Does anyone out there have any experience with the Elite Cinetension screens that they would be willing to share? Any comments on image quality, ambient light, contrast, blacks, wrinkles, installation and any red flags would really be appreciated.

I am new to the forums, so I appologize if this question has been asked before, but I did a pretty thorough online search both in general and specifically through AVS and did not see a similiar question posted. After a significant amount of time investment looking for reviews I only found one review for the Elite Cinetension High Contrast series(TExxxHC1; xxx=screen size, so TE92HC1 = 92 in high contrast screen) and it was here at AVS but more info would be greatly appreciated.

I am really close to buying one, but I am still a little unsure. Although I have used AVS as a source of info in the past, I have never posted. I signed up just so I could make this post, so please please please help me out of you can.

Thanks.

I went with an Elite Cinetension in the high contrast gray. I needed a pulldown since there's no room for a fixed screen, and I was determined to get a tensioned screen to try to keep waves to a minimum. I picked Elite because they were cheapest by a large margin and part of a competitive package deal. I didn't order samples and compare or anything like that. I needed something pretty quickly and didn't have the luxury of doing my usual obsessive research.

I will say I'm pretty happy with the way the screen looks. It's a very smooth material and looks better than my white walls. A higher gain screen would be interesting and it's something I may do in the future, but as long as I control the light, the image on screen looks really nice. The surface is pretty taut and flat. In the dark with an image on it, it looks perfectly flat. With the house lights up, I can tell the corners have a very slight wave on mine. It doesn't seem to affect the image at all though. Blacks are definitely helped by the gray, and bright scenes still have pop. Overall I'd say it's a great performer for the price. Any complaints I have aren't about the screen material.

Mounting my screen on the ceiling was a bit of a pain. The instructions are awful. I also ended up buying some washers and wood screws to properly secure the screen into the ceiling joists. The included hardware didn't fit my needs at all. It also seems that the bolts that slide into the brackets and anchor the screen are a bit too long. It causes the front end of the enclosure to be a bit lower, so when the screen retracts you hear the clang of the weighted bottom beam hitting the enclosure. This scares me and it's something I'd like to address. For now I just stop the retraction a couple of inches earlier, so the beam isn't fully retracted.

The finish of my enclosure also had some minor nicks, but for the price I learned to live with them. I don't even notice them now, since the enclosure is on the celiling. Mine was a package deal from Visual Apex so it was black only. Since it's exposed, I wish I had the option of getting the white enclosure.

Overall It's a good screen for someone like me, who just got into front projection on a budget. If I had two to three thousand dollars to spend on a screen I'd probably have gotten something else, but I didn't so I'm pleasantly surprised that the Elite Cinetension is a very competent product. If this is all you can afford you won't feel like you were priced out of getting a "proper" screen. I like mine.

I just got the HG 100" Cinetension and am still unpacking it, I've been sick so didn't really have energy to do much else.

My question is did you see straps (like the kind you see on a backpack) wrapped around each end? Did you cut these off, are they packing material or what?

Thanks,
Mike

I have the 100" electric tab-tensioned Elite (HC grey) and it rocks. Install wise, I had to mount it to wall studs and this did not present a problem. The hanging hardware also did not present any problems although I used a higher grade, larger lag screw to mount with. It's a beast- you'll need two people to put it up....Oh- the RF and IR remotes work great and I'm thinking about hooking up the 10v trigger as my Optoma has a 10v out. (is it 12v?)
Good luck!

Kingcaffeine, I have a question about lowering the screen. Can you stop it at different heights. If I watch a 2.35 movie can I raise it to eliminate the black bars. I can use lens shift to raise the picture to eliminate the bar at the top.

Yes, you cant stop it at just about any heights...In fact, the one thing I do not like about the Elite Cinetension is when the screen goes all the way, it makes a loud sound...so I stop it before it goes all the way in..just before the annoying click..Also does it on the way out. I am going to buy weather strips to line it it up to eliminate the sound..metal against metal - not good..

yeah- the clang is a bit annoying. I looked pretty close and theres really no way to avoid it. the bottom bar sways a bit on the way up and a collision with the frame is unavoidable. But it will stop at any height going up or down.

Thanks for the detailed responses. That is exactly the information I was looking for. One last question... Kingcaffeine indicated tht he baught a "Tab-Tension" (not a cinetension).

I know the Elite website (elitescreens.cm) only lists the cinetension, but I see sites out there selling elite tab-tension (like projectionwholesale.cm). It seems to be that for a 92 inch screen, the cinetension's product number is TE92HC1 (where the 92=the screen size), and the tab-tension's product number is TAB45X80 (where the 45x80=the screen size=92). I am a bit confused because I contacted some of the sellers of the TABxxXxx models and they say the two model types are the same, but the TABxxXxx models tend to be listed at $100-$300 cheaper than the TExxHC1 series. Elite has not returned my emails. Does anyone have any insight into this?

If the 'cinetension' and 'tab-tension' really is the same screen and they are not reflecting the different model types, then why the two model numbers with different prices (TABxxXxx versus TExxHC1)?