Largest Inflatable Screen in Americas - Traverse City Film Festival uses 100' AIRSCREEN

When it comes the big inflatable screens, it is Outdoor Movies. And If you want to see a big screen,  come up to Traverse City, Michigan.  Here is our 100' AIRSCREEN installed for the Traverse City Film Festival.   Front sound is all line array 24 Vertec 4888's and 10 Vertec 4880 subs. Center channel is provided uses a 180' reach crane.

Great trade article featuring AIRSCREEN!

Here is a link to a great new trade article on the quality difference of an AIRSCREEN inflatable screen.

AIRSCREEN Celebrates ten years of inflatable screen sales in the United States

The leader in outdoor movie screen manufacturing and innovation, AIRSCREEN is celebrating its 10th anniversary of inflatable screen sales in the United States. As the distributor of AIRSCREEN inflatable screens since 2006, we offer our congratulations! Learn about the AIRSCREEN inflatable screen.

100' AIRSCREEN Classic Inflatable Screen

New Patent Issued to Outdoor Movies for Improvements to Inflatable Screens

Outdoor Movies announces the allowance of US patent 7961388 for improvements to the inflatable screen frame for outdoor movie screens. Robert Deutsch and Shane Spruill are the co-inventors. Here is our patent.

For your outdoor movie screen, what lumen projector is right?

We get asked this question all the time. We also get asked if a brighter projector can help get their outdoor movie event started earlier.

Here are our answers:

1. The math for calculating brightness is easy. We are going to use 16:9 ratio projectors and inflatable screens for this exercise. Take the lumens and divide it by the square feet of the screen surface. So for example, we sell a 5,000 lumen hidef projector with our 24'x13.5' Aeropro HD-PRO Package. 24x13.5'=324 sf. 5000/324=15.4. The resultant calculation is a measurement called foot lamberts. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and the Research Council of the Academy of Motion Pictures has set 14-16  foot lamberts as the standard. So 15.4 is plenty of light!
2. Does more brightness mean we can start our outdoor movie earlier? The answer is - yes and no! More brightness means you may see a picture. However, in projection, the color black is created by darkness any ambient light destroys black levels and washes out colors.

Comments and questions are always welcome!

Bob Deutsch
Outdoor Movies

Outdoor Movie Safety -Part 4 -Trip Hazards

At events, trip hazards are one of the most common forms of injury. Luckily ther have been few of the these type injuries at outdoor movie events but given the increasing popularity of outdoor movie events and the inflatable screen, it is a good time for the industry to look at its potential hazards and respond accordingly.  Given the use of audio and power cabling at outdoor movie events, it is critical that this hazard be managed in order to reduce the risk of injury. It is one of the most basic things but often overlooked by outdoor movie operators. The bottom line is that no cabling should run through the area in which an audience is without being covered by a mat or placed in cable tray. In any case, exposure to the risk of injury and or liability should be minimized at every opportunity. It is best practice to cover anything that may be a trip hazard. Many companies online sell inexpensive outdoor rubber matting in 50' rolls. Look for heavier matting with grooves or a pattern in it.  These rolls may be sliced lengthwise with a utility knife to yield 100' of cover at reasonable cost. These can be used to cover power lines coming from a generator or panel. Audio cables should be routed around the center of the audience where possible or covered.  Bottom anchor tether lines coming from an AIRSCREEN inflatable movie screen (or a knockoff of the original AIRSCREEN design) should lie flat on the ground and not be tensioned in a way that they rise an inch or two off the ground. What are other trip hazards and how do we mitigate them? Comment on this post and share how you minimize trip hazards on your outdoor movie site.

These bits of advice may seem completely common sense but you would very surprised at how often they are not followed. Public safety is paramount, so act in a responsible and conservative manner. Staying uninjured and comfortable through the season is our wish for you and your audience from Outdoor Movies!

Bob Deutsch
Outdoor Movies

Inflatable screen - Safety Part 3 - You

In this series we look at possible injuries you might sustain operating an outdoor movie screen or package. This list is by no means complete and is meant simply as thought provoking article, not medical advice. Speak with a doctor about your particular situation if you have a concern.

1. Back strain/injury - when moving heavy items, exercise basic common sense! If in doubt get help!  If you haven't lifted anything over the winter, you are out of shape. Use good biomechanics or a back brace. Also, if you can get the equipment to where you will be using it, there is less wok for you. In short be careful, get help, don't be a hero.

