Can you buy a screen with only specs???

[rolyasm]

Can you buy a screen just by looking at specs. Lets say hypothetically you lived on an island and couldn't test-see any screen. Your choices are three companies, all priced within a few hundred dollars of each other. Would there be any way, besides user reviews, to determine that one screen might be better than the other? Screen gain about the same, viewing angle about the same. So basically, the screens have about the same qualifications on the surface.
In other words, you are looking at 3 diff. companies, Da-lite, Vutec and Screen Innovations. All between 1.0-1.3 gain, all within a few hundred dollars. AND, you can't trial any of them. How do you make your choice? Is there an objective way to tell?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Can you buy a screen just by looking at specs. Lets say hypothetically you lived on an island and couldn't test-see any screen. Your choices are three companies, all priced within a few hundred dollars of each other. Would there be any way, besides user reviews, to determine that one screen might be better than the other? Screen gain about the same, viewing angle about the same. So basically, the screens have about the same qualifications on the surface.
In other words, you are looking at 3 diff. companies, Da-lite, Vutec and Screen Innovations. All between 1.0-1.3 gain, all within a few hundred dollars. AND, you can't trial any of them. How do you make your choice? Is there an objective way to tell?

If you cannot try or see it yourself, search out for someone who has

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=773065

 

[BMXTRIX]

It's really a your call decision. If you read solid reviews of the screens you are interested in, then a fair amount of it may come down to pricing. I personally use a lot of Carada stuff in my installations because the quality is great and the price is excellent.

Yet, I think that the real drive for quality theater is not in the screen, but in the room itself. A dark room, with darker paint, with proper light control, could have a fairly lousy screen and still look very good, while a $2,000+ screen in a non-light controlled environment will look like crud.

 

[otto12]

Hi,

You could contact the manufacturers and see if they could send you a screen fabric sample. This allows you to compare the materials. We always send them out free of charge and I am sure the brands wouldn't charge you either.

At the same time, ask them for resellers in your area that have a screen in their demo room.

It can all be time consuming, since you have to spend time driving to the resellers, but that will allow you to go for the best option.

Good luck,

Otto
Beamax

 

[rolyasm]

Okay, kind of what I thought. So there aren't stats on the screens that are objective such as viewing angle, kind of material it is made out of, true gain, etc? Are there really that many different kinds of screens and materials used, or is it one plant in the Phillipines that makes the screen for everyone? ha. I guess I just don't have enough experience with screens. They all look about the same to me, in which case, I guess I go with the cheapest. If my tastes aren't discerning enough, then it doesn't matter.

 

[otto12]

Hi,

Some things are objective, yet the construction of a screen is underrated.

Even with the same fabric used, the constructions can result in completely different looking fabrics (especially in manual and electrical projection screens).

Your best option is to find a reseller which allows you to compare the screens. Short of that, get fabric samples to get at least some ideas
(Apart from checking the forums for user reviews/ experiences).

Good luck,

Otto
Beamax