Bluenose Theatre

[GO-NAD!]

Since I finished installing the projector, I figured it was time to post some pics. I have no idea how to place a photo directly into a post, like some of you guys do. I'm a bit of a luddite - which I think I've mentioned before...

And, I'm not the most talented photographer in the world either.

Anyway, I got the outside dimensions of the false wall just right, so that I could just wedge it in place with some pieces of foam. It's plenty rigid and won't move unless you mean to move it. I covered it with black speaker grill cloth from Parts Express. I have to install the trim at some point, but all I want to do now, is watch movies.

The screen came together nicely. I used the Fidelio black velvet for the frame and it reflects nothing.

Since I don't have any prior experience with a projector, I have no reference point for judging the PQ. All I can say is WOW! It looks fantastic to me!

I know BMX will be grinding his teeth, when he sees that I built and installed a component stand under the screen. But, to be honest, there wasn't another spot where I could place my components. And, I don't find the lights from them to be a distraction at all.

What's next...?

1. The trim, as mentioned.
2. The paint is a bit light for a projector, I'll admit, but I can try to work on that later.
3. Some bass traps would be a good a idea.
4. I need a nice big, thick rug to place between the couch and the screen - to reduce light reflection, as well as improve acoustics.
5. Most important - I need to build some new subwoofers!

 

[dkane360]

Looks sweet! I agree with the rug, looks like it needs one. Let me know what you end up doing with your paint. I'll be installing a projector soon and I need to figure out what paint I want to use and not have it look like a dungeon.

If you upload your pictures to flickr, click share this, then grab the html/bbcode, select what size you want to post onto the forums, then just copy and paste the code.

 

[STRONGBADF1]

Looks good! keep the pics coming!

 

[jostenmeat]

Components up front, ok, but you WILL cover them yes? Maybe a custom made panel or something? You can use an RF system . . .

Floor to ceiling superchunk might be a good idea in this room for bass trapping.

In all honesty, I don't know that big and thick really helps all that much as far as rugs. Yes, rugs are a good idea, but I wouldn't blow your load if the thick stuff is a lot more. You can look up "acoustic cotton" as perhaps a layer between the floor and any carpets. Please ask the acoustic experts if they concur, my guess is that they will. Some places for that AC may seem expensive, just look around, it should be affordable in bulk.

I look forward to your sub builds! I was very impressed by the inceiling subs with the help of annunaki, very impressed.

 

[edoggrc51]

Nice room!!!!

 

[jp_over]

Wow - looks great to me!

 

[GO-NAD!]

Components up front, ok, but you WILL cover them yes? Maybe a custom made panel or something? You can use an RF system . . .

Floor to ceiling superchunk might be a good idea in this room for bass trapping.

In all honesty, I don't know that big and thick really helps all that much as far as rugs. Yes, rugs are a good idea, but I wouldn't blow your load if the thick stuff is a lot more. You can look up "acoustic cotton" as perhaps a layer between the floor and any carpets. Please ask the acoustic experts if they concur, my guess is that they will. Some places for that AC may seem expensive, just look around, it should be affordable in bulk.

I look forward to your sub builds! I was very impressed by the inceiling subs with the help of annunaki, very impressed.

Thanks JM! I've given casual thought to how I might hide the components, but at the moment, it's pretty far down the list of priorities. The reflection on the ceiling is more noticeable. I'll try to address that first. I'm actually a bit dissapointed in the level of reflection I'm getting from the ceiling. But, SWMBO wouldn't let me go any darker at the time. Now that she can see how reflective it is, perhaps I can convince her to allow a darker colour in front of the screen, out 5 or 6 feet and blend it in with the present ceiling colour - as you had suggested.

I will definitely need some acoustic treatment. Although my present subwoofer FR is pretty flat, down to about 40Hz , the mid-lower bass FR (between 100 and 300Hz) has a big hump in it.

I'll look into this acoustic cotton - I haven't heard of it before.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to some new subs as well! It'll definitely be a simpler project than the in-ceilings. That was complicated to implement and took some meticulous planning and execution. In fact, whatever I end up building will be entirely "function over form". A rolled on flat black paint job is all they will get for a finish, since they'll be behind the false wall.

Thanks for all your advice in bringing this all together. Our neighbours were over for supper this past Saturday evening and we put on "Alpha and Omega" on BD for the kids. Well, you can guess what happens next. "He" looks at "Her" with pleading puppy dog eyes...and I'm not talking about the movie.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Looks sweet! I agree with the rug, looks like it needs one. Let me know what you end up doing with your paint. I'll be installing a projector soon and I need to figure out what paint I want to use and not have it look like a dungeon.

If you upload your pictures to flickr, click share this, then grab the html/bbcode, select what size you want to post onto the forums, then just copy and paste the code.

Thanks for that DK! I had no idea how that was done.

I don't know if you have any WAF restrictions, but go as dark as you can. When you think you have picked colours that are "dark enough", go darker. My paint is definitely not dark enough. I'll take a look at the paint chips, if we still have them and get you the paint codes, so you'll have a reference point, i.e. "go darker than this if possible, definitely not lighter".

 

[walter duque]

Nice speaker set-up. Looks great..

 

[dkane360]

Thanks for that DK! I had no idea how that was done.

I don't know if you have any WAF restrictions, but go as dark as you can. When you think you have picked colours that are "dark enough", go darker. My paint is definitely not dark enough. I'll take a look at the paint chips, if we still have them and get you the paint codes, so you'll have a reference point, i.e. "go darker than this if possible, definitely not lighter".

No prob!

