Post your questions and answers related to Carada screens to this thread.
Please no sales or marketing. These posts wil be removed. Thank you.

Interested in opinions on the Cinema white with Panny 900 which seems like my top choice at this time. Was going to get the BQ 7700 until lamp failures sent me away.

Wil be getting a 16:9 106 inch for a 20 x 19 room with seating at 9.5 and 14.5 feet.

Interested in opinions on the Cinema white with Panny 900 which seems like my top choice at this time. Was going to get the BQ 7700 until lamp failures sent me away.

Wil be getting a 16:9 106 inch for a 20 x 19 room with seating at 9.5 and 14.5 feet.

I'm interested in hearing the answer to this as well, as I'm looking at the Panasonic AE900 as well, in conjunction with a 142" Carada Classic Cinema White. Its a big room, so we need a big screen.

thanks,

tranzlucent

I just bought the classic cinema white 96" and the Panasonic 900. Haven't received them yet, but I'll let you know when I do. Of course, I'll have nothing to compare it to, and I'm a serious novice.
Jim

Look forward to hearing your review. Good luck with setup. Hope it goes smooth.

Ozzie

I just bought the classic cinema white 96" and the Panasonic 900. Haven't received them yet, but I'll let you know when I do. Of course, I'll have nothing to compare it to, and I'm a serious novice.
Jim

I have the same screen but with an AE700. In a dark room, there's a real possibility you'll never leave.. it's that sweet. I think you'll do great with that combo!

PS: Like any projector, it'll need a dark room, darker the better. Search the threads in the sub-3500 forum for tips on light control.. it's more than just blinds / drapes.

I'm interested in hearing the answer to this as well, as I'm looking at the Panasonic AE900 as well, in conjunction with a 142" Carada Classic Cinema White. Its a big room, so we need a big screen.

thanks,

tranzlucent
Tranz,

I own a carada 144" diagonal(2.35) screen with the AE-700 and it looks great. My room is
light controlled(dedicated) @ 23x17x10. I ordered the CCW @ 128" but my wife wanted
bigger so david made me the 144"(12ft) I ordered the new one in BW but the CCW looked
good also. There is a screen shot of I Robot from my theater in 2.35 forum.

I have also ordered the 900 and looking at the Carada Screens ( either 92 or 100). Just curious why did you go with the CCW instead of the BW material?

My Room is 15 X 21 X 9 – dedicated room. When not watching movies, I would like to have the boys over to watch a little football, and enjoy a few adult beverages. Would going with the BW produce to much glare or reflection with background lights on?

Martin

OK, got my Pany 900 and Carada CCW 96" screen. Theater room is dedicated, in basement, and 100% light controlled. I calibrated the projector (using basic adjustments only) with the Avia disc. The picture is really breathtaking. Now, this is my first projector/home theater setup so I have little to compare it to. I cannot believe the absolute detail in the image. I had no idea it would be so clear and the colors so vibrant. I've only tested with DVD movies. I'll be getting HD cable next week. By the way, the Carada screen is really awesome. The frame is precision made, very sturdy, and installs like a well-built piece of hardware. My hat goes off to Carada.
Jim

I am ordering what will probably be a 150" 2.35:1 BW for a Sanyo Z4(Maybe the 900 though). My theater will be light controlled but I am still worried about the brightness. Skeets is helping me believe I can go with the 150". I may have use high lamp mode with the Z4. Any problems with brightness Skeets?

At first David said he couldn't do over 144" but that was only a box limitation and that I would just have to accept a sort of homemade box to fit the 150". This is definitely good news as I doubt that I could get a 150" for anywhere near what David is offering screens.

Jim,

Congrats on your setup. What size is your room? Also curious regarding brightness on the Panny 900 in this setup. I was originally thinking of the CCW but I've heard the 900 has only 300 lumens when setup on cinema 1 setting. Thus maybe the BW screen might be a better match. How doe it look when some ambient light is in the room?

Ozzie

I am ordering what will probably be a 150" 2.35:1 BW for a Sanyo Z4(Maybe the 900 though). My theater will be light controlled but I am still worried about the brightness. Skeets is helping me believe I can go with the 150". I may have use high lamp mode with the Z4. Any problems with brightness Skeets?

At first David said he couldn't do over 144" but that was only a box limitation and that I would just have to accept a sort of homemade box to fit the 150". This is definitely good news as I doubt that I could get a 150" for anywhere near what David is offering screens.


I have'nt had any brightness issues so far even though I have been burning it up watching
movies. The reasoning behind ordering the CCW and then re-ordering in BW was to help
compensate for the loss in light to my bulb over time. I am also using an anamorphic lens
which lets me use my full panel on the projector which in turn I get a 33% increase in picture
quality and brightness. My panny is mounted about 18ft from screen and as you can see from
the screen shot,barring the two lights shining on the side, the picture is fine.

My Carada is very nice product and I highly reccommend them to anyone. David goes out of his
way to ensure the customer is satisfied even if it means making a homemade box.

I just bought the classic cinema white 96" and the Panasonic 900. Haven't received them yet, but I'll let you know when I do. Of course, I'll have nothing to compare it to, and I'm a serious novice.
Jim

I ordered the exact same combo of the 900 and a CCW 96", my screen has just arrived after ordering it on Friday - thats 4 business days to Canada ! I have to say the customer service at Carada has been excellent, unfortunately my PJ has yet to arrive so I will post comments after I get it. I will be projecting at about 19' in a light controlled basement room.

Ozzie,
Sorry, been awhile since I've read the forum. Anyway, I got HD cable...WOW!! It's tough to go back to regular TV. I'm getting dimmer switches on my lights soon. When the lights are on in the room (pretty bright) the image suffers pretty dramatically. The room is about 18' x 18' and is dedicated, so I'll rarely need light on for anything else. I even have my lamp output/power (or whatever) set to "Low".
Jim

I'm going to order my Carada screen pretty soon. Can't decide between the CCW and BW though. I have an NEC HT1100, room is dedicated with total light control and is 14' X 18'. Any suggestions?

I'm using a Sanyo PLV Z3 in a 19 x 14 dedicated HT, fully light controlled. The Z3 has a slightly lower ANSI lumen rating than your HT1100 does in eco-mode. I'm currently using a 110" DIY screen (Glidden "Misty Evening" painted on drywall).

I did a good job on my DIY screen, but the gain on this painted wall is undoubtedly lower than the CCW. Despite this, with ~ 400 hours on the lamp, this screen reflects a very nice image with the Z3 in one of the least bright lamp modes ("creative cinema"). As the lamp ages, it will undoubtedly grow dimmer, and a better screen will be required.

The Projector Calculator at ProjectorCentral.com says you'll get a fairly bright image (20 foot-lamberts) with your HT 1100, and a 110" screen with a gain of 1.0. Mine is probably ~ 13 fL with my lower-gain screen.

If you're planning to buy a screen that is 110" or less, you normally view in a completely dark room, and your walls are dark, it's very unlikely you'll need the BW. I think you can stick with the CCW unless your screen is much larger than 110" or you like to view with a light on.

I would like to contact Carada about my screen choice. All they have listed on their website is 3 e-mail addresses. I tried to send an e-mail address to each one but I got delivery failures. Does anyone know of another way to contact Carada about choosing the right screen?
Thanks

Hi mach76,

I'm sorry to hear about the email failures! I've received (and answered) a TON of email messages today, so I'm not sure why you were experiencing delivery failures. In any case I sent you a Private Message through the forum with an alternative email address. Please give that a shot and if you're still getting rejections, let me know via PM.

Thanks!

David Giles
Carada, Inc.

Thanks for the reply Ricketty. I think I am leaning to the CCW. I viewed the samples and the grey was way too dark for my taste, but the CCW and BW were in-line with what I prefer. I originally was biased toward the BW just from the forum posts, but having seen it in person, I think I am leaning toward CCW.

David,

What do you suggest?

93vette, that's an easy one. Go with your gut. :) Since you found that you prefer the Classic Cinema White after checking out the samples, that's the one you should go with.

David Giles
Carada, Inc.

93vette - I finally got my AE900 setup with a 96" CCW and my room size is about the same as yours plus your PJ outputs the same 1100 lumens. If your room is light controlled then the CCW will be great even with a larger screen, I'm totally blown away with the quality of the picture and the materials used in the construction of this screen and the CCW has the added bonus of being a little cheaper !

Additionally the service from Carada was fantastic from start to finish.

Just to add to this thread, I have bought a Carada High contrast gray screen for my new Sim2 C3X.

Those not familiar with this pj I will tell you, its bright! Very bright. I am seeing about 50 footlamberts from my current BW screen. The blacks look great but there is always room for improvement. I would say the blacks on this new pj are about half as bright " read as twice as dark" as my old JVC HX1s blacks were with about 3 times the white brightness. I am going to use this new screen to bring the entire image down to darken absolute black and bring the white level down also to around 18 to 26 footlamberts depending on who you believe about the actual gain of this screen.

I will post about how this pj does with this screen. I am expecting great black levels with a bright appearing picture as I have the lumens to light up this dark screen.

later!

Hi!

I'm from Denmark. I got a room 4,5 long x 3,6 meters wide and it is completely darkened. I have a 104" pull down high contrast screen 0.8 gain and a Z2. Used to that is. I have bought a Z4 and I am very keen on getting a Carada screen.

Sitting 3.5 meters from the screen could any suggest screen size and which screen material I should get? Always having the projector in eco mode and scaling the picture to 720p, I was considering the brilliant white material.

Regards
Flemming Kristensen

I JUST GOT A 118 INCH BRILLIANT WHITE CARADA IN THE CENTURION (3.5 INCH BEVELED FRAME). This is mated to my optoma h-79 dlp projector, i also have a dark room (black cieiling, front wall, & carpet, with dark red side & back walls. This has a great picture, no sparkles or rainbows, also the picture does not wash out w/ rear can lights on. all i can say is SWEEEEEEEET!

Saw a Carada screen around 100" diag 16:9 and was impressed. Any chance you'll come out with an acoustically transparent screen? That would be way cool . . .

Does Carada have a Hi-gain fabric in the works?

Anyone have the High Contrast Grey??

I have the gray fabric paired with a Studio Experience Matinee 2HD (Sanyo PLV-Z2) in a non-dedicated light-colored room . I originally ordered the Brilliant White but exchanged it for the gray. I couldn't live with the black level I was able to obtain with the white fabric although it looked great otherwise. I'm pretty happy with the gray! It certainly has less "pop" than the white but is better balanced overall.

Anyone have the High Contrast Grey??
As above, I have the HC gray pared with a high lumen 3 chip DLP. I push 1500 lumens at the screen and the picture looks great. I feel like I have brightness to spare.

119 Brilliant White Carada mated with an Optoma H79 + IMX lens here. Great match for a beautiful image free of screen artifacts. The screen replaced my old Stewart 1.3 Studiotek / CRT combination. I don't miss the old system one bit. Carada makes a great screen at a bargain price in my humble opinion.

119 Brilliant White Carada mated with an Optoma H79 + IMX lens here. Great match for a beautiful image free of screen artifacts. The screen replaced my old Stewart 1.3 Studiotek / CRT combination. I don't miss the old system one bit. Carada makes a great screen at a bargain price in my humble opinion.

Guy --

What is your room like in terms of light control, wall color, etc.? Any pics?

Black for all surfaces (floor, walls, ceiling). Shine a flashlight on the back wall and the screen barely lights up. Very good light control as well. Turn off the lights and you can't see your hand. Essentially, the room has been removed as a contributor of backscatter. You just see the picture and the room practically disappears during viewing. You see what the projector is actually capable of delivering, not what the room adds. Result on the Carada is quite stunning. The last uniniated visitor who walked into the room yelled excitedly, "You're kidding! No way." when he saw it for the first time.

I love the lack of artifacts from the Carada screen surfaces. No speckles, wrinkles, streaks, or visible hot spotting.

Photos of the room are almost a lost cause. Here is one with camera flash on. Not much shows up.

Black for all surfaces (floor, walls, ceiling). Shine a flashlight on the back wall and the screen barely lights up. Very good light control as well. Turn off the lights and you can't see your hand. Essentially, the room has been removed as a contributor of backscatter. You just see the picture and the room practically disappears during viewing. You see what the projector is actually capable of delivering, not what the room adds. Result on the Carada is quite stunning. The last uniniated visitor who walked into the room yelled excitedly, "You're kidding! No way." when he saw it for the first time.

I love the lack of artifacts from the Carada screen surfaces. No speckles, wrinkles, streaks, or visible hot spotting.

Photos of the room are almost a lost cause. Here is one with camera flash on. Not much shows up.

Thanks, Guy. Nice looking room, well as far as I can tell from what shows up in the pic.

Ordered a 104" BW Criterion Screen today. David gave excellent advices and admirable personal service. It will be shipped to Denmark and I'm sure it will be well worth, running those "extra miles".

So now I just need to figure out whether to get a Denon 2910 or spend the extra for the 3910.

Ordered a 104" BW Criterion Screen today. David gave excellent advices and admirable personal service. It will be shipped to Denmark and I'm sure it will be well worth, running those "extra miles".

So now I just need to figure out whether to get a Denon 2910 or spend the extra for the 3910.
I really like my 2910 and I don't notice any macroblocking problems on my projector so far. I have watched several movies and not a problem. VERY good de-interlacing and scaling for my 3 chipper DLP.

