Kick*** Entertainment Center

[DuroMentis]

Hey guys, so I decided to look in to projectors again. I've been wanting one for a while. I saw these curved projector screens that you can either a) buy for the price of the projector or b) make yourself with wood and some kinda plain white sheets. Obviously if I did this I'd go with B. Here's a run down of my idea. Make a wall mounted entertainment center frame out of 2 x 4s and add shelves and such with ply wood or some kinda light wood. 4 built in speaker cabinets (already have all of them for use, 550 watts by the way), and a built in curved projection screen. Here's what a few hours in sketchup and photoshop got me:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll98/DuroMentis/ECgray.png

I'm kinda thinking a glossy gray for the finish however I'm not sure. Keep in mind this is a hypothetical creation, no promises on doing it yet. I still have to buy a few parts for the pc to run first, and a projector which I found for around 360$ from some import site. I'm not looking for a high end projector, so this one is perfect (I hope). The gray texture-less squares have speakers behind them, the gray being the protective mesh. As for the curved screen, there's a lot of tutorials online on how to make them. So maybe 400-500$ later (WAY later) we might see this on my wall. Who knows? I also have some ideas for a gaming sofa (yes sofa) to go with it. Maybe I'll make that in 3D later. By the way, the entire model was eye-balled. Nothing is to the T as far as dimensions go. Hope you guys like it.

[billygoat333]

Build it and they will come. with popcorn. :D

[mDust]

Why is it curved? What does that add to the experience?
Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to just build the shelves around an open 'screen area'?

[billygoat333]

cinematic effects, plays on your peripheral vision so it seems like you are more "in" the movie. also the curve makes it a little easier to see the whole screen closer up. :)

[DuroMentis]

It's curved mainly because it looks a lot nicer than looking at a flat wall. And correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the entire point of this forum to make things look aesthetically pleasing :D? And as far as easier and cheaper, you get what you paid for, and putting your blood and sweat in to something only makes things more appreciative. Think about it, why do people have multiple monitors in a curved sort of format? To get a better view surrounding them.Theres ways of doing that with this method, minus the ugly LCD bezel splitting up the screens. And honestly, I don't want to meet the nerd that doesn't think something like this would be totally kick ass: http://kamakaze.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/nec-curved-monitor.jpg

:P. Thats a 6000$ monitor. Like I said you get what you pay for, obviously mine wont be nearly as good as that since its 5500$ cheaper, but it's a pretty good alternative. Especially since that monitor is 43" wide (as opposed to the 80-120" I could make with a projector), and consists of 3 LCDs that have noticeable seams. Not to mention it's got the bulkiness of CRTs. Here's a website that has some info on curved projection displays: http://www.smxscreen.com/pro-curve-projector-screen.html

Curved screens are definitely the way to go with projectors. :D

[Luke122]

The curved screen also ensures a more even brightness and focus, since all points on the screen end up being the same distance from the projector lens, as opposed to a flat screen where the corners are further than the center, and end up being dimmer.

:)

Word of warning, dont skimp on the projector! A super cheap one will definitely leave you wanting more, so dont go too cheap. Look for a used one if you have to, you can definitely get a good one for under $700, so make sure it will at least do 720p!

[Airbozo]

The curved screen also ensures a more even brightness and focus, since all points on the screen end up being the same distance from the projector lens, as opposed to a flat screen where the corners are further than the center, and end up being dimmer.

:)

Word of warning, dont skimp on the projector! A super cheap one will definitely leave you wanting more, so dont go too cheap. Look for a used one if you have to, you can definitely get a good one for under $700, so make sure it will at least do 720p!

This is truth. The cheaper projectors will also not allow you to adjust for the curved screen and will distort the image.

[mDust]

I could see the curved screen being beneficial if the screen was several times wider than it is tall, like that curved monitor, but is it still beneficial for 4:3, 16:9, or 16:10? That link to SmX Cinema Solutions is talking about screens that are 2.35:1...which is freakin' wide. Those would almost have to be curved to prevent massive distortion. I'm not trying to shoot down your idea or anything, I just have never seen anything like that before.:up:

[Luke122]

2.35:1 is the Cinemascope ratio I believe. If you ever get the chance to watch something in that format, I highly recommend it!

I've noticed definite loss of detail/brightness in the corners of an 80" screen, even in 4:3 ratio, so curved is the way to go for sure. :) IMHO, no noticeable distortion due to the curve.

[Airbozo]

2.35:1 is the Cinemascope ratio I believe. If you ever get the chance to watch something in that format, I highly recommend it!

I've noticed definite loss of detail/brightness in the corners of an 80" screen, even in 4:3 ratio, so curved is the way to go for sure. :) IMHO, no noticeable distortion due to the curve.

I used to run an Engineering reality center for SGI;
(this is my old lab)

http://escience.anu.edu.au/lecture/cg/Display/Image/large_wall.jpg

I used to spend days calibrating this display (3 projectors with edge blending technology and edge distortion compensation), to make sure that there was absolutely NO distortion at any edge and that the projector overlap was working properly and there was no discernible seam from the overlapping beams. It was a chore and trust me, if any of the corners or edges on that curved screen were not perfect, you could tell (and I would hear about it from the engineers).

I used to crank up the tunes (sound proof room) and work for hours at a time with test patterns, to make sure it was perfect. When the corners were not in line, your eyes would instinctively be drawn to the distortion.

Some images or videos will tend to highlight the distortion.

[billygoat333]

you have the coolest jobs it seems.

[Luke122]

When the corners were not in line, your eyes would instinctively be drawn to the distortion.
Some images or videos will tend to highlight the distortion.

You are talking about a much larger screen though, and multiple projection sources. :D

The smaller (lol.. small.. 80--100") curved screens I've seen are not curved all that dramatically, I imagine there is still some calibration/compensation to be done on the projector.