wall though. Playing CoD on a 90" screen is definitely insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBOED Posted March 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 it looks good, although i think the screen placement with the window looks dumb...i probably would have put it up to the ceiling to cover it all the way, but thats me. but it's your basement and if you like it thats all that matters. I could put the screen up there... but there would be no picture projected onto it Screen placement is nearly all a result of projector specs. At my throw distance, the image at the wall starts about 13" below the lens, which is 4" or so below the ceiling... so you see my point. Besides that, you want your screen to be at a comfortable eye level. Flush with the ceiling would look really wierd, I think. I agree the window looks a little strange, and I plan to paint the window covering, which should help it blend more. As is, you really only notice it with the lights on (aka when not watching something). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwashmycar Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 it looks sick. nicely done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBOED Posted March 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Thanks to everyone for the compliments. I got the 2 fronts and center speaker wire run last night but haven't taken pics yet. Hopefully I'll finish running wires tonight and have an update with pics tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICEMAN1647545504 Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Good stuff man... I just got mine on the wall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBOED Posted March 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 OK, update with new pictures... my budget audio setup. Receiver: I picked up a used Harmon Kardon AVR-235 on Ebay for $130. It does pretty much anything you could want from a receiver besides have HDMI... but since the projector is 480i, that is OK with me. So far it sounds great. Picture (nevermind the sloppy wiring, it's temporary) http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0758.jpg Subwoofer: I had an 8ohm JL audio 12w0 sitting around, and an old KLH 12" 100watt powered sub in a ported box. The KLH driver was garbage and the box was in awful shape. As a housewarming gift, my brother spec'd out optimal box volume for the JL driver, and built the monster ported box you see below. It doesn't have TONS of output, but it is very tight, clean bass. Really fills in the sound nicely for the basically $0 it cost. The finish is roll on truck bed liner... it turned out pretty good. Speakers: I'll be using 5 Advent Heritage H200 speakers. Though this speaker was branded as an Advent (crappy best buy brand) in the US, Advent is owned by Audiovox, which also owns a high end German speaker company called HECO. The Advent Heritage series speaker is actually just a rebranded HECO Krypton series speaker. So, a $200+ set of speakers becomes a $120 best buy brand speaker. Then about two years ago they went on closeout at Parts Express for $50/pair, and my brother and I bought I think 6 or 7 pairs I also have two small infinity satallite speakers that I am kicking around doing 7.1 with, but I haven't decided yet. Sub and 2 speakers: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0761.jpg I now have all the speakers wired. It's a little jank, but all in all doesn't look too bad for not spending a bunch of money on nice looking cable runs. The cable clips I used to mount to the walls cost $1 for a box of 100 from monoprice. Front Right: http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0763.jpg Surround Left http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0766.jpg http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0767.jpg And finally, a front view of the fronts and center mounted up. The wiring below the center still needs to be secured to the wall. Also, the board under the center is temporary. I'll be making a wedge out of foam to set the center channal to the correct angle, so that it is aimed to be the same height as the front speakers when sitting in the central viewing position. http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/jjschafe/IMG_0768.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwishiwascool Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 I guess I look at it like this: If this were car related, CR folks would call it sloppy and half-assed. Likewise, if you posted this on a home theater enthusiasts forum they would say the same. With limited resources and competing priorities I realize that something has to lose. Just like anything else though, I'd ask: Why not go all the way? If you're going to do it, do it right. Fish the wires in the wall and ceiling, spend $200 bucks on a monoprice screen to avoid the 40% light loss you are experiencing, etc.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1veryfastvr4 Posted March 5, 2010 Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 but some see it as its better than nothing..... if you like it, who cares what others think right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TURBOED Posted March 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2010 I guess I look at it like this: If this were car related, CR folks would call it sloppy and half-assed. Likewise, if you posted this on a home theater enthusiasts forum they would say the same. With limited resources and competing priorities I realize that something has to lose. Just like anything else though, I'd ask: Why not go all the way? If you're going to do it, do it right. Fish the wires in the wall and ceiling, spend $200 bucks on a monoprice screen to avoid the 40% light loss you are experiencing, etc.... Floor joists run perpendicular to the direction I would run the speaker wire. No way in hell I'm taking down the ceiling and drilling through all those floor joists just so a few cables are hidden. BTW - they are a lot less noticeable than the pictures make it seem. That corner I show will be covered by the subwoofer, and the wall they run back to front on is mostly covered by the couch and such. I do plan to run the front speaker wires up through the wall though, that's easy. $200 on a screen in a theater that will cost less than $500 total? I don't think so. How do you figure a 40% light loss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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