Fixed or Manual Screen ?

[soamz]

Confused about what to go for, fixed or manual pull down screen ?

Fixed are normally highly priced and manual pull downs are cheap. Im looking for a 150 inch 16:9 screen .

Let me know, what would you suggest.

Also, is it wise to import the screen from USA via iShop ? Amazon USA has many options from Elite, Da-lite, FAVI , etc.

 

[nSinghal]

Go for fixed. Yours is a dedicated HT room. No need to go with the inferior pull down screens which are a lot more susceptible to waves and wrinkles over time. Not to mention the extra cost and difficulty you may face with DIY masking on pull down screens compared to fixed screen.

I went with a motorised pull down screen only coz mine is in my bedroom. Using a fixed screen would not have just looked ugly there but also made it impossible to add a flat screen tv for daytime viewing.

Edit: wait a minute... Fixed screens are costlier than pull down??? I'll have to look it up again but afaik, fixed screens are supposed to be cheaper. /confused

 

[Thtpro]

Go with a Fixed screen- It will look better and has a smoother surface.

A pull down or motorized screen should be tab tensioned to keep the screen flat

 

[john_k_antony]

I am also in the process for building a dedicated HT room with a 150" screen. I am seriously thinking of doing a DIY curved screen using flexible plywood and goo screen paint. Cost will be pretty high for a DIY screen.

The Goo paint will cost you around 25-30K for a 150" screen. And you can build screen and frame with the help of a carpenter using flexible 6mm plywood. This will cost another 25k.

References

Goo Paint - Goo Systems Global -Paint a High Definition Home Theater Screen
Curved Screen - Draper's Curved (Clarion & Onyx)

Also google for DIY curved projection screen projects.

Thanks,
John.

 

[soamz]

I wont risk my money doing DIY , would love to simply order a readymade one.

And guys, would you suggest buying a 16:9 screen or 2.35:1 screen ?

And is Epson 6020 available in India ? I guess, they call it tw9100.

 

[Thtpro]

Buy the Projector first--- watch 16:9 movies and 2.35:1 movies-- Then you can decide on the screen

With tape--Mark on the wall -- the 4 corners of the screen for a 150" diag 16:9 image-- It will be 73.54 inches tall by 130.74 wide.

Switch to 2.35:1 mode and it will be 55.63 tall by 130.74 wide--- Mark these 4 corners on the wall

After viewing stuff for several days-- you can decide which screen 16:9 or 2.35:1

16:9 gives you the greatest flexibility for watching both 16:9 as well as 2:35:1 content

 

[soamz]

I have a white wall . Can I test the projector on it, or shall I get a white cloth and attach it firmly to that wall to test ?

 

[Thtpro]

Shoot the image on the White wall-- this should be perfectly fine for testing which screen format to get

 

[manoj.p]

White wall is fine for testing and gauging the size of screen.

About 2.35 vs 16:9 aspect ratio screen. Earlier, I had a 138" wide 2.37 aspect ratio screen. That was 150" diagonal in 2.35 but for 16:9, it was only 119" diagonal. Afterwards, I got rid of anamorphic lens and went with 16:9 option. Now, I have a 130" wide 16:9 screen. It gives me 150" diagonal in 16:9 and 142" diagonal for 2.35.

See if you have 2.35 aspect ratio fixed screen, then it makes the screen very small for 16:9 (150" vs 119"). Where as the difference is not that much if the screen is 16:9 aspect ratio (150" vs 142"). Also, the tall image has its own advantage. Try watching native 16:9 content on it like IMAX blurays or movies like Avatar, Avengers, Titanic 3D. The tall image has its own huge effect.

 

[manoj.p]

I wont risk my money doing DIY , would love to simply order a readymade one.

And guys, would you suggest buying a 16:9 screen or 2.35:1 screen ?

And is Epson 6020 available in India ? I guess, they call it tw9100.

Epson 6020 is available in US through custom installers only. None of the direct selling retailers selling it. Not sure if you can custom order it in India.

 

[soamz]

Ok, so you suggest to go for a 150 inch 16:9 fixed screen only.

For the Bluray movies, we would be able to use the whole screen , right ?

Of course, sometimes the black bars top and bottom.


But the whole width will always be used, correct ?

 

[manoj.p]

Yes. If your screen is 16:9, it will use whole width.

Its ultimately your choice, which one you prefer. But if you want big size then only 16:9 aspect ratio will give you big size in both aspect ratios.

 

[soamz]

Then 16:9 screen only.

You want to suggest some from Amazon ?

I want to go with the suggestions of people, who knows those stuff, like you

 

[just4kix]

There is a tendency with first timers to go for the maximum screen size possible - I was no exception. But it should be noted that the larger the screen, the greater is the light dispersion and poorer is the contrast/brightness. Do not sacrifice contrast/brightness for large screen. IMHO, for a viewing distance of 15'~18', a 110" diagonal is quite good enough. One must not forget the rough equation:

Proper viewing distance = screen width x 2.

So for a 8' x 4.5' (16:9) screen, best viewing is between 15' and 17'. This kind of screen will yield 110" diagonal. For 2.4:1 (and similar), the screen will be 8' x 3.34' and will yield a diagonal width of 104".

p/s. I have been using the manual pulldown screen for years; it has not developed creases, waves, etc,

 

[soamz]

Yes thats why my 1st ever question was , does Epson 8100 completely brighten each corners of a 150 inch screen or not and members here replied that it does.

 

[just4kix]

Yes thats why my 1st ever question was , does Epson 8100 completely brighten each corners of a 150 inch screen or not and members here replied that it does.

While the projector will brighten each corner properly, a 150" diagonal image is definitely going to be less bright than a 100" image which in turn will be less bright than a 80" image. Get the gist?

 

[soamz]

So, what would you suggest ?

Better get the projector first and test on wall and then decide on screen, I guess.

 

[just4kix]

So, what would you suggest ?

Better get the projector first and test on wall and then decide on screen, I guess.

Yes. Test on wall first. Then decide the screen.

 

[john_k_antony]

I have seen Epson TW6000 (3010) working with a 150" 16:9 screen at DNI home theater in Bangalore. The 3D brightness was pretty impressive and was comparable to PJs more than double the price. They also had a costlier Mitsubishi projector.

The audition room was 24'x20'. And it had 2 rows of seating. Front row was at around 17' and back row was at around 22'. First we played a 1080p 3D blu ray (Clash of Titans). The PQ was great from both the seating positions and picture brightness was fine for a 3D content. Then we tried a SD content (Moserbaer DVD of a Indian regional movie). The PQ was good when viewed from 22'. But from 17', it was not that great.

After the above audition, I went and bought TW8000 because it has more lumen output than TW6000. I am planning to put a 150", 16x9 curved, fixed screen. My room is a dedicated HT room with no windows and ambient light. The room size is 24x15.8 with 2 rows of seating at 22' and 17'.

In short, I think TW8000/8100 will easily lit up a 150" screen and PQ will not be compromised for HD and 3D HD content for sure.

I am yet to setup the PJ as my house is still under construction . Will take another 3-4 months.

-John.

 

[soamz]

John, whats the address for that DNI store ?

Im looking to go for a demo and purchase the 8100 .

And do they also stock screens ?