Carada BW vs Studiotek 130 - HUUUUUUUGE difference

Well, that's why I bought it, Stewart. I thought why would all the different projector manufacturers use it as their reference material to show off their projectors if other, less expensive screens do the same job for cheaper? Simple answer, they probably can't, so I spent a little...well...a lot more but now I have a screen that will probably see many projectors over the years.

I was looking at the BW material at one time though. I didn't realize the difference was that dramatic?

I may be wrong, but this looks rather like Caradas High contrast grey to me.
I just received the brilliant white screen and it looks nowhere like your sample on the right hand side.
I also received a sample of their high contrast grey screen cloth and this matches pretty close, I dare say,
if you take into account that the screenshot may not exactly look like the real thing, owing to differences
in color reproduction.
Also, I read a test of the BW screen where a light meter had been used, and although it is a somewhat
crude method to measure the gain it came pretty close to what carada is claiming, gain wise.
On the other hand, notwithstanding the structure of the high contrast gray sample, both sides seem to have
the same color, unlike the sample you received.
No surprise there is a huge difference between the Stewart and carada, though, would be very surprised if there wasn't

It is hard to say, the screen is on the wall, so it is difficult to check the reverse.
I did not notice some sparlies, though, and it is not a shiny surface by all means.
But i can say that Caradas support has been top notch, and I only heard goods things about them.
So far, that is...

As far as I am concerned, I do not see a big difference in the screen I have and your picture of the stewart sample, texture wise.
I did some research on the net before I bought the screen and as far as I am concerned I think caradas claim of 1.3 gain to be credible.
Please also consider that manufacturers of screens have different and more sophisticated ways to measure gain.
But to give you a short answer: Yes, I am happy with my screen.
And as far as customer service goes Carada gave me the royal treatment, the way every customer wants to be treated...
Wish I could say the same thing about all companies I bought equipment from..

I totally agree. It never makes sense to spend more money than what's needed to have the same outcome. That's why I was looking at the BW material from the very beginning.

That does look like the grey though.

MoWa,

If you haven't already (I may have missed it), can you compare the Carada to a white piece of paper. Just out in normal lighting in a room would do. If it is the BW then I think they should be fairly close.

Thanks,
Darin

What are we trying to discern here? Whether Mowa actually has a Brilliant White sample (vs some other Carada material)? If so, it should have a label on the front (the side on to which you project the image) saying "Brilliant White."

Mowa, does your Carada sample say Brilliant White?

FWIW, I just put a plain piece of white paper against my Carada samples of Brilliant White and their "neutral gain" Classic Cinema White." The white paper was very, very close in brightness to the BW material, whereas the Classic Cinema White material was clearly a bit darker (looking slightly grayish compared to either the BW or paper).

Sorry, I still don't think you have the hang of forum rules. None of what you are adding here is directly addressing the discussion, which is about the difference between two specific low gain screen samples. No one here was asking about specialty screens made to work in high ambient light conditions.

Pumping up your own screen material, with links to your product's site for "more information" is nothing more than advertising.

Have you attempted to contact Carada directly about this? As others have pointed out, their customer service is second to none and I can guarantee you they'll get you an answer. Until that point it seems like the same information keeps getting re-visited here without any definite answers from the manufacturers.

Have you read his posts? he has stated in two or three of his posts that he contacted Carada (even sent pictures) and Carada was indifferent about the matter. Carada said "Sorry you did not like the screen".

I hate to dig up old posts, but I was curious if this was ever resolved. I have been looking at the Carada BW samples and they do, in fact, seem like they might be labeled reverse. The rougher side with the Carada label looks very nice, but the smoother side seems to have a bit more punch to it. I do notice some sparkles when viewing this side though, but it is definitely brighter.

The "rougher" side is the proper side. The other just seems to be the unfinished back, which is overly shiny.

