Covering a window:What's best?

bsainsy

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Hello,

I'm nearing the end stages of my cinema room build, the only thing I am yet to decide on. At the back of the room, facing the screen I have a large window. I presume I'm correct in thinking it would be good to have some sound absorbing blinds/curtains of some sort. Personally I think I'd prefer blinds.

Has anyone got any recommendations?
 
Am I right in thinking thinking this will also need to keep the light out? I have a Bloc Blind that runs in tracks which is very effective at keeping light out. It's probably as good as a roller blind can be for noise, though I doubt that's much for low frequency sounds. I have blackout curtains over the top of this.
My window is the max width they do at 2.4m
 
Am I right in thinking thinking this will also need to keep the light out? I have a Bloc Blind that runs in tracks which is very effective at keeping light out. It's probably as good as a roller blind can be for noise, though I doubt that's much for low frequency sounds. I have blackout curtains over the top of this.
My window is the max width they do at 2.4m

With the blind and the curtains do you get any light bleed at all or is it completely blacked out?

I think I'm going to board my window up (dedicated room) but still seems a odd thing to do removing the view.
 
Well I get more light bleed from the internal door than a very large south facing window. Mine could actually be better as I never got around to sealing the edges. As no window frame is completely square you will have some grap around the frame that you can seal with silicone sealant or caulking.
There's a very small amount where the fabric runs in the track, so I would definitely want curtains over it for movies but with both it's so effective I've never noticed it, and I have covered LEDs at the back of the room with electrical tape, added seals around the door etc.
I would take a photo if I could but it's just black.
 
I recently made this up for a night worker friend of mine. The idea may be of some use to home cinema enthusiasts! It’s a wooden frame with blackout material stretched across it and pipe lagging all around the outside. As it was measured to be a tight fit, the lagging squeezes against the plaster window reveal and gives total blackout!
FA106A7D-9757-4D5E-85AD-CA56F8A09D03.jpeg
 
If you really don't fancy either blinds or curtains but still wanted to completely cut the light flooding into the room and your window isn't big I have seen it used to great affect. Get yourself 2" thick polystyrene and cut it to fit the window opening cover it with material and two tabs to help remove it when it isn't being used for home cinema use.

It's a very quick slot into place and removal just as quick, its cheap and very effective.
 
You can get blackout blinds, that operate in a cassette.
That's what my bloc blind is. One think I forgot to mention is alcove depth. Bloc Blinds are very cautious in the minimum depth of 120mm for the wider model. I replaced the window handles with low profiles ones and fitted it with only 95mm depth.

Another point is the chain length. When we fitted it I was surprised how short the chain was. If a company is fitting them the have a legal restriction on how low the chain can be, this is why the ask how high the window is. If you tell them the window is higher you get a longer chain.
 
The challenge I always had with blinds was the real difficulty in getting them to block all the light out always leakage at the edges, if it works solid shutters are a lot better, you can add a small amount of window runner sealing strips and get to 100%, they should overlap at the joint

Cinema Room May 2020 1-9209625.jpg
 
I think the bloc blinds run in a u-shaped channel which cuts down on the light getting around the edges ... if you go for their XL series then you can get them motorised...

by law the bottom of a chain has to be 1.5m above the ground - and the chain has to have a safety link that will break if a child tries to hang on it ...
 

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