I recently found this company because i want install a projection system. It looks like very nice screens. I just have a question or two. When I get the screen and PJ how do i know where to hang it from the ceiling to fill the whole screen? Meaning is thee a certain feet back from the screen it has to be? Also is sitting to close a problem like when talking about LCD or Plasma displays? Meaning if I have a 92inch or 100inch how far away do I need to sit? I can go back about 12 to 14 feet. Thanks J.H.

I have the gray fabric paired with a Studio Experience Matinee 2HD (Sanyo PLV-Z2) in a non-dedicated light-colored room . I originally ordered the Brilliant White but exchanged it for the gray. I couldn't live with the black level I was able to obtain with the white fabric although it looked great otherwise. I'm pretty happy with the gray! It certainly has less "pop" than the white but is better balanced overall.


Hey Frank, how would you compare the picture of the gray to a bare wall, and the bw to the bare wall?

My living roon is my viewing room so I have a simliar room to yours so any input would be helpful. Thanks =)

Peter,

The gray has a much better black level than either the blank wall (mine was a very pale yellow) or the BW. Both the wall and the BW were quite a bit brighter, as you would expect, than the gray. Actually, I believe it was too bright on the wall and BW. The BW had the so-called "pop" factor in spades but, in my opinion, was spoiled by the too-high black level. Also, the gray rejects ambient light quite a bit better but I still find it best to view in a completely light controlled room. Also, for some odd reason, I found the CCW material to be a tad sharper than the BW but don't see how it could be! I had planned to paint the screen wall and ceiling gray but after getting the gray screen I don't think I need to. Sure, it would further improve the picture but I can easily live with it the way it is now. It looks great! BTW, I believe all the good things I've heard about David Giles and Carada. The screen (88" 1.78 format Criterion) is beautiful, the price is right, and you couldn't ask for better service!

Guys

I have a Benq PE7700 with 114" BW Precision Carada screen. Awesome picture, construction...everything! Very professional and very good service and quality.

My neighbor has a DIY screen he built with wood moldings that he painted black....lets just say that he will be another Carada customer.

I do only want minimal lighting...small amount of light from adjacent room or from my rear sconces, more than that and the black level washes out too much.

Jim

I am considering marrying my AE700 to a Carada and would like to have impressions of viewing cone for the BW material. Can anyone comment?

thanks,
ted

Peter,

The gray has a much better black level than either the blank wall (mine was a very pale yellow) or the BW. Both the wall and the BW were quite a bit brighter, as you would expect, than the gray. Actually, I believe it was too bright on the wall and BW. The BW had the so-called "pop" factor in spades but, in my opinion, was spoiled by the too-high black level. Also, the gray rejects ambient light quite a bit better but I still find it best to view in a completely light controlled room. Also, for some odd reason, I found the CCW material to be a tad sharper than the BW but don't see how it could be! I had planned to paint the screen wall and ceiling gray but after getting the gray screen I don't think I need to. Sure, it would further improve the picture but I can easily live with it the way it is now. It looks great! BTW, I believe all the good things I've heard about David Giles and Carada. The screen (88" 1.78 format Criterion) is beautiful, the price is right, and you couldn't ask for better service!

Thank you Frank!

It seems strange that hardly anyone is using gray screens. My 700U seems bright enough on just the wall (143") and I can not completely darken my room (white walls, shiny wooden floors, 3 large windows but with blinds). Here is my room (pardon the mess). I think I should also get grey =)

Maybe I missed it reading through the thread, but how big are the screen samples?

I'm finishing up my theater as we speak and need to order a screen in the next month or two. I framed the screen area for a 106 1-1:78 Carada screen and now need to decide on whether I want CCW or HCG.

Thanks for any info anyone can share!

Maybe I missed it reading through the thread, but how big are the screen samples?
Funny you should ask - I just received mine today. :)
9.5" x 12.5" is what they measure.
Quite generous when compared to others.
Drop them some Email - David is prompt in replying.

ted

Funny you should ask - I just received mine today. :)
9.5" x 12.5" is what they measure.
Quite generous when compared to others.
Drop them some Email - David is prompt in replying.

ted

Thanks tvted, will do!

I am very intrigued by the Carada screens and I am contemplating purchasing the Z4 as my first projector. I want to have a CH setup eventually and really like the price and aspect ratios offered by the Carada screens. I have seen some decent reviews on Audioholics and hometheaterblog. However, projector central had next to nothing nice to say about Carada and basically suggested spending more or spending less. Does anyone have an explanation for this?

It is even acknowledged on the Carada web site the the HCG and CCW pass more light than the brilliant white making enough lumens from your projector a key factor. I have a room where can prevent light from coming in, but the ceiling is and will be white (the walls are a deep red). I plan on ceiling mounting a Z4 anywhere from 13 to 16 feet from the screen and was considering the 112" diagonal 2.35 to 1 (seating at 13.5 feet). I suspect my choice will be HCG or BW, but I will wait to get the projector and obtain some samples from Carada. However, any insights on this setup and the best screen material would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete

I am very intrigued by the Carada screens and I am contemplating purchasing the Z4 as my first projector. I want to have a CH setup eventually and really like the price and aspect ratios offered by the Carada screens. I have seen some decent reviews on Audioholics and hometheaterblog. However, projector central had next to nothing nice to say about Carada and basically suggested spending more or spending less. Does anyone have an explanation for this?

It is even acknowledged on the Carada web site the the HCG and CCW pass more light than the brilliant white making enough lumens from your projector a key factor. I have a room where can prevent light from coming in, but the ceiling is and will be white (the walls are a deep red). I plan on ceiling mounting a Z4 anywhere from 13 to 16 feet from the screen and was considering the 112" diagonal 2.35 to 1 (seating at 13.5 feet). I suspect my choice will be HCG or BW, but I will wait to get the projector and obtain some samples from Carada. However, any insights on this setup and the best screen material would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete
How many actual lumens does your projector put out? I would not use the HCG screen with anything less than 900 actual lumens as I think it would be too dim after the bulb dims a little. I use the HC gray and love it but I have a light cannon. My pj puts out a real 1250 lumens in low lamp mode.

I also own a BW screen and it looks fantastic. I am keeping it so when my bulb dims a little, I can get that punch back by putting it back on.

If you are at that 500 to 800 lumen range and have decent contrast and good light controll, you can't go wrong with the BW screen. Perfect uniformity and great colors.

If you have the brightness for the HC grey, don't go by the small sample. It will look very dark compared to a white wall and you will not be able to tell how good the picture will look. Colors, picture and brightness look fantastic on my HC gray screen. You need the full screen to really be able to tell how it will look. The main issue is final footlamberts. Use a gain number of around .6 to .7 for the HC gray and around 1.2 or 1.3 for the BW screen and shoot for 12 footlamberts when the bulb is 4 or 500 hours old.

FWIW

Pete,

I have a Z4 that I will be using in a CIH setup. I purchased the BW in a 147" 2.35:1 size. My equivalent 16:9 size is 117" diagonal. Personally I would get the BW if you're looking at CIH. The Z4 should do fine with contrast on this screen. Slightly lower black detail compared to a grey screen is fine with me as long as the picture still has "pop". We should all be pretty use to a slight lack of black performance/detail where I could never get use to a dim picture. I don't think there's a better option than the Carada BW on the market for a 2.35:1 screen. It's a great value with what you get. At $645.08 MSRP for the Precision Series in the 112" 2.35:1 size you want I wouldn't hesitate.

Also, my installation is set for this weekend. I should be posting Pics this weekend and possibly videos later on for those that are interested. Check the 2.35:1 CIH forum here on AVS.

Dusk

Thanks Dusk.

I have been looking at the CIH forum also. I look forward to your impressions of your setup once it is it up and running.

Pete

I am in the market for a screen for my Pany AE900. I am looking at 110"D for a completely dark room with ideal seating about 13' back. Romm size is about 11' x 20'. The walls are a hunter green at the bottom and a tan at the top. The ceiling is a drop white ceiling. The floors have dark green carpet. We will put some lights on the back walls on a dimmer switch, but while watching movies we will proably have them off. If we watch TV or sports, we may have them dimmed low. There are no windows or any other ambient light. Would you guysgo with the BW or HC Grey? David recommended the BW, but others say the grey is better. Any thoughts? Also, do you think 110" is too big? should I go with a smaller size?

Received my Carada 104" BW screen in Denmark today and having checked the shipment, it seems just gorgeous. Looks like A+ quality goods. Tomorrow I have a long drive getting my new Denon-3910, then getting back to assemble the screen and get it up. Big thanks to David from Carada.

Just got my room painted and carpet on today, so can't wait to see/listen to everything in action. Pictures and a couple of avi's below.

Looks like Saturday is a big day for theater installs.

Got everything up running today. The Carada screen is absolutely brilliant and not just because of the name. Haven't calibrated my Z4 yet and the picture is just so smooth and overall, beautiful.

Very easy to assemble, highly recommended!!!

Flemming:

Please describe your setup a little bit. Ceiling mount? Seating distance? Do you see any hot spotting? How is your light control, ceiling and wall color, etc.

I am leaning toward your setup, but I am still on the fence somewhat.

Thanks, Pete

Theres a couple of avi's in the homecinema section of my signature. My room is 5.5 meter long and 3.6 meters wide. I sit approx 4 meters from screen. Ceiling and upper walls are black, lower walls red, completely lightcontrolled. Not ceiling mount yet, but it will be, and 5 meters 4,7 meters from the screen.

I will go down calibrate some now, but I havent been able to see any hotspotting at all.

Regards
Flemming

Hi,

Thinking about a 120" wide, 51" high 2.35 AR screen for a Panny AE900 mounted at 22 feet from the screen. Anyone comment on this setup w.r.t. viability? I will be using a horizontal lens and a scaler.

Thanks
~hemster

any one here tried Carada screen BW with the Sim2 Domino series projectors ? Can the two work ?

thanks.

Ok, took the plunge. I ordered a Carada Criterion 118" (1.78:1) BW screen. I am hoping I get it by this weekend, but it will be tight. I am pairing it with a new AE900U.

I will give feedback once I have everything hooked up.

any one here tried Carada screen BW with the Sim2 Domino series projectors ? Can the two work ?

thanks.
I would think just about anything would look great with the BW screen. I had it pared with my Sim2 C3X and the picture was very nice but I wanted to tone it down a little as I am putting out 1400 lumens in low lamp mode. I am now using the HC gray screen with it and love the picture. When the picture dims with bulb age I will just put the BW back on to get the punch back.

Figure about 1.2 gain with this screen.

Jeff

I would think just about anything would look great with the BW screen. I had it pared with my Sim2 C3X and the picture was very nice but I wanted to tone it down a little as I am putting out 1400 lumens in low lamp mode. I am now using the HC gray screen with it and love the picture. When the picture dims with bulb age I will just put the BW back on to get the punch back.

Figure about 1.2 gain with this screen.

Jeff


Jeff,

That is one awesome projector!! i saw it with the firehawk at a show and it was fantastic.
So, BW should work w/ the 30H domino in your opinion ?

When you put back your bw back, will it still be tight when you stretch it back to the frame ?

maybe i should get the hc gray cloth only...hmm

does picture quality matter if the projector is mounted on the ceiling or placed on a coffee table ?

overall, is it better for ceiling or coffee table ?

thanks for inputs

Should not matter at all, other things being equal.

Jeff,

That is one awesome projector!! i saw it with the firehawk at a show and it was fantastic.
So, BW should work w/ the 30H domino in your opinion ?

When you put back your bw back, will it still be tight when you stretch it back to the frame ?

maybe i should get the hc gray cloth only...hmm
I would think that screen ( bw) would look great!

I just roll them up and put them in the corner. They look almost perfect when I put them back up and if there is a slight wrinkle or dimple, it is gone in a day or so.

I think the Gray needs quite a bit of power to have it still look punchy. I would not go less than 800 lumens or so with it in my personal taste. I figure this screen at around .6 to .8 gain but figure a little closer to .6 to be safe on brightness.

I do love the C3X. Very nice punchy picture. Very bright. If I want full lights on for the game. I pop the BW screen on and turn the bulb on high. I get around 1700 lumens or so and with the 1.3 gain and 60 footlamberts, it is ....Well Brilliant! :D

Thanks Jeff for the inputs!!

I just purchased a 104" 2.35 CCW from Carada. It will be used with an AE900. Right now I am using a Parkland Polywall so I'll take before and after pictures.

Just tried the ae900 +Carada BW. THe picture is very good in my well light controlled room.

Anyone have much experience in getting Carada to return emails?

Anyone have much experience in getting Carada to return emails?
He is very good about returning e-mails. If he is not replying there are a couple of reasons.

they have had some server problems lately and were fixed but may be giving them trouble again. He is also known to go out of town from time to time, imagine that :D and his coworker may have not seen your note yet.

give him time as David is great and will answer your question. Try him again to be sure its getting to his in box.

Good luck.

David is excellent with returning emails, prompt and quick. One of the reasons why I purchased a Carada screen. Carada definitely will have my future business again.

I have had my screen for about a week now, it was delivered to Canada. Carada was excellent, as you may have read David Giles was informative and patient in regards to any questions I had.

I have a AE900 and previous to the screen arriving I was projecting onto a light brown wall… I used Avia to calibrate, so the picture was quite good.

When I put the screen up (I ordered a 88” BW) and played Lord of the Rings… something was “wrong” I could not put my finger on it… aahhh the VB everyone had been talking about…. So when I had a chance I calibrated my projector with AVIA. To my surprise I had to turn down the brightness to like -14 (I don’t know if that was the exact value… as I’m going from memory). Well the VB is unnoticeable now, and the picture is excellent, much better than the wall.