The older photos aren't showing up for me, so here are a couple of quick comparisons with Carada and Da-Lite samples:



Pictured are Da-Lite's Video Spectra 1.5 gain material, Da-Mat 1.0 gain, and all three Carada samples. (1.4, 1.0, 0.8)

The first image shows the Video Spectra off-centre, and the second shows it more central. (it has a narrow viewing angle)

The Da-Mat is almost identical to the Classic Cinema White in terms of brightness, but it's slightly more blue, which makes it appear a little brighter.

When the Video Spectra is off-axis, it's slightly dimmer than the Carada BW material, and closer to the centre it's very slightly brighter. Also note how neutral the BW is compared to the other samples. (I white balanced off it, as I have measured it to be very neutral with my i1Pro)

I haven't got any Stewart samples to compare it to, but Carada and Da-Lite's gain ratings seem pretty close. Perhaps Stewart is understating the gain value of its screens? People tend to be drawn towards a brighter image when doing a comparison, so perhaps it helps them sell more screens if you're comparing two that are supposedly the same gain.

I tested the Stewart StudioTek G3 with the Carada BrilliantWhite and found the ST130 and the ST130 MicroPerf X2 to be brighter than the BW. I wouldn't say the difference was HUGE but it was good enough to discern that the ST130 G3 was producing a better image compared to the BW. The colours were more natural and lifelike on the Stewart IMO. The price difference is also substantial between the two materials so make of that what you will.

Excellent, thanks for the info. I was very impressed by the rougher side, but seemed to get a bit more brightness with the shiny side (but this also introduced sparklies) so I was a bit nervous when I saw this. I ordered a 120" 2.35 Carada BW screen. Cant wait to get it set up.

Sorry to bring back this post but I received my samples from Carada and Stewart (still waiting on samples from Da-Lite). The Carada BW looks exactly the same to my Blackout Cloth DIY screen. The Carada Classic White it's a tad darker but the Studiotek 130 its a lot brighter than the Carada. I even have two samples of each Carada screens material.

I'm wondering what the Da-Lite Cinema Vision would look like.

I was pretty much decided on a Carada but after comparing it to my Blackout cloth screen it makes it tough to spend on a screen which does not provide anything positive to my viewing experience. Hopefully the Da-lite does the trick. If not I would have to fork out the money for the Stewart.

Coincidence that you bring this thread back up, because I was just thinking about this after receiving my ST130 sample too

I have 4yr old samples of the Carada materials, and my experience is the same - the Classic seems the same as my DIY screen, which is made from a 11yr old pull-down, while the BW is a tad brighter and more like 1.1 than 1.4. The ST130 is significantly brighter than the BW (even the wife says so) but at close range has obvious sparklies that aren't apparent from viewing distance. Having already invested in a Radiance to correct my RS-1, for color correctness and the brighter image when I make the switch to CIH, I think the ST130 will be the material for my new screen.

I have the Da-lite cinema contour frame with Cinema Vision 1.3gain and it is not as bright as my Stewarts Studio Tek 130 screen surface & also the Cinema Vision white balance is'nt as neutral as the Studio Tek ...

But it appears that the Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Vision is more neutral than the standard Cinema Vision...

Cheers...

I received the Da-Lite screen samples and the Cinema Vision looks similar to the Carada BW even though the CV color its a little darker than the Carada BW. The Video Spectra 1.5 looks similar to the Studiotek 130 but with a narrower viewing cone and at times I could see a little sheen to it, especially on bright scenes (snow, clouds, etc.). The Pearlescent sample I did not like.

I did not see anything out of the ordinary with JKP HD screen samples, maybe a little smooth but too dark for my taste. Same with the HCCV

The High Power was really bright, even with my projector lens positioned at the top of my screen top edge. Again, the viewing cone is super narrow and you really can see how fast you loose all that gain. I really like what the HP can do but it would not work on my setup.

I waiting on more samples from Stewart (UltraMatte 130 and 150) to make a decision but so far the Studiotek 130 looks like the best one for my setup. I would be getting a 2.37 scope screen 48" height and 1st row is going to be at ~10', second row at ~14.5'. Pioneer RS2 clone PJ and Panamorph UH440 lens.

