I've been looking at screens for our new home theatre and, honestly, I'm baffled. We've got a 15x18 room (screen on long end with seating opposite) and 10' ceilings. It's a dedicated home theatre with total light control (no windows) and we've decided on the 1080p Mits HC5000 projector. My husband wants a screen no smaller than 100" (he keeps saying if we're doing this, it's gotta' be B-I-G), so that's a non-negotiable at this point. :-)

I want a good quality, fixed screen without paying a fortune. I've looked at Da-Lite and Carada and, frankly, really have no idea if one is any better than the other, or it's just the different projectors I'm seeing them with. I'm looking for something that will last for the long haul, as I plan to keep my set-up for a MINIMUM of five years. (I'm not the constantly tinkering type.) Our center channel will most likely be mounted above/below, not behind, as I'm not an audiophile, but we do want good picture quality.

I know most of you are much (MUCH!) more knowledgeable about all this than I am (I'm pretty good with tech stuff, though not compared to the experts here; my husband is more the "What button do I push type"), so if you can stand offering advice to a newbie at this whole kind set-up, I'd really appreciate it. Along with any tips on where to get the best deal on what you may suggest, assuming that's not pushing my luck.

Thanks in Advance!

I'm using a Da-Lite Permwall 120" 4:3 with Hi-Contrast Grey for LCD projectors. This screen was originally purchased to use with a Sanyo PLC-XU50A 2000 lumen 1024x768 Presentation projector which I used for gaming, pc monitor use, presentation and video. I framed it simply with black cotten bedsheets (t-shirt quality thickness) and I used it in both low light and no light conditions and it looked fine. I recently purchased a Mitsubishi HC-5000 projector and was planning to get a new screen to use with the projector. However I find that the screen works very well with the HC-5000 and looks wonderful. I have not calibrated the setup yet though so that may change. For now I use the upper part of the 4:3 screen to display 16:9. With this it is basically a 109-110" 16:9 screen. The distance is roughly 16 feet I believe from lens to screen. If you want to use it in brighter conditions such as a sports or gaming party then I highly suggest a lighter/more reflective screen. I find my setup works well with the Nintendo WII since the screen is almost flush up against the ceiling and thus people don't block the projector beam when playing. We played 4 player Wii-Sports tennis and had to remove the sofa to do so but as it was on wheels this wasn't bad. We played with 1 lamp on in the corner and the image still looks great.

My suggestion would be to get the projector first and test on a blank white wall or white bedsheet, placed where you want the screen to go, to get an idea of the brightness levels that you'll be seeing. Then decide on the screen material you want. You may find that a matte white works better for you. I have a matte white portable screen but haven't tested with it yet.

One day I may choose to change to a real 16:9 screen but as I still play games in the 4:3 aspect and have the other projector setup for other use I think for now I will continue to just use the upper portion of the screen for the Mitsubishi on movies and HD console/PC games. World of Warcraft at 1080P on this thing looks amazing =)

Please note all my descriptions are assuming low lamp mode usage.

I hope that helps some. I can see if I can take some pictures perhaps with a lamp on and off to give you a better idea.

Made some pictures to show screen.

No lights on. Basically no external light. Black cotten bedsheet curtains.
http://triumvirate.dyndns.org/brightwind/ver2/15.jpg

Two back floor standing ceiling lamps on about 15 and 20 feet from screen center.
http://triumvirate.dyndns.org/brightwind/ver2/16.jpg

http://triumvirate.dyndns.org/brightwind/ver2/17.jpg

http://triumvirate.dyndns.org/brightwind/ver2/18.jpg

More pictures in HC5000 Thread below.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9473669#post9473669