So why did I order the BW, if I had to turn down the brightness so much… particularly with a 88” screen? Two reasons:

During the day, I can’t control the light. I have 12 windows in my family room where the projector is located. Six of these have no blinds…. two of which face south.

Secondly I understand the bulb will dim over time.

During the day I can see the picture… but of course it is washed out. I will try some tweaking so that I can bet an acceptable picture.

In regards to shipping, it had taking a bit longer that I had hoped, 14 days, but that was not the fault of CARADA, but rather the courier company. The best part was the “Tracking System” they use when shipping the screen. It means that you know exactly where the screen is at all times...

I would recommend CARADA to anyone.

I have had my screen for about a week now, it was delivered to Canada.

Thanks for the report. I'm now considering a Carada BW -- the bulb on my Z3 has reached the 500 hour mark, and as some others have reported, brightness seemed to drop almost overnight. I've followed the Carada thread for months, and it sounds like the right screen for me.

Which courier company did Carada use to ship to you in Alberta, and did you have to pay a hidden "customs brokerage fee" to the courier company?

Thanks,

Ricketty in North Vancouver

I just ordered a 110 inch, 16:9, BW, Criterion series frame.

Im hoping to have it by next week.

We'll see how it turns out.

David was very patient and informative via our email communications.

Ditto to what Lofty and others have said. David was very helpful. I first communicated with him almost two years ago after first purchasing my PB6100. In the end, I decided to paint my wall, which held me over.

I just bought a Panny 900 (returned it a few days later) and decided to get the 119" Carada Criterion BW. While I returned the 900 because it had VB and have decided to wait until some of the new DLP dark chip projectors hit after CES, I decided to keep the screen. It looks great, and the picture with the Panny was awesome.

While my BenQ6100 doesn't fit it very well (4:3 projector - 16:9 screen), the BW definately is helping out my tired 2,000 hour bulb.

Before buying the screen, I taped together samples from Carada and Dalite and hung them in the center of my painted wall for a couple days, so we could look at them in multiple lighting situations (we watch a lot of SD V, usually with some lights on). My wife and I both agreed the BW looked every bit as good in the dark as the Carada Cinema white or Dalite Classic Cinema, but was the best of the bunch when the lights were up high (better then the Dalite perleasent which tended to wash out bad with lights on).

The frame looks great and assembly and mounting were a breeze. I think I had the frame assembled and screen in place in 20 minutes, and that was only because I wanted to be real careful unwrapping the pieces to make sure none of the trim was damaged because I banged it into anything.

I am very happy with the purchase, which is why I am keeping the 16:9 screen (Carada has 30 day return policy) to use with my 4:3 projector until I wait for a couple months to decide which projector to get, since I didn't like the Panny 900.

I know this borders on heresy but does anyone know if Carada would build a frame using a competitors screen fabric?

I have a DIY 2.35:1 screen made of Da-lite HCCV. I think that material is the best for my setup but I'd realy like a nicer frame. Da-lite's prices are out of my budget so I'm wondering if I could send my screen material to Carada to have them put a frame on it.

Mike

I recieved my screen yesterday, days before David said I would. Very prompt delivery. I couldnt be happier.

Very high quality frame, went together in 5 mintues. The screen snaps very taught....a good thing.

Ive had other screens at twice the price. Caradas product is every bit as good, if not better, for less money.

Customer service, communication, a great product and prompt delivery....what more could you ask for?

What more could we ask for??????????????

I have asked repeatedly for a motorized option from Carada, not everyone wants a screen in view 24/7!

At one time Carada indicated "it is coming" but that was along time ago..... :(

I know this borders on heresy but does anyone know if Carada would build a frame using a competitors screen fabric?

I have a DIY 2.35:1 screen made of Da-lite HCCV. I think that material is the best for my setup but I'd realy like a nicer frame. Da-lite's prices are out of my budget so I'm wondering if I could send my screen material to Carada to have them put a frame on it.

Mike
I really doubt they will do this and the cost would not be more than a new screen. Just buy their frame in the size you want and then figure out a way to mount the snaps on your material yourself. If you are the diy type it should be a fun project and you still have an extra screen of say the BW material that you might find just as pleasing to your eye once you see your image on it. You could use the screen material they send with the frame as a guide on where to put your snaps on your material you already have.

$0.02

So is the criterion frame really worth an extra $120 for the 106 inch I am considering?

So is the criterion frame really worth an extra $120 for the 106 inch I am considering?
IMO, only if you will be able to see the frame outline on the wall. If your front wall is completly black then the screen frame will be lost in the background.
I did not buy it as I did not have enough room for it and my screen wall is covered in black velvet and black GOM. The frame dissapears and the only thing I can see is the Carada emblem.

If the frame is on a lighter colored painted wall then it will make a very nice addition to your home and look more like a framed picture and I would go with it in that case.

FWIW

I really doubt they will do this and the cost would not be more than a new screen. Just buy their frame in the size you want and then figure out a way to mount the snaps on your material yourself. If you are the diy type it should be a fun project and you still have an extra screen of say the BW material that you might find just as pleasing to your eye once you see your image on it. You could use the screen material they send with the frame as a guide on where to put your snaps on your material you already have.

$0.02

Jeff,

Thanks for a great suggestion! I'm going to request some samples from David and ask him about "snaps" for my HCCV.

Mike

Jeff,

Thanks for a great suggestion! I'm going to request some samples from David and ask him about "snaps" for my HCCV.

Mike
Let me know how it works out. I may want to try a new fabric some day and want to put the "HOW TO" into my memory banks! :D

Good luck.

Likewise!

If you are considering a Carada Screen, do yourself a favor and read the my post in the Projector Central Criticizes Carada Forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611792

I'm converting a mixed-use room into a sometimes-theater by building a new wall, which will hold the screen and in-wall speakers. As the kids are 0 and 2, I am trying to take steps to diminish the likelihood that they will ruin the screen. I am interested in getting a Carada screen and mounting it in the wall (either flush with or behind the surface of the wall). To be honest I am trying to emulate the aperture mount of a Stewart Luxus Deluxe, but Carada screens seems like such a better value. I didn't see any reference to doing something like this in some quick searches - I assume the best way would be to leave a hole in the wall the size of the screen (larger? the Carada mount seems to need it to be larger so it can be tilted onto the mount) mount the screen to drywall on the back of the wall, then build a wooden frame around the screen and cover that with velvet. Has anyone attempted such a thing with a Carada?

If you are considering a Carada Screen, do yourself a favor and read the my post in the Projector Central Criticizes Carada Forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=6866870

For anyone considering Carada, just read the reviews for yourself. The audioholics review referenced in that thread found the Carada HC gray to compare favorably to the Stewart Firehawk.

Do your homework and decide for yourselves. Different screens are meant for different applications. Just keep in mind that Stewart doesn't have a no risk 30-day trial period. Carada does.

I have a completely light controlled room, however paint on walls and ceiling is a lighter brown. I just ordered a Panny AE 900, everyone seems to say how bright it is. I'm looking at getting a 92" Carada Criterion just dont know what style of screen to get. Should I get the bright? Classic, or the Grey? Can anyone with a Panny 900 share their set-up with me.

I have the Panny 900 with the Carada BW (Brilliant White) 118" diag Criterion screen. The pj is 22' back from the screen. I am using about 70-80% of the vertical lens shift, 0% horizontal lens shift. The picture is really superb. I was a little hesitant before I ordered as I was leaning towards a Da-Lite HCCV. But the Carada really makes the picture "pop". With the 30 day return policy, it is hard to go wrong.

{shameless plug} FYI...There is an 84" HCG Carada Screen for sale in the "display devices" forum {shameless plug}

I'll say. ;)

I have a panny 900 and we had 4 major screen OEMs send me samples. We put them all on the wall (24 samples) and chose the Carada BW 106" Carada Criterion BW, after a very lengthy shoot off with the family. The screen came and was a breeze to set up. The communication before and after the purchase was superb. There was a problem with shipping to Canada with Purolator. They somehow thought my street address (which ended in Court but abreviated to Ct.) was Connecticut so it went on a trip to NYC. All through the process David was communicating with me, even after his workers had gone on Christmas break to get things straightened out. We shared E mails on the 24th of December !!! Now that is customer service.
To make a long story short (too late) I got my screen late, (28th) but with no real damage even with the trip to NYC and back, because of the great packaging they provide to protect the screen.
And the picture.... Two friends have been over to view it and now want a projector and a Carada screen. Great picture. Very happy with not only the product, but the before and after support.

If I need another screen in the future, I will be looking at Carada. :)

height of screen?

I bought a 100" 1.78 carada ccw to go w/ my mits hc3000u ... what height should I hang my screen at?

I'll be sitting ~12' from the screen.

Thanks,
Brad

You eyes should be about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom edge of the screen.

Your screen height is about 49 in.
49/3= 16.3 in from bottom = eye height.

That depends on your theatre seats. From a seminar I attended, architecture guidelines for theatres put the vertical angle from eyes to screen centre at 15 degrees or less. Our screen is mounted with the centre of the screen 12.5 degrees above eye level, which puts the bottom of the screen at eye level. Since we watch sitting in recliners, we find this quite comfortable. It also works well for speaker placement since it allows us to have the main speakers and centre channel speaker right at ear level.

Having the bottom of the screen at eye level may not be comfortable for those watching from upright seating, but lower screen placement introduces other problems -- notably the vertical angle to the main and centre channel speakers. Unless you go with an acoustically transparent screen (which introduces PQ problems), having the bottom of the screen at eye level, the centre of the screen no more than 15 degrees above eye level, and viewing from recliners is a good compromise between acoustics, PQ and comfort.

Ricketty

Seen this question asked a few times and was going to PM everyone in Canada on this thread who has had it shipped north but realized there are a number of Canucks that have received the screen. Can any of you please advise of shipping costs and duty paid for a screen to Canada (looking at 106" screen)? If you cannot post that info on the forum can you please PM me with the information. I have the option of shipping it to a Detroit address but I still have to bring the item across the border. If costs are not crazy, I may just bite the bullet and have it shipped to me directly.

Thanks,

Lorne Foster

Just ordered a Carada 80" Criterion w/ Brilliant white. I plan on using it with my Sony VPL-HS51. What is the normal time it takes from the time you order your screen to the time you get it? I'll post some pictures when I get it installed. Will also let you know how it performs with the Sony.

What is the normal time it takes from the time you order your screen to the time you get it?


I ordered a 118" Criterion in BW on January 27th and it's supposed to be here tomorrow. So I would guess about a week. Carada will send you an email with tracking when your screen is shipped.

I ordered a 118" Criterion in BW on January 27th and it's supposed to be here tomorrow. So I would guess about a week. Carada will send you an email with tracking when your screen is shipped.

Actually I was surprised that David Giles from Carada saw my post on AVS and emailed me personally what was happening with my screen...
All I got to say is that I was VERY impressed by the Customer Relations that Carada has. Never really thought of this screen company till I started reading the threads on this site. Hopefully the rest of my experience is as good as I have had so far!

David Giles is a customer service superhero. I asked him many many questions over the last few months before I made my purchase of a 106 inch Criterion edition with CCW material.

I described my theater to him and he recommended the CCW over the BW, which I was leaning toward. I am so glad I took his advice--it looks terrific.

For those who might be curious, I just purchased the Epson 550 to go with this screen and it is a great match. The walls in my room are plum chutney (dark brownish purple), the carpet is a matching mixture of dark colors and the ceiling is flat black.

Had I gotten the brilliant white material I believe it would have appeared too bright. Any of the higher output modes appear overly bright in my room with the CCW material.

The screen itself is awesome....I am very happy with Carada and would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone.

Just recieved the Z4, and recently ordered a 126" criterion BW carada.
It was pretty much this thread that got me convinced.
Anyways I was hoping for some input on how far back I should place the pj. The seating will be about 16 feet back from the screen, and the room is about 25 feet in length total. I was thinking the best way would be to place it just behind and a couple feet above the seating.
Is that far enough back? Just hoping I didnt go too big. I jumped into the purchase without popping any questions with carada. So any ideas?

Placed an order on Tuesday night, by Thursday my order shipped. So on Saturday I was reading some post on AVS and I thought, huh, why not check my tracking info. To my surprise it was delivered to my front door @ 2 in the afternoon. I couldn't believe it!!! The thing that sucked though, I was planning on a Tuesday delivery, so I just painted my Home Theater room! Doh! So far VERY impressed with the packaging, and I had a chance to put the frame together so far. All I got to say is I am VERY impressed with the build quality! Nice work Carada!!! Hope to finish it tonight. I'll let you guys know when I'm done!!!

Seen this question asked a few times and was going to PM everyone in Canada on this thread who has had it shipped north but realized there are a number of Canucks that have received the screen. Can any of you please advise of shipping costs and duty paid for a screen to Canada (looking at 106" screen)? If you cannot post that info on the forum can you please PM me with the information. I have the option of shipping it to a Detroit address but I still have to bring the item across the border. If costs are not crazy, I may just bite the bullet and have it shipped to me directly.

Thanks,

Lorne Foster

PM Sent :)

Just recieved the Z4, and recently ordered a 126" criterion BW carada.
It was pretty much this thread that got me convinced.
Anyways I was hoping for some input on how far back I should place the pj. The seating will be about 16 feet back from the screen, and the room is about 25 feet in length total. I was thinking the best way would be to place it just behind and a couple feet above the seating.
Is that far enough back? Just hoping I didnt go too big. I jumped into the purchase without popping any questions with carada. So any ideas?


B Mixon,
Your plan should be fine.

The calculator on projectorcentral says the Z4 can project a 126" diagonal image from 12.7' to 25.4' (throw range). So 16' will be fine.