Selecting the correct screen for my setup has been a real pain in the A$$.

Well I don't know what to make of my last experiment, but after moving house and throwing up the samples on the wall before making my purchase, I now don't see much difference between them! If anything, using the RS-1's test patterns the ST130 is a tad brighter on blue but the BW is a tad brighter on green. Everything else looks a complete wash. I'm scratching my head as I'm sure I saw a difference just a few weeks ago!

Time to turn the RS-1 on again for one last look, but it looks like I might as well save myself a few $$$ now

dlinsley, I've had experience with both the Carada BW material and now my Stewart ST-130 G3 material. The Stewart material is definitely somewhat brighter!

However, as always, there are trade offs. The slightly brighter image appears a bit sharper and more detailed, but the black levels were better on the Carada BW material with my projector. This is with an old Panasonic AE900 projector which is being replaced soon by my JVC RS20. With the "old school" black levels of the Panasonic projector (that is, pretty high black levels compared to current projectors) any rise in black levels is quite evident. And since my Panasonic projector has a pretty dim image (old bulb) any rise in brightness is evident too, which is what I'm seeing on the Stewart screen.

Up close comparing the Carada material to the Stewart, pixels seem at least as well resolved on the Carada material. From the viewing seat, though, the image is a tad sharper and more detailed on the Stewart which I tend to attribute to the slightly brighter image it's producing. A brighter projected image would likely do the same thing on the Carada, I suppose.

To pick more niggles, the optical coating on the Stewart gives it just a tad more tendency to hot spot/fall off in brightness when moving off center of the image. It's so minor virtually no one would notice it though. But I'm really sensitive to this and the Carada was a bit better in that regard.

The Stewart material is probably the most "invisible" screen I've seen that uses any gain, neck in neck with the Da Lite High Power. But it does have an optical coating which I can see, subtly, on some of the images. The Carada may be a bit better in this regard in terms of lack of image artifacts. The Carada didn't totally disappear either, but came as close as any screen material I've personally seen.

I love the Carada screen material and would highly recommend it as a super screen material at a great price. It turned out that the Stewart suited my needs a bit more at this point (I think....) and I am certainly extremely impressed by the image on my Stewart screen.

Even having compared both I'd be hard pressed to advise someone else on which screen material to use, because slight differences in projector brightness, room decor etc can make a difference. But in my case, using the Panasonic projector as a constant in the testing, using the Carada material I got an image that was a bit deeper, with slightly lower black levels and a bit more of a "solid," balanced image overall. Whereas on the Stewart material I'm getting what seems to be a brighter, slightly sharper image and lots of "WOW" moments in terms of the detail, an increase in color detail and vividness of my projector's image. Once I throw my RS20 into the mix I expect to have that balance back, the solidity of the image in darker scenes, along with the benefit of the "wow" sharpness and clarity.

Rich, as I said I really don't know what to make of it Since my previous sample viewing a few weeks ago (see a few posts up when I originally thought the ST130 really was obviously brighter like everyone else) all that has really changed is that currently my projector is at eye level when before it was ceiling mounted at about 7' high. To make sure I wasn't seeing things I tried this over two sittings and also varied the zoom on my RS-1 to cause the projected brightness levels to change. My i1 is in a box somewhere so I couldn't confirm with that, but with both my and my wife's eyes (who also saw the ST130 as being brighter earlier) over the two times (with RS-1 powered down inbetween) they looked the same brightness level.

All I can guess is that although the Carada is an angular reflective screen and doesnt suffer hotspotting that when viewed as retroreflective its gain is truer to its stated 1.4. My sample is over 4 years old too, but I don't think they've changed it since then.

If that's the case the Carada sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it?

Yeah After fully intending to order a ST130 for a number of weeks, I ordered a Carda BW 128: 2.37:1 yesterday morning. Just waiting to hear back from the Aussiemorphic guys before I order either a MK3 or an AVS1, though I'm not looking forward to having to paint the new room!