entry level screens

ratso

ratso

Full Audioholic
i am (may be?) a projector noob in the planning stage right now. i am looking at the new entry level 1080p projectors, like the optoma HD20 just reviewed. i think the one thing that is very confusing to newcomers on the entry level is what screen we need. the screen that they used in the review (Da-lite tensioned electrosol) looks to me like it costs around $1500, which would be 30% more then the projector itself. i realize how many variables are involved here, so i am looking for more general guidelines. electric or manual would just be a personal choice for a potential buyer. and i am talking about a real HD 16x9 screen, not paint. what would be a realistic set of features? do we need tensioned? do we need special surfaces? could someone give realistic examples of screens that would be appropriate to use with a $999 projector (pick whatever size screen you like, we can always pick a smaller or bigger one in the same screen series). i realize there are a lot of threads on this forum similar to this, but it is difficult to search through all of them. so give us your suggestions for an entry level screen to match an entry level projector?
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
Screens run the course from the cheap companies (Focupix/Elite) to typical mid-level (Carada, Da-Lite, Draper), to the top shelf (Stewart) and buying an appropriate screen is always a question mark.

It's important to note that a good screen will be matched to the room and the house and will not change. Like a really good set of speakers, you don't replace a screen every few years like you may an A/V receiver or a projector (!) so spending more on a screen is not at all inappropriate if your budget and enthusiasm allows.

Fixed framed screens are the best bang for the buck product on the market. They basically are hung on the wall like a picture with a very large frame and screen material stretched tight across that frame like a canvas.

The big plus: A perfectly flat viewing surface up against a wall which really isn't disturbed by breezes, etc.

The big down: A large flat white screen which is always visible and can't be hidden away to protect it.

Good model for the HD20?
Almost all screen manufacturers make this one! Get one with a velvet lined frame and proper viewing surface for the room (let's go with white here!)...
Focupix delivers 100" for about $300 or so (they are currently out of stock)
Carada delivers 100" for about $800
DaLite and Draper run around $1,000 or more.
Stewart... a fair bit more.

Manual roll up screens are a great entry point but are the second worst screen possible on the market. They all end up getting waves in the material whether left down or rolled up regularly and only a few manage to hold their flatness for more than a few months.

Big plus: The cheapest prefab screen available!
Big minus: Waves in the material means you should plan to replace it regularly or live with the waves.

About $100 to $200 from Focupix, Draper, and DaLite.
The HIGH POWER from DaLite is well regarded for a manual screen surface and is a bit more than other screen surfaces, but will last a bit longer for the money...
http://www.projectorcentral.com/da-lite_high_power_screen_review.htm

About $300 for the DaLite Model B high power screen at 100".

Electric non-tab-tensioned electric screens are something which I don't recommend. They are exactly the same as manual screens, but with a motor. Which means you get lousy quality, but end up paying an extra $200 or more to get a motor which allows you to not get off your rear to go pull down the screen. Instead, you get off your rear to go press a button on the wall. Get up and go pull down a manual screen and save your cash for a better screen!!!

Electric tab-tensioned screens are the bees knees when it comes to retractable screens. You get the convenience of a motor (get IR control or a 12v trigger type) and the tensioning characteristics of a permanently tensioned fixed on-wall screen.

Big plus: The screen goes away when not in use. Put it in-ceiling or behind a soffit to maintain a pristine room when not being used and when the screen comes down, you get flat perfection for screen viewing.

Big minus: Price. Period. Also worth noting is that cheaper screens are not always perfectly square and may not be using the highest quality controls or motors which could burn out and fail well before the better motors and screens have issues.

Best match for the HD20? Nothing really works with this type of screen and this lower cost projector. Focupix offers a 100" model which is around $700 shipped...
http://www.htdepot.com/Focupix_TensionFlat_16_9_Electric_Screen_105_p/fxt169s-100.htm

But, the quality and number of reviews is extremely limited (non-existent?) for that model.

Da-Lite and Draper both offer exceptional tensioned screens and they run from about $1,500 upward. You can find some for a bit less, but not much is there.

The screens from Elite also can be good, and run on the cheaper side and should be considered.

At the end of the day, I would try to go with a fixed frame screen and I would strongly recommend Carada for the quality you will get. Yet, for a retractable screen, I would suck it up and get a Da-Lite or perhaps Draper tab-tensioned model. Yes, it costs more than the projector, but it will outlast the projector by years, perhaps decades.
 
ratso

ratso

Full Audioholic
now see, BMX, it is posts like this that explain why i love you guys so much. mucho appreciato.
 
