I just moved so there is a new list of projector posts coming. Check this link to see them all.
I decided to try a new screen paint mix for my living room wall. Before I had painted a screen area in the middle of my yellow wall. I have been thinking and preparing for my next projector like always. The big difference between each generation of projector is the brightness of black. Every generation it gets a little bit blacker. My Optoma HD70 is a lot blacker than my Optoma H27 was and the next projector will be even blacker. There is a level where the blacks are black enough and you can start to enjoy truly black blacks as far as your eyes are able to perceive. Knowing that I decided to paint the whole wall to create an interesting projection effect which I will demonstrate below.
Also during this repaint I decided to change the mix a little bit. Before I just used Behr Silver Screen which is a normal favorite. This time I used a mixture of around 70% Behr Silver Screen and 30% Behr White Opal Pearlescent. The pearl paint adds an amazing shimmer to the image. It looks brighter with richer colors but it also looks like a plasma television. It has this glow to it like the light is coming from behind the wall. If you get close to the wall you can see all the micro reflectors doing their stuff but when you get back around 6 feet that disappears and it just looks great. I could probably go higher and might at some point. I will probably go paint, projector, paint, projector, back and forth. And now the examples.
Here is an example of normal HD footage. This is the maximum size of the projected image so there wouldn’t be any light grey blacks around it.
Now here a commercial. It is a standard definition commercial that is also letterboxed so on a widescreen display it shows up as a little image. With black blacks you don’t feel like you are watching a tiny image in the middle of a large screen because the surrounding black pixels are darker than you are able to perceive so the image is small but you don’t feel like it isn’t filling up the space. It just is the space.
These final images are much better than a commercial. Below are movies shown in their very wide aspect ratio. Once the blacks get black enough you start to see just the wide image like watching a movie in a theater instead of seeing dark grey bars at the top and bottom. This lack of grey bars make the wide movies seem larger instead of smaller which they actually are compared to HDTV sources.
This new paint mixture buys a little bit of time but during dark scenes the blacks are visible painting the dark grey bars above and below widescreen movies. The increased contrast of whatever my next projector will be in addition to the iris that is in most that brings the black levels down so only the minimum amount of light ever leaves the projector for ever frame shown so you never get the waste light visible in the room.
The set with even more pictures is on flickr if you would like to see the out-takes.
The paints used are Behr White Opal Pearlescent No. 751 and Silver Screen 770E-2 that is also called Silverscreen 770E-2
Here is an image of the screen surface up close with a flash to get an idea of the color and reflectivity. It is very neutral.
Mark,
I have those pics you asked for. How do I upload them to this site?
I would go with Flickr and then you can post the links to the images here or you could make a set on Flickr and just link to the set.
Rob,
Awesome – thanks. I don’t think you can upload them directly on this site. You might have to register and upload them to photobucket.com or flickr.com. There are tons of photo sites but I prefer flickr.com.
Let me know.
Mark
Elvis and Mark,
Thanks for the info – I’ll upload some pics later today!
Mark,
I uploaded the pictures to flickr.com. Here is the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40009482@N03/
Let me know what you think. Remember, this is just paint on a concrete wall.
Rob
That looks great. When are you expecting to be finished?
Rob,
Those photos look tremendous. What projector are you using again? The cinemascope ratio looks sick. What size is the image? What are your plans? Finish the basement or garage, recliners, etc.?
Great job so far.
Mark
Mark,
The projector is the Optoma Model: HD65. The images are the factory settings right out of the box. I still have to tweak them a bit. The screen measured diagonally is 140″. I plan on finishing my basement by September just in time for football. I will definitely get either a huge sectional sofa or do recliners. I haven’t decided yet.
Thanks again for the feedback,
Rob
Rob and Elvis,
Are you guys also going to paint your ceilings and walls black to improve the image?
Rob,
One more question. Regarding the T2 screenshots, those look like 2 35 1 aka cinemascope ratios, but I thought the painted area is only 16 9. I am viewing the pics on my blackberry since I am on vaca so maybe I am missing something. Let me know!
