There’s big and there’s massive.
This video shows a 40″ LCD tv versus a massive fixed frame projection screen.
The projection screen is an A-velvet fixed frame screen and the projector is a full HD LG CF-181D
Enjoy!
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Playing games is fun and it becomes even more realistic on a big projection screen.
Here’s a short video of Black Ops on a 90″ Beamax projection screen.
The game is Call of Duty: Black Ops and the game mode is Free for all.
Enjoy!
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With the previous videos, you have seen that making your own masking system for a fixed frame screen does not need to be very expensive or difficult.
From the comments I received though, sourcing components is clearly a lot more difficult. So here’s a video that explains where you can source the components for your own system.
If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments.
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Packaging is probably last on your mind when it comes to buying your projection screen. It’s not something manufacturers inform you about either.
But when you take a day off to wait for your screen and it arrives all beaten up, you know important it is that your screen is kept safe during transportation.
And this is not how you want your screen to turn up:
And because screens are long and thin and light compared to regular products, they are often thrown into the van or truck. As you can see below (and that’s not even the worst I’ve seen):
This would be a nightmare scenario for a poorly packed projector screen – with almost guaranteed damage to the product when it arrives. And that’s why you need to know how to see if your screen has the proper pacakging to survive.
1. Internal protection
Styrofoam is a nightmare in packaging, because once it breaks, there’s no protection left. What’s worse, once broken, the screen gets room to move inside the packaging, leading to an even bigger chance of transportation damage.
Shock absorbing foam is what you need. You can see below what this foam looks like. This photo shows the internal elements of the packaging of a Beamax in-ceiling projection screen
This image also shows the importance of another element: the strength of the material that makes up the box.
2. The box itself
The ideal material to protect a projection screen is wood. A wooden crate around the screen almost never arrives with any damage to the screen.
But it would raise the transportation cost through the roof. And that’s because a crate adds a lot of volume and weight to that of the screen itself. It’s not uncommon for a wooden crate to be 2 or 3 times the weight of the projection screen itself.
Add to that the cost of the crate itself and you’ll see that it’s uneconomical to use crates for most projection screens.
And that’s why crates are only used for expensive screens.
A carton box is the packaging of choice for all projection screen manufacturers for the majority of their screens. But..the quality of the boxes varies enormously.
What you want is a box of at least two layers of a good thickness. That would be around 0.4 cm per layer. Thinner boxes would have only one layer or 2 layers of only a few mm each.
These boxes just do not provide enough protection and are easily torn to pieces.
3. External protection
The corners of the carton packaging can benefit from extra protection. It’s not that corners are week. They are actually the places that can withstand more pressure than a spot in the middle of the packaging.
In practice though, I have seen that screens are most often dropped on the corners. And I am not alone in that observation, which is why a few manufacturers have started adding corner brackets around their boxes.
These brackets make the packaging more shock-resistance and improve the chances of the screen arriving undamaged.
What you need to do when your projection screen arrives
Make sure you check for transportation damage. If there is damage to the screen, make sure to indicate that on the delivery note or see to it that the driver takes note of it.
If you don’t do that, you risk not being able to claim the damage and you have a chance your supplier won’t accept your claim.
Take pictures if you can to ensure you have evidence if needed.
Then, inform your supplier immediately.
But what do you do when you find out there’s damage only after you’ve installed the screen?
These are times when supplier customer service really counts
Sometimes, screens get damaged, despite having the best possible packaging. And that’s when the service of your supplier really counts. Because the damage can be apparent only after some time.
When a box has been dropped for example, it’s not always visible from the packaging. But in the screen itself, things might have broken. In particular the pieces that connect the roller tube to the side covers (for manual and electric projection screens).
That’s when your supplier won’t be able to make a claim to the forwarder, because you won’t have signed the shipping documents indicating transportation damage.
So all you can rely on is your supplier trusting you and giving you the service you deserve. And that’s where there are big differences between manufacturers and resellers. Make sure you choose the ones that are known for great after-sales service whhen you buy your screen.
If you have our own story you want to share about this issue, please do so. I look forward to it. The same for questions, anything unclear or want to know more, let me know!
Thanks,
Otto
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Yeah! It’s available now after a lot of writing & research. So if you always wanted to know what you need for 3D as a gamer, download the report now.
And don’t forget to register for the updates by filling out the form.
| Download the Gamer’s Guide to 3D below by clicking on the image. | Register to get all updates and future reports: | |
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You”ll get:
1. Over 20 pages of information – no promotional stuff
2. The answer to the question what “3D ready” really means
3. Which cables work and won’t work for 3D
4. Which hardware you need and what image quality you can expect.
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There are very few direct comparisons between projection screens.
I don’t even think I have even seen one.
And that’s why I wanted to show you a comparion between 2 rental and stage projection screens. As you can see, there is no perfect screen,
but there’s always a trade off between different features and benefit.
And..the price of the screen matters too.
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I have shown you some fully integrated and carefully designed living room home theaters.
I realise that not everyone wants to go all-out on the budget. Or does not even find it necessary to hide it all.
That’s why I wanted to show you a nice video of a Beamax manual projection screen and an Acer projector.
You can see the whole set up, including the projector mounted to the ceiling.
The image looks great and the equipment has been nicely installed, but without using pelmets, false ceiling or feature walls. But Avatar looks great..and that’s what matters.
One detail that you might miss: the video has been edited by the user, because the screen is actual a manual projection screen. It does roll up smoothly and is speed controlled, but it’s not an electric one:
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Projection screens are roughly treated in transportation.
I often think there are drivers who try to beat their personal best and throw the screen as far in the van as possible. Luckily, in-ceiling screens are pretty have (because of the in-ceiling housing).
But, that means they are dropped easily and happily by some drivers. Dropping an in ceiling screen could result in pressure on the outisde box that’s transferred onto the chassis of the projection screen.
Since the lower bar is a movable part, the transferred pressure can push it into the housing. Leaving you unable to roll down the projection screen fabric, because the lower bar is jammed.
There are clips put onto the lower bar to prevent this from happening. But, they are wrapped around the lower bar. So when the screen arrives, you could easily think to pull them off before the screen is rolled down.
But it doesn’t work that way.
This video shows you exactly how it’s done. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
The video applies to the Beamax in-ceiling projection screens
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If you have ever set up a very large stage screen, you know it can be tricky.
Especially when you’re on your own and the design is working against you.
That’s why these screens need to have a sturdy frame and easy to open hinges.
A strong frame allows you to put enough force of the frame to fold it into a small package after the show.
Easy-to-open hinges help you pack up and go faster.
The Beamax F2 series are that type of projection screen, as you can see in the instructional (short) video below.
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