2. Shoulder injury - any work involving stress which takes place above your shoulder involves the risk of shoulder injury. Generally speaking, while holding screen tethers, do not do so above shoulder level. This is important! Also, repeating myself, use good biomechanics. I dislocated a shoulder trying to lift a subwoofer into a cargo van, I was stooped over and turned so that the speaker was slightly behind me.  You don't want to do this it hurts!

3. Sun and dehydration - doing a setup on a 95 degree day with 95% humidity will drain you. Drink fluids to the point where you urinate every hour up to one liter of fluid per hour. Take breaks and know your limits. Do not wear a black outfit and use a baseball cap as well.  It is tempting to forgo sunscreen when doing an install because you sweat it off pretty quickly and its sticky nature just makes more dirt stick to you. Use the sunscreen anyway! And reapply frequently.

These three bits of advice may seem completely common sense but you would shocked how often they are not followed. Staying uninjured and comfortable through the season is our wish for you from Outdoor Movies!

Bob Deutsch
www.outdoor-movies.com

Outdoor Movies Introduces New HiDef Pro packages

Outdoor Movies is pleased to announce the introduction of our new line of AIRSCREEN Aeropro HiDef Pro Packages.  The new packages offer incredible image improvements over outdoor movies shown using standard definition projection. Utilizing BluRay and native widescreen projectors at high resolutions. Each package ships turnkey with an AIRSCREEN Aeropro inflatable screen, high definition projector, QSC sound system, and all the accessories you need.  Did you know high definition has as many a four times the number of pixels as standard definition.  When asked by customers if there is a perceivable difference, the answer is a resounding yes! The HiDef Pro packages are available in screen widths from 16 to 40 feet.

AEROPRO HiDef Packages

Outdoor Movies equips DC Office with RF Welder for perfect inflatable screen repairs

RF Welder in our Customer Service Department

Accidents do happen.  Outdoor Movies and AIRSCREEN, in an ongoing effort to best support our AIRSCREEN inflatable outdoor movie screen customers, have purchased a state of the art 10,000 watt RF welding machine for the USA office.  We now can provide faster and better repair services, often with one day turnaround. And larger tears, anchor replacements and other complicated repairs can be handled easily without the need to send the equipment back to the original manufacturing facility. The equipment will add to our capability of providing warranty services as well.  For your outdoor movie screen repair needs, call 301-838-4544 x 101, or look for us online at www.outdoor-movies.com.

Santa's Little Helper: The Digital Man Gift Guide - Page 6

Nice little plug for AIRSCREEN inflatable outdoor movie screens from Esquire.

Santa's Little Helper: The Digital Man Gift Guide - Page 6

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Off to Montevideo Uruguay

Congratulations to Coral Films in Montevideo, Uruguay, on their purchase of a new 30' AIRSCREEN (www.airscreen.com). I had the opportunity to travel to the southernmost capital city in the world and what a great place for an inflatable movie screen! The city is built along 10 miles of beaches... and the interior of the country has no cinema. Outdoor Movies (www.outdoor-movies.com), provided training and support, not onl for the AIRSCREEN product but also for best practices in outdoor projection and sound design.

WalMart Outdoor Movie screen review and pics (not our product)

So out of curiosity I bought one of the $200 deluxe screens from WalMart. Was I impressed not really but at $200 you can't complain, unless you want to get political about buying Chinese, etc., etc. The pressure in the frame is really low so it wobbles and really needs the ropes to keep it from being super floppy. I like th two integtrated fans, sorta cute. The screen surface is not a real screen surface and it does not get stretched tight enough to be free of wrinkles and waves... but hey its $200. I'll edit this post to add pics by the end of the day. Anybody else with this screen?

So I meant to post (am I a bad blogger?)

Life in the Outdoor Movie production business is NEVER boring and never left me much time for blogging. So since '06, we bought a second 65' screen, purchased two 20,000 lumen Christie projectors. Major film fetivals added outdoor components. I met Harrison Ford.

We sold more than 150 complete Outdoor Movie systems with: inflatable screen, projector, sound to universities, military, local governments... and screens to 15 or so contries!!!

In my next post, I want to comment on product developments, the backyard theater phenom and more. Make your comment on anything outdoor movie related and I'll respond - promise!