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Seymour vs Screen Excellence

post #1 of 26
5/11/12 at 3:35am
Thread Starter 
I am about to set up my hometheater...

And after a bit of research, I find that I am now looking at Seymour and Screen Excellence.

Which is better? I am looking to place my speakers behind the screen so it needs to be accoustically transparent (as much as possible).

Also, what is the price difference?
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post #2 of 26
5/11/12 at 4:06am
Seating distance.
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post #3 of 26
5/11/12 at 5:37am
They merged and are the same company. Then Enlightor 4K is their best fabric.

http://www.s-se.us/
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post #4 of 26
5/11/12 at 8:44pm
In the Seymour thread is a close up of the Center Stage fabric. I posted a similar (slightly closer) picture of the EN4K material. You can see the difference there. If you walked into a well lit HT room that used EN4k and looked at the screen from a couple feet away, I doubt that you would even realize that it was AT, unless you noticed that the speakers were missing. The weave on EN4K is that fine.
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post #5 of 26
5/11/12 at 11:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AV Science Sales 5 View Post

In the Seymour thread is a close up of the Center Stage fabric. I posted a similar (slightly closer) picture of the EN4K material. You can see the difference there. If you walked into a well lit HT room that used EN4k and looked at the screen from a couple feet away, I doubt that you would even realize that it was AT, unless you noticed that the speakers were missing. The weave on EN4K is that fine.

Yes, i checked out the seymour's website and also screen excellence.. the en4k is really truly fine..

but do you recommend it to place speakers behind? I see that i's gain is also below 1, ie, o.98 or something like that.. the other screen they have has a gain of 1.1 which would make it brighter...

Not sure which is better for now...

Are you selling the screens as a DIY?
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post #6 of 26
5/12/12 at 6:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coolgeek View Post

Yes, i checked out the seymour's website and also screen excellence.. the en4k is really truly fine..

but do you recommend it to place speakers behind? I see that i's gain is also below 1, ie, o.98 or something like that.. the other screen they have has a gain of 1.1 which would make it brighter...

Not sure which is better for now...

Are you selling the screens as a DIY?

The EN4K is not available DIY. It is a very good screen to place speakers behind. I have owned Center Stage and EN4K. Love the image that EN4k provides. With EN4K you can't go as large as you can with a higher gain screen, but the image sure is good on EN4K. If you have any specific questions, shoot us an email.
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post #7 of 26
5/13/12 at 12:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AV Science Sales 5 View Post

The EN4K is not available DIY. It is a very good screen to place speakers behind. I have owned Center Stage and EN4K. Love the image that EN4k provides. With EN4K you can't go as large as you can with a higher gain screen, but the image sure is good on EN4K. If you have any specific questions, shoot us an email.

Yes, I am definitely considering between the en4k and the center stage now.. I'll just have to decide on which projector and my size..

Say, if the size I am looking for is about 130-140 inch diagonal / 16:9 ratio, and using the Panasonic PT-AE7000, would you recommend the en4k?

The review of this projector is here: http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana...tor_review.htm

I am also considering the Epson 5010, which is brighter, but perhaps with less features and slightly less contrast.

Also, this may sound like a silly question. If i were to play 2.4 ratio movies, would i need an anamorphic lens or is it all about adjusting the projector's focus?? I am a bit confused here. A projector salesman told me that without an anamorphic lens, no projectors in the world can play 2.4 materials. But that to me is absurd. If my tv can play 2.4 materials, why not a projector?? Why do you need an extra lens?? Can't it be as simple as zooming in or out to fit whatever image you want on your screen??
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post #8 of 26
5/13/12 at 3:43am
If you were to play a 2.4 movie on a 16:9 screen you would do nothing to your projector. You would have black bars at the top and bottom of your screen. If you zoomed this to get rid of the top/bottom black bars the left and right portions of the picture would be off the screen.

Using the zoom or an anamorphic lens is used when you have a 2.4 screen. The projector is zoomed in so that the black bars are not seen as the are actually projected onto the black velvet frame. When watching 16:9 material on a 2.4 screen the projector is zoomed out and you will have black bars on the side.

Whether using a 16:9 or 2.4 screen, each has its tradeoffs depending on the material you are watching. An A-len is a better solution if doing a 2.4 screen, the zoom method is a poor man's method of doing a 2.4 screen but if you are a big movies buff it is worth it.

