July 2004
Monthly Archive
Sat 31 Jul 2004
I had read that a black frame with light-absorbing material would increase the apparent contrast of the projector’s picture. It also makes it easier to get the picture to appear perfectly aligned because any part of the picture that is slightly over onto the black frame will be absorbed and disappear.
This frame is made of 1×4s and wrapped in black velvet. The velvet frame is attached to the original frame using homemade 1/4″ plywood braces and brass wood screws.
Sat 24 Jul 2004
Until now, the rear speakers had been sitting on the floor. Now that they’ve been mounted near the ceiling, the sound is improved tremendously. The wires are still just hanging from the wall and running along the ground. I bought a “snake” for fishing wires through tough-to-reach places, but I haven’t used it yet.Â
The drapery over the door has been replaced with something to match the planned future decor.
Thu 15 Jul 2004
We bought a set of Palliser black leather recliners. I had tried these out at a large furniture store several weeks ago and had been impressed with how comfortable they were and how well-made they appeared to be. We came across them again at a Billiards and Barstools store. This “Melrose” series might not have been my first choice, but they happened to be on sale at an irresistible price so we took the plunge and ordered them.Â
When they arrived a few days later, the delivery guys were so impressed with the theater room that they wanted a demo. Being young guys, they were most impressed with “MX Unleashed” running at 1080i on the Xbox.
Previously, the projector was sitting on a cardboard box at just the right height to line up with the bottom of the screen. With these seats in the room, I had to raise the projector up onto a shelf. The height is not correct now, so I have to use the projector’s “keystone correction” to get the picture aligned correctly, otherwise it has a trapezoidal shape (wider at the bottom). This situation is temporary until I can mount the projector on the ceiling. Then it will be upside-down and again aligned properly with the screen and keystone correction can be turned off. I’d like to do this soon, because digital keystone correction degrades the picture. I can’t tell so much for movies or TV, but on the computer screen, it is evident that the fonts aren’t as sharp as they should be.
Tue 6 Jul 2004
Phase 1 of the screen was building the wooden frame and stretching the blackout cloth over it. I used 1×3 lumber to keep the frame light. I got the “premium” lumber at Home Depot, but even still I had to pick and choose to get boards that weren’t warped or bowed. I used a miter box to cut the 45 degree angles, then screwed the pieces together with brass wood screws and angle braces. I bought an electric staple gun for stapling the screen material to the frame. Since the cloth was 54″ wide and frame itself was 54″ tall, a bit of stretching was required. An extra set of hands was definitely needed here (Thanks, Michelle!).
Sun 4 Jul 2004
Posted by Bruce under
Holiday[3] Comments
For the first time in my Texas life, I was able to shoot off fireworks instead of only watching them. Andrew and I bought a modest bundle (spending around $130) and along with a couple of pals who were over, the whole family had fun setting them off. No photos of the action, but here’s one of our supply before we got started.
I had read that a black frame with light-absorbing material would increase the apparent contrast of the projector’s picture. It also makes it easier to get the picture to appear perfectly aligned because any part of the picture that is slightly over onto the black frame will be absorbed and disappear.