Mark
Mark,
You are right, the T2 screen shots are a 2:35:1 aspect ratio so there is a little cropping but it is very minor. I wanted an area that was big enough to accomedate several ratios so I tried a couple of movies and marked where they came up on the wall with some painters tape. Once I had an idea on what was a good size I taped everything off and painted the screen. As far as painting the other walls black once the basement is finished sounds like a good idea. After seeing what this paint can do on a concrete wall and dry wall, I can honestly say that I will probably never by a screen. Why pay $1500 for a screen when you can pay $30 for a gallon of this paint!
Rob
That is why I painted the whole wall. I agree that having a black border does make the image pop out but I didn’t want to feel like it was anything other than just the image of the movie. My projector Panasonic AE2000 doesn’t go dark enough to really make that a reality but it does get close. When the AE4000 comes out, probably in the Fall, it should go black enough for me to really feel like a 2.35 movie is just that and a 16:9 HD video is just that.
Elvis,
You have a Panny? Thought you had an Optoma HD70.
Sucks that you can’t paint your ceiling black due to the popcorn ceiling you have.
I disagree about the black border. There is no need for it really if the room is dark enough. To cut down on reflections, the other ceiling should be black and the walls (if possible) should be a darker shade of color. Plus, with all the ratios out there, 4:3, 16:9, 2.35 etc…why would I put up a frame/border..? I’d need three different borders, no?
Mark
I used to but I bought the PT-AX200 for my sister’s store and used it in my house for a few days to see what I thought. I liked the look of the image more than I thought because I liked DLP so much. I like DLP more than LCD but I don’t like rainbows and I like the brighter image you can get with LCD. I thought if the 200 was good enough I would probably really go for the PT-AE2000. I work in video post production and the built in waveform and accurate color was really great for me to check video.
Also this video won me over.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8vEwa1YXRM
Absolutely. Painting a screenwall is the way to go. I am currently projecting onto a pink wall where I am renting but I will be painting it soon. You should also go with a dark ceiling and dark carpet/flooring.
Question for you. What base paint did you use before the silver screen paint ? And was it flat or semi gloss etc?
Looking forward to your reply
Flat is what you want and I had layers of primer and then I did Silver Screen (no pearl) for maybe 5 coats until the color was completely uniform. Then when I redid the wall with the pearl I did 3 coats of Silver Screen plus the pearl. Under all of that is yellow semi-gloss.
Elvis,
My local Home Depot told me that Behr has discontinued the White Opal Pearlescent paint. I found this stuff on ebay and would like your opinion on it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=140333088029&Category=48655&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2
Let me know what you think. Also, what would be a good alternative to use since the Pearlescent paint isn’t available?
Dirk/Rob,
Regarding the discontinued White Opal Pearlescent paint, check out the following link to AVSforums:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15779701#post15779701
“Actual Stock # 02601
Delta Ceramcoat “Gleams” Pearl Finish” from Michael’s Arts & Crafts Stores
Regards,
Mark
Thank you so very much. I can’t seem to find the white opal pearlescent on behr’s website. any suggestions ?
Probably any pearlescent would work. Most stores just have the powder instead of the liquid. You will get similar results but the finish will be slightly darker than what I used. You can just adjust it to your room and see how dark you want it.
Elvis,
Would you be open to posting a video of your home theater in action using your helmet cam? Just kidding on the last part
Also, did you use a roller or spray to paint your screen wall?
Regards,
Mark
I used a roller so I could do it really slow and thick.
So you did want a video? What did you want to see?
Hey Elvis…
A video would be awesome to see how HD movies etc look on a painted wall with a powerful beamer. Let me know.