I don't have any WAF, but I do have GAF and RAF lol. I'll probably try the projector out first without painting the walls so I can show my roommates how bad it is so they'll let me paint it dark. As of right now they don't like the idea, but they're ok with the most hideously painted room ever created.

It's one of the rooms in the house we're looking at. It's atrocious. If they want to keep that room the way it is, I'm painting the theater black lol.

 

[jamie2112]

Very nice indeed......

 

[GO-NAD!]

No prob!

I don't have any WAF, but I do have GAF and RAF lol. I'll probably try the projector out first without painting the walls so I can show my roommates how bad it is so they'll let me paint it dark. As of right now they don't like the idea, but they're ok with the most hideously painted room ever created.

It's one of the rooms in the house we're looking at. It's atrocious. If they want to keep that room the way it is, I'm painting the theater black lol.

That looks like it could be the Swedish national hockey team fan club!

 

[jostenmeat]

GN, I've seen those puppy eyes at my place too before! haha. Ah, and it was my pleasure to help you!

A quick google has me find b pape (again) talking, this time at HTS:

Check out Bob Golds' site - www.bobgolds.com and look under the coefficients link.

If all else is equal (thickness, mounting, and density), the cotton will have a slight edge in the lower frequencies if we're speaking of 1 and 2" 3lb density materials. As you get thicker, the different materials tend to be more readily avialable in different densities so it's harder to compare. The best solution depends on the application and what specifically you're trying to accomplish.

For instance, 6" of OC703 is pretty effective and even across the board assuming an A mounting flat on the wall. 5.5" of 1.5lb acoustical cotton will do just as well over most of the band but has a hump in absorbtion around 250hz.

http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-audio-acoustics/3281-rock-wool-vs-acoustic-cotton-vs-oc703.html

So you can see why with a "relatively smaller thickness", cotton could be a good solution. I did some hunting around myself, but it's been so long, I simply cannot remember the best pricing I found.


For GN and dkane, the way to test the "flatness" of any paint . . . get some samples of your favorite colors, and paint them all on the same board. Let it dry. Then under a light source, start playing with the board at different angles and just eyeball the reflectivity. Flatness is key, but of course a flat dark is better than a flat light.


dkane, who plays the piano, and what work/music is that on it right now?

 

[dkane360]

dkane, who plays the piano, and what work/music is that on it right now?

probably the person who lives there right now

we're still in the bidding process, not quite move in time

 

[just-some-guy]

that looks great ! i would find it hard to hide those speakers.

the gear lights. just cut out little pieces of electrical tape to put over the lights.
as those lights WILL end up bothering you = been there done that.

the flat paint. watch out. i used a cheaper flat paint, dark brown. if it gets touched in any way, you will see where it was touched. it is very fragile in this respect. and can end up looking fuggly in short time.

paint color. i agree that the darker the better. but i went from dark brown to a medium beige eggshell. and the difference is not dramatic. noticable. but not dramatic. my ceiling is dead black felt.

 

[GO-NAD!]

that looks great ! i would find it hard to hide those speakers.

the gear lights. just cut out little pieces of electrical tape to put over the lights.
as those lights WILL end up bothering you = been there done that.

the flat paint. watch out. i used a cheaper flat paint, dark brown. if it gets touched in any way, you will see where it was touched. it is very fragile in this respect. and can end up looking fuggly in short time.

paint color. i agree that the darker the better. but i went from dark brown to a medium beige eggshell. and the difference is not dramatic. noticable. but not dramatic. my ceiling is dead black felt.

I thought about trying some sort of opaque material to place over those lights, as a temporary measure. However, at the moment, they don't really bother me. Once I start watching something on the screen, those lights seem to just disappear. They may contribute to a loss of brightness and/or contrast, but I'll have to experiment to make that determination.

As for hiding the speakers, yeah I here ya. But, it was part of the negotiation process and hiding the speakers sealed the deal for going with a projector vice new LCD or plasma. The false wall is the only way that I'll get larger subwoofers as well.

 

[jostenmeat]

Any additional lights or reflectivity will decrease contrast, that's just a simple fact. However, you may be right that the components' effect will be very minimal compared to a candle or nightlight in the room, especially if the settings are at "dim" and covered with window tint to boot.

I may be way off in my understanding, but I think it might go something like this. Say that your full black is 1 lumen, and your full white is 100 lumens. Your contrast ratio then is 100:1. Now add 10 lumens by way of additional light, your darkest black is now 11 lumens, and your brightest white is 110 lumens. Your CR has dropped all the way from 100:1 to 10:1. This is why dark is good, flat is good, and crazy flashing lights like just-some-guy used to have are not good. This is why a mid-level PJ in a dark room outperforms a high-end PJ in a bright room. I think anyways, but again I wouldn't be surprised if my understanding is way off.

Anyways! My personal preference to cover the components up might have even more to do with aesthetics and striving for complete visual immersion.

 

[just-some-guy]

in my system, the big offenders went like this.

XPA-3 lights, WOW. black tape to completely cover the switch. and some little clearing dots, dark'nd with a permanent marker. these dots worked great, as i toned down the 3 lights do a dull aura.

2496. the red lights are pretty bright. black tape to kill those. but i left the "meter" lights on, as i light to see the levels in action. and these are not all that stand-out-ish.

receiver. turn the display off. and tape over the rest.

dim the bd35. but can't turn it off. i may try some tape on that.

with all the lights full on. it was really in my face bright.

 

[Alex2507]

I built and installed a component stand under the screen.

If you had all your gear stacked on top of a nice telephone table I think it would look good.

 

[GO-NAD!]

If you had all your gear stacked on top of a nice telephone table I think it would look good.

Hey, great idea! Know anybody with one for sale?