I recently got ahold of a DNP sample and I was comparing it to other higher gain/ambient light screens. Im not a videophile, just an average person trying to make sense of all these screens...so chances are some people will have different views.
I compared the Black Diamond G3 1.4, Black Diamond G3 2.7, Vutec Silverstar (6.0 gain), and the DNP 23-23 (2.3 gain). I have some other normal screen (1.0 white/gray) samples that I compared, but all of these are in the same specialty screens category. Keep in mind these are from samples. I don't have the luxury of buying every screen full size. I also asked for the 0.8 gain material. They didn't send it but instead sent a plain white sample. I don't even see that white material on their website, but I'm not going to review that here. Projector is an Epson 8700UB, ceiling mounted.
Viewing Angle:
1. Surprisingly the Vutec Silverstar had a great viewing angle. Not much of a drop off going from side to side. Plenty of brightness off angle.
2. The DNP 23-23 had a drop in brightness going to the side. It was however a smooth transition and not like a sudden drop with the Da-Lite High Power Screens. Id compare it to a 1.0 gain screen off angle, but plenty bright head-on or slightly off axis. There was also no color shift when going off axis.
3. Both of the Black Diamonds had a good viewing angle, but a noticeable blue/purple tint was present when off to the side. The brightness on both was nice at the sides, but I ranked them last due to the color shift. I'd rather have a consistent color with a little less brightness.
Black Levels:
1. The DNP had slightly better black levels than the BD 1.4 and more than the 2.7. I'd say it had the best of all of them.
2. The BD 1.4 was next.
3. The BD 2.7 had surprisingly good levels for a higher gain, lighter color screen.
4. The Vutec Silverstar was last, but had decent black levels.
Sheen (this was my main concern):
1. All of the screens had a "sheen" that was visible, especially in bright scenes. The DNP 23-23 had the least amount of it though. You could see it in some scenes, but it is very manageable.
2. I almost bought a Vutec Silverstar about 7-8 months ago and didn't buy it because of the sheen that was present. I thought that pixilation and digital noise could be seen easier on this screen for some reason (could have been my imagination). After looking at it again, it's not as bad as I thought before but still present.
3. BD 1.4 had a sheen that was quite present in bright scenes. Darker scenes helped, but was a little noticeable. I assume the BD 0.8 would be the best of the BD's for this.
4. BD 2.7 was the worst of all. The sheen pretty much was visible at all times.
Brightness
1. The Vutec Silverstar was the brightest, but not near the 6.0 Gain it advertises. This is not a scientific calculation of gain.....just my opinion.
2. This was a tie between the DNP and BD 2.7. I couldn't tell too much of a difference.
3. BD 1.4 obviously since it's the lowest gain.
Lights on Performance
1. The DNP performed better at holding black levels than all of the other screens. During bright scenes, all looked pretty nice with the lights on, but this one excelled in keeping the black levels which prevents a washed out picture.
2. I'll have to go back and look again at which I prefer for #'s 2,3, and 4.
Screen Smoothness
1. All of the screens were very smooth. I don't know much about 4k x 2k projectors, but one would assume the smoother the screen material, the more future ready it is for the next step in picture quality (which is a ways off financially for me). I like that in the fact I won't have to spend $2000+ on another screen when I update to 4k in a few years.
In closing, it looks like it's the DNP for me. No screen is perfect, but I can live with the fallbacks of the DNP. In fact, really the only thing is the slight sheen that is present, and the drop in brightness off to the side. But that is to be expected with a higher gain screen. I'll be sitting right in front of the screen, so my friends will be the ones that have to deal with the slightly dimmer picture. Given the fact they are watching a 110 inch image...I doubt they will really care.
I compared the Black Diamond G3 1.4, Black Diamond G3 2.7, Vutec Silverstar (6.0 gain), and the DNP 23-23 (2.3 gain). I have some other normal screen (1.0 white/gray) samples that I compared, but all of these are in the same specialty screens category. Keep in mind these are from samples. I don't have the luxury of buying every screen full size. I also asked for the 0.8 gain material. They didn't send it but instead sent a plain white sample. I don't even see that white material on their website, but I'm not going to review that here. Projector is an Epson 8700UB, ceiling mounted.
Viewing Angle:
1. Surprisingly the Vutec Silverstar had a great viewing angle. Not much of a drop off going from side to side. Plenty of brightness off angle.
2. The DNP 23-23 had a drop in brightness going to the side. It was however a smooth transition and not like a sudden drop with the Da-Lite High Power Screens. Id compare it to a 1.0 gain screen off angle, but plenty bright head-on or slightly off axis. There was also no color shift when going off axis.
3. Both of the Black Diamonds had a good viewing angle, but a noticeable blue/purple tint was present when off to the side. The brightness on both was nice at the sides, but I ranked them last due to the color shift. I'd rather have a consistent color with a little less brightness.
Black Levels:
1. The DNP had slightly better black levels than the BD 1.4 and more than the 2.7. I'd say it had the best of all of them.
2. The BD 1.4 was next.
3. The BD 2.7 had surprisingly good levels for a higher gain, lighter color screen.
4. The Vutec Silverstar was last, but had decent black levels.
Sheen (this was my main concern):
1. All of the screens had a "sheen" that was visible, especially in bright scenes. The DNP 23-23 had the least amount of it though. You could see it in some scenes, but it is very manageable.
2. I almost bought a Vutec Silverstar about 7-8 months ago and didn't buy it because of the sheen that was present. I thought that pixilation and digital noise could be seen easier on this screen for some reason (could have been my imagination). After looking at it again, it's not as bad as I thought before but still present.
3. BD 1.4 had a sheen that was quite present in bright scenes. Darker scenes helped, but was a little noticeable. I assume the BD 0.8 would be the best of the BD's for this.
4. BD 2.7 was the worst of all. The sheen pretty much was visible at all times.
Brightness
1. The Vutec Silverstar was the brightest, but not near the 6.0 Gain it advertises. This is not a scientific calculation of gain.....just my opinion.
2. This was a tie between the DNP and BD 2.7. I couldn't tell too much of a difference.
3. BD 1.4 obviously since it's the lowest gain.
Lights on Performance
1. The DNP performed better at holding black levels than all of the other screens. During bright scenes, all looked pretty nice with the lights on, but this one excelled in keeping the black levels which prevents a washed out picture.
2. I'll have to go back and look again at which I prefer for #'s 2,3, and 4.
Screen Smoothness
1. All of the screens were very smooth. I don't know much about 4k x 2k projectors, but one would assume the smoother the screen material, the more future ready it is for the next step in picture quality (which is a ways off financially for me). I like that in the fact I won't have to spend $2000+ on another screen when I update to 4k in a few years.
In closing, it looks like it's the DNP for me. No screen is perfect, but I can live with the fallbacks of the DNP. In fact, really the only thing is the slight sheen that is present, and the drop in brightness off to the side. But that is to be expected with a higher gain screen. I'll be sitting right in front of the screen, so my friends will be the ones that have to deal with the slightly dimmer picture. Given the fact they are watching a 110 inch image...I doubt they will really care.
).
