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Curved Projector Screen


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Cinemas have had curved screens for decades.
Personally, I love curved screens.
Technology in projectors these days easily compensate for flat screens.
Curved screens also look cool. Especially big ones.

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@Silent Screamer have moved this thread to the projector and screen subforum as probably more relevant here :)

 

ps the lcd screens being curved was just a bit of a fad..... and gimmick there was a theory that with the image quality  dropping off at the sides vs at centre of the screen due to poor viewing angles of LCD that it needs to be curved to look the best ...but this would have only worked from one central viewing position and infact given the very small screen size make actually difficult to view the screen off angle. so completely non sensical for screen size we are talking about for tellys and why they slowly are disappearing from whence they came :D 

 

curved screens make more sense for cinema scale use... i.e. big massive screens and particularly with anamorphic wide screens used and where the image was squashed to fit on the film in the old days and a lens used to un squash.... and the effect of trying to display on such a wide screen.  the curve was needed to remove the effects optics would bring. curved also helped for the massive sized screen and engagement of the audience.

 

now days for domestic setups, most people can do widescreen without the use of optics, optics have improved greatly as well and hence the curve is not necessary as such any more. you could do a curve if you want for engagement ...though you'd need to do something optically to take care of the curve as definitely you dont want to be adjusting digitally in the projector (i.e. keystone) as that can be quite destructive to picture quality :)

 

ps gee em ran a curved screen for a while here with scope lens that did a great job :) similarly there was another forum member I remember that had quote a bit invested in scope acoustically transparent screen with again using scope lens. there are also people using scope lenses and flat screens and usually use optics to get around the effects rather than the screen which can get pricey going the curve :)

 

 

 

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When I used to run a 3 lens CRT PJ I had a curved screen, I built it specifically to help with light fall-off at the sides, which was more noticeable on those types of PJ's.

The thing is that you have to get the curve arc correct for the viewing distance and picture size, otherwise you end up viewing a somewhat distorted image.

It can still be worthwhile to use one with a digital PJ, but you would have to know how to alter the convergence on the screen to suit the curve [not hard to do, just time consuming ]

If interested in building a curved screen, you can use the excel torus calculator found at post #41at the link below to work out the amount of curve needed for a particular screen size.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/16-crt-projectors/739901-one-size-fits-all-torus-2.html#post8743811

 

 

 

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Thanks for the feedback guys... I was just playing with the idea since the new home theatre will have a besser block outer skin and I will build a sound deadening gyprock interior frame, was just thinking if I made the front wall curved while I was at it.

 

The room will be 6.2 meters wide (8.6 meters long) and would like to have a fairly sizable image projected on it.

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You can use Art Spectrum's premium artists acrylic Gesso as a screen paint material with excellent results, I've built several screen using it, both on flexible 3 pass block out material, and straight onto walls.

There is a high mica content in this gesso, it's designed to make any artist colours painted over it have the light pass through the colours and reflect back off the gesso through the paint again, which makes paintings really vibrant, when used as a screen paint, this trait gives a small amount of screen gain without changing the projected images colours, which can happen with high gain screens / screen paints.

https://www.artstoreonline.com.au/collections/mediums/products/art-spectrum-artist-gesso-for-oil-or-acrylic-painting

 

The beauty of using this is that you can thin it out with water, and give multiple thinner coats to get a very even finish, where screen goo, or similar supposed specific screen paints can be problematic when applying.

Plus it's a hell of a lot cheaper than specialized screen paints

Edited by Tweaky
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You wouldn't need 4 litres unless doing a screen the size of your local IMAX :)

A 1 litre can diluted would do a 100" wide screen , just, a 2 litre can would be more than enough

I don't know what PJ you have, but going larger than 100"-120" can lead to a very dim and washed out image at the usually used 'ECO or Cinema' lamp mode, as your spreading the lamps output [which remains constant] over a larger area.

You could use the 'HIGH' lamp output, but your lamp won't last nearly as long, and will also cause the colours reproduced to change a lot quicker due to the lamps output diminishing a lot quicker [everything will slowly become yellower ]

This also somewhat dictates where your PJ should be situated.

My room is 5m long, and I have my PJ at the back wall, projecting onto a 1.2m wide screen.

 

To work out the Maximum screen size for your room is very easy,  just sit in the seats looking at the wall at where the center of the screen is going to be, hold your arms directly out in front of you, spread your hands out as wide as you can with thumbs and little fingers sticking out, touch both outspread thumbs together and look where the ends of your little fingers end, get somebody to mark at those spots on the wall, that will be the maximum screen size where you will be able to see everything happening on the screen at one time, without having to move your eyes across the screen, and especially not your head.

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14 hours ago, Silent Screamer said:

Don't currently have a projector, unless you count my out of date InFocus 4805. Waiting until HT room is built before I buy the next one.