B

bandit

Audioholic
I just installed one of teh screen from Visual Apex (their own brand) and I really like it. I'm not a pro.. but to my eye this looks very very good and I spent a bit over $300 for a 100 inch fixed screen. I went the the Panasonic 720p (AX200) so the combo cost me under $1400. This brought a whole new level to my HT... Take the jump !!:D
 
C

chadburger

Banned
I just got a Focopix 92in Electric tab tensioned model for under $400 and its the best of the 3 screens I have owned, (Elite white then a grey). I dont think you can go wrong with this screen and I use it with a $10,000 projector in a room with $45000 in gear. I only list these numbers to show I will gladly spend money where there is a value and not afraid to buck up. This screen IMO is fantastic.
 
just-some-guy

just-some-guy

Audioholic Field Marshall
I just got a Focopix 92in Electric tab tensioned model for under $400 and its the best of the 3 screens I have owned, (Elite white then a grey). I dont think you can go wrong with this screen and I use it with a $10,000 projector in a room with $45000 in gear. I only list these numbers to show I will gladly spend money where there is a value and not afraid to buck up. This screen IMO is fantastic.
pics. or it didn't happen ....;)
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I just got a Focopix 92in Electric tab tensioned model for under $400 and its the best of the 3 screens I have owned, (Elite white then a grey). I dont think you can go wrong with this screen and I use it with a $10,000 projector in a room with $45000 in gear. I only list these numbers to show I will gladly spend money where there is a value and not afraid to buck up. This screen IMO is fantastic.
Elite screens are the worst I have seen. Some people like them, but the 2-3 I've seen in person have not measured up. Sparkling effects were present on them, which I don't like at all as it disrupts the image.

The Focupix is a very good value for the money.

It doesn't touch the build quality that Carada has... In fact, nothing short of Stewart really does. If you have a nice system, then Carada is an excellent purchase.
 
C

chadburger

Banned
I did a demo of Carda and Stewart on both DLP and LCD in controlled room at a dealer with my material I use for my owns reference. I dont see very large improvements and certainly not enough to justify the 3, 4 even 5x the cost, this is one of those diminished returns areas. Maybe if these screens were twice as good for double, triple the price but its just not the case.
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
I'm wondering what dealer you saw Carada at since they are an online only vendor?

Stewart is 3-5 times the price and is something I consider an overpriced boutique brand for most (not all) of their product. If you have an impossible requirement, then Stewart may have a solution.

Carada, on the other hand, is around a 50% premium over Elite, and about twice the price of Focupix. Their screen frame is about five times as nice and their construction quality is significantly better. The screen material is about twice as thick which improves reflectivity of the light and provides more consistent results with lower chance of stretching and other damage to the screen.

I've personally installed and used screens from Stewart, DaLite, Draper, Carada, Elite, and Focupix...

Focupix is best at an absolute budget.
Carada is best for a fixed frame screen - period.
DaLite/Draper are very close in quality for motorized screens. DaLite, in particular, has a nice positive gain grey screen.
 
J

jostenmeat

Audioholic Spartan
I just got a Focopix 92in Electric tab tensioned model for under $400 and its the best of the 3 screens I have owned, (Elite white then a grey). I dont think you can go wrong with this screen and I use it with a $10,000 projector in a room with $45000 in gear. I only list these numbers to show I will gladly spend money where there is a value and not afraid to buck up. This screen IMO is fantastic.
I did a demo of Carda and Stewart on both DLP and LCD in controlled room at a dealer with my material I use for my owns reference. I dont see very large improvements and certainly not enough to justify the 3, 4 even 5x the cost, this is one of those diminished returns areas. Maybe if these screens were twice as good for double, triple the price but its just not the case.
Wow, with a $45,000 budget, too. What is your $10k PJ?
 
C

chadburger

Banned
I'm wondering what dealer you saw Carada at since they are an online only vendor?

Stewart is 3-5 times the price and is something I consider an overpriced boutique brand for most (not all) of their product. If you have an impossible requirement, then Stewart may have a solution.

Carada, on the other hand, is around a 50% premium over Elite, and about twice the price of Focupix. Their screen frame is about five times as nice and their construction quality is significantly better. The screen material is about twice as thick which improves reflectivity of the light and provides more consistent results with lower chance of stretching and other damage to the screen.

I've personally installed and used screens from Stewart, DaLite, Draper, Carada, Elite, and Focupix...

Focupix is best at an absolute budget.
Carada is best for a fixed frame screen - period.
DaLite/Draper are very close in quality for motorized screens. DaLite, in particular, has a nice positive gain grey screen.
The new breed of AV means many our working out of their home so I can only assume he used a screen he had. I have been to dealers that deal in Vandersteen, SME, Audio Research and some super premium gear......its odd but brick and mortar isnt the rule anymore. I will admit I wasnt in a position to view side by side but after a few projectors and some years at this I know what to look for and whats important to me.
Maybe down the road a premium screen could proove a worthwhile investment due to possible eventual screen wave but some of these screens cost so much you could buy a good quality screen every couple years and still not be out the coin these premium models cost for just one. I have never looked at it from what happens in 2 yrs, I also looked at image and to me the difference is not high enough to justify cost. YMMV
 
KASR

KASR

Full Audioholic
I have an Elite Sable Series 100" and it's perfect for my application (home theater). Didn't notice any of the "sparkling" mentioned earlier in this thread. Construction and build seemed dead on. This being my first projector screen, I really don't have anything that I have used to compare it too - but I have seen the Vutec's, Draper's and Sima's and the Elite Sable is perfectly acceptable for the HD20. Here are few images to judge by:

My buddy Gary posing next to the finished Elite that we put together.


On the wall...obviously:


"Happy Feet" HD-DVD


"Star Trek" Blu-Ray


"Left for Dead 2" Load screen on Xbox 360 (alittle blurry)
 

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