Shiny paint?

[Brandon B]

OK, this really belongs in the Spaced Out forum, but I need thread traffic . . .

We are soon painting our "family room and kitchen", as my wife refers to our home theater. We got a projector, and this has illustrated to her quite well why I prefer as dark a shade as she can be happy with. But now the question of finish. She wants a semi-gloss for the non-HT reasons (easy cleaning, etc), but thought a satin would be better for light issues.

I think a semigloss might actually be better. Once the room is actually dark, light coming from the screen would reflect off the glossy surface in a more specular fashion and continue on its merry way down to the kitchen, whereas a matte finish will reflect more of it right back to the screen, washing out the image.

Please place your opinions directly into the gaping hole in my logic.

Thanks.

BB

[Burke Strickland]

If you think you'll enjoy watching your video with the glare in your eyes from the gloss finish more than putting up with minimal potential "screen wash out" from a matte finish, (which tends to give the visual effect of "killing" reflections in the room rather than reinforcing them -- at least that's the way it appears in my matte-finished HT), go ahead and try it and see how well you really like it. It may turn out to have the effect you had hoped for. However, gloss or semigloss will reflect back big time, creating a visual distraction and possibly influencing the color balance of the image on the screen itself. Glossy finish reflections have greater potential for perceived screen image "wash out" from glare. If that happens when you dim the light and fire up the projector, you may want to try curtains on the screen wall rather than repainting again with the matte paint.

Good luck!

Burke

[Brandon B]

Not exactly. Matte finishes do not kill reflections, they kill specular reflection, instead scattering the light more equally in ALL directions. For the same color of paint, the amount of reflection will be roughly the same, just spread over more or less of a reflected angle.

Now in my situation, the only primary light source will be the screen. So if the light will be preferentially reflected away from the screen by a glossier paint (although admittedly correspondingly more into the viewers eyes), it seems this would be preferable from the stand point of not washing out the screen.

An analogy would be wetting a black asphalt street. It now appears darker, except from the position where the sun reflects of the now "glossy" street right into your eyes. The street has not been made darker, it has just been made more specularly reflective. But objects in other directions are now having LESS light cast on them by the street surface.

BB

[Andrew Pratt]

One thing to consider though is that the more flat the paint the less durable it is. I'd go with a semi gloss or somthing just above flat to get a more durabel surface but not to glossy. Is there a way you could have different finsihes on some walls? Not sure how that would look but its something to consider.

[Burke Strickland]

So if the light will be preferentially reflected away from the screen by a glossier paint (although admittedly correspondingly more into the viewers eyes), it seems this would be preferable from the stand point of not washing out the screen.

Wouldn't a mirror wall enhance this effect? Presumably even less of the unacceptable screen wash out which you hypothesize for the reflections from a matte finish -- but the viewing audience may need sunglasses. :>)

Enjoy!

Burke

[Lex]

I would go with a semi-gloss myself. But then, not being a front projection guy, what do I know?

Lex

[Brandon B]

Hey Burke! You edited your original post instead of replying, so now my second post looks (more) retarded. Thanks alot

Yeah, the light in your eyes is the gaping hole in my logic I was referring too.

Hmmmmm, mirrors, and black masking tape on my glasses framing the screen.

BB

[Burke Strickland]

The main ideas are still buried in there. :>) OK -- here's the opening paragraph that got deleted that you were responding to:

Matte finish will actually "kill" reflections, which is what you want in a home theater situation. My hometheater (aka "living room") :>) is painted with a matte finish, which was specifically chosen for its non-reflective property. It does the job admirably. (And yes, a dark color helps in that regard too. I used flat black for the wall behind the screen and 18% neutral grey for the rest of the walls and ceiling.)

(Some other verbiage was added including the suggestion to maybe try curtains instead of repainting.)

Many people find "black out mattes" around the edges of their screens to be effective and the hypothetical "wash out" from matte finish doesn't seem to be a problem for them. (That's the at-the-screen equivalent to black masking tape on your glasses framiing the screen using a nappy black fabric.) The mattes tends to make the screen image more vivid than when there are projected "black bars or "grey bars" surrounding the image. That may also be worth a try.

Burke

[Brandon B]

Yeah, duvetyne masks are in the plan.

Got another question for you. A friend is going to put together a nice HT and I am pushing him towards the RDC-7 or the AVM-20. Since you have the Integra, I figure you'll knnow if they have or intend to soon add bass XO by speaker group to its software. Anthem just added them to the AVM-20.

BB

[Burke Strickland]

The short answer is "not in the near term" -- but we are still hopeful.... With the latest upgrade, the RDC-7's bass x-over offers multiple x-over points, but is an "all or nothing" proposition. However, there is more to the operational capability and sound quality of a pre/pro than just its bass control flexibility. It would be a tie-breaker if all else were equal, but all else is not equal. You might find the the thread "Anthem AVM 20 upgrade vs RDC-7 upgrade" interesting:

http://www.htguide.com/CFBoards/index.cfm?fuseaction=Threads.viewthread&CFB=1&Tid=44660&Forum=32&DoOnePage=Yes&RequestTimeout=500

Burke

[Brandon B]

Yeah, that sort of matches my impressions (not having even so much as havinng seen either unit in person). Sonic abilities tip to the RDC 7 while features tip to the Anthem.

We'll see if my friend wants to do the separate 2ch preamp route or not. Decision sort of depends on that.

If I get my way with his money, he'll be buying an Ayre preamp and 2ch amp, one of those prepros, and something a little less hi end for the other channels.

BB