Since you plan on a 16:9 screen I wouldn't pick a projector based on a lens memory feature because you would never use it. Look at what other attributes best fit your needs.
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post #9 of 26
5/13/12 at 5:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by coolgeek View Post

Yes, I am definitely considering between the en4k and the center stage now.. I'll just have to decide on which projector and my size..

Say, if the size I am looking for is about 130-140 inch diagonal / 16:9 ratio, and using the Panasonic PT-AE7000, would you recommend the en4k?

The review of this projector is here: http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana...tor_review.htm

I am also considering the Epson 5010, which is brighter, but perhaps with less features and slightly less contrast.

Also, this may sound like a silly question. If i were to play 2.4 ratio movies, would i need an anamorphic lens or is it all about adjusting the projector's focus?? I am a bit confused here. A projector salesman told me that without an anamorphic lens, no projectors in the world can play 2.4 materials. But that to me is absurd. If my tv can play 2.4 materials, why not a projector?? Why do you need an extra lens?? Can't it be as simple as zooming in or out to fit whatever image you want on your screen??


What is your throw distance?
Is your room light controlled?

I have a 138" diag (120" width) 16:9 EN4k screen with the AE7000U.
My throw distance is a little over 19 ft.
Room is as black as can be and completely light controlled. (No windows)
No problems whatsoever in Eco mode to my eyes prior to pro calibration.
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post #10 of 26
5/13/12 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADDUpstate View Post

What is your throw distance?
Is your room light controlled?

I have a 138" diag (120" width) 16:9 EN4k screen with the AE7000U.
My throw distance is a little over 19 ft.
Room is as black as can be and completely light controlled. (No windows)
No problems whatsoever in Eco mode to my eyes prior to pro calibration.

Wow... great.. you have almost exactly what i am thinking of getting. Can you tell me if you're happy with the brightness? I see from a couple of reviews that because of the low brightness of the panasonic (vs epson), that it's best used with a 100 inch screen.

Also, how does it look in 3d with your large screen? Do you feel it's too dim?

Throw distance should not be a problem for me. 19 feet would be ok.
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post #11 of 26
5/13/12 at 6:55am
I have no problem with the brightness. It's actually sometimes too bright on some white scenes. I've only adjusted the basic menu (brightness, contrast etc)

I'm having a professional calibration next week. Looking forward to it.
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post #12 of 26
5/13/12 at 9:05am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADDUpstate View Post

I have no problem with the brightness. It's actually sometimes too bright on some white scenes. I've only adjusted the basic menu (brightness, contrast etc)

I'm having a professional calibration next week. Looking forward to it.

Cool, would be nice if you can update your review here soon.. both with 2d and 3d materials.

I love the panasonic's features like lens memory, etc, but am afraid that the brightness would be an issue for a screen size of 130-140 inches (for both 2d and 3d). I am now conflicted between the epson 5010 and this one.
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post #13 of 26
5/13/12 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BobL View Post

They merged and are the same company. Then Enlightor 4K is their best fabric.

http://www.s-se.us/

Not sure about this, although I could be wrong. My understanding is that Chris is the US manufacturer/distributor and rep for the S-E product line. Its non-DIY, intended primarily for custom installers.
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post #14 of 26
5/14/12 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coolgeek View Post

Yes, I am definitely considering between the en4k and the center stage now.. I'll just have to decide on which projector and my size..

Say, if the size I am looking for is about 130-140 inch diagonal / 16:9 ratio, and using the Panasonic PT-AE7000, would you recommend the en4k?

The review of this projector is here: http://www.projectorcentral.com/pana...tor_review.htm

I am also considering the Epson 5010, which is brighter, but perhaps with less features and slightly less contrast.

Also, this may sound like a silly question. If i were to play 2.4 ratio movies, would i need an anamorphic lens or is it all about adjusting the projector's focus?? I am a bit confused here. A projector salesman told me that without an anamorphic lens, no projectors in the world can play 2.4 materials. But that to me is absurd. If my tv can play 2.4 materials, why not a projector?? Why do you need an extra lens?? Can't it be as simple as zooming in or out to fit whatever image you want on your screen??

Please shoot us an email.
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post #15 of 26
5/15/12 at 9:59am
You don't have to have the Enlightor 4K screen installed by a pro installer.

On the other hand, you can't by the 4K fabric by itself and build your own frame, like you can with the centerstage material. You have to buy the screen frame and fabric together.

The screen frame is a velvet wrapped metal frame that is very high quality.

You use a provided pizza cutter style tool to push the fabric into a slot that holds the fabric tight. That's why the fabric is not sold as a stand alone item.

