what next after the bedsheet?

[DrEskaton]

Having just seen the difference at a gig that having a glassbead proper rear projection screen makes (ACK! unbelievable!) I'm determined to do something better than a cloth screen.

Then rang to get quotes, seems no one will actually sell you the material by the metre off a roll to force you to pay more and any decent sized screen is easily thousands of dollars.

There must be some easily obtainable materials better than various cloth/cotton/bedsheet options.

I am going to start experimenting with various nylon/acrylic/shower curtain type materials to find something with less hotspot problems and hopefully a better image. Perhaps some kind of homebrew coating can also be worked out?

Would love to hear of any suggestions or alternatively any places on the internet where you can buy proper glass beaded rear projection material by the metre and have it shipped internationally.

[sleepytom]

http://www.rosco-ca.com/rosco_new/products/screens/roscoscreen.html

[bluntfaktory]

try stretchy lycra screens like these .

http://www.transformitdesign.com/index2.htm

[DrEskaton]

Originally posted by bluntfaktory
try stretchy lycra screens like these .

http://www.transformitdesign.com/index2.htm

thanks for the suggestions but Lycra has bad hotspot and UV glowing problems. The other suggestion of Rosco screens doesn't seem to ship to Australia and they are still very expensive.

As I mentioned in another post I am following up using PVC for backlit advertising signs which can be obtained for only about $25US a meter on 3.2M rolls. Then I think it should be possible to coat one side with glass beads obtained from a road supplies manufacturer and a spray on adhesive to increase the screens gain.

One local supplier here in Australia blatantly admitted to me that there was only two screen manufacturers in this country and they they will not sell material raw in order to keep the price artificially high. Surely pooling information here and figuring out professional screens cheaply will benefit all of us.

I will post the results of my experiments when finished.

[Lara]

Wow, Dr Esk, you are on the case. Its so frustrating that good screens are so overpriced . . . if you need a hand with your experiments let me know I would be really interested in helping. Maybe I could research adhesive to stick the glass beads to the pvc?

[telekinetix]

What were your results? Surely 4 years later you've come up with something? lol

[Larky]

Christ, have you been reading the mega old posts?

[telekinetix]

Christ, have you been post stalking me!? ... or just also searching for screen-building posts like me he he ;)

[Kyle]

hahaha

[dubsta907]

Actually, I'm interested in this too. I just tried using a semi-opague shower curtain for a rear projection screen and it was disappointing. So I would like to be able to find the material they use on Dalite and other rear projection screens to be able to make my own. Any pointers?

p.s. I already have a Spandex screen, but need something that delivers a crisper image for this particular project.

[fata alex]

we've been experimenting for a while with some plastic-y material we came across by accident that seems to give as good a picture as da-lite rear projection surfaces...i managed to track down the company that made it, but they weren't entirely sure what material it was, we narrowed it down to a few different kind of plotting/drafting materials for architects and the like, kind of like heavy duty tracing paper. the problem is that the widest role they do it in is a metre and a bit (im being vague becuase its been a while since i met with the company, and ive not got round to following any of it up) and its several hundred quid a role (long roles though). however, if you could find a way to seamlessly join multiple roles together then it does give an excellent picture...
the company was apparently completely unaware of the projection properties of the material and i tried to explain to them there was a big market out there for that kind of stuff, but they weren't that interested.

[makemassair]

Those links on the first page are now dead. Anyone got any other suggestions?

[vjpixylight]

http://www.rosco.com/
http://www.rosebrand.com/
the only 2 links you'll ever need for this kinda thing..

[makemassair]

Cool.

What am I looking for with the Rosco link. :lol2:

Same deal with the Rosebrand site actually.

The impression I'm getting is it's not cheap stuff.

Is Lycra a useable fabric for this? We don't have screens where we will be performing, and the last time I VJd there I was projecting onto the wall. Which did work for the night, but the way we are doing this performance requires the projection onto a wall that isn't there.

I was thinking that we could use plastic piping from B&Q or something, similar to the copper plumbing stuff, to make a simple frame and then suspend the frame to give us some rigidity. One of the screens will be quite near to the gents toilets so it will have constant traffic close to it.

Although the scale of the event would allow us to use the typical bedsheet thing, I want something a bit more. But buying high grade pro stuff is highly unlikely for this performance. Defo something to be invested in in the future thou. We have already begun discussing getting our own projector once we know that our performance is working as we want it. :)

I'll give some details about that when I get some time. Defo this week thou. It's going to be on the 7th March in London.

[asterix]

I made a 4:1 aspect ratio hex screen, 2.2m wide for under $40 au.
I used:

1/2" pvc pipe with 6 X 60 degree connectors (your hardware shop will have these and 90 degree connectors).
Sheet of material from the fabric shop (slight stretch, not too dense, has nice rear projection capabilities).
A heap of snap on buttons which I glued onto the frame, and eyeleted onto the fabric at regular intervals (makes it removable and easy to wash)
A heap of butterfly nuts and 3/4" screws (so you can dissassemble it and pack down into a carry bag without tools).Its very light weight and is has excellent color reproduction. Will post a pic shortly.

[makemassair]

Wicked. :) Look forward the the pics.

Been looking at some fabrics. And the reverse of PVC seems doable. Don't think it will be too heavy. The eyelet, button thing is a good idea also. :D