Thursday, August 16, 2007

Homemade Projector Screen - The Principle & How to DIY

Projector screens are generally divided into two types base on their functionalities: reflection projector screen and transmission projector screen. It can be also divided into soft and hard screen base on the materials they are made from.

Home theater generally uses soft reflection screen. My brother-in-law originally wanted to buy a 1000 (~$150) so-called "import screen", but a friend of his who sells projector screens told him that it is hard nowadays (in China) to distinguish the genuineness of an import screen, it is hard even for himself. Some of them that are labeled with 'import' or 'joint capital' were actually manufactured somewhere in the south of China. He felt that he'd rather to buy a 300 domestically manufactured screen with good feelings than buy this kind of "import screen". What this friend said makes perfect sense. But after doing some research, my brother-in-law found that all screens on the local market are made from high gain Bolivian bead that is used for projecting newspaper clips, they are simply not suitable for video frequency.

Theoretically speaking, a white wall with one smooth side actually is the best "screen". Because its gain is 1, meaning that the light projected can be completely reflected out, which is an ideal state of being "no absorption, no gain". Unfortunately, for the purpose of absorbing and proliferating the sound wave, he already made the wall a background wall with sound-absorbing material and plywood installed. making it impossible to serve as a "projector screen', he had to find another solution.

You might be wondering at this point: why do people still bother purchasing expensive screens if we can all use white walls?

Well, there are always benefits and advantages of using a professional screen: convenient, artistically beautiful and dignified, good screen can also make up the insufficiency of a projector and improve visual effect. Among the expensive screens, one type is "gray screen" (cost about 15,000, roughly $2000). This kind of screen probably was originally designed for liquid crystal projectors. The biggest problem with liquid crystal projector is that the color appears dark and grey, insufficiently calm. This is its "congenital defect" that is caused by its liquid crystal board and path of rays.

Regarding gray screen, we all know that gray is merely a lighter black, and black absorbs all visible light. Gray can only partially absorb visible light, it is like brightness of the picture is reduced. If you have used any picture processing software's "brightness / contrast gradient" option, you should certainly have noticed such phenomenon that reducing brightness is equivalent to increasing contrast gradient? Same concept, since the brightness has been reduced, it in turn increased its contrast gradient. The black effect gets improved due to the bigger contrast. We can also experience the same effect when we look out through the sunshade glass of our car. In fact, there are many ways to just reduce the brightness, you don't have to use gray screen. There are magazines recommending putting the light gray filter of a photographic camera to the projection lens, the principle is the same. You can even use more simpler method, namely you need to adjust the projector's output brightness or increase the contrast gradient. No need to spend a cent, you may achieve the similar effect, but the premise is that showroom must be dark enough.

Back to the bottom line, if a gray projector screen cost you $2000, definitely it is not just because the screen color is changed from white to gray. Speaking from the optical principle, I'm afraid there's a lot more behind. I'm guessing probably certain chemical compositions have been added to the material of the screen that changed the reflection or absorption intensity of different wavelength of light, thus changed the luster and the contrast gradient of the entire image, that, makes up the inborn flaw of liquid crystal board after all. In addition to this, what other tricks do you think they can play? It doesn't seem to be possible with the meager knowledge of physics that I have.

It sounds more like it to throw in a 150,000 screen if your projector cost you 15,000. But adding a 15,000 screen to a 15,000 projector doesn't make much sense at all. If I have to buy a 15,000 screen, then it would simply work better if I put the money together and buy a 30,000 higher level projector to achieve better effect without any extra effort. A 15,000 screen is a crazy price to my brother-in-law (imagine his monthly income is merely 3000). Also if he buys a name brand Japanese gray screen, then he actually spend most of the money to pay for the labor which he personally doesn't feel comfortable.

The ideal screen for the DLP projector that my brother-in-law purchased should be like a white wall, just let the project light reflected completely without any "reservation". He figured that he really didn't need such costly screen. So he finally decided to make one on his own.