I have a picture of the screen material and of the frame in my build thread. I'll be taking some more pictures of the installation pretty soon.
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post #16 of 26
5/15/12 at 10:17am
Thread Starter 
Hi will, how much did you pay for it? And what size? did you like the picture quality?
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post #17 of 26
5/15/12 at 3:22pm
I'm still putting together my home theater, so, I can't comment on the picture quality. The projector isn't hung yet and though I have the screen frame and fabric, I haven't yet installed the fabric in the frame. Hopefully next week or two I'll have that done.

My screen is 140" wide 2.40 aspect ratio. So the height is 58.3".

I'm getting anxious to finish building and start watching movies
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post #18 of 26
5/15/12 at 3:40pm
Thread Starter 
I am jealous! hehe.. please update this thread when you have it all set up..
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post #19 of 26
5/16/12 at 6:30am
As far as projectors go, read reviews to get the lumen output in best image mode. You are going to need to factor screen size, gain, lumen output and ambient light into the equation to get a working solution for you. Do not go by the specs listed with the projector.

Panny 7000 high lamp calibrated: 442 lumens http://www.projectorreviews.com/pana...erformance.php
JVC RS 45, high lamp calibrated: 892 lumens (591 low lamp) http://www.projectorreviews.com/jvc/...erformance.php
Epson 5010 calibrated: 630, but it has been stated that you can get more lumens if calibrated in Natural mode http://www.projectorreviews.com/epso...erformance.php

I sure would take a hard look at those numbers before just deciding on the Panny.
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post #20 of 26
5/16/12 at 6:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AV Science Sales 5 View Post

As far as projectors go, read reviews to get the lumen output in best image mode. You are going to need to factor screen size, gain, lumen output and ambient light into the equation to get a working solution for you. Do not go by the specs listed with the projector.

Panny 7000 high lamp calibrated: 442 lumens http://www.projectorreviews.com/pana...erformance.php
JVC RS 45, high lamp calibrated: 892 lumens (591 low lamp) http://www.projectorreviews.com/jvc/...erformance.php
Epson 5010 calibrated: 630, but it has been stated that you can get more lumens if calibrated in Natural mode http://www.projectorreviews.com/epso...erformance.php

I sure would take a hard look at those numbers before just deciding on the Panny.

Have you seen either projector on the 4nk screen at a size of at least 130 inch diagonal?
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post #21 of 26
5/16/12 at 10:13am
Not on that size. I have seen the RS45 on a 107" wide 1.0 gain AT woven screen and on a 106" diagonal EN4K screen. Soon, I will see the RS45 on on a 107" wide EN4K scope screen.
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post #22 of 26
5/17/12 at 4:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by coolgeek View Post


Cool, would be nice if you can update your review here soon.. both with 2d and 3d materials.

I love the panasonic's features like lens memory, etc, but am afraid that the brightness would be an issue for a screen size of 130-140 inches (for both 2d and 3d). I am now conflicted between the epson 5010 and this one.

If you're getting a 16:9, you won't use lens memory. Don't be afraid of the brightness... its fine if you have a dark room.
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post #23 of 26
5/18/12 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADDUpstate View Post

What is your throw distance?
Is your room light controlled?

I have a 138" diag (120" width) 16:9 EN4k screen with the AE7000U.
My throw distance is a little over 19 ft.
Room is as black as can be and completely light controlled. (No windows)
No problems whatsoever in Eco mode to my eyes prior to pro calibration.

What mode and setting are you running your projector, with that size screen?
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post #24 of 26
5/18/12 at 8:36am
Right now, pre-calibration, I'm using Normal setting, Eco Mode, only adjusted the brightness and contrast using HD calibration discs.
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post #25 of 26
5/18/12 at 8:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AV Science Sales 5 View Post

As far as projectors go, read reviews to get the lumen output in best image mode. You are going to need to factor screen size, gain, lumen output and ambient light into the equation to get a working solution for you. Do not go by the specs listed with the projector.

One other factor to consider is the throw distance, which can impact output quite a bit. Art's reviews from what I recall usually provide quite a bit of useful detail in this regard - how much variation between min and max zoom.
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post #26 of 26
5/18/12 at 7:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brad Horstkotte View Post

One other factor to consider is the throw distance, which can impact output quite a bit. Art's reviews from what I recall usually provide quite a bit of useful detail in this regard - how much variation between min and max zoom.

Correct, and his calibration numbers are for mid zoom.
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