 

rather than screen paint, many also go the front baffle wall which means can go the acoustic transparent screen and put all the speakers behind it :)

 

as to projector, choice will be very important.

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Well. I can think of one actual cinema that has a curved screen that was developed by the cinema owner and projectionist himself way before Samsung and the rest even thought about the idea.. This is the little known Bowen cinema. Was on holiday up at beautiful Bowen once and got to chat with the owner. He invited me back around the next day and gave my son and I a lovely tour around the place which included the inner workings of the film projectors compared to the digital system he has and also an in depth look at his extensive Roman coin collection. 

    A lovely guy to have a chat to typical of a small easy going town.

image.png.3e513aeffee2d8d60eafaee2ab636ac1.png

 

 

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10 hours ago, :) al said:

 

rather than screen paint, many also go the front baffle wall which means can go the acoustic transparent screen and put all the speakers behind it :)

 

as to projector, choice will be very important.

 

I am trying to hold off until cheapish (relative term) 4k projectors are well established and the crazy prices subside. Probably be looking in the 3.5k - 4.5k range. Although will probably be tempted by something dearer.

 

Since the home theatre will be dedicated to a single purpose (better half will have her own 5m x 4m sewing room), I don't know if I will need to hide speakers at the cost of placement.

Edited by Silent Screamer
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11 minutes ago, Silent Screamer said:

I am trying to hold off until cheapish (relative term) 4k projectors are well established and the crazy prices subside. Probably be looking in the 3.5k - 4.5k range. Although will probably be tempted by something dearer.

 

dont get too hung up on 4k business and there are choices there now am pretty sure, i say this as a 4k uhd early adopter who has been running the format for 18 months :)

 

12 minutes ago, Silent Screamer said:

Since the home theatre will be dedicated to a single purpose (better half will have her own 5m x 4m sewing room), I don't know if I will need to hide speakers at the cost of placement.

 

i doubt there will be any difference cost wise of doing a curved wall and painting it vs doing a curved screen. i doubt much in it material wise either between acoustic transparent and standard screen material in scheme of things. the beauty with the AT screen is can leave your walls alone build screen in front put speakers behind and it ends up looking pretty neat. rather than trying to rig up speakers around a curved screen sitting on its own in free air :)

 

@Gee Emm might still have some pics of how his AT setup end up like...

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Hi All,

 

as Al has said, curved screens came about in commercial cinema to combat pin cushion created by using an anamorphic lens.

 

One thing to keep in mind, a curved TV has the image curving with it. So if you plan to curve a cinema screen without an A-lens you are still throwing a straight/flat image and if putting this on a curved screen, you can get barrel distortion to some degree. And if the curve is only subtle you may ask yourself what is the point of doing it to begin with?

 

I think they sound great but not all that practical unless you're using an A-lens producing pin cushion from a short throw.

I rarely get asked for curved screens and when it's explained to the few who do inquire they end up with a flat screen anyway.

 

A couple of JVC models back they had a pin cushion feature, from memory you could create pin cushion (some sort of keystone type effect) so you could use a curved screen without a lens and get it to marry up properly. I gather the feature wasn't too popular as it's not on any of the new models.

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I think the InFocus has pin cushion, but some very valid points are raised especially the difference between the source of the image and it being projected on rather than from. So I think idea of a curved screen should probably be left to slip by the wayside unless I find the screen size I use unviewable.

 

Be interesting once I get the home theatre room built to see if I feel the need to jazz it up with a front stage area. A few friends from the distant past that worked in the same stereo shop all had setups with big projectors like Barco and a stage and it looked really fancy, but they had monster rooms built into their houses, so I think I am going to need to see the actual room first before deciding to build a stage with curtains or not.

 

For now I will just stay with a regular straight inner walls.

Edited by Silent Screamer
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If I did a stage of some kind I had something like that in mind. I will have at least one 18" sub at the front, and possibly three if I turn my other 18s into subs. A stage would be a good place to put them under. Could easily put a curtain in front of them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Curved Projector screen allow for a more immersive experience, as the curve should make them fill more of our field of view. They’re also supposed to give a wider viewing angle.

 

Curved Screen:

 

Viewing angle ==> Decent
Immersiveness ==> Better
Reflections ==> Good
Cost ==> Mostly Premium models
Availability ==> Rare

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As said, once CinemaScope became the main wide screen format, curved screens were installed in cinemas to correct pincushion created by the 2x anamorphic lenses needed for CinemaScope projection.  

In the home, if you have a fixed anamorphic (as I do), then a curved screens is a must have IMO.  If you don't have an A-Lens or move that lens for 16:9, then you might want to consider staying with a traditional flat screen.
   
This is my screen (modded OzTS screen) where the curve is matched the to the pincushion to give straight horizontal lines.  

 

DSCF5143.JPG

Edited by CAVX
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