With a 126" screen, you are stretching the capabilities of the Z4 a bit, so the BW was a good choice.

I have a Z2 and a 106" Carada BW, it's a great combination. My Z2 is mounted almost directly above my head. This works well, as the machine is very quiet, and it's out of the way. No one can bump into it, as it's over the seating (I'm 6'5 and have a low ceiling). If you find you don't like your PJ location, just move your Sanyo elsewhere, it's an amazingly flexible PJ.

The Carada screens are a breeze to assemble and install. They look great, and work well. The Z4 is easy as pie to setup and install also. They're both great choices.

Enjoy!

Apreciate the feedback.
I was a little concerned that I may of went beyond the Z4's strength in going for the 126", but it sounds like some other people are having no problems with even larger screens. Just lookin forward to getting everyrthing up and going to see for myself.

How do you pick the Aspect ratio?

I have a Panny AE900 celing mounted at 16' from the wall. My seat is 18' away. What is the aspect ratio should I pick? Also, what is the size and screen material? Thanks.

Aspect ratio really has nothing to do with seating distance. Ask yourself what you watch the most: Do you watch mostly 4:3 video? Get a 1.33 screen. Watch a lot of HDTV? 1.78 is for you. Mostly a DVD watcher? You may want to get a 1.85 screen. Are you planning to go with a "constant height" setup (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=117)? 2.35 is what you're looking for.
Screen size: A rough rule of thumb is that you sit at a distance which is 1.5x the width of the screen. So for example, if your seating area is 18 feet from the wall, you could use 18 divided by 1.5 = 12 feet wide. Really though, a lot of people sit further/closer. Me, I'm a close-sitter; I'll only be 12.5 feet away from my 10-foot-wide screen.

Also keep in mind that the gain of screen you're planning to use will affect the screen size. Generally speaking, the higher the gain, the brighter it will be and the larger the screen size you can get. BUT--higher gain screens often have a narrower "cone" of usable viewing area because the higher gain screens relect light in a tighter cone at the expense of people sitting to the far left and right. I'd suggest using the projection calculator at projectorcentral.com as a starting point... it will let you plug in variables such as screen gain, aspect ratio and projector mounting distance, and will tell you what screen sizes work.

New Carada website is up:
http://www.carada.com/default.aspx

Aspect ratio really has nothing to do with seating distance. Ask yourself what you watch the most: Do you watch mostly 4:3 video? Get a 1.33 screen. Watch a lot of HDTV? 1.78 is for you. Mostly a DVD watcher? You may want to get a 1.85 screen. Are you planning to go with a "constant height" setup (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=117)? 2.35 is what you're looking for.
Screen size: A rough rule of thumb is that you sit at a distance which is 1.5x the width of the screen. So for example, if your seating area is 18 feet from the wall, you could use 18 divided by 1.5 = 12 feet wide. Really though, a lot of people sit further/closer. Me, I'm a close-sitter; I'll only be 12.5 feet away from my 10-foot-wide screen.

Also keep in mind that the gain of screen you're planning to use will affect the screen size. Generally speaking, the higher the gain, the brighter it will be and the larger the screen size you can get. BUT--higher gain screens often have a narrower "cone" of usable viewing area because the higher gain screens relect light in a tighter cone at the expense of people sitting to the far left and right. I'd suggest using the projection calculator at projectorcentral.com as a starting point... it will let you plug in variables such as screen gain, aspect ratio and projector mounting distance, and will tell you what screen sizes work.
I've been confused on what screen to oder because I watch a lot of DVD's and HDTV. On my 51" rear projection TV (16:9) both HDTV and DVD's with aspects from 1.66:1 (disney movies) to 1.85:1 all seen to fill the screen completely. Is this not the case with a 118" projected image? And if so and I pick a 16:9 screen will the black bars be noticable, or are they pretty small?

I've been confused on what screen to oder because I watch a lot of DVD's and HDTV. On my 51" rear projection TV (16:9) both HDTV and DVD's with aspects from 1.66:1 (disney movies) to 1.85:1 all seen to fill the screen completely. Is this not the case with a 118" projected image? And if so and I pick a 16:9 screen will the black bars be noticable, or are they pretty small?

Here is the email that I got from Carada: "We generally recommend a 1.78:1 aspect ratio screen because it will match the native aspect ratio of your projector the AE900U. Yes, a lot of movies are made in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, but because of a function built into the projector called "overscan", 1.85:1 movies will actually fit a 1.78:1 screen better than a 1.85:1 screen. Overscan is a feature common to many display devices including projectors and regular TV sets. It "chops off" 3%-5% of the image on all four sides. The purpose of this is to discard any bad signal on the very edges of the video material. Anyway, by chopping off this small bit of image, it effectively removes the small black bars that you would EXPECT to see when showing a 1.85:1 film on a 1.78:1 screen. So as I mentioned, the 1.85:1 movie will actually fit the 1.78:1 screen better than a 1.85:1 screen."

vtgt, how did you know that I have an ae900 since I didn't even mention it in my post! You must be a pyschic, and thanks for the info, that's just what I needed to know.

vtgt, how did you know that I have an ae900 since I didn't even mention it in my post! You must be a pyschic, and thanks for the info, that's just what I needed to know.

I just cut and pasted the email from Rex (Carada guy). I have 900; hence, he mentioned it in his email.

You can however turn off overscan on the AE900 if you want to see the whole picture. I imagine this also improves the quality if you're watching a 720p signal since you'd be more likely to get 1:1 pixel mapping.

-
Steve

Well, I have finally finished my projector room...
And front and center is a Sony VPL-HS51 and a 80" Brilliant White Criterion Screen. All I have to say is, the picture quality is simply amazing! One thing that I love about this screen is the fact that you don't actually "see" the screen when there is a bright scene. The build quality is just awesome, customer service is simple the best I have ever had, and the price... Well you just can't beat the quality and the performance for that price range. I've already had a friend say he is going to pick one up now, and when my brother finishes his HT room, guess what I am going to recommend to him... A Carada Screen!!!

Watched some High-Def "24, Olympics and CSI-Miami" Monday night... WOW, the picture just popped off the screen and looked 3D. What a great investment!

Keep up the good work Carada!!!

I will post some pics after i got my posters and plaques up. Stay tuned! :)

Hello and thank you. I have been reading the forum for quite some time and finally have made my decisions on what to do. I purchased a Carada Criterion 100" CCW screen just the other day. I am looking forward to having it this weekend (thanks to Eric). My projector which I just received is the Sanyo PLV-Z4. My home theater is a converted car port. I am still in paint stage of the room with black ceiling, burgandy walls, soft plush carpet and four reddish brown leather recliners. My audio system is 6.1 all with JVC amp and JBL speakers. These are up and running with my present Hytachi Ultrasound 57" projection TV.

You all have given me so much advice on the perfect solution to this room that I just do not know how to thank you. But I do want to do that and so I say, "Thank you one and all."

Troy :)

how is the bw material in ambient light? on my small sample it appear very washed out. but things may look different with a whole screen. also is anybody using a nd filter to increase blacks with the thought as bulb ages to remove and keep a more uniform light output over the life of the bulb

how is the bw material in ambient light? on my small sample it appear very washed out. but things may look different with a whole screen. also is anybody using a nd filter to increase blacks with the thought as bulb ages to remove and keep a more uniform light output over the life of the bulb

BW in a light controlled room is simply amazing... However during the day I do have a little bit of light coming in through my blinds and it does wash it out a bit. But if it is a bright picture, you really don't notice it. Any front projector should be in a light controlled room. I chose the BW because it has a thicker screen and as your bulb gets dimmer over age, you will still have a bright picture. I was kind of leery of the BW myself, but after talking with a good friend he recommended the BW. I was originally going to get the HCG but I am VERY glad I went with the BW. In the end it is what YOU are happy with... :)

Hope this has helped you. Remember they do have a 30 day guarantee. They might let you try the BW and if your not happy get the CCW or HCG.

Troy T - Nice to see another Virginia Beach person on the Forums, I think you are the first I have seen. Hope you enjoy your new screen, I am leaning toward a 118 BW Carada screen as well. You just can't beat the price fro the quality and customer service that they have.

Jon

I've read in some reviews that the High Contrast Gray Carada screen was just about as good as the Stewart Firehawk in dealing with ambient light. However the HCG has a gain of 0.8, and the Stewart 1.3. If one had a very bright pj, e.g., like the Canon SX50 or 60 (2500 Lumens), then I presume that this would overcome the lower gain of the HCG, and the darker character of any gray screen in general. Is this a reasonably correct understanding of the situation?

You can however turn off overscan on the AE900 if you want to see the whole picture. I imagine this also improves the quality if you're watching a 720p signal since you'd be more likely to get 1:1 pixel mapping.

-
Steve


How can I do it? Thanks.

I was wondering what the general processing/shipping time is on Carada screens. I ordered mine about 4 days ago and so far when I check the status of the order, it just says, "order completed".

To turn off the overscan you need to push the menu button, then select "position" from the main menu and then select overscan on/off, but it will only work for HD signals (component or HDMI).

How can I do it? Thanks.
Just hit menu and scroll to the position menu. You should see the overscan option in the sub-menu.

--
Steve

" I imagine this also improves the quality if you're watching a 720p signal since you'd be more likely to get 1:1 pixel mapping."

Yup, that is the case. I have some screen shots in my gallery showing this on the Panasonic. They are all on a Carada BW screen too.

Shawn

I'm expecting my 118" criterion next week. They recommended the 1.4 gain screen because of the size. Projector is an ae-900u. I'm not too impressed with its black levels, so I was thinking of the lower gain screen, but I'll see what happens.

I am looking for a new screen for my NEC crt projector. I was thinking about getting the Studiotek 130. Is the Carada BW just as good for less money ?

Well, my 118" criterion came in today. It was packaged and wrapped very nicely and the frame is assembled already. It's cake even if you suck at all home improvement jobs like I do :) The quality of the frame is outstanding, the 4 parts fit together like a glove without any gaps and it feels very strong. The velvet coating on the criterion series looks very classy. I haven't unrolled the screen yet, I need to pick up some screws and anchors and I'll finish the job tomorrow.

The only flaw was that I was apparently missing one of the snap-screws (screws into the frame, then you snap the screen on it later). But there were 1 spare screw and snap-screw so that turned out ok.

BTW, has anyone else put the top rails on the wall without it being perfectly in the center? If I move it 4" to the left, I can hit 3 studs. Dead center means drywall only anchors. I think it will be ok 4" off though...

I'm expecting my 118" criterion next week. They recommended the 1.4 gain screen because of the size. Projector is an ae-900u. I'm not too impressed with its black levels, so I was thinking of the lower gain screen, but I'll see what happens.

What is your viewing distance?

4" shouldn't be enough to matter, as long as the clips are resting on the rail when in the desired position.

I just received my screen material in Brilliant White from Carada. I had them make the additional screen to replace the Classic White since I have just changed projectors to one with a better picture but far fewer lumens. While the change isn't astounding it was certainly worth it. I've also got to comment about the customer service, when I emailed with a question I got almost immediate response. To take it further David Giles even offered to hand deliver the screen if I could wait a couple of weeks when he was going to be in my town on personal business. Other than having bought a couple of screens from him there isn't a connection. Too bad the majority of customer service falls below this level.

What is your viewing distance?

About 12 feet. See attached picture. Everything isn't done yet, but the rest is mainly cleaning up. The build quality is very good, I'm impressed. Watching a quality DVD through the oppo player is astounding.

BTW, it looks like it's not straight, but it really is :)

http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=qq661l

About 12 feet. See attached picture. Everything isn't done yet, but the rest is mainly cleaning up. The build quality is very good, I'm impressed. Watching a quality DVD through the oppo player is astounding.

BTW, it looks like it's not straight, but it really is :)

http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=qq661l

It looks good. I am going to order mine. Thanks.

About 12 feet. See attached picture. Everything isn't done yet, but the rest is mainly cleaning up. The build quality is very good, I'm impressed. Watching a quality DVD through the oppo player is astounding.

BTW, it looks like it's not straight, but it really is :)


How do you project to the screen with a ceiling fan there? :p

How much of an improvement will the Carada BW be over the DYI Parkland Plastics???

wonder how the new sammy 710 will go with BW

How do you project to the screen with a ceiling fan there? :p

The Panasonic AE-900U works wonders :) I'm new to projectors and figured I would have to remove the fan. However, the 900u can shift the picture up or down by a full screen. So you can place it on a desk, in a cabinet, on a shelf or anything. I put it on the rear wall, halfway the height of the screen on a shelf, in the middle of the projected picture. It works magic.

Hi guys,

I'm planning on a 96" or 104" Carada screen with AE900U for our mixed use basement. Room is light-controlled with dimmers controlling 3 areas: front - viewing area, middle - seating area and rear - other activities (ie. pool table, etc).

I can have front and middle lights off and vary the degree of light behind the projector. No other light sources to worry about. While we will likely spend most time with lights fully off, I recognize there will be times when we would like to have some light in rear activity area at same time as using the PJ.

Couple of questions:

1). Does anyone else have any experience with using a Carada screen (or AE900U...I know this is probably wrong thread for that question) in similar partial light set-ups? If so, wondered how they addressed the issue. I realize there is likely a trade-off between degree of light and PQ but I'm trying to get a sense of where this becomes generally unexceptable and what options exist to mitigate the consequences.

2). For experienced Carada screen owners, I wondered which of BW or CCW they would recommend?

