I have read and talked with many of the forum pros, looked at many screen materials, and was all set to spring for a Dalite HP when...

I finally got around to turning the damn thing on (no excuse for waiting, but I still have my CRT up and running on the torus and didn't think the torus would focus with the RS20)...WOW was I wrong.

The screen is a 9x5" homemade with a Stewart material that I don't even think they make now, but Don Stewart said, at the time, that it was about 2.9 gain.

Yes there is some pincushion at the corners, but the masking hides it, and the focus still looks perfect in 80%, and unnoticable at the other 20%, its so far to the sides.

There is almost no hot spot at all...zero...nada, even less than with the CRT (and damn, is it brighter).

There is almost no "viewing cone effect" like with a HP (and I loved the HP picture). I could even get on the floor or go way to the side and still notice far less dimming than with the HP. Watchable from extreme angles.

I really wish I knew more about what material this was, but its made me rethink the HP (a downside to me was the table mount).

It was a pain to make the torus, and if I go anamorphic lens, I will have to rebuild...but I'm thinking.

On the $20K forum, Cineramax (Peter) is doing a torus setup, and thought the edge focus would be an issue. I should have known from my CRT experience that it only matters with a test pattern, never...ever on a movie. He has always been high on the torus effect, with good reason.

If you have the buck's his target market has, you may care, but for me, the PQ was immediately stunning, even though my screen if filthy (my 110 lb golden retriever barks up close at all dog and horse movies and there is "dog spit" in the center lower part). I plan on replacing the screen anyway, but I may actually do this again using a ceiling mount, angular reflective screen.

Congrats Jeff. Although you should see what perfect focus across the board looks like and then you may change your mind.

Jeff you should be seeing less hot spotting with the Torus that is the purpose behind its design. I have always thought a scope screen looked sexy but the Torus take that up a notch. Best of luck if you decide to move forward and build a new one.






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Alan or Peter, I need to replace my screen, need suggestions for an angular reflective material. I need just the material, and it's an odd size (long story, just trust me)...about 10.5 x 5 foot viewable area (don't want any masking).

If I could find the same Stewart material I would use that, but I remember Don Stewart saying it was about 2.9 gain in 2003 or 2004, and I don't remember the name. It may even have been an older material he had that's no longer sold, but it's white, not silver.

I have heard of Draper M2500, but know nothing about it, then there's Stewart's Ultimate 2.0 which is the highest on their website now...any others? I think Stewart is accurate in their gain claims, don't know anything about Draper.

Hi Jeff, The one that had been dubbed xenon white is no longer available.

The torus we did is just st 130 but works well. Perfectly even.

Harkness makes a white 2.2 for 3d apps.

I think the word Xenon rings a bell...do you recall the gain?

2.8, but with crt's the surface did not have to be as smooth as with digitals, so a perfectly even 2.8 surface is hard to produce.

Is it really a torus (vertical curvature as well as horizontal), or is it cylindrical?

Double curve, uses vacuum to hold shape. Sounds harder to achieve than it was, actually takes very little vacuum and screen holds its shape better over the years, quite easy to adjust...quite tricky to build.

I used to have a huge post about the build with pics, but I think its past the archive stage at AVS. I tried to find it a few years back and couldn't.

Many on the forum served as email and phone advisers including 'Cineramax".
BTW, there is no PQ problem with the current material (I'm pretty sure now that you're right, it was Xenon) with my RS20, I tried othe materials, but Stewart seems to have made this one well. I don't live near any forum members that I know well, but if you ever were on the CRT forum, Mike Parker knows it well.

I just wanted (other than cleaning it) to widen it to a widescreen format.

Jeff anyway you can paint or mask your current torus down to 235:1?
If you can live with the black bars top/bottom ( use felt so you wont see the bars unless the room is lit ) it will save you from building another screen and you will be able to take advantage of that special run material.

This is unique seeing a torus thread in the digital forum. Cineramax may have started something.







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Many used the Vutec Pearlbrite for their Torus's years ago. I have tried it in some time though so not sure on texture (3.1 gain).

I'll clean the material, but its pretty dirty (as a high end screen goes) I only notice it with a white background, not movies...but I notice it.

That's my fall back position now (Live with it). I already have a masking setup (also tricky to do with a torus..best single "upgrade for the money" I ever did).

The torus looks better and more even with the RS20 than the CRT ever did (no color shift). It took about 10 seconds to realize the benefits far outweigh and focus or pincushion issues. I would challenge any forum pro to tell unless they had a test pattern.

I never even thought of keeping it...till I tried it.

I'll look at pearlbrite too. I called Stewart to see if an old dusty lonely 111x6 foot remnant of Xenon exists.

Stewart could probably custom make it for you, but it wouldn't be cheap...good luck!

I spoke with Dan Stewart. They don't, and can't, make it...but they actually test the gain of each individual screen material batch. He said the Ultimate 2.0 can be as much as 2.2 gain and he's trying to look for some if I need.

I strongly think I'm going with this, as I have zoomed the image size larger to approximate the difference in ft lamberts from my current 2.9 (when it was new and not filthy) screen, and its still plenty of light.

As opposed to the High Power, the gain is constant all over with no notable brightness variation at all, and no "angular reflective - high gain" hot spots. I loved the HP look, but like this better. This screen also "disappears" and the viewing cone is huge. At best I figured my main 3 center seats would have 2-2.3 gain anyway since I sit close (1.1-1.3 screen widths) and almost no one would be in the 2.8 "sweet spot"anyway. Even in a 2 seat row, with a HP, neither is in the center, plus at best the PJ would be 14" above my head. using the screen calc's my main seats would maybe get 2.3. So the slight less gain is more than offset by the torus advantages (evenly bright, 3D look in depth of field). There is some corner pin-barrel distortion, but that is so "who cares" when watching a movie. You only see it on a grid, and only at the extremes. Plus, the curve will get better as I add an A-Lens (bonus, I can use a shorter throw) its a win-win if you just accept the slight corner geometry issues. Plus (big plus) I never liked the idea af a table mounted PJ. I have it on a table behind me now, and its a pain staying out of the shadow, plus I have 6 yo twin niece and nephew that can't get at it on the cieling.

I've also talked and emailed several Schneider dealers (some are avs members) and I really think I can make a Schneider lens work for much less than an Isco3 (even the smaller S version) despite the JVC recessed lens. I may get a loaner or "rental" from a dealer in NYC to try, but several leads are out there with smarter people than me looking at it. I even have ideas about a manual DIY mount.

So the dream is: a 130 x 55 inch Stewart 2.2 gain screen, sitting 1.2 widths back, CIH, 18' throw, Schneider lens with manual mount...and another 5+ years before I upgrade.