Mark
Mark,
Here is a video of my projector in action. It’s not the best, but my camcorder is ancient so I had to use my Kodak Easyshare Z1285 Camera to capture the video. I have it set on 720P but the color and the focus are a little out of sync. I am using a Samsung Bluray player model BP-1600 hooked up to an Optoma HD65 projector with the factory settings. The image is again being projected onto a concrete wall with just the Behr Silverscreen paint on it. I wish I had a better camera to capture the video with because it really doesn’t do it justice!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40009482@N03/sets/72157621403231629/detail/
Rob
Rob, thanks for that video. While your camera is not top notch, I can still see the HD65 doing its magic. Looks awesome. How much and where did pick the HD65 up?
Mark,
I bought the HD65 at Best Buy. It normally goes for over a $1000, but I got mine on sale for $859.99 about 3/weeks ago. I always check their adds on Sunday and their website from time to time. I just went on their website and it looks like it’s on sale again. Here’s the link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8548869&type=product&id=1188560396552
Let me know if you get one,
Rob
I love Best Buy…I bought my Panny plasma 720p there last year..glad I didnt buy the 1080p set..when I buy my next projector it’ll be 1080p and connected to a blu-ray player. Are you a Costco member? They also have the HD65 for a great price with a 92″ screen (but who needs that, right). Costco.ca has a 1080p Optoma beamer for 1600 I think.
Hi,
love the good work and ideas. I talked to Benjamin Moore employee and he has screen mix that i’m going to try.(He said hmatched it up against fixed screens and his friends couldn’t tell the difference) I’m going to try his mix. But if doesn’t look good, I’m going to go with the Behr silverscreen. I will let you know.
Sure let us know. Did he also include the pearls?
Elvis,
This is a little off subject. A friend of a friend found a projector screen in his warehouse and was looking to get rid of it. It was free so I jumped all over that. It’s a Da-Lite screen that is about 10/yrs old. My question for you is have you ever heard of a projector burning an image onto a screen? I know this can happen with certain tv’s, but I never thought it was possible with a projector. I have an Optoma HD65 projector and most of the movies I watch are on Bluray and are a 2:35:1 aspect ratio. The other day I watched a DVD that was in 1:85:1 aspect ratio and there was a line where the top of the 2:35:1 would have been. I first thought the image was on the lens of the projector, but I took down the screen and projected back up on the silver screen paint and there was no line. Is something like this possible, and was it more prone to older screens? I am definitely going the paint route for my home theater, but my same friend was thinking about a screen and doesn’t want to get one if this kind of thing is possible. Any thought or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rob
That doesn’t seem likely that you would have something burned into your screen. I could see the image being burned into your projector’s LCD panel but not DLP or the screen. It all seems a little unlikely.
Elvis and Ben,
Thanks for your responses. I just brought the projector upstairs and projected onto drywall just to make sure and there was no line. I then took the screen down and projected back up on the concrete that had been painted with silver screen and there again was no line so I don’t think there is a “mirror tunnel” that is dirty like Ben had suggested. The unit only has about 10 hours of use on it. I swear I think the projector is just too bright for this screen. Like I said before, the screen is over 10/yrs old.
Thanks again,
Rob
Hey i just need to reply to that! No you can’t burn anything into a screen using a front projector! I have a DLP and in them there are light tunnels which have 4 sides and they are mirrored! sometimes one of them falls or the mirror looses its shine and will give you lines vertically or horizontal! not sure if that helps but just leaving my info! I am buying another projector for my bedroom and not buying a 1080 cause its a waist of money right now! If anyone is looking for an awesome LCD projector for around 1K mark check out the Epson 720! amazing! Cheers
Dis you sand between coats?
I did a little bit at the beginning but my wall is so rough that it would have taken a long time to really flatten it out. I did sand some of the rougher parts to get rid of the hard edges.
Just want to tell you that I have used your “recipe”, and I really like what I see. I have applied one coat over my N9 Neutral Gray, and will put another coat on tomorrow. So far, I think this is quite superior to the straight Neutral Gray. Thanks.
I am glad you like it. A little sparkle makes a very nice image. I am about to move so I will try some new combinations.