3). For those using a Carada screen with the AE900U, wondered if anyone can give me recommendations on ideal PJ placement (ie. throw distance and PJ ceiling mount alignment with screen height, etc). I have projectorcentral's recommendations, but wondered about some real life experiences.

Any help, much appreciated. :)

I own the 900, but I do not have a Carada screen. However, my friend did. He had both a BW and HCG Carada (in the same size range that you are considering), and we both preferred the HCG. To us, the black level (or lack thereof) on the BW was unacceptable with this projector.

There is a minor compromise with the HCG in whites, but the other colors were true. We both felt that the compromise in pure white was much, much easier to accept than the severely compromised black level, but YMMV.

How much of an improvement will the Carada BW be over the DYI Parkland Plastics???
My question is the same as Kipp's. Anyone with a Carada BW come from a Parkland Plastics? Or had one and can give us some comments? Thanks.

I ordered the Carada and it should be here this weekend. I will answer back.

Sounds good Kipp. I know you'll tell it how it is:)

;) ;) ;)

The improvement is significant. I can't say enough about the Carada pq, build quality and over all aesthetics. Very happy.

See below:

The improvement is significant. I can't say enough about the Carada pq, build quality and over all aesthetics. Very happy.

See below:

Nice. Did you buy the BW or the regular white?

Kipp, Can you give us some specifics on the improvement of the Carada vs. Parkland? Which side of the Parkland were you using? The pebble side or the smooth side? The smooth side had more "pop" to it IMHO. I know the Carada is well built, I would like a little more info on the picture quality vs. Parkland. Thanks.

Nice. Did you buy the BW or the regular white?

Keep in mind that picture has been resized down to 800x600. The pq is much better. I purchased the BW.

Kipp, Can you give us some specifics on the improvement of the Carada vs. Parkland? Which side of the Parkland were you using? The pebble side or the smooth side? The smooth side had more "pop" to it IMHO. I know the Carada is well built, I would like a little more info on the picture quality vs. Parkland. Thanks.

Sure, the Parkland is a great budget, DYI screen and it offers the most bang for the buck. However, I felt something was missing when using it. Gain was good but not great. Detail was ok but not what I was expecting. It always seemed like I was slightly out of focus even though I was not. The Parkland had some slight waves to it as it could not be tensioned. Aesthetics were just o.k. I will be using this screen now as an outdoor screen on my deck. I was using both sides.

With the Carada, the difference is immediate. PQ is significantly better. The image was very crisp and detailed. Gain was much better than the Parkland. I am running a Mits HC3000 DLP projector. Focus was dead on. The pq finally had the pop I was expecting. Blacks were better too. They were very very good on the Parkland but that much better on the Carada. Aesthetics are top notch with the Carada. The build quality is second to none.

Thanks Kipp! Very good info for me to mull around in my head. I have my Parkland mounted on a type of foam board and put a picture frame around it. In fact it looks just like the Carada. I guess I need to order a Carada to see the difference myself:) What size did you go with Kipp?http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y10/Polardoor/fpscreenshots031.jpg

Looks real nice. I went with the 96". That was as large as I could go between my speakers. See the attached pic. Everything turned out really clean. My goal was to allow for more room in my HT and keeping a very very clean look.

You have to excuse the pic, it is squeezed in from me resizing it for upload. Also, I have not finished with my center channel. It currently is sitting on the floor but I plan to either put in a glass stand or mount it to the wall. I cannot get it all done at once with my 1 1/2 year keeping me occupied most of the time. I am sure many of you fathers know what I mean.

My speaker system is Klipsch 2-RF7s, 1-RC7, 4-RS7s and SVS PB2+ sub. A Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXi is driving everything. All controlled by a Pronto Pro TSU-7000 via RF. It truely is a killer system. I highly recommend the system is you like detailed speakers.

All my gear (receiver/DVD player and such) is located in my utility room next door. I wanted to minimize anything that did not have to be in the HT. It work perfectly.

The room is 26x18x8.

Here is a pic looking from the screen.

Great shots Kipp. Still enjoying the HC-1? I'm thinking about getting one of those also. I know screen shots of actual material can only do so much for accuracy, but maybe you could give us a few more shots with some dvd, HD on your new Carada?

Anyone using a high contrast grey with a Screenplay 4805 and have screenshots? David has sent me some samples but I'm wanting to see a few screenshots before I commit to a purchase.

Well, my 120" 2.35:1 Precision series BW cinescope screen is now on order. I'll post some screenshots when it's installed. I'm running a Optoma HD72 and Prismasonic H-1200m anamorphic lens for a CH setup. I chose the BW material for good color accuracy and the slight gain should help with ambient light rejection even on such a large screen. Can't wait after all the good reviews on this forum!

Mike

Great shots Kipp. Still enjoying the HC-1? I'm thinking about getting one of those also. I know screen shots of actual material can only do so much for accuracy, but maybe you could give us a few more shots with some dvd, HD on your new Carada?

Hi, yes the Sony HDR-HC1 is a phenominal HDV camcorder. The pq from the Sony HDR-HC1 camcorder displayed on the Carada is breath taking. You do know a Sony HDV-HC3 camcorder is coming?

I will try to post some screen shots when I have time.

Hi, yes the HC-1 is a phenominal Cam. The pq on displayed on the Carada is breath taking. You do know a HC-3 is coming?

Will the HC-3 have a higher gain? Would be good to have a high quality gray screen with a good gain, i.e., like the Optoma GreyWolf (claimed gain of 1.8) but higher quality (though the GWII that has been announced may be in this category). The Firehawk is of course a gray screen with 1.25 gain, but it is prone to hotspotting since it is retro-reflective (and also, too, much more $$). Do you know whether the Carada HC screens are retro- or angular-reflective?

I know that higher gain leads to a reduced angular field of vision, but this is not a problem for my rather long and narrow room.

All:

Please see my edited post above. Apparently my abbreviation for the Sony HDV-HC1 camcorder was mistaken as a new Carada product.

I hung my carada 118" criterion BW screen last friday and have been enjoying it very much. I am using a panny 900 projector and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on proper calibration with this screen projector combo. Right now the picture looks very good on low lamp and the natural setting, but I am always looking for improvements.

Here's a screen shot (sorry for the content, my daughter loves this thing!)

Hi mderka, do you notice when moving from side to side the difference in brightness? Just wondering how big or small the viewing cone is with the BW carada.

Great shots Kipp. Still enjoying the HC-1? I'm thinking about getting one of those also. I know screen shots of actual material can only do so much for accuracy, but maybe you could give us a few more shots with some dvd, HD on your new Carada?

Here you go:

More.

.

..

Keep in mind pics have been resized and are not in OAR or resolution to ber uploaded to the forum.

Thanks for the screen shots Kipp. By the way, what projector are you using?

Mits HC3000. I am very very happy with it. Going from RP to FP offered me a few changes that I was trying to achieve. One was the wife wanted more room for my daughter to play in our HT and two gave me a very clean look.

Anyone using a high contrast grey with a Screenplay 4805 and have screenshots? David has sent me some samples but I'm wanting to see a few screenshots before I commit to a purchase.

I agree, ive been contemplating this to go with my 4805 as well just like to see some real life screenshots from people :)

Ok, here are some pictures of my FINALLY finished home theater room! Hope you enjoy :)

Any questions, feel free to ask!

And some more... :)

And one last one...

Ok, here are some pictures of my FINALLY finished home theater room! Hope you enjoy :)

Any questions, feel free to ask!

Jedi,

I'm just in the process of setting up my Carada and HT viewing area. Any pointers/gotchas or do's and don'ts from your perspective with respect to installing the screen or is it a straight forward as everyone seems to say?

For Canadian readers considering the Carada screen and looking here for some helpful feedback, I can tell you that my experience with Carada has been great.

David Giles and Rex Bittle (the guys from Carada whom I dealt with) were great, both in providing detailed answers to all my questions as well as responding very quickly - often in less than 24hrs! My hat is off to their customer service. :)

Ordering over the Internet was simple and straightforward.

I ordered on March 9th. Carada confirmed shipment on March 15th and I received the screen via Fed Ex on March 20th! It would have been delivered on March 17th but the delivery driver left the depot early on Friday and missed it being received by 1/2 hr (Fed Ex called to apologize for this!).

If you are wondering about total cost for the screen. Outside of the product and S&H charges paid at time of order, you will be contacted by Fed Ex and advised that you will have to pay any taxes applicable to your province upon delivery (In my case this was 7% GST and 8% PST). Fed Ex pays these to clear customs and will expect you to reimburse them by cash, cheque (does not need to be certified, etc) or credit card when the driver delivers.

The box is well packed and not too heavy. It is pretty bulky however (or at least my 104" one was). I would advise anyone to plan on having one other person around to help you move it too far, especially if around corners or up/down stairs.

Based on my experience, I would not let any worries about Internet ordering, etc factor into whatever screen decision you make.

Next on my to-do list is install this baby and test it out with my Panny AE900U! Once done, I will look to post some feedback from my experience with using it. :D

Jedi,

I'm just in the process of setting up my Carada and HT viewing area. Any pointers/gotchas or do's and don'ts from your perspective with respect to installing the screen or is it a straight forward as everyone seems to say?

I'll tell you one thing that has helped me a lot...
Paint your walls a dark color, I had white walls with a DIY screen, and I wasn't happy, so I decided to do it right and bought a screen and painted the walls. The image quality is just AWESOME!!!

#1 Paint the walls a dark color
#2 Have the screen at a height that is comfortable to you, I have mine set so that the bottom of the screen is at eye level. This means that you have to look up 2-5 degrees.
#3 The screen installation is straight forward, but you will notice the screen is almost flush with the back of the screen, so if it is not a flat surface like my basement walls, I had to first mount a 3/4" oak piece to the wall and then installed the metal strip for the screen. If I didn't do this I think I might have rubbed the back of screen because my surface is not flat. And make sure you measure a couple of times to mount the bottom piece, that was really the only tricky part.

Hope it helps! ;)

PS Carada rocks, will never buy another screen from anybody else! :)

I'll tell you one thing that has helped me a lot...
Paint your walls a dark color, I had white walls with a DIY screen, and I wasn't happy, so I decided to do it right and bought a screen and painted the walls. The image quality is just AWESOME!!!

#1 Paint the walls a dark color
#2 Have the screen at a height that is comfortable to you, I have mine set so that the bottom of the screen is at eye level. This means that you have to look up 2-5 degrees.
#3 The screen installation is straight forward, but you will notice the screen is almost flush with the back of the screen, so if it is not a flat surface like my basement walls, I had to first mount a 3/4" oak piece to the wall and then installed the metal strip for the screen. If I didn't do this I think I might have rubbed the back of screen because my surface is not flat. And make sure you measure a couple of times to mount the bottom piece, that was really the only tricky part.

Hope it helps! ;)

PS Carada rocks, will never buy another screen from anybody else! :)

Thanks

For Canadian readers considering the Carada screen and looking here for some helpful feedback, I can tell you that my experience with Carada has been great.




One thing I should clarify is that the time between March 9th ordering and March 15th shipping was for Carada to manufacture the screen not just package in box. Not sure if this is the same for all orders but I would consider my time period close to the maximum. If they had the unit in stock, they likely could ship even quicker.

The screen install really is that simple.

The screen install really is that simple.

I installed my 104" CCW last night. I can confirm that Kip and Jedi are correct when saying it is easy. If you have ever used a level and tape measure and drilled anchors into drywall for pictures or shelves, then you can save yourself a few hundred $ by doing the install yourself.

I would add a couple more things (all really minor believe me - but I think worth knowing in advance):

1). It is important that your mounting wall be as flat as possible. If you have any power outlets or similar things protruding from the wall, you should probably remove them before trying to install or at least test them for clearance. The screen does sit pretty flush to wall. You would not want a bump protruding through (or worst to tear the screen).

2). Check your wall to make sure it is straight. If yours are like mine, there was a 1/4" bow over the screen's width. Ideally the wall brackets should be straight and not bend with wall. With longer screens like mine, if bracket not straight it can be difficult for lower screen edge to clip securely. I solved this by simply gluing the appropriate portion of a piece of wood shim (like the ones used for door framing, etc) to the back of the affected wall bracket, then pre-drilled through the wall bracket holes into the shim to ensure I didn't split it when attaching to wall with screws. Took 10 mins and bracket attached straight and snug.

3). It took me 2 hours to assemble (from start of opening box to finished). I went pretty slow as this was my first PJ screen install. Having done it once, I am pretty sure it could really be done in a little over an hour by an experienced person. You can assemble the screen by yourself - it is that simple - but you will find things go easier if you have a helper for attaching the screen to the frame and mounting the finished screen to the wall brackets.

Other than that, all I can say is "wow"! I am coming from a 32" TV and I can now say is I know what I have been missing!

I am using my screen with the Panasonic AE900U. Sitting at 13ft and projecting from 16ft. PQ is great!

For those wondering about Carada CCW ability to handle ambient light, my early experiments indicate that I can have lights in the rear third of my Rec Room (behind PJ and viewing area) up around 40% with only minimal impact on Black level and contrast. This is more than sufficient for family members to play pool or cards in the rear area while others watch a movie. Above the 40% level, PQ does decline quite quickly as light increases.

Quick thanks again to all the AVS members who posted here or PM'd me with their expertise and own personal experience and advice. It helped a lot and is appreciated.....especially by the kids :) ...their jaws dropped to the floor when I fired everything up for the first time :D

I just ordered a 106" Carada Criterion BW and had a question about installing the top 48" bracket and the bottom 8" bracket. What method should I use to mount the bracket to the wall? The wall I will be mounting to is drywall and I don't believe there are any studs where the brackets will be mounted. I'm assuming I would use drywall anchors but am not sure on size, so if any Carada owners can give me the specifics of their bracket mounting, that would help me out a lot.

