Pretty Colours!

Well, the colour issue has been resolved. Apparently, there is a mix up in the internals. If I connect the Red to the Blue jack, and the Blue to the Red jack, all is fine. Crazy, I know, but it works!

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Well, the good news is that the speaker wire has all been run. Soon I'll pick up some molding and run it over the wire so you won't be able to see it at all. The next cable that needs to be hidden is the component cable. It also has to be run up to the projector where the sound system and DVD player are. I order a 25' length of cable to monoprice.com which should do the job nicely. I just need to find some way of hiding it.

The bad news is the component is still very blue. I have no idea what could be causing it, other then a problem with the projector. If I don't have it fixed by after Christmas, I'll have to return it. I have to keep it around while everyone's home, we'll just be stuck using composite. Bummer.

Feeling Blue

Well, the projector has a destinct blue tint when hooked up with component. It was there the first time I hooked it up that way, but disappeared soon after, but now it's back. You can compare these two pictures, the first is component (really blue), the second is composite, perfectly fine.

Sounds

The next big task will be getting all the cables and sound sorted out. I've attacked speakers to the rear wall and run cable, but it's all hanging and too short so my rooms looking like a spiders den. Also, the component cable isn't long enough for anything, even at 12'. Honestly, this equipment is not designed with projectors in mind. No one carries the right length of cabling. I'll have to measure and do a cabling run tomorrow. I really need a good product to fasten the cabling to the walls. If anyone got suggestions, I'm game.

Almost done

It has been a productive day. First thing today we ran to Home Depot and bought some lengths of wood to sturdy up the screen a bit. I also bought some brass corners to clean up the look of the screen. They cover the loose joins on the corners really well.

With the screen straingtened, it took a few tries to get the hangers in the rights places, but eventually the screen went up and finally it was time to test things out!

An now, the moment we've all been waiting for.... the image!





Not bad, I must say! The blur is the result of the slow shutter speed of course and not the actual screen. Right now I'm having a problem with the DVD player and the component output looking vary blue. I hope it's an issue with the player and not the projector. I'll know soon enough as the Wii component cables are in the mail.

Wii in 480pee

Nintendo tells me my Wii component cables have shipped. I can't wait to check out the Wii on the Evo. Unless something drastic happens over the weekend, I should be all set up and ready to party by then.

Progress

Well this afternoon after a wonderful time at the dentist having 4 or my wisdom teeth ripped out, I managed to get the border felted. The first time I assembled the frame the corners didn't match right, I trimmed up and tightened the fabric around the corners and got them much better. I'd like to find a way to hide the joins, but it's not a priority right now.

Attaching the fabric to the screen went much better then expected. Following the instructions provided on the construction site suggested by Jeremy, Mel and I managed to get the fabric attached and firm in no time. However, I think we might have made it a little to tight as the frame tends to torque a little then held up. Tomorrow I'll run into Home Depot and grab some backing to straighten it up a little. No biggie. We should have a wide screen up by tomorrow afternoon.

Tomorrows plan, movies and playing the Wii.

Still to do:

1. Run all the cabling out of the way as best as possible
2. Mount all the speakers in the best possible locations
3. Stabilize the screen

10 digits

The frame is cut. All fingers are intact.

A step closer

Wednesday's big task was getting the projector placed correctly. In then end I had to:

1. Extend the arm down about 13"
2. Move the projector about 8" closer to the wall
3. Shifted the centre of balance of the projector forwards
   

This shrunk my screen to about a 96" diagonal, but, honestly, that's a much better size for the room anyway.

The screen, which I always thought would be the easiest part of the whole project, has turned out to be the most difficult. Wednesday I started to prepare the wall for painting, but after reading the comments on the last post, I decided to go with a cloth screen following the suggestion made by The Fool and following the link posted by Jeremy. I returned the painting material and bought all the parts for the screen. Hopefully that'll take form this weekend.

I have had the opportunity to watch a little of some movies on the wall. It's nice and big but all the characters look a little jaundiced. I guess the big screen was never meant to be orange.

