My new Zebra black projector screen arrived this morning. I haven't had a chance to finish installing my home theater equipment yet but I thought I'd quickly mount the new screen and share some pics.
I looked at a number of the ambient light rejecting screens but they were mostly out of my price range. I hadn't heard of Zebra screens before but they looked good on Youtube so I decided to take a chance. I use my Epson 3010 in my living room and I wanted something that would work with a little ambient light. We use the projector as our TV and my girlfriend doesn't like it when I keep the room dark all of the time.
My first impressions out of the box was that it looked as advertised. It came rolled up and the screen looks black.
It was fairly easy to mount on the wall. My girlfriend helped me. It came with gloves to stop you getting finger prints on it or scratching it. Once on the wall, it looks as I expected it to.
Before I made the decision to buy it, I was sent some pics from other customers. One guy had mounted his on a sheet of wood (or maybe plexiglass?) and installed an LED kit at the back. It looked just like the Black Diamond Zero edge in his pics. I might have a go at that too.
There is a fair amount of light in my living room. My first impressions when I turned on my projector, was that the image quality was impressive, considering the amount of light. I had set my expectations low and was prepared to be disappointed. Normally when you buy the least expensive option, you find out why it was so cheap as soon as you start using it.
I tested it with moderate daylight first and It worked better than I had hoped for. It was very flat-screen-like.
The screen was set to around 100" as I haven't mounted my projector yet,so that was the biggest I could get from my coffee table. The image with my Epson 3010 was close to how it looked at night with the lights off and at least as good if not better than the clips of some other black screens that I saw on Youtube. The one I was most skeptical of was the claim that it was possible to get good blacks in a bright room with this screen. Again I was pleasantly surprised.
The first pic here is taken with just moderate daylight.
My thought was that I was going too easy on the screen after this (because of my low expectations). I then turned on the floor lamp too.
I am no expert on this stuff but I know what I see. The floor lamp is bright and less than 1 foot from the screen, yet the space scene still looks black. The pics actually don't do it justice. It looks better when you see it live. Just to be sure, I moved the image up so some of it was on the white wall.
I turned off the lamp for this pic because with it on, it was not possible to see an image on the white wall at all. It isn't surprising that a black screen looks better than white paint. When everything it set up, I will do the same pic compared to my old gray screen. For now though, I am feeling a little smug with my purchase.
The black bars was the test I was waiting for. My projector is meant to have good blacks for one in it's price range but the black bars on widescreen movies were barely visible on my gray screen, even at night.
I read that no screen can improve the contrast, just the perceived contrast. I don't really know what that means but in my uneducated opinion, this screen gives me a big improvement over my old screen.
With a little sunlight in the room, the colors have a nice amount of pop. The detail on the trees in this pic is really sharp.
Obviously I have just got my Zebra screen and these are just my first impressions. I will upload some better pics once I have finished my living room. I am new to the forum too and I have only a basic knowledge of home theater products, so these aren't exactly the views of an expert. I upgraded to this screen from an ebay gray screen. That should give you an idea of my level of experience. Still, I know what a black should look like and I can appreciate how more contrast makes the image look nicer!
My new Zebra black projector screen arrived this morning. I haven't had a chance to finish installing my home theater equipment yet but I thought I'd quickly mount the new screen and share some pics.
I looked at a number of the ambient light rejecting screens but they were mostly out of my price range. I hadn't heard of Zebra screens before but they looked good on Youtube so I decided to take a chance. I use my Epson 3010 in my living room and I wanted something that would work with a little ambient light. We use the projector as our TV and my girlfriend doesn't like it when I keep the room dark all of the time.
My first impressions out of the box was that it looked as advertised. It came rolled up and the screen looks black.
It was fairly easy to mount on the wall. My girlfriend helped me. It came with gloves to stop you getting finger prints on it or scratching it. Once on the wall, it looks as I expected it to.
Before I made the decision to buy it, I was sent some pics from other customers. One guy had mounted his on a sheet of wood (or maybe plexiglass?) and installed an LED kit at the back. It looked just like the Black Diamond Zero edge in his pics. I might have a go at that too.
There is a fair amount of light in my living room. My first impressions when I turned on my projector, was that the image quality was impressive, considering the amount of light. I had set my expectations low and was prepared to be disappointed. Normally when you buy the least expensive option, you find out why it was so cheap as soon as you start using it.
I tested it with moderate daylight first and It worked better than I had hoped for. It was very flat-screen-like.
The screen was set to around 100" as I haven't mounted my projector yet,so that was the biggest I could get from my coffee table. The image with my Epson 3010 was close to how it looked at night with the lights off and at least as good if not better than the clips of some other black screens that I saw on Youtube. The one I was most skeptical of was the claim that it was possible to get good blacks in a bright room with this screen. Again I was pleasantly surprised.
The first pic here is taken with just moderate daylight.
My thought was that I was going too easy on the screen after this (because of my low expectations). I then turned on the floor lamp too.
I am no expert on this stuff but I know what I see. The floor lamp is bright and less than 1 foot from the screen, yet the space scene still looks black. The pics actually don't do it justice. It looks better when you see it live. Just to be sure, I moved the image up so some of it was on the white wall.
I turned off the lamp for this pic because with it on, it was not possible to see an image on the white wall at all. It isn't surprising that a black screen looks better than white paint. When everything it set up, I will do the same pic compared to my old gray screen. For now though, I am feeling a little smug with my purchase.
The black bars was the test I was waiting for. My projector is meant to have good blacks for one in it's price range but the black bars on widescreen movies were barely visible on my gray screen, even at night.
I read that no screen can improve the contrast, just the perceived contrast. I don't really know what that means but in my uneducated opinion, this screen gives me a big improvement over my old screen.
With a little sunlight in the room, the colors have a nice amount of pop. The detail on the trees in this pic is really sharp.
Obviously I have just got my Zebra screen and these are just my first impressions. I will upload some better pics once I have finished my living room. I am new to the forum too and I have only a basic knowledge of home theater products, so these aren't exactly the views of an expert. I upgraded to this screen from an ebay gray screen. That should give you an idea of my level of experience. Still, I know what a black should look like and I can appreciate how more contrast makes the image look nicer!