I just ordered a 106" Carada Criterion BW and had a question about installing the top 48" bracket and the bottom 8" bracket. What method should I use to mount the bracket to the wall? The wall I will be mounting to is drywall and I don't believe there are any studs where the brackets will be mounted. I'm assuming I would use drywall anchors but am not sure on size, so if any Carada owners can give me the specifics of their bracket mounting, that would help me out a lot.

You must have some studs behind the wall. Anyway, you can split the top bracket into 2 24" and use one for each end. It can be easier to install because the wall can not be too flat.

I just ordered a 106" Carada Criterion BW and had a question about installing the top 48" bracket and the bottom 8" bracket. What method should I use to mount the bracket to the wall? The wall I will be mounting to is drywall and I don't believe there are any studs where the brackets will be mounted. I'm assuming I would use drywall anchors but am not sure on size, so if any Carada owners can give me the specifics of their bracket mounting, that would help me out a lot.

With 16" on center, you should have no problem locating a stud.

With 16" on center, you should have no problem locating a stud.

I was able to find 4 studs last night. The stud finder I was using obviously didn't work very well so I picked up a new one and it worked like a charm. I should be able to attach the upper bracket to at least 3 different studs. I am assuming 1.5" or 2" wood screws would do a good job holding the brackets/screen, let me know if that sounds reasonable.

I was able to find 4 studs last night. The stud finder I was using obviously didn't work very well so I picked up a new one and it worked like a charm. I should be able to attach the upper bracket to at least 3 different studs. I am assuming 1.5" or 2" wood screws would do a good job holding the brackets/screen, let me know if that sounds reasonable.


My 104" Carada Criterion wasn't that heavy considering the size of it. I used No 8 wood screws throughout (both into the wood studs and with anchors where no studs were found.) General rule of thumb I use is measure the width of the bracket and drywall together, then add 3/4" for screw length. That should be fine for the screws to bite the wood studs and should not strip out proper sized anchors (should be approx 1/4" shorter than screw). Bear in mind the longer your wood screw, the greater the chance you will split the stud if you catch it on the outer 1/4s of the wood behind the drywall.

I wouldn't worry about getting big screws so much as ensuring you properly level and set the upper and lower brackets. Getting them as close to optimal distance to allow the screen frame to snap in snuggly is more important - remember - unless someone tugs on the screen, the clips and horizontal nature of the screws will give the assembly more than enough strength. It is more how everything fits together than the size of the screws.

In summary, IMHO, as others have mentioned previously, measuring and leveling properly as well as getting your wall as flat as possible are equally important.

Jayswan,
Please post some pics.

I should be receiving my screen on April 8th and I'll post pics after I get everything set up, assuming nothing disastrous happens (fingers crossed).

My 104" Carada Criterion wasn't that heavy considering the size of it. I used No 8 wood screws throughout (both into the wood studs and with anchors where no studs were found.) General rule of thumb I use is measure the width of the bracket and drywall together, then add 3/4" for screw length. That should be fine for the screws to bite the wood studs and should not strip out proper sized anchors (should be approx 1/4" shorter than screw). Bear in mind the longer your wood screw, the greater the chance you will split the stud if you catch it on the outer 1/4s of the wood behind the drywall.

I wouldn't worry about getting big screws so much as ensuring you properly level and set the upper and lower brackets. Getting them as close to optimal distance to allow the screen frame to snap in snuggly is more important - remember - unless someone tugs on the screen, the clips and horizontal nature of the screws will give the assembly more than enough strength. It is more how everything fits together than the size of the screws.

In summary, IMHO, as others have mentioned previously, measuring and leveling properly as well as getting your wall as flat as possible are equally important.



Thanks a lot for that explanation, it's very helpful and makes me feel a little better about putting the screen up. Do you know how far apart the holes are on the wall brackets? Hopefully they're about 8" apart so every other hole will hit a stud. Also, did you need to use washers with the screws or did the #8 screws secure the bracket well enough alone?

I hung my screen about 3-4 weeks ago and did not attach the braket to one stud. I just lined up the bracket in the middle of the room, leveled it and drilled holes. Not one of them fell onto a stud. Honestly I did not care. I used 40lb drywall anchors (11-12 of them) in 1.25" of drywall...that screen is not going anywhere.

Someone asked about the viewing cone on my BW screen...my room is fairly narrow and I have found no difference in brightness from side to side. Everything's been great!

Does anyone have a shipping / mounting weight for their particular screen ?

I'm curious on how heavy , or light , these things are ?

Thanks ,

Scott................... :)

My 100" shipped at 34lbs.

Pretty much convinced myself to order a Carada screen - now just wrestiling with the material, and would love the user commuinity input on this one. Do I go CCW, BW or HCG

Here is my environment :

-Sanyo PLV-Z4 projector (not yet bought)
-to be ceiling mounted about 13 feet back
-sitting about 12 'back on an L-shaped couch
-92" HDTV screen size.
-non-dedicated room in basement, about 15' x 30'
-one small window - ie ambient light can be controlled
-will not always have a dark room - ie playing pool while watching a movie.
-lightly colored room (white/grey walls, white ceiling, light carpet)
-viewing angle is important ( L-shaped couch)
-screen will be part of a 15 foot'wide wall unit. Unit is 20" deep, but
screen will be brought forward, almost flush - perhaps set back 2". A fake
wall will be built directly behind screen (ie as if the screen were mounted
on a wall)

Do I go CCW, on the premise that the wide viewing angle is good and that the Sanyo is a high contrst projector (and not worry about the fact that CCW is really meant for dedicated dark rooms)

or...

Do I go for BW for extra punch to allow for some ambient light (and not worry about the high gain issue re uniformity/hot spots and give up a bit of the darkest blacks)

or..

Do I go for HCW to improve black levels on this LCD projector ( and assume the Sanyo has enough lumens).


I know a lot depends on personal preference, but I was hoping that there might be some more objective guidance/science for this specifc type of enviroment. Perhaps other have this type of enviroment with the Z4- what did you end up and are you happy?


Many thanks

Marvin

Marvin,

Not sure this helps as I have not done a direct comparison. However I went with the BW option on the advice of my (excellent) installer for my 100 inch Carada screen and I could not be happier. My room size is 12 X 27 X9 and my viewing position is central, approx 15 ft back. We've only done minor tweaks so far and the picture, particularly with HD is excellent. Others may have better advice re the comparison, but I can only say that I have been very happy with the choice of the BW screen.

Pretty much convinced myself to order a Carada screen - now just wrestiling with the material, and would love the user commuinity input on this one. Do I go CCW, BW or HCG

Here is my environment :

-Sanyo PLV-Z4 projector (not yet bought)
-to be ceiling mounted about 13 feet back
-sitting about 12 'back on an L-shaped couch
-92" HDTV screen size.
-non-dedicated room in basement, about 15' x 30'
-one small window - ie ambient light can be controlled
-will not always have a dark room - ie playing pool while watching a movie.
-lightly colored room (white/grey walls, white ceiling, light carpet)
-viewing angle is important ( L-shaped couch)
-screen will be part of a 15 foot'wide wall unit. Unit is 20" deep, but
screen will be brought forward, almost flush - perhaps set back 2". A fake
wall will be built directly behind screen (ie as if the screen were mounted
on a wall)

Do I go CCW, on the premise that the wide viewing angle is good and that the Sanyo is a high contrst projector (and not worry about the fact that CCW is really meant for dedicated dark rooms)

or...

Do I go for BW for extra punch to allow for some ambient light (and not worry about the high gain issue re uniformity/hot spots and give up a bit of the darkest blacks)

or..

Do I go for HCW to improve black levels on this LCD projector ( and assume the Sanyo has enough lumens).


I know a lot depends on personal preference, but I was hoping that there might be some more objective guidance/science for this specifc type of enviroment. Perhaps other have this type of enviroment with the Z4- what did you end up and are you happy?


Many thanks

Marvin

Marvin,
I too was worried about hot spots/screen grain with the BW. Let me just tell you one thing. I have an 80" BW and it is AMAZING!!! You don't see the screen and there are NO hot spots. I personally LOVE my screen. I would reccomend the BW but you said you might have lights on while watching a movie... How much light? The nice thing with Carada is, talk to them and see if you don't like a specific screen you can replace it with another. Talk with them and try to set something up. Also ask for some samples first. Buy your projector and mount it. Test with some samples.

Hope it helps!

:)

BW looking good!

yes I may have some lights on, but i thought he BW was better for some ambient light than say a CCW - correct?

As to ''how much light'...I was thinking I may want some on near the back of the room,..about 15 feet behind the projector - 30 feet from the screen.. eg I might want some pendant lights on at the bar,... or a pool light over the table. The only other lights might be some wall units small ceiling lights at the side/behind the screen, in thier own boxed alcoves. Are these typically potential issues, or nothing to worry about?

Re samples, I have exchanged a few emails with David Giles - he has been nothing short of amazing. He did offer samples and suggest I test them (once I get a projector)..have not asked David if he would replace a screen if I didnt like it..but was kinda hoping I wouldn't have to get to that point by choosing wisely based on my enviroment and some consistent advice ( I hope).

On the HCW, I dont hear much on this : ....
Ther is an intersting blog on carara (and dalite) on
http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2004/12/my_search_for_a.html. In there the author states "I felt that for most applications I’ve encountered the Carada High Contrast Grey would have been too dark for all but the most demanding ambient light specific applications.In a conversation with David Giles of
Carada he stated: The High Contrast Grey does need a brighter projector for a given size screen. But you can't really put a number on the lumens required unless the size of the screen is specified. In other words, with an 88" diagonal screen, 450 lumens would give you a nice 15.6 footlamberts, which is right at the recommended level for home theater. But with a 110" diagonal screen, you'd need 700 lumens to get the same brightness as the 88" screen." In my case, in the Sanyo Z4 bright enough? - I have no idea...but perhaps its a moot point if I'm not really hot on this screen.

On tha CCW...the author did go on to say that:"The Carada 1.0 gain (Classic White) seemed to offer a little darker blacks "

But on thw BW, the author said "Carada’s ‘Brilliant White’ seemed to offer a little more clarity and punch for lack of a better term and it seemed to have the right combination of brightness and black level....."

So the BW is tempting...

Finally, I did ask David what he thought and he said it was personal preference was that theCCW would be bright enough and it would have just SLIGHTLY better black level than Brilliant White..but if I was concerned about brightness (or went for a larger screen), to go with BW.

Man ! So it seems it's between CCW and BW.

I guess one approach is to order the BW, and get a CCW sample, and ask if I can exchange if I am not happy.

Marvin

Email Carada and they can spec a screen for you if you give them your equipment and ambient info.

Thanks for the input to date.

I will check Carada before ordering.

Just reworked some of the dimensions, and I can actually accomodate a bigger screen, so looks like it will be a 102", and a BW.

See: http://www.theglovens.com/ht/fp.pdf

Tx

Marvin

Does anyone know if Carada plans on making an acoustically transparent screen? I was all set to order a Carada screen, but I ht design recently changed so I am now looking for one that is acoustically transparent. Thanks in advance.

Acoustically transparent and start offering motorized screens would triple their business. For a long time they have hinted at a motorized solution, but..........

Dont have the answer to that one, but I once had a room design that would require such a screen, to hide left/right/centre speakers and a sub. Had about 5 concerns at the time ...then stopped exploring that option.... and have since gone for a different design that I am very happy with.

In my case (fixed screen), my issues were things like:

1) it would severely limit my commercial screen choices.

2) it would reduce free access to the speakers - eg to adjust gain on the sub - as in my case the speakers would be in a would be in a large wall cavitiy with a fixed screen in front...and I didnt want to have to remove a large fixed screen just to get to the speakers.

3) it would push the screen that much closer to the seating area, as the screen would no longer be against the wall.

4) it might introduce some halo effects for the more transparent screens with the screen no longer against the wall.

5) my worst fear (perhaps unfounded)- there is so much air flow with speakers. so if even though a screen may be visually accurate, and accoustically transparent, I was never convinced if it would be 'enviromentally neutral' - ie I was always concerned about the potential for subtle vibrations or movement in the screen itself, due to the volume of air flowing from the speakers and/or ports directly onto the back of the screen.

Marvin

My 100" shipped at 34lbs.

Thanks Kipp :)

Does anyone know the procedure to get the samples of the Screen Material ?

Scott............... :confused:

Scott - Best way is to simply drop them a line at info@carada.com - describe your environment, screen size you are considering, etc and see what they say. They will likely offer you samples, and they are insanely good at getting back to you in a timely manner.

Scott - Best way is to simply drop them a line at info@carada.com - describe your environment, screen size you are considering, etc and see what they say. They will likely offer you samples, and they are insanely good at getting back to you in a timely manner.

Thanks Marvin , I did just that and David replied almost before I hit send :D Samples are on their way and I'm looking forward to trying them .

Scott..........................

Scott - I see you are a fellow Canadian ( I'm in Ontario as well). FYI, for the screen itself:

- they ship FedEx
- shipping fees include brokerage
- there is no duty,
- a broker seperately bills for GST/PST on the Canadian value

Still, even after the shipping, brokerage, exchange and taxes, they still come out cheaper than a comparable Da-lite model. And these guys are a pleasure to deal with - so that's worth something as well.

Marvin

Did anybody use a white sheet hung on the wall before odering a screen? If so, how much did the picture improve with the Carada? My wife thinks the $5 sheet looks good enough framed on 1x2's!

