# First post from an outside guy (pics fixed)



## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

Being that it is my first post, I thought I would introduce myself via my outdoor theater. I hope you like it....because I plan to prod you all for information on how to build a dedicated theater, at a later date....haha

I have been a long time gawker and admirer of dedicated home theater rooms. However, as of now, I have not been able to dedicate one for myself. I am in the works of building a casual theater room in my garage, but that is more a topic of questions rather than sharing the accomplishments. In the meantime (and weather allowing), I had to take it outside.


I built a 10' x 20' portable screen using aluminum tubing, an unused car trailer and some billboard vinyl. the screen bottom is roughly 5 feet from the ground which works really well for the natural stadium seating setup I have on my property. The shear size of the screen gives a real feel of an old drive in movie....just with better video clarity and sound reproduction. I cannot express how pleased I have been with the performance of our Movie nights. The largest crowd to date was over 100 people.

For equipment, I am using a HD projector, some PA audio speakers, PA AMP and mixer, along with a couple Blu-ray players that are all mounted in a flight case for easy setup and transport. I gathered a TON of information from the great people over at backyardthearter during my build. I can setup the whole show in under an hour with the help of one person and take it down in roughly 15 minutes.

Anyway....on to the pics.

Thanks for looking,
SHMO























I hinged it so I was able to transport the 15 foot tall screen without removing tree branches, power lines or low flying birds...haha

The aluminum framework makes it light enough to handle with just two people.











This was the initial trial run.










The performers











gotta have popcorn!











Setup and ready for darkness to settle in











Let the Show begin!











Best seats in the house


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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

MAN!....what a rookie move!

My first post and I hooped it with the pictures. To be honest I do not know what went wrong.

SHMO


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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

Sorry.....just read the rules. Please forgive my multiple posts.

SHMO


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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

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## fitzwaddle (Aug 25, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

Welcome, and hope the pictures get sorted out.


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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

*Re: First post from an outside guy*

Appreciate the warm welcome, fitzwaddle.

Now that I have read through the forum rules completely, I hope not to make any other newbie mistakes. Pics to come soon.:T

SHMO


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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

Just checked out your build, fitzwaddle. Very, very cool!

I have been debating back and forth on dedicating a portion of my garage for a theater room. I just can't seem to commit. My issue is, I only have a two car garage, a ton of junk and a couple 4 year old girls running around. Therefore I am really considering a dual purpose room with a simple screen wall thrown in with some play area, storage cabinets, flooring, etc. and all the while, still be able to retain some resemblance to a garage.

I envy you for all your garage space!

SHMO


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## fitzwaddle (Aug 25, 2010)

Thanks for the compliments on the garage HT build SHMO! I'm really having fun with it, even though its a long trudge and the finish line is nowhere in sight. Can't wait for the first movie (which will no doubt happen way before the room is done :clap. Your outdoor/portable theater setup looks really hot, that must be a lot of fun being able to throw a big party with it. I like the kid seating in the wagon too. 

Our house is an oddity for the neighborhood - all the houses were bungalows built in the 1950s - some with attached garages, some detached, and all of the houses about 1100-1400 square feet inside. Ours was 1162, but had a 4 car detached garage that was added by a previous owner years ago - we added onto the house a couple years ago, now its about 1700 square feet. We were originally going to do a second story addition and get to 2000-2500 square feet, which would have accommodated an HT room inside, but couldn't justify it based on the bids we saw. So when we decided on a more modest addition, it got me thinking about the weird 4 car detached garage that we had (I'm sure some would kill for that and keep it at that, a 4 car garage - but its a family of 3 - I liked having a big workshop area for woodworking, but not as much as I'd like having a dedicated theater). Started planning in 2006, got the permits, but then put on hold until after our house addition/remodel was done; May this year was when I finally decided to really get it going (hired a construction crew to do waterproofing, framing, insulation, drywall, electrical).

A big step was getting organized with all the "stuff" that was stored in the garage - built in some shelving, and put everything into storage bins. Helped clear up a lot of space.


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## ojojunkie (Jun 23, 2010)

Outdoor Theater is very cool! Congratulations! 

wish I could have a chance to set-up as yours when I go back home...


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

A very nifty fold down, transportable design..:T
Do you take this set up to other locations as well?


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## SHMO (Nov 23, 2010)

The outdoor movie theater is a lot of fun. We showed a movie every Friday night this past summer. People seem to love it, and I get a total kick out of hosting it. I was more or less forced into purchasing a fairly healthy sound setup to accommodate such a large crowd in an outdoor setting. Thankfully, as of today there have not been any noise complaints about our movie nights. As an added benefit, I have been able to host a few street dances which we usually hire a professional DJ to cater. If a guy thinks hard enough about that, you could say my outdoor theater is actually making money!.....unfortunately, my wife uses a more realistic approach at math...haha


Originally, I just built the framework to be foldable so that I would be able to move it around without banging it into tree branches or other obstacles. It just so happened that when everything was said and done, it measures out at 101 inches wide when folded down, so it would be completely street legal to transport. As of right now, I have not taken the setup anyplace other than our own property. However, we have kicked around the idea of using it for a kids only "WII video game tournament" or maybe even a UFC pay per view at a friends Culdesac some night. 

SHMO


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