It's been quite a while since I've been active on here, life mostly got in the way in the form of work, a dabble into the world of classic (a.k.a. “old”) cars, and a house move. I've now had enough time to get things (pretty much) finished off and settle in, so now with the dark nights drawing in, it's time to turn my attention to the things that really matter, namely the Home Cinema and Listening Room! This thread is going to detail the journey of my Home Cinema, or as normal people call it the Living Room. I refer to it as a Home Cinema as I’ve ditched the TV in favour of a projector and I’m currently enjoying the benefits of a 120” image.

Construction.

The room measures 4.1m x 4.1m x 2.4m. All 4 walls are solid concrete block, rendered and skimmed. The floor is 75mm reinforced cement screed laid over 225mm PIR insulation, topped with laminate. The ceiling is 38mm PIR backed plasterboard with 150mm PIR insulation between the joists.

IMG_9054 by Darren Watts, on Flickr

IMG_9055 by Darren Watts, on Flickr

IMG_9056 by Darren Watts, on Flickr

The wall paint is Dulux Trade Steel Grey 2 and has been selected as it is one of the ingredients of the UK version of the DIY Black Widow Projector Screen. This was designed for rooms with ambient light and not the traditional “Bat Cave” which I have no intention of perusing.

For now the image is projected directly on to the wall, but this is really a False Black Widow. The original recipe calls for 1 part Auto-Air Aluminium Base Fine to create a reflective screen and improve white levels, however the formula has apparently changed since the creation of the recipe and I'm pleased enough with the results for now to dedicate my time and energy into other projects in the room, but will continue with this in the future. Painting all 4 walls has really helped the image and also convinced me that in my situation a grey screen will yield better results than a white screen.

IMG_9075 by Darren Watts, on Flickr

IMG_9107 by Darren Watts, on Flickr

IMG_9114 by Darren Watts, on Flickr

The photos are of the 1080 BD of Cloverfield and were taken whilst the film was playing so not a great reflection of what the projector can do, they were more taken to txt to my brother whilst I was watching a film on the grey walls for the first time .

Over the coming weeks and months I’ll be moving forward with new equipment, rack, networking, cabling etc... All in all a nice little project to keep me occupied during our local lockdown and well into the coming colder months.