Screens - Do they matter?
 

Newbie question here: How much do screens matter when using an HD projector? Does the image quality vary greatly with different screens? The prices certainly vary but that doesn't always mean anything. Can you use a slide-projector screen? Are there really 'HD' screens and SD screens as sometimes seen advertised?

I know there are alot of people that have made their own screens or have painted walls but IMHO a high quality screen is what makes the room a theater.

The screens greatly affect contrast and coloring of your projector. There really isn't a HD vs SD screen as far as I know, but I could imagine the perforated screens might be that way.

But just going to your first projector from a TV, basically any cheap screen will look awesome to you visually. I'd do some research depending on the type of viewing you will be doiong and the amount of light that will be in the room.

Screens have a significant impact. Is one "better" then another? That is personal opinion.

As mentioned, you can use anything for a screen. Some who have a white or slightly off white wall just throw up a black boarder. And yes, you could use an old slide projector screen. And some of the same items found in those old slide projector screens can be found in modern screens. For example, you can get a "silver" screen to increase brightness, or a "grey" screen to increase blacks, or a textured screen that might help with off angle viewing.

I built my own screen after experimenting a bit. Like everything else in home theater there is no "one" solution. I did like how a grey screen increased the black levels on my pj (and grey is often recommended for my pj), but I didn't like what it did to whites and the brightness. So I stuck with white, buying material on ebay and building my own frame (you can see in the link in my signature).

I have toyed with the idea of building another screen. Mine is 94" and I have room for 100". Plus I'd like to try a different material (I built this one about 3 years ago for my 480p projector and have since upgraded to a HD pj). But truthfully, it is not on my priority list.

As mentioned you can paint or buy material from a hardware store or fabric store to make a very nice screen for less then $125 or so. The blackout material used on curtain linings is a favorite choice, readily available and relatively cheap. Just stretch it over a frame like an artist canvas. Or you can find a good color paint and paint (I personally hate painting). There is an awesome thread at AVS for DIY screens. Be warned, tons of information and I wouldn't ask any questions till you spent a lot of time there as your question has probably been asked and answered before, probably many a time.

This can also give you an idea to build a screen for about $100.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/diy_screen.htm

Thanks for the info, and sorry if I repeated old questions. I searched, but didn't find much.

Sounds like I should buy a nice projector and do some of my own tests before shelling out for a screen.

Yeah, and if you have the option project in the wall for a couple of weeks, or even months so you can try different sizes, positions, etc. I know that's not an option for some people, but that helps a lot.

Well as a new PJ owner I guess I should chime in. I just made the switch from a 55" rear projector to a Mits HC1500 front projector. I'm sitting 12 feet from a 100" image that for now is displaying on my white painted wall and it looks great. I feel I have a discerning eye when it comes to PQ. I work with images for a living so I can tell a good image from bad. I even had my 55" Mits professionally calibrated to achieve the best image I could.

So while I was deciding what screen to display my new PJ onto, I started reading a ton of opinions on manufactured screens vs DIY ones. I went to a local AV shop and had a look at midpriced and high end screens and to my eyes I could not see enough of a difference in color accuracy, greyscale, brightness or contrast to convince me that a DIY screen was not good enough. If my white painted wall was able to compare to a fixed screen costing $800 to $2000 I feel that a homemade screen from black out cloth that can be built for about $100 will suffice. I just didn't see enough of an increase in PQ to convince myself that I needed to spend all that on a screen.

Now I do want to have the look of one of these screens. So I'm going to build a frame, put the BOC on it and frame it with a black duvetyne boarder to make it look more like a true theater and not just displayed on a blank wall or a sheet.

Now I'm not saying that a high end PJ mated with a high end screen won't look better than what I currently have, but for my <$800 PJ I didn't see a $1000+ screen making a difference. On the other hand it's possible that the screens I looked at were mated with a PJ that wasn't as good as mine so it could be that PJ that makes the difference.

Some of the DIY screens really do compete well with even the most expensive screens.

Frankly, other than the black screens, the outrageous prices usually come from add-ons. Odd sizes, motor control, tensioning, etc. Even the best material in a basic pull-down screen will be less expensive. And there is a huge jump in price going from a good screen like Da-Lite to a great screen like Stewart. Law of diminishing returns.

I probably sampled everything out there from Elite, Carada, Da-Lite and Stewart. I havn't had a chance with the Vutec SilverStar yet but am interested to get my hands on it.

I felt the image of the Carada was really close to the Stewart, but the material did not have the stronger backing and felt a little flimsy.

Bottom Line: Everyone likes different types of images. I like bright and colorful. My own personal favorite was the Da-lite High Power and that is what I bought. The pull downs are fairly cheap solutions and I have no noticable waves in the fabric.

My suggestion is to contact the companies for samples and see what you like for yourself. Check the samples you like against DIY fabrics and then go with your favorite solution.