Exactly how did he do it? You may not believe how simple and inexpensive it really was! He spent a bit over 10 (about $1.50) in a home decorating store on a self-adhesive pure white matted formica PVC panel with dim grains, cut the right size, pasted to his original background wall, that is it, flat and smooth! With such PVC screen, he doesn't need to worry about the 'curl-up' phenomenon that may occur to a regular projector screen after around 12 years of use, he also doesn't need to worry that it would turn yellow one day due to natural oxidation. But remember it requires some pasting techniques to make it work perfectly for you. The result? Great!

Here are couple of self-made projector screen photos from my brother-in-law as 'evidence':
www.news-blogs.com/_images/entertainment/diy_screen.jpg
www.news-blogs.com/_images/entertainment/diy_screen2.jpg

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Keeping Cool in Arizona

If you plan to move to Arizona, there are a couple of items you need to know first. If you have yet to buy a home in Arizona, then be sure to look for the following things: central air conditioner and swimming pool. DO NOT SETTLE FOR A SWAMP COOLER. Buying Arizona Real Estate requires a survival mindset.

If you have bought a home in Arizona that is in either of the largely populated valleys, you must not assume that because people live there it can't be that bad. It is that bad without the proper equipment. If you are moving to Arizona from a dissimilar climate, you must prepare to pay extra for you cooling. It is absolutely not survivable for a person from a cooler climate without central cooling and lots of it. Swamp coolers may do in some environments, but in Arizona they will just add a layer of humidity on top of the unbearably hot temperature. This is like two-ply toilet paper, there are some things you just don't even cut corners on.

The swimming pool is essential as well. In cooler climates like Colorado Springs, Salt Lake City, or even San Diego, a pool is an extra, a luxury, a want. In Arizona, it is a requirement. On some days during the Arizona summers, it gets so hot that you feel incapable of cooling down with Air Conditioning, a freezing cold drink of water, or even a cold shower (cold showers really don't exist in Arizona's summers). The only way you are getting cool is by jumping in a swimming pool. Sound silly to people who never lived in Arizona before, but those who have, are nodding and saying "of course, why did he write an article on this?"

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Future Concepts and Modern Advances in Technology; Good or Bad?

Many Humanists and Scientists argue that our technology and civilization is out pacing evolution by a huge margin. They point to our tribalistic, band and small group human history that we survived with for hundreds of thousands of years is no longer anything similar to our modern societies. Indeed to argue against this fact would be futile as it is so. However we seem to for the most part done very well as out human populations swells around the planet.

Humanists will ask and one recently did; ?Doesn't it make more sense to be who we are and develop our true, and in my view powerful abilities (i.e. to communicate with each other through the energy fields that connect us without technology, to create with our minds a reality that is truly self sustaining, to connect with each other and rid the entire human species of the negative beliefs that are undermining us all etc...)???/p>

Well indeed he sure has brought up a huge question worthy of discussion. However let me take a crack at this question as I answer in the negative to his assumptions;

?NO. Because why should you choose one or the other, why not both. Have the capability and develop lost skills, while simultaneously using our brains to invent better technologies to improve on the human design. We do not have time for evolution to take its sweet time. You know you are talking about talking the species back to the stoneage, yet who would that really serve. We need sewer treatment plants, fresh water and energy for things. Not that they are totally necessary, but they have certainly improved life from other civilization of the last let's say 5000 years anyway. Perhaps ancient cultures die previously have great advances and may have been extremely well adapted civilizations without all this fluff. Yet who is to say that was better and why should we make that decision for all humanity, as humanity has spoken and voted with their consumer dollar and well, they want all this stuff.??/p>

As far as the observations of human civilizations in the present period and the dummying down of the population base; well now that they cannot function without all these modern technologies, they very much need it and cannot feel fulfilled without out it. Myself, well I could go without many of the modern amenities.

Humans need a challenge and advancement and forward progression of the species does provide that challenge. After all; why does someone climb a mountain? It is there and it is a challenge. Many including myself like challenges, creating stuff and inventing things, so why not? Using technology to help mankind along in his journey to create better, strong and better civilizations is wise. And as mankind reaches a place of heaven on Earth, with more leisure time and the Utopia we desire, who is anyone to say that technology is an evil to the human race? Think on that.

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