I think I'm going to need that sheet for the couch (in the HT of course) when she hears Fed-X knock at the door with my new 110" BW next week!

Shawn

Scott - I see you are a fellow Canadian ( I'm in Ontario as well). FYI, for the screen itself:

- they ship FedEx
- shipping fees include brokerage
- there is no duty,
- a broker seperately bills for GST/PST on the Canadian value

Still, even after the shipping, brokerage, exchange and taxes, they still come out cheaper than a comparable Da-lite model. And these guys are a pleasure to deal with - so that's worth something as well.

Marvin

Thanks Marvin ,

Nothing like a fellow Canuck to understand concerns over shipping , brokerage , and GST . :D

So if I understand you correctly , the shipping price will get it to my door where the FedEx man will want the GST on the Canadian Landed Cost ? Is PST charged too ?

Thanks again for the update .

Scott............... :)

Thanks Marvin ,

So if I understand you correctly , the shipping price will get it to my door where the FedEx man will want the GST on the Canadian Landed Cost ? Is PST charged too ?

Thanks again for the update .

Scott............... :)


Well, if it works like my last Fed-ex purchase, the fed Ex man delivers the goods and tells you to have a nice day.

Later, in the mail, you will get a bill for the taxes due. The bill will be from an arm of FedEx (eg FedEx Trade Networks) or some other service.

The amount will, yes, be based on the Canadian Landed cost and will be GST and PST. In the far past, I recall only paying GST, but PST seems to have crept in there. Normally brokerage fees are also on that bill, but in this case Carada says they take care of it at their end and build it into the shipping fee they charge you.

Marvin

Ok so I am already sick on my Behr grey painted wall. I just stumbled across this thread. I have a Panny 700. I am projecting a 125" screen and sit about 12' away. The room is completely light controlled but occasionally the kids are in the back on the computer or at the desk around 4' behind the viewing location.

1) What Carada screen would work best
2) What is the best aspect ratio. I watch HDTV, dig cable, dvd's, play xbox
3) Is there a masking system that is used in conjuction with this screen

Looks like I am about to spend more money. I hope it is worth it!

Shawn:

I had the $5.00 screen (2 $2.50 sheets - on top of each other - black wall!) and was amazed at how good it looked. The sheets were a 'standard' white which I thought would approximate the Classic Cinema White Carada screen I had on order.

Wife and I put up the Carada (96") last night in approx. 2 leisurely hours (from boxed to viewing). My quick impression is YES - as nice as the sheet looked, the screen is smoother and disappears when a picture is being projected. On large, bright areas, some grain in the sheet would show through - not on the Carada.

I'm very happy all around with the Carada screen - customer service, quality of product and ease of assembly and mounting.

Wyatt

PS - As we watched a movie on the sheets, my wife asked several times if we could just cancel the screen order!! She was semi-serious at the time but now she's in total agreement - the screen is COOL!!

I recently received screen samples from Carada and find I'm having difficulty making a decision. When comparing CCW against BW, I noticed a distinct drop in black levels with the BW. The samples are small, so making a comparison is difficult for me. Can anyone chime in who has a BW screen as to the black levels? My room is a media room and I have light control to about 80/90 %. I thought the added punch of a BW screen would help with ambient light rejection, but don't want a drop off in black levels. I do alot of entertaining during football season, and the thought of a bunch of guys in a totally dark room watching the game seems weird to me. Any help would be appreciated. BTW, my projector is the new Samsung 710AE.

Thanks Wyatt. My screen shipped today, so this discussion will be over soon!

Shawn

Shawn:

I had the $5.00 screen (2 $2.50 sheets - on top of each other - black wall!) and was amazed at how good it looked. The sheets were a 'standard' white which I thought would approximate the Classic Cinema White Carada screen I had on order.

Wife and I put up the Carada (96") last night in approx. 2 leisurely hours (from boxed to viewing). My quick impression is YES - as nice as the sheet looked, the screen is smoother and disappears when a picture is being projected. On large, bright areas, some grain in the sheet would show through - not on the Carada.

I'm very happy all around with the Carada screen - customer service, quality of product and ease of assembly and mounting.

Wyatt

PS - As we watched a movie on the sheets, my wife asked several times if we could just cancel the screen order!! She was semi-serious at the time but now she's in total agreement - the screen is COOL!!

I recently received screen samples from Carada and find I'm having difficulty making a decision. When comparing CCW against BW, I noticed a distinct drop in black levels with the BW. The samples are small, so making a comparison is difficult for me. Can anyone chime in who has a BW screen as to the black levels? My room is a media room and I have light control to about 80/90 %. I thought the added punch of a BW screen would help with ambient light rejection, but don't want a drop off in black levels. I do alot of entertaining during football season, and the thought of a bunch of guys in a totally dark room watching the game seems weird to me. Any help would be appreciated. BTW, my projector is the new Samsung 710AE.


I am using the Carada 106" BW and it is amazing. i would add that our room is totally dark and when we have the projector running, there is still enough ambient light from the projector to carry on a conversation.

The main reason i went with the BW was because of a conversation i had with Rex Bittle of Carada. He suggested the brilliant white to me. First, I could run the projector in low mode and save the bulb and secondly, and this one has become a big one for me. The projector is a heck of a lot quieter in low mode.

Once callibrated, the blacks and colors jump off the brilliant white. I'm a big fan of DLP because of the superior blacks and if they weren't there, i'd notice it in a hurry. The Carada team is extremely helpful and they have a wonderful product. You can't ask for much more than that.

Thank you whitelaw for the response. Based on your post and what I've been observing over the past week I went ahead and ordered the BW screen. I would also like to thank David Giles at Carada for the prompt responses to all of my emails.

I am using the Carada 106" BW and it is amazing. i would add that our room is totally dark and when we have the projector running, there is still enough ambient light from the projector to carry on a conversation.
.


So you need lights to speak? Interesting.

Are you related to Yogi Berra?

k

So you need lights to speak? Interesting.

Are you related to Yogi Berra?

k

So, we have a comedian in our group. If you had the friends I have, you wouldn't want to carry on a conversation without there being enough light.

Seriously, when we have friends over, the projector blasts out enough light that you can SEE and HEAR what each is doing. Makes watching a flick a little more sociable.

This weekend I'll be installing my Carada 2:35:1, 112" BW. I'll post so pics when it's up. :)

Do any of you Carada screen owners have much ambient light to deal with? On the website the BW blurb says that it is good, presumably because the brightness just overwhelms the ambient light and also with its narrower viewing angle, much in the same way the Dalite High Power does. Of course the BW is not as extreme in this regard as the HP, with its gain of 1.5 compared to 2.8 for the HP, and its viewing angle is not as constricted.

I wonder if anyone has any experience in comparing the BW and HP?

Quick question:

Can I use only the top (larger) bracket of the Carada Screen (100" Screen)?

The bottom of the screen/frame will be resting on a pretty sturdy window sill which will not allow me to install the bottom (smaller) bracket. I realize this won't be 100% secure, but will it work/do?

Thanks for any feedback.....

UPDATE:

I also emailed this question to David Giles (Carada) and here was his response (in case anyone else was wondering...)

---->


Yes it is certainly possible to use only the top wall bracket. Of course the frame would technically be more secure with both the top and bottom brackets installed, but the frame will be pretty secure with just the top bracket. In fact my own personal screen is only hanging from the top wall bracket. As long as nobody lifts up on the frame significantly (which is very unlikely since it will be resting on a windowsill, it would be virtually impossible for it to fall off the top bracket. One thing you’ll need to make sure of is that the top wall bracket is in the exact right position (vertically) so that when you lower the frame down to the windowsill, the frame is still “hanging” from the top bracket. If you mount the top bracket too low, the frame could come loose when it sits down on the windowsill. The wall brackets come with “oblong” holes that will allow for small adjustments in the height of the bracket.

Does anyone here have a Carada installed in front of a window?

Was just curious what you used to stop any light from penetrating through the back of the screen. I have some ideas, but want to be sure I'm not missing out on a good idea to try. Many thanks.

Mike

Quick question:

Can I use only the top (larger) bracket of the Carada Screen (100" Screen)?

The bottom of the screen/frame will be resting on a pretty sturdy window sill which will not allow me to install the bottom (smaller) bracket. I realize this won't be 100% secure, but will it work/do?

Thanks for any feedback.....

UPDATE:

I also emailed this question to David Giles (Carada) and here was his response (in case anyone else was wondering...)

---->


Yes it is certainly possible to use only the top wall bracket. Of course the frame would technically be more secure with both the top and bottom brackets installed, but the frame will be pretty secure with just the top bracket. In fact my own personal screen is only hanging from the top wall bracket. As long as nobody lifts up on the frame significantly (which is very unlikely since it will be resting on a windowsill, it would be virtually impossible for it to fall off the top bracket. One thing you’ll need to make sure of is that the top wall bracket is in the exact right position (vertically) so that when you lower the frame down to the windowsill, the frame is still “hanging” from the top bracket. If you mount the top bracket too low, the frame could come loose when it sits down on the windowsill. The wall brackets come with “oblong” holes that will allow for small adjustments in the height of the bracket.

I have the 104" CCW 1:1.85 Criterion Frame screen. I use both brackets but did try hanging it with just the upper out of curiousity. I would agree with David that you should be okay with just the upper bracket. Your biggest concern I would think is to ensure no one bumps it, touches it and that it isn't exposed to any wall vibrations (ie. close to a rail track, etc).

The upper bracket provides the hanging strength in my opinion. The lower one is there to keep the screen in place and provide stability.

If you're not concerned about the back of the screen you may want to try using a few strips of heavy duty two sided tape (you can get it at Home Depot or somewhere similar) along the bottom. This should help secure the screen in place but still allow relatively easy removal.

Do any of you Carada screen owners have much ambient light to deal with? On the website the BW blurb says that it is good, presumably because the brightness just overwhelms the ambient light and also with its narrower viewing angle, much in the same way the Dalite High Power does. Of course the BW is not as extreme in this regard as the HP, with its gain of 1.5 compared to 2.8 for the HP, and its viewing angle is not as constricted.

I wonder if anyone has any experience in comparing the BW and HP?


Where is your light coming from - sides, behind PJ, in front of screen, etc?

Does anyone have a shipping / mounting weight for their particular screen ?

I'm curious on how heavy , or light , these things are ?

Thanks ,

Scott................... :)

I can't remember the wieght but as S&H is inlcuded in Carada price not a big issue. Mine was the 104" Criterion Frame. One average-sized guy should be able to lift it but the problem is its length and bulk, You really need two people to navigate hallways and stairs safely and easily.

The same issue is with installation. One person can asemble everything and mount the wall brackets, etc, but having an additional set of arms to actually mount the screen is so much simpler.

Where is your light coming from - sides, behind PJ, in front of screen, etc?

Well first, the ceiling is light-colored, as are the walls (though they are largely covered up with pictures). There's no direct sunlight into the room, but during the afternoon (weekend sports) there is indirect light that filters in through window blinds (that are closed) and on one side of the room. In the evening, the lights are usually out, but sometimes we have a table lamp on low (~60 wattts); it sits on the far end of the room from the screen, and beyond the width of the screen (i.e., if it would translated forward to the front wall, it would not hit the screen).

So overall, the room is not bad light-wise, it is simply not the 'totally light-controlled' setup (with dark walls, etc.) that a rigorous HT would have.

Thanks for the input to date.

I will check Carada before ordering.

Just reworked some of the dimensions, and I can actually accomodate a bigger screen, so looks like it will be a 102", and a BW.

See: http://www.theglovens.com/ht/fp.pdf

Tx

Marvin


Marvin,

Not sure if you have ordered yet but I have similar setup to you. PJ at 13ft, viewing 12-13 ft dead-on main sofa and from 8ft-12ft for side couch. HT takes up front 50% of room, rear has pool table etc. I use the Carada 104" 1:1.85 CCW Criterion with the Panasonic AE900. Don't know how it stacks up against your PJ but I find I can run the rear pot-lights (ie those behind the PJ) at about 40% before PQ degrades significantly. This is more than enough to watch a movie and play pool, etc. I can control all light in front of screen and to sides but personally I find the screen forgiving for some side light but not good with any light directly in front of the screen (ie. between screen and PJ).

Viewing from the side sofa is still pretty good. Don't really notice any PQ issues so much as the 104" size starts to come into play. When at only 8ft viewing, it becomes difficult to take in the whole screen - but as I prefer larger screens thats a problem I will accept and it only comes into play if we have more than 5 people watching at one time (which isn't too often).

I would say your 102" will be fine. When we first got ours, the 104" looked huge and we wondered if we hadn't made a mistake - but as others on this forum have observed - after a month the screen seemed to "shrink" as we got used to it and now we wouldn't go any smaller at 13ft distance.

I second your positive comments regarding Carada service and shipping. Everything related to my purchase and delivery went great, without a hitch and it was actually delivered in about half the time they estimated it would require.

Well first, the ceiling is light-colored, as are the walls (though they are largely covered up with pictures). There's no direct sunlight into the room, but during the afternoon (weekend sports) there is indirect light that filters in through window blinds (that are closed) and on one side of the room. In the evening, the lights are usually out, but sometimes we have a table lamp on low (~60 wattts); it sits on the far end of the room from the screen, and beyond the width of the screen (i.e., if it would translated forward to the front wall, it would not hit the screen).

So overall, the room is not bad light-wise, it is simply not the 'totally light-controlled' setup (with dark walls, etc.) that a rigorous HT would have.

