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Should I buy a screen? What are the chances of Waves?

post #1 of 15
4/8/12 at 10:30am
Thread Starter 
I am currently trying to organise a living room into some kind of home theatre (multi purpose) room. I realise this is difficult and never good.

I currently have a painted wall and am happy with this but in a living room a dedicated painted wall not the best. Thus I am thinking about getting a motorised screen. For example an Elite (but this is just the brand I have been reading about the most)

I see that there are tensioned screens which try to help against creases and waves.

From the threads of have read, it appears that at around 2 years many (not all) screens have some kind of problem with creases or waves. Some even have them a lot earlier.

So what are the chances of getting waves? How do people justify buying a rolling screen when this issue is know? Or if I carefully install it nice and level etc, and follow their instructions can I expect many years of perfect screen?

Thanks in advance for all your help.
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post #2 of 15
4/8/12 at 11:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by darbid View Post

I am currently trying to organise a living room into some kind of home theatre (multi purpose) room. I realise this is difficult and never good.

I currently have a painted wall and am happy with this but in a living room a dedicated painted wall not the best. Thus I am thinking about getting a motorised screen. For example an Elite (but this is just the brand I have been reading about the most)

I see that there are tensioned screens which try to help against creases and waves.

From the threads of have read, it appears that at around 2 years many (not all) screens have some kind of problem with creases or waves. Some even have them a lot earlier.



So what are the chances of getting waves? How do people justify buying a rolling screen when this issue is know? Or if I carefully install it nice and level etc, and follow their instructions can I expect many years of perfect screen?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

That is why they make tensioned screen.. If you want to have a nice smooth wave free surface for many years, you have to pay the price.
If you want a motorized screen for $500 then you will have to live with the fact you get waves. Not if, but when..
Now it is probable that a $2500 motorized non tensioned screen will have less problems with waves compared to a comparable sized screen for $500. The bigger the screen the more likely you will get waves..
What happens is the roller starts to sag. The inexpensive screens use a cardboard type roller.. like a window shade.. the longer the screen the more likely it will sag and get the V shaped wave pattern that is typical of non tensioned screens.
If you are using the wall now, a fixed screen would be a better way to go.. no waves, cheap ones can last for years
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post #3 of 15
4/9/12 at 11:20pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you Doug.

I would have only looked at the cheaper ones and now you have confirmed what I was thinking.

I will be painting my screen again.
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post #4 of 15
4/9/12 at 11:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Genevieve72 View Post

I see that there are tensioned screens which try to help against creases and waves.

Yes I see that too, but I also see that even these people cannot always "retension" the screen.

I think airscapes answer is on the money. My summary is that the wider screens have an inherent problem due to roller sag. The more expensive screen makers try to address this, but the cheaper ones may not.

If I was a designer of these screens I would be trying to work out a solution to the problem (roller sag) instead of designing a "band aide fix" when the problem happens.
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post #5 of 15
4/10/12 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by darbid View Post
Thank you Doug.

I would have only looked at the cheaper ones and now you have confirmed what I was thinking.

I will be painting my screen again.
Why not go with a fixed screen rather than paint?
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post #6 of 15
4/10/12 at 11:43am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by airscapes View Post

Why not go with a fixed screen rather than paint?

Yeh I will look at it, but I have already done the painting thing before and I think it is good.
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post #7 of 15
4/20/12 at 4:13pm
Question for you all... Is there a level of acceptable waves? Or is the screen supposed to be completely flat, even if I shine a flashlight from the sides? What if there are small waves, like 1 mm or less in amplitude, that you can see from the sides but can't see when a panning image is displayed on it? Is that considered normal?
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post #8 of 15
4/20/12 at 10:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by psgcdn View Post

Question for you all... Is there a level of acceptable waves? Or is the screen supposed to be completely flat, even if I shine a flashlight from the sides? What if there are small waves, like 1 mm or less in amplitude, that you can see from the sides but can't see when a panning image is displayed on it? Is that considered normal?

I have had pull down screens for the last 8 years. My current one is 106" diag (Dalite Model B). There are no visible waves when watching a movie. None. Zero. Nada. My seating position is 12 feet from the screen. I can barely make out a slight wave when the PJ is off. This has been hanging for 4 years. Previous 92" screen had zero waves after 4 years.

No direct sun ever, humidity and temp controlled 24/7 365. Never above 72 degrees (typically in the 60's) never above 45% relative humidity. Cool and dry.
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post #9 of 15
4/21/12 at 7:10am
How about from the side, shining a flashlight on on the edge? Can you see a wave then? That's my question: waves that you can detect from the side, or barely make out from the front sitting in front of it, but that leave no detectable effects when an image is projected onto it. Thanks!
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post #10 of 15
4/22/12 at 4:41am
Non-tensioned screens will develop waves over time. The big questions is how noticeable they are with viewing material. If there is no picture you will certainly notice the waves and the lighting might even make it very easier to notice.

Screen material choice has a lot do to with notcing the waves. A basic matte white or Da-lite High Power are tougher to notice in my experience. You might notice them during a very bright scene of nearly a solid color, like a bright blue sky or maybe snow. Bright solid colors make it easy to notice but rarely happen with most viewing material.

Some of the higher contrast gray screens I find it easier to notice but again usually bright nearly solid screens. If you go looking for the waves you will probably find them, but most won't notice.

If it is in the budget to get a good tensioned screen than I recommend it, plus you will get a better selection of screen materials. If it is not in the budget a non-tensioned screen will still provide a great picture and plenty of enjoyment.
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post #11 of 15
4/22/12 at 5:51am
Okay, thanks, but I was speaking of a tensioned screen. Is there a minimal level of waves that would be considered okay, or should it be perfectly flat?
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post #12 of 15
4/22/12 at 8:03am
Should be perfectly flat, if not the tensioning might need adjusting.
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post #13 of 15
4/22/12 at 8:26am
Ok, thanks.
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post #14 of 15
4/25/12 at 6:58am
I use a fixed screen in my living room. Looks nice and no waves.
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post #15 of 15
4/26/12 at 6:27am
Yeah, I assume that it's easier to pull waves out of a fixed screen than in a tab-tensioned electric.
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