Recommendations for a projector screen..

[G33K]

I'm quite new to the world of projectors but after demo'ing a few, have settled on the Epson EH-TW9200. I have this set up and am delighted with the result but at the moment I'm projecting onto a king-size sheet which is pinned to the curtains.

Obviously I'm not doing the projector any justice but I wanted to get a feel for how big a screen would need to be for comfortable viewing before committing. A bit of experimentation suggests a 100" screen feels about right (I've been projecting onto an area ~135cm by ~205cm).

When it's not in use I'd like the screen to disappear into the ceiling so a motorised feed seems like a nice idea.

So what options would anyone recommend for my setup?

After reading a little online, it seems most people who've had a set up for a while swear by tab-tensioned screens? Also, I see mentions of screens with different gains, white vs silver etc. but am unsure what options would be best for me.

Any advice would be very gratefully received...

 

[Jez]

In terms of making the screen disappear into the ceiling, you will need to check which way the joists run. If they run the other way, you have no chance obviously.

If they run the right way, simply buy a motorised screen with RF remote, cut a slot into the ceiling and screw to a joist. You can then either bead and plaster the edges of the slot, or buy a brush plate.

 

[Lowe]

Gain is a measure of the brightness of reflected light. 1 is pretty much a straight reflection, 0.8 is a little less (light grey) and a 1.1 might have small glass beads in to help give the impression of more etc. In a living room with light walls/ceiling generally it's recommended to go for a low gain screen. I went for a 0.8 with my Epson TW9000 and it's spot on.

 

[Richeh]

What kind of screen you want is all dependent on what kind of lighting the room with the projector has. If its a dedicated room, dark walls, floor, ceiling and bat cave conditions, MOST screens will be fine but I am talking electric tab tensioned ones as you say will still be at cheapest £600ish+ - bear in mind any kind of light or reflectiveness can vastly reduce the contrast and black levels on a plain white screen.

Then you have something like the Draper React 2 (I have viewed this along with another grey screen and a white one) which is designed for a bright living room environment where you don't want to have to turn off the lights or close the curtains and it maintains contrast and detail very well. The React 2 is actually a dark grey screen which they do electric/tab tensioned but it will set you back the best part of £2k - Is it worth it? To me yes, the difference was night and day compared to the other 2 screens and I will be purchasing a React 2 when I get my projector. There are some similar but not as good makes that may be a bit cheaper but its all about if you really want the best picture possible.

Check over on AVForums and see if there are any AV installers in your area, most have demo rooms and a variety of screens to view and they may even let you take your projector for a really direct comparison. Good luck!

 

[Warbie]

As others have said, your room plays the biggest factor in what screen is best for you. If it's not a batcave you can combat ambient light with grey screens and/or gain, but there are always trade offs. Grey screens do dull the image - whites will look greyer, vibrant colours not so vibrant - and affect brightness due to having a negative gain, potentially reducing screen size and/or resulting in you going through bulbs more often. Gain has it's draw backs too - usually a visible 'sparkly' texture to the surface, reduced viewing angles and hotspotting (brighter image in the center of the screen). Grey and gain gives a nasty combo of all of the above (and usually for crazy price!). It's for these reasons that I find found choosing the right screen infinitely harder than choosing the right projector! I've gone from cheap to top of the range, grey, silver and white, and gains from 0.8, 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, and 2.8!

To start off - Tab tensioned screens aren't cheap - is a fixed screen a option? What colour are the walls/carpet/ceiling? Will seating be directly in front of the screen or round to the sides too?

And for what it's worth - after a ridiculous many years saga of owning and demoing different screens (Carada, Stewart Filemscreen, Beamax, diy silver, diy white, diy Black Widow, and others I forget) - DaLite High Power was by far the best suited for my room/tastes. It has a 2.8 gain without hotspotting or sparkly texture and gives an uber bright image (think a 120" plasma floating in space ). The downsides - low viewing angles. A meter to the side of the screen and the gain drops to 1.0 - and as the screen is retro reflective (the light bounces back towards the projector rather than off the screen like a snooker ball hitting a cushion as you get with most angular reflective screens) you have to mount the projector near head height to get the gain benefits. None of these are an issue as the only seating is directly in front of the screen - so it's all good

 

[G33K]

Funnily enough I'd already posted on AV Forums. There's a couple of shots of the current setup over there.

It can't be a fixed-screen as it's right in front of the window.

There's a concrete lintel at the front of the lounge which juts out. Looking at it today, it seems that the section I'd want to put a hole in isn't directly load bearing and we'd been thinking of adding a short sloped roof above it in any case, so there may be scope to hide it in there. Short term we can probably just pull it ~30cm closer and mount it on the inside wall.

The carpet's beige and the walls are (currently cream). This is our living room so no chance of it being turned into a bat cave and me surviving the transformation

From what I've read thus far, the Draper Sesame (with React 2.1 material) sounds like it would probably fit the bill (albeit at a cost approaching that of the projector itself!). Cheapest quote I've seen is ~£1.7k for a 104" Draper screen.