Bsselp Screen Ideas

[Guest]

Hi Brad,

My first post on this forum! I noticed you have two projectors at each corner of the room. It appears the image projected is criss-crossing each other before they hit the screen. Does this cause any picture degradation? Would it better to have the two projectors centered in the middle pointing out towards the screen? I hope this makes sense! I'll be attempting to build my own curved screen with 2 BenQ short throw 1080p projectors in the next few months and would welcome any suggestions you have.

Thank you!

Ben

[BHawthorne]

[Guest]

Thanks for the quick reply Brad! I'm actually moving to CO in a few weeks and will start looking for a home with large basement then (so I'm not sure of the dimensions yet). But since the wife is giving me the basement to do what I please, I'm sure it will be big enough for what I have in mind!

My current plan for a first build is to buy the Obutto Revolution for the cockpit and build the screen around that. I'm planning on using two 4x8 flexible sheets (I forget what they're actually called) from home depot for the screen for a 4X14 foot screen. I'm debating on whether I should build the screen back from wood or PVC piping. I've heard that you can heat the pipes to make a nice bend but I'm not exactly sure how to do that. Then I would use industrial strength Velcro to attach the screen to the pipes/wood. I would then fill in the gap between the screens and paint the entire screen with home theater screen paint. I'm pretty sure it would work...

What would be the best screen arc degrees for sims? Honestly, I'm not even sure how to measure the arc at this point. Unfortunately, math was never my strong point... :/

Thanks for any advice you have!

[BHawthorne]

Excellent, that gives you a lot of basement to work with. Mainly the reason why I went PVC on that screen is I wanted it semi-portable, but if it's a fixed location build I would just go with lumber and use masonite sheeting as the wall then mud and sand it like it's a sheetrock wall giving it a perfectly uniform surface. Then you can use some of the screen paint options that a lot of the AV forums have mixtures for.

Good pick on the Obutto seat. I've been watching them since the first seat came out and the people I know that have used both are really happy with it.

No worries about the math and the DIY parts. The community here can work with you to help through those areas. It's why the site is here. People have been building setups using the site for many years now.

I went ahead and split the posts to a new thread to help keep your posts from getting lost in the other thread.

[Guest]

Is the Masonite sheeting flexible? I thought about using drywall but didn't want to have three flat screens but rather a nice curved screen like the one you've built. Plus it would allow me to only use two projectors instead of three. Also, if I use the two projectors, will the center be blurry in the middle due to the warping software? I also play the occasional FPS and a blurry center could be an issue.

Thanks again!

Ben

[BHawthorne]

Yes, most masonite should be flexible given the thickness you end up using. It typically has a finished and unfinished side. Some masonite is further actually finished like paneling. Personally, I'd just get some generic brown masonite to form the curve. I learned about it because Boeing used it as packing material and i could buy it for $1/stack from Boeing surplus Wichita back when that was open. It's a shame they had to close. It was a good source for project materials between their used packing crates and surplus hardware they sold. Be mindful I have no claims on being a carpenter. To me the material seems like it would conform to a uniform circle quite easily though.

[Guest]

Ive been looking into the Masonite and I think that may be the way to go! It seems easier to paint than other smoother material I was conisering. Also, what about the blending point with only two projectors? Is the blurring substantial in the center of the screen? Does it interfere with FPS type games? Thanks!

[BHawthorne]

It's not an issue imho once you have it configured. Just be mindful that the more rigid your projector mounts are the better. If you use cheap mounts that are wobbly that'll be a perpetual problem. I've been doing a center blend for while now and I might fix a 2-3 pixel drift on the calibration every 1-2 weeks. Nothing notable IMHO.

[Guest]

Good pick on the Obutto seat. I've been watching them since the first seat came out and the people I know that have used both are really happy with it.