Adjustable Masking for Screen

klh · « **on:** 6 Jul 2005, 09:25 pm »

Does anybody have experience with 2 or 4-way motorized masking systems? I found a couple threads at AVS pertaining to DIY kits at reasonable costs...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=350149

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=529130&page=1&pp=30

Also, here's the website for the business set up by the maker of the latter thread:

http://htiq.com/index.html

They are very appealing. What do you guys think?

JoshK · « **Reply #1 on:** 6 Jul 2005, 10:29 pm »

Other than aesthetics, what benefit is there?

zybar · « **Reply #2 on:** 6 Jul 2005, 11:10 pm »

Quote from: JoshK

Other than aesthetics, what benefit is there?

Josh,

Having a proper black border (or frame) tricks the eye into thinking there is better picture contrast and color (sounds silly, but it really does).

George

klh · « **Reply #3 on:** 7 Jul 2005, 12:22 am »

It's true. I'm an eye doc and one of things we had to study in school was visual perception. Masking can occur spacially and temporally. As an example of spacial masking, take a medium toned paper, and put a white frame around it. Then, next to it take another of the same paper but put a black frame around it. Which one appears darker? It's bizzare how the brain works sometimes.

bubba966 · « **Reply #4 on:** 7 Jul 2005, 12:41 am »

The only adjustable masking I've seen was on a Stewart Firehawk. It was an auto-masking system. Worked really slick. But I'd hate to think what that sucker cost (micro-perfed, auto-masking, and I think it was a 15' wide screen).

Not sure how you'd do something similar by yourself. But it's real nice to be able to adjust your screen masking for Academy/16:9/Flat/Scope or whatever other aspect ratios you're using.

klh · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Jul 2005, 07:38 pm »

If you checkout the posted links, you'll see how the DIY kits are designed. They look pretty cool. They have motorized and non-motorized 2 and 4-way systems. You can also get a motorized curtain for dramatic effect.

Ears · « **Reply #6 on:** 20 Aug 2005, 07:46 am »

Looks pretty slick...but for us lazy people two pull downs work out much better.

I have one 106" Gray Wolf pulldown and will mount another directly in front of it which will be painted black on the top and bottom in order to get a perfect 2.35 box.

I did paint my ceiling very dark....and my walls a seperate dark color which helps a lot.

I also painted the actual white screen case as well as the white pull down bar..... which should already be black from the factory imo.

The results using an Onkyo SP100 and an Optima H-78 dc3(aka H-79) is simply amazing with inky CRT type blacks.....contrast and eye popping colors to spare.

So however you accomplish it.....getting your room as dark as possible as well as framing your different aspect ratios with black yeilds fantastic results.