My extremely low cost outdoor theaters

[victor-eyd]

Recently, there has been great interest in outdoor theaters , given that projector prices are falling like crazy, commercial movie theaters are becoming more annoying to attend due to rowdy patrons, high ticket prices, or both, and the nostalgic desire to re-create the outdoor drive-ins we used to attend when we were kids.

I know that here in the SF east bay we used to have lots of drive-ins, and here in Hayward I believe we had at least one and a massive one in adjacent Union City. Sadly, I never visited either of those places but I wanted to recreate that feeling here in my backyard, or in this case my driveway, since it was big enough and the house shielded us from the winds at night.

I didn’t want to invest a lot of money in this project, figuring I’d be using this only a couple of times a year, so scouring through craigslist and amassing audio/video pieces from family and friends I was able to create my outdoor drive-in.

Total cost: under $50



The screen itself is made from thick 1” honeycomb cardboard panels used to protect large sheets of matboard paper (I work in a picture framing facility in SF).



The material is very light, maybe 7-8lbs per panel. It is held in place using Velcro I bought at Home Depot.


The screen is currently 165” diagonal.



But recently I was able to get even larger panels, so now my 2008 screen will measure a staggering 207”. All of the panels were free.



The projector is a craigslist find: Someone deciding to part with it because they thought the lamp had died. They were wrong- the lamp was seated incorrectly. They parted this NEC MT810 for $10.00 with almost 1000hrs left on the lamp.

The audio components were no-name flea market Chinese speakers. The sub is a from Sony HTIB and the amp driving it is a 45w from Parts Express. All were gifts or unneeded equipment. And to those who need to know: Yes, a sub does help significantly in filling out the sound, not necessarily adding heavy bass to the experience. You could always opt for a bigger sub, but whichever way you go, it will help.





I made mdf makeshift stands to hold the to the floor or on the fence

The other components again were craigslist finds- a dvd/vcr for $20 allows me to catch tv signals or watch dvd movies. Right now you see a denon and a another old receiver. They both finally crapped out and now I’ll be using my Carver TFM15 for amplifier duties. I also have an old Chase HTS-1 passive surround sound system so the 2 channels will translate into 4. A mini-system will power up the dual centers.



All in all, I'm happy with the setup. I'll have to work on getting more unified outdoor furniture but who's complaining when you've got a beer in your hand and you're watching with your buds



Victor

[victor-eyd]

I’ve also did a lot investigating regarding the merits of using opaque plastic sheeting at home depot and shower curtain material for rear projection material. It works but it also hotspots, so I’d rather go with a more establish rear projection material for better effect.





However, it will do wonders for Halloween use







So there you have it. Enjoy
Victor

[Pirate]

Well done. Very cool.

[Wirehed]

This is neat!


Iggy also has an outdoor theater.

And I'm converting my quonset hut into a Tiki themed outdoor nightclub with a big screen and one of my old projectors.

[victor-eyd]

Wirehed,

Have a look at this

Tiki Theater - Backyard Theater Forums

Victor

[ganthc]

Originally Posted by victor-eyd

...but who's complaining when you've got a beer in your hand and you're watching with your buds


Victor

Your neighbors.


Very nice outdoor theater, Victor. I have to say that you were able to get that all setup at very minimal cost. It must be great for your kids to have friends over as well. I agree on the theater issue. I rarely go anymore because the value for those overpriced tickets has fallen. Having a great HT indoors and outdoors is pretty impressive, I must say.

[Iguana Man]

AWESOME!

And yes, I hate you for what you spent.

I'm going to have a few more showings this year before I move but dude! It's awesome sitting outside having your beverage of choice and chilling with your friends on anything over 200"!!!

[Wirehed]

Thanks for the link!

[victor-eyd]

Originally Posted by ganthc

Your neighbors.

Not to worry. My neighbor, ie little sister's house is over 75ft away. Add to that my speakers are closer to the backyard and the distance to her window is even longer. My other neighbor is on the other side of the house, which his home is almost 200ft away. And finally, my home backs into a main drive, so my backyard neighbor is again almost 200ft away.

In short, no one will hear my outdoor theater

[umainebearman]

Originally Posted by victor-eyd

In short, no one will hear my outdoor theater

That means you need bigger and louder speakers!!!

Awesome job man.

[sub780lime]

Very nice. It would be cool if you could just put a 6 person couch on some wheels and roll it in and out of your garage, but the plastic chairs work for now.

[Iguana Man]

I really think outdoor theaters are going to be big for many more home theater enthusiasts. Given the ease and relative cheap cost, and that many if not all real tried and true Drive Ins are all but gone...yep...it's the new thing.

[victor-eyd]

I recently got three more panels (for free) and once the weather gets warmer I'll have them painted white. The panels are about 60x110 so overall it'll be about 180x110 or so giving me a +200" screen image



If I can figure out a way to hang this alongside the 165" + my two 149" gemmy's I ought to start a drive-in

Victor

[Iguana Man]

Nice!