Need low end screen help- I'm torn.

[amarygma]

Okay- my setup: I have a mitsubishi 3000 DLP with 1000 lumens and 4000:1 contrast ratio. It's very bright. The room is dark, it's my basement, so there's like three little glass blocks of light at the back and whatever leaks down the stairs in the front (this provides maybe the basic shadows, you could not read, you may trip over things etc)

I currently have this on a 60 something ish dalite model B glass beaded 1:1 screen that i found in the basement when i bought the house.

The glass beads sparkle too much, and the texture is too gritty, which is noticeable as the gain is so high that i have all the brightness settings to "low." Maybe it's dirty/dusty, but light colored stuff looks gritty. I held up just a sheet of paper and it was so much smoother.

I need a wide viewing angle and want like 92-100 inches or so. (there's just somehting nice about triple digits).

We switch from 16:9 to 4:3 a lot (multiple sources) so I'm thinking 16:9. The projector has yet to be mounted.

I need a manual screen. This is over a fireplace (as in it drops down obscuring said fireplace) so it cant be stuck on the wall, and i dont want to wire up electrical stuff. I'd like to save cash- I'll deal with wrinkles as they occur. It won't need to go up and down much, just on the rare occasion we have a fire. It can be pull up or pull down, that's not a problem.

The projector will be ceiling mounted but at the same time this is our basement and for fun movie night someone might want to lie on the floor, so that's a viewing angle, plus i just need to keep it wide a I'm sensitive to the color shift effect, and just dimness. Since I don't need a high gain, that part should be easy. I'm thinking 1-1.2 or so for gain.

Im a broke college student, as is my husband. Well, grad school. but still, we spent wedding money on the projector, and we're going to cheap out on the screen for now, especially considering it's got to be manual anyways. We could install ceiling hooks for fixed frame, but Im trying to keep the price below even those, so maybe if my manual gets too wrinkly I'll rig up my own frame.

I've been really looking around, but screen reviews are sparse. Projectorreviews.com is not helpful as they just love stewarts, which are way out of our budget for now.

I see on tigerdirect etc. there are some Elite screens that are cheap, some Ultra screens, and Optoma's screens, but the greywolf is again glass beaded and high gain, despite being grey, so I'm not sure how that works out.

I need to keep this under 200 dollars, and preferably around 150 ish with shipping. I can get an elite matte white for 80 bucks.

I can get a 92 inch dalite model b high contrast matte white for just under 200 with free shipping ... is it that much better than the elite or ultras?

I'm worried because i dont like my current dalite.

Thanks!

 

[amarygma]

I wanted to add this query...

I do switch formats often (okay to play xbox or watch normal TV). SO... would it make sense to get a 4:3 screen provided the width is the same I want for 16:9?

If i want a 92" HDTV format then I need 45x80
for 106 i need 52 x 92...

so if i get a 100" 4:3 at 60 x 80 or a 10' at 69 x 92, would that make sense because that format is cheaper (they give you less material for more money in 16:9 because people want the black border. I can live without it though.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I would strongly recommend that you get a 16:9 screen as 4:3 material is typically standard def TV and that is what you want 'smaller' to get the most out of the quality 4:3 material delivers. 16:9 stuff is HDTV and DVDs so that is the stuff you want at the larger size - which a 16:9 screen will deliver perfectly.

Now, if it were me - I would build a screen. Get some blackout cloth and spend 4 or 5 hours making the screen yourself using pretty basic hand tools. It cost me about 100 bucks to make the screen and another 80 bucks to make a nice frame with a true velvet border. The final product for under $200 could be mounted on hooks from the ceiling or directly on the wall... Most of all, it fits the requirements you have. 1. Improved viewing angle. 2. Cheap 3. No sparkles or color shift issues

The only Elite screen that I have seen had sparkles all over it and looked horrible IMO. Not something I would ever recommend. There are many matte white roll up screens for under $100 which are alright and a good option if the DIY route isn't up your alley.

 

[amarygma]

I kinda don't feel like a DIY project though.

 

[AVJedi]

Try your university...Most universities rotate their inventory of gear every year, or every couple. See if you can contact some one there for a manual screen (maybe even 16:9). A lot of the larger classrooms have big screens for a good viewing angle for all the students. If they happen to be getting rid of one, you can probably get it pretty cheap, and will cover what you want for awhile. Otherwise, your specs and price range leaves very little wiggle room.

 

[amarygma]

Well I could afford the dalite at under 200, found for 160 at lowest. Or, I could get one of the elite or ultra etc. brands for about 100, but i can't find reviews that compare low end screens except against high end screens, which I know are better, so it doesn't really help.

I really don't mind spending under 200, otherwise i'd make one.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I'd advise you to steer clear of a roll up Elite, too- I bought one and it's horrible. Terrible texture, discolored & very flimsy. It's really wavy, just a mess. All pull downs tend to wrinkle unless they're tensioned, and that adds a lot of expense.

Da-lite's Matte finish screens are very nice. DIY is an option, too.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I ran one of these for a couple of years until waves developed in the material...

http://cgi.ebay.com/DALITE-52-X-92-MODEL-B-MANUAL-SCREEN-MATTE-WHITE-NEW_W0QQitemZ290021832478QQihZ019QQcategoryZ75399QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Not bad - and under $200

 

[amarygma]

I went with the dalite 92" high contrast matte white.

 

[Rob Babcock]

You could buy a nice Da-lite pulldown and cut it out of the roller, then tack it into a homemade frame. Cheap & effective. Wrap the frame with velvet and you have a nice screen on the cheap.