AVForums.com - View Single Post - Maximising image contrast

Rich H · 07-05-2012, 4:50 AM

I recently did an "Maximising Image Contrast" upgrade tweak to my room and thought I'd share, via pictures. Perhaps there are some ideas that can be of use to others here.

(All these were taken quickly with my iPhone camera...heck...do any other cameras even exist any more?....)

I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. It's one of those obvious solutions that took using my room for a couple years, to come up with. Solution: more curtains! As I've already detailed on this forum before, my room is a living room turned into AVroom/Home theater room/music listening room/reading/hang out/entertain guests room. But I have always sought to somehow maintain very high performance for music and picture in the room.
Hence a nice welcoming room by day must transform into a theatrical, non-reflective room for movie watching.

I already have a dark brown felt ceiling build-down, dark carpet, dark sofa, black velvet screen wall around the image, black velvet "stage" area on floor and black velvet covered speakers.

I kept the 2-tone color scheme by using rich, chocolate brown velvet curtains strategically throughout the room: to each side of the screen, on the side screen walls, on one side of the room entrance, and one in a room corner. I chose brown over black velvet because it just looked much nicer, warmer, more decorative and it blended better. Here's a link to how I was killing reflections with the brown curtain material:

Rich H's Variable Image Size Home Theater - Build Thread - Completed! - Page 3 - AVS Forum

But there were still some bright areas of wall left, and I keep searching for perfection. I'd posted image in the previous "maximising conrast" thread, showing how I was experimenting, putting up black material to cover the remaining bits of bright wall to the far sides of the screen. Once I saw that even this increased image quality, I made it a habit...but it was awkward to do - hanging up the material, putting it away, hanging it up....

I wanted a quick, easy solution that was more permanent.

My solution is now finished: I added more curtain tracks into the room. Essentially, I added tracks that span the entire side walls, and along the entire back wall behind the viewing sofa. Now there are black velvet curtains that can be pulled entirely along every bit of wall area. And the room aesthetics haven't changed a bit (I didn't want them to): the black velvet curtain simply slide, hidden, behind the nicer looking brown velvet curtains. I love this double-track concept because then you aren't stuck between "looks best" or "rejects light best." You can choose the curtain type/color you like and that you see all day, but for movies the best possible light rejection material comes out, into use.

I used a combination of Fidelio Black Velvet (the darkest I've seen; it covers my front screen wall/speakers/floor stage). And also a bunch of the super dark, Devore black velvet that is mostly acoustically transparent. I wanted to minimise the effects of adding the new material to the acoustics of the room, and the surround speakers.

Here is how it came out, via photos:

The room by day:

Automated black out window shades part way down:

Taking one corner of the screen, here are the visible brown velvet curtains, behind which are hidden the new black velvet curtains:

Close up you can see the new double curtain tracks.

Black curtains pulled out a bit from behind brown curtains:

Black curtains pulled all the way across the entire fireplace wall - I did a cut-out for the side surround speaker:

This is the other side of the room, though the exposure makes the smaller curtain look darker, both are the brown velvet curtains, with the new black velvet hiding behind them. The smaller brown curtain in the corner hides a black velvet curtain that actually spans the entire width of the room behind the viewing sofa, when drawn:

With the black velvet pulled out near the side speaker wall, and begun to pull out on the back sofa wall:

The black curtain behind the sofa, fully drawn, creates a "black-box" seal around the room with the other curtains:

Cont'd next post...

07-05-2012, 4:50 AM	#103
Rich H Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Thanks: Gave 0, Got 143 Posts: 456	I recently did an "Maximising Image Contrast" upgrade tweak to my room and thought I'd share, via pictures. Perhaps there are some ideas that can be of use to others here. (All these were taken quickly with my iPhone camera...heck...do any other cameras even exist any more?....) I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. It's one of those obvious solutions that took using my room for a couple years, to come up with. Solution: more curtains! As I've already detailed on this forum before, my room is a living room turned into AVroom/Home theater room/music listening room/reading/hang out/entertain guests room. But I have always sought to somehow maintain very high performance for music and picture in the room. Hence a nice welcoming room by day must transform into a theatrical, non-reflective room for movie watching. I already have a dark brown felt ceiling build-down, dark carpet, dark sofa, black velvet screen wall around the image, black velvet "stage" area on floor and black velvet covered speakers. I kept the 2-tone color scheme by using rich, chocolate brown velvet curtains strategically throughout the room: to each side of the screen, on the side screen walls, on one side of the room entrance, and one in a room corner. I chose brown over black velvet because it just looked much nicer, warmer, more decorative and it blended better. Here's a link to how I was killing reflections with the brown curtain material: Rich H's Variable Image Size Home Theater - Build Thread - Completed! - Page 3 - AVS Forum But there were still some bright areas of wall left, and I keep searching for perfection. I'd posted image in the previous "maximising conrast" thread, showing how I was experimenting, putting up black material to cover the remaining bits of bright wall to the far sides of the screen. Once I saw that even this increased image quality, I made it a habit...but it was awkward to do - hanging up the material, putting it away, hanging it up.... I wanted a quick, easy solution that was more permanent. My solution is now finished: I added more curtain tracks into the room. Essentially, I added tracks that span the entire side walls, and along the entire back wall behind the viewing sofa. Now there are black velvet curtains that can be pulled entirely along every bit of wall area. And the room aesthetics haven't changed a bit (I didn't want them to): the black velvet curtain simply slide, hidden, behind the nicer looking brown velvet curtains. I love this double-track concept because then you aren't stuck between "looks best" or "rejects light best." You can choose the curtain type/color you like and that you see all day, but for movies the best possible light rejection material comes out, into use. I used a combination of Fidelio Black Velvet (the darkest I've seen; it covers my front screen wall/speakers/floor stage). And also a bunch of the super dark, Devore black velvet that is mostly acoustically transparent. I wanted to minimise the effects of adding the new material to the acoustics of the room, and the surround speakers. Here is how it came out, via photos: The room by day: Automated black out window shades part way down: Taking one corner of the screen, here are the visible brown velvet curtains, behind which are hidden the new black velvet curtains: Close up you can see the new double curtain tracks. Black curtains pulled out a bit from behind brown curtains: Black curtains pulled all the way across the entire fireplace wall - I did a cut-out for the side surround speaker: This is the other side of the room, though the exposure makes the smaller curtain look darker, both are the brown velvet curtains, with the new black velvet hiding behind them. The smaller brown curtain in the corner hides a black velvet curtain that actually spans the entire width of the room behind the viewing sofa, when drawn: With the black velvet pulled out near the side speaker wall, and begun to pull out on the back sofa wall: The black curtain behind the sofa, fully drawn, creates a "black-box" seal around the room with the other curtains: Cont'd next post... Last edited by Rich H; 07-05-2012 at 2:47 PM.
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