I am not a HT expert by any means but I run a Panasonic AE900 with my Carada 104" CCW Criterion 1:1:85. I have white walls, medium shade toupe-beige walls and a medium shade carpet. I have not found any need to darken the walls, ceiling etc. My PJ is ceiling-mounted at 13ft and we sit 12-13ft from screen. Before I bought, I was like you and really unsure about how much was "too much" light. I must say I have been pleasantly surprised by how forgiving my setup is.

I have found my screen pretty forgiving to side light. What is really important is how dark it is directly in front between screen and PJ.

It sounds like your main issue is afternoon viewing. The evening should be an issue unless there is a bright light outside your windows.

With respect to pictures, if these have glass covers to the frames, you may have issues here if they are on the walls to the side or where the screen is mounted. We found that glass frame covers will reflect the PJ light. In our case didn't so much impact PQ as they were way too distracting and annoying due to the reflections. We are replacing these with glass-less frames.

Hope this helps.

Black_Mustang_97: thanks for the feedback. Sounds pretty encouraging for my HT plans. (Ours 'pictures' are mainly just mounted travel posters, therefore no glass; this is an informal den!)

Re the Carada BW, I wonder if any of you compared this screen to the Dalite HP? It seems that the philosophy of both is similar, i.e., to overpower any ambient light with high gain. I wonder if the two perform similarly. (The Carada is less expensive, I believe.)

I just measured a screen sample of BW material with a spectroradiometer that can read light from the lens of the PJ or from the screen. ISF allows a tolerance of .0040 in x and y in the colorimeters approved for measuring and adjusting a PJs greyscale during calibration.

The Carada BW material shifted the greyscale by .0001 in x and by .0004 in y when compared to the measurements taken directly from the lens of the PJ. A shift of .0010 is barely perceptible. Anything less cannot be seen. To put this in perspective many top notch PJs have deviations of .0030 or more from D65 at some point in their greyscales at 20 IRE or above.

Light fell off by 12% at the edges of the screen as compared to the middle (seating distance 1.5 x screen width). The greyscale measurement at the sides was off by .0004 in x and .0000 in y as compared with the center of the screen.

I also took measurements of the center of the screen from 30 degree and 45 degree angles. The greatest color shift that I found compared to the face-on readings was only .0013 in x and .0012 in y. The luminance (brightness) fell off by 10% at 30 degrees and by 15% at 45 degrees.

This is supurb performance. Have no fear in purchasing this screen.

Glenn

Does anyone here have a Carada installed in front of a window?

Was just curious what you used to stop any light from penetrating through the back of the screen. I have some ideas, but want to be sure I'm not missing out on a good idea to try. Many thanks.

Mike


I installed my 110" BW over a window using 6mil black plastic to cover the window.

I first hung blinds and left them closed then taped the plastic around the window frame. Absolutely no light is coming through. I then screwed an 18" 2x4 in each corner of the window, cut the large Carada mounting bracket into two 18" lengths and attached the brackets to the 2x4's. I never had to touch the milwork around the window this way and the 2x4's allow the screen to stand away from the milwork by about 1/2".

The only issue with this method is that the bottom brackets need to be positioned in the corners instead of the middle. I haven't tried yet but I'm guessing it will be difficult to pull the screen down enough for the corners to snap into the bracket. For now, I stacked double-sided tape to hold the bottom corners to the lower 2x4's.

Hope this helps.

Up until recently I have been satisfied with the image I have had from blackout cloth set up on a 108" 2:35 screen. The obvious question is whether a Carada 120" 2:35 in BW would be worth the cost. For someone used to the basic " DIY and save money" mindset I suppose it is all relative and although I have never been in any hurry to buy a screen from a company I would at this point like to see a reasonable improvement without spending a small fortune. I currently use a Hitachi HDP J52 and my seating distance is adequate at almost 17'. Anyone care to comment and "persuade" me? The room is light controlled with darker walls - the one the screen is mounted to is black. I like what I have read in this thread regarding the BW material I just need to be convinced!

I just installed a 110" BW. Easy setup and excellent quality construction. Picture is awesome. I looked at many screens and considered DYI or cheaper methods. Figured that since I sank ~20K into builidng my theater I wasn't going to cut corners on the main focal point of the room.

I guess it doesn't matter as much when the lights are off and the projector is on. But when people come into the theater and see all the equipment they "ooohh and aahhh" over the screen. Well worth the $750 in my opinion.

I wonder if I should spring for the 128" 2:35 Precision version - I think it will work out given my room size and for the small amount it costs over the 120" I'm sure it will look great - it looks like I am pretty well convinced! Just have to save my pennies.
Glad I decided to check out this post. :)

Filmbuff,

You may want to send Carada an email. They are very helpful. I was originally going to go with a 2.35:1 screen and after several emails they convinced me that unless I spent 90% of my time in that format I would be happier matching the native resolution of my projector 1.78:1. Sure I get the bars for the 2.35 movies but the HD sports and 1.85 movies fill the entire screen. On a 110" screen I don't really notice the bars. I would have been either seeing bars or strecthing for TV and 1.85 movies.

I was also considering the grey screen material since I have total ambient light control and was concerned w/ black levels based on reviews. They were familar w/ my projector (AE900) and the guy I worked with actually bought it for his own use. He told me that if I was looking at an image of >90" it would be better to go w/ the BW 1.4 gain. They are really knowledgeable and spent a lot of time explaining the pro's and con's of the different options and helped me make an informed decision. I am so happy that I worked with them instead of just ordering as the end result is fantastic.

I will be getting a 136" 2.35 screen. Based on some back and forth email, I will probably get the BW 1.4 gain screen. However, Carada is sending me some screen samples for me to view.

Like kwildman said, send them an email. You'll find them very helpful.

I was also considering the grey screen material since I have total ambient light control and was concerned w/ black levels based on reviews. They were familar w/ my projector (AE900) and the guy I worked with actually bought it for his own use. He told me that if I was looking at an image of >90" it would be better to go w/ the BW 1.4 gain.

How far back do you have your projector mounted?

How far back do you have your projector mounted?

My projector is mounted ~ 13 feet. I used a PerfectMount with the suspensed cieling adapter. My seating is at approximately 12 feet. Ideally, I would have liked to mount closer to the middle of the throw range for the projector (AE900) but I didn't want to mount it on a shelf or a rear wall.

CRAP! Looks like Carada made a mistake with my screen. I received the Criterion installation pack with my Precision screen. Thus, the screws were the wrong size and the installation brackets (J-Brackets) were missing. I need the screen for this weekend, so I'm going to fabricate something for now. I've already replaced the screws and sent Carada an email message but it's Friday and I don't expect to hear from them until Monday.

Maybe they will send me a Criterion frame to match my installation kit... :)

<edit>Update!

Friday night, Rex from Carada called me from his cell phone and apologized for the shipping error. He was on the road and told me that a new bracket would be shipped out on Monday. Pretty awesome customer service if you ask me…

In the meantime, I went to Home Depot and purchased a strip of aluminum that fastens carpet to linoleum. It had a “J” shape similar to what I was looking for. I used my trusty Dremel to cut and drilled 2 holes in strip. I attached the strip to the screen and hung it on the wall.

Overall, the screen is very nice; I am pretty happy with it. Other than being significantly lighter and larger, I didn’t notice any visual “gain” or improvement over my DIY Pollywall screen. Then again, I haven’t compared them side by side either. </edit>

Well, my screen samples arrived. It is very difficult to actually see any difference between the CCW and BW screens. I'm going to order a 136" BW 2.35 screen on Monday. Can't wait to hang it on the wall.

My 136" BW 2.35 screen arrived Friday. It was packed really well. I was concerned with all the ripples in the screen but after snapping it to the frame, they were all gone except for 1 small section in the corner. Hanging it on the wall was quite the experience. It was easy but cumbersome. I spent about 30 minutes assembling and hanging the screen. The toughest part was getting the brakets level.

That thing is freakin' huge! It looks amazing! Granted I haven't compared it to any other screens so i can't comment on that area. It has the approval from my wife (very important).

Rex and I traded several emails discussing my needs. I am totally satisfied.

My 136" BW 2.35 screen arrived Friday. It was packed really well. I was concerned with all the ripples in the screen but after snapping it to the frame, they were all gone except for 1 small section in the corner. Hanging it on the wall was quite the experience. It was easy but cumbersome. I spent about 30 minutes assembling and hanging the screen. The toughest part was getting the brakets level.

That thing is freakin' huge! It looks amazing! Granted I haven't compared it to any other screens so i can't comment on that area. It has the approval from my wife (very important).

Rex and I traded several emails discussing my needs. I am totally satisfied.
WOW, that’s huge!

My screen had a small crease in the corner too. It didn’t work itself out, so I used a low powered blow drier on the back of the screen. As the vinyl warmed up slightly, the crease vanished completely. I think it would have worked itself out eventually, but I was impatient. :)

I got the IN76 with my 102" Carada screen... I'm not getting 16x9 resoltuion.

computer running DVI-HDMI @ 1280x720 resolution, black borders on both side
DVD player running both DVI or Componet, Black borders on both side.

Please help... I tried everything.

maybe there is a setting in IN76 that need to be changed..try its onboard scaler..

Anyone care to comment and "persuade" me? The room is light controlled with darker walls - the one the screen is mounted to is black. I like what I have read in this thread regarding the BW material I just need to be convinced!

I am with you filmbuff2, my diy screen is working out great, but I would love to know if a "real" screen is worth the $. I did order a sample of the different screen materials but it is so darn small, 8x11, that the improvement is hard to discern.

Hi Guys,
I'm afraid I have nothing more specific to contibute to
this post, other than to highly recommend David and the
guys at Carada. However perhaps if that helps make up
someones mind about where to go to get their screen then perhaps
it's a worthwhile comment. I'm not technically minded enough
to give a detailed review of my screen,so I won't try, but I
am extremley happy with Carada's product, service , packaging and delivery.
Only 4 days delivery to the UK if anyone's interested in importing.


Carada 94" Precision series screen - 2.35:1


Barry

WOW, that’s huge!

My screen had a small crease in the corner too. It didn’t work itself out, so I used a low powered blow drier on the back of the screen. As the vinyl warmed up slightly, the crease vanished completely. I think it would have worked itself out eventually, but I was impatient. :)

Just wanted to post a quick update that my creases worked themselves out. The screen is great.

I currently have an AE900 projector, planning to go to the Ruby (or similar) in the next 12 months. Will probably go with the ISCO II or III for 2.35:1.

Do you guys think a 136" 2.35:1 BW would be fine for both projectors? I dont want to have to replace the screen anytime soon. Room has 100% light control.

Thanks for your feedback.

If the room can handle a screen that big I would go for it. Actually I purposely bought the 136" speculating that it may not be too big. I figured that if it was just too much, I would mask the screen down and wait for a future upgrade in projector technology. Now that I have everything setup, I am glad I didn't buy a smaller screen. Even without the lens and just zooming the content, 136" 2.35 screen totally rocks! I can't wait to upgrade to a better projector in 2 - 3 years. BTW, my room is 14x21x8. 1st row is at 12.5 feet and the back row is at 18 feet. The first row is really pushing the limit as far as SDE is concerned, but my wife and kids love the front row. I prefer the back row. Go figure. Running a Sanyo Z4.

I wanted to recreate the same field of view as my favorite seat at the local theater. I have accomplished that with my setup.

If the room can handle a screen that big I would go for it. Actually I purposely bought the 136" speculating that it may not be too big. I figured that if it was just too much, I would mask the screen down and wait for a future upgrade in projector technology. Now that I have everything setup, I am glad I didn't buy a smaller screen. Even without the lens and just zooming the content, 136" 2.35 screen totally rocks! I can't wait to upgrade to a better projector in 2 - 3 years. BTW, my room is 14x21x8. 1st row is at 12.5 feet and the back row is at 18 feet. The first row is really pushing the limit as far as SDE is concerned, but my wife and kids love the front row. I prefer the back row. Go figure. Running a Sanyo Z4.

I wanted to recreate the same field of view as my favorite seat at the local theater. I have accomplished that with my setup.


My room is about the same, its 15x23x10, 1st row is at about 13.5. Sounds like the 136" is a good choice then, i appreciate your feedback!

Have any of you hung your Carada screen from the ceiling? I ask because I have a corner attic door on the wall I want to install the screen. Once or twice a year, I will need to get in the attic.

"Have any of you hung your Carada screen from the ceiling? "

Drill two holes in the frame and you can put on eye bolts. Then just put two hooks on the ceiling and it will hang from that. Mine has been mounted that way for almost two years now.

Shawn

Have any of you hung your Carada screen from the ceiling? I ask because I have a corner attic door on the wall I want to install the screen. Once or twice a year, I will need to get in the attic.

To be honest (I hate to admit this) due to my poor planning skills, I have had to remove my 100" BW screen a couple of times to uh, fix some wiring issues. It really is not difficult to take it down. I was able to take it down myself, but needed my wifes help putting it back up (Not a weight thing, more akward balance thing :) )

Jay

What is the clearance between the wall and the screen when mounted? I ask becuase I need to make sure the bracket is wide enough to clear the molding around the door.

just mounted my new Carada 114" BW screen. it exceeds all my expectations. very nice! packed very well. took about an hr or so to mount. not difficult to do. paired with an AE900. about 14' throw/mounted slightly off center. very nice image on screen. no complaints.

just mounted my new Carada 114" BW screen. it exceeds all my expectations. very nice! packed very well. took about an hr or so to mount. not difficult to do. paired with an AE900. about 14' throw/mounted slightly off center. very nice image on screen. no complaints.


Whats your viewing enviornment? Basement? Livingrom? Why BW?