A set back

Well, tonight amid the perpetual snow fall that's been hanging about the city, I went out and picked up what I though I'd need to move this project ahead. With all my ill gotten goods I returned home to get started! The first task was to hang the projector. I attached a piece of shelving to the ceiling so I could better position the projector. After a couple hours work I had the projectors suspended!

With the power hooked up I turned on the power and....
Not at all what I wanted. And the mount is tilted as far down as possible. This means I will have to adjust the ceiling attachment somehow. Not to mention that the stupid socket is most likely going to interfer with my image.

On the upside, the image is almost exaclt 90" wide, which gives me a widescreen diagonal of almost 104". Not bad! Tomorrow's task is to get the image projected lower onto the wall somehow.

Maybe a slowdown on the screen

After reading some posts that Jeremy pointed me towards, I've decided to take an incremental approach to the screen. I'll start with something simple, then add fancier and fancier paints until I get a good finish.

The other issue to tackle tonight is mounting the projector on the ceiling. I'm not sure how this will go over as my ceiling slants. I also don't have many tools at my place, besides the ones that come home for Christmas, so I may have to mooch off the folks.

Pics to follow after tonight experiment.

A screen perhaps

I think I may be going with a paint on screen. Not as portable as a normal screen, but from what I've read, the quality is there but at a much reduced cost. So, it maybe a goo screen for me.

The solution arives

So, the Evo arrived today. I got the ceiling mount in the mail on Friday, they were both sent the same day, but of course, one arrives on Monday. It would have been nice to have the weekend to sort things out, but I guess that's too much to ask.


The box seems undanaged, which is really good cause you never know what a disgruntled postal employee could do to your projector. The projector is actually a lot lighter then I thought it would be. A bit bigger then others I've used, and it feels kind'a cheap (oh wait, it was). Let's set it up and check out the picture.
All right, well I've tested the Wii in standard and widescreen mode, looks good. Also on order are the component cables from Nintendo. Nintendo online tells me they're beind readied for shippment, so hopefully I'll have them soon.

The next problem, a screen. I would buy a screen. The only options locally are a a 94" screen from Tuckers for $274, or a 96" from West End electronics for $700. I don't like either of those options. Tuckers is a 4:3 and not a widescreen screen, so I'll have wasted screen on tow and bottom, and $700 for a screen is crazy. A quick online search turns up lot'sa screens, but the $100 shipping cost is not pleasant. I think the solution is to turn a wall into my screen, it's worked before.

In the mean time, I have to convert this wall. Into an effective screen. Tomorrow I'll probably make a run to Futureshop and grab some cables and maybe a DVD player to test out. Then, I'll hit up Kent or some such and get the material to fix up that wall. Some white primer and some putty will get that wall in shape. Though, to be honest, the image doesn't look that bad on orange, but, of course, it could always be better.

The ultimate goal, have a big screen TV in time for the Christmas crowd to come home and get some big ass smash brothers on the go.

A problem emerges

The main problem with the Wii, if we should say it's a problem at all. Is that it really requires one to have a much bigger screen then 12". The solution to this problem is not as simple as one might suspect. Sure, you could but a nice big TV, but, honestly, who really wants to shell out the $3000 for a nice 43" LCD TV. Your other option, of course, is to buy a projector. However, once you have a projector, you need a screen. Not to mention the expensive replacement bulbs.

Now, projectors have the coolness factor going for them too, not to mention the option to create a 100" screen. What self respecting geek could turn down such a Nirvana of video delight. I think it's simple enough to say that I want a home theater. Not a simple TV, but something that I can add to over the years to create a Mecca of home entertainment.

So, the problem in front of me now, what equipment do I buy?

Well, the first requirement is a projector. Good, HD projectors will run over two grand. I don't really want to start that high. So, with the plan to start off small I stumbled across the Evo. Not the be all, end all of projectors, but certainly enough to get me started and definitely right for the Wii. So, it's been ordered.