110" DIY Spandex AT Screen - Page 5

Now this is interesting. If smokarz didn't mind doing this, he could test 4 or 5 different material types and be able to show the difference.

Brightness is one thing. Can you test contrast, smokarz? How would you go about showing which material is better. I suppose that's the whole point of picking this one best for the application. Cause we already know hyper white BOC is going to be the highest Fl. Kind of what MM is getting at I believe. But the black detail I get out of my fabricland silver spandex is really good. But as I mentioned above, I have lumens to spare. Viewsonic Pro8200 shining on a 92" screen from 10ft away. I figure Fl isn't really what a guy like me is after. Any way to compare those kinds of attributes with testing?

I'll dig up the SKU.

So $250 eh :/ I've been wanting to buy sound easy which is $250. I think speakers is more my think

In order for measurements to be useful and reliable we would need to have one person in a controlled environment do all of the measurements with the same equipment. Given variations in room lighting, actual calibration of the tools used to measure, experience of the user, calibration of and brightness of the actual projector, etc. there is going to be as much uncertainty in the various 'measurements' presented as there is over subjective user reactions. Even then there is going to be production variances in the fabric itself, and the amount of 'stretch' you use when applying the fabric will also potentially change the results.

A more appropriate analogy would be trusting a third parties reading of a compass that they may or may not know how to read (or may have been operating in near a strong magnet) vs 100 hikers all telling you 'the road is that way'.

Not saying that measurements aren't useful, just that they are not always 100% reliable and consistent.

Joann's SKU for white/white BOC is 2117232. At my store it's against the wall with other large drapery-type rolls.

Absolutely. If I'm looking to squeeze as much brightness as possible out of an under-powered projector and measurements say one screen solution is significantly dimmer than another, I will save my time and money and not bother with that one.

It's always hard to know what to do without testing with this Spandex-thingy I'm just about ready to stretch the fabric (silver & white moleskin) over my fram (about 110"). My room is a 100% light controlled and the PJ is a Epson TW9000 (5010 US?), and i guess once i've stretched the fabric i won't want to do it all over again. And it seems like a big difference to project onto a stretched fabric as opposed to a not stretched. The PJ is on a minimal distance to the screen, as close as it's possible with a 110" screen in 16:9

So my question is, what should i try with first, whit over silver or silver over white? I know there's no exact answer, but hit me with what you think anyway

FWIW, I have an Optoma HD3300 and I went grey over white. I don't think I stretched the grey as much as I could have, so that may be a factor, but right now I'm kinda sitting on the fence as to what to do. I did lose some brightness, and I had to up the brightness a bit and change the gamma and contrast settings, but to me the picture is better than before because the blacks are so much better. I don't have any sort of calibrating tools, so I'm just doing this with my eyes. I like the picture, but I would really like to know that the picture I"m seeing is what the director wanted me to see. That said, what are people using for calibrating equipment these days? I'm looking for cheap, as I just soaked a big chunk of change into new speakers.

Cool. Thanks Smokarz. I'm curious as to how "off" my display is, despite it looking nice to me.

will this light meter do?
http://www.amazon.com/Mastech-Light-LX1010B-display-Luxmeter/dp/B004K0A7I6/ref=sr_1_6?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1355433127&sr=1-6

Quick question!!

Im putting together my own AT screen. Do I need to put acoustic panels behind the screen in between the speakers?? Does it make a difference? I have some 2x4 panels I can stick back there, just need to know now since tomorrow Im putting my frame up and once its up it will be hard to get back there again.

Thanks!

Will post pics when Im done.

Hey Smokarz, nice job with those Spider-Man pictures on page one. Those pictures are a carbon copy of what I was seeing when I did the same test as you. The difference was that I had the shirwin Williams pro classic satin white on one side, but on the other side, I had the Da lite hccv grey screen. The white sw side really has so much better colours, the grey side just doesn't have the whites , and it also has a lot less pop to the image. Definitely a white screen can be a clear winner if it's put in the right situation. If you have a dedicated cinema room don't let anyone try to convince you that a grey screen is the only way to go.

Thanks for putting up all those measurements it really helps me to understand how it all plays out when I'm doing my tests.
Cheers

From what I have gathered if it is a dedicated, totally light controlled room that white is the go to color.

Hardly so...as far as being the only real "Go To".

Several other things must be taken into account, the most prevalent being Screen location as in respect with the proximity of the room's reflective surfaces (...and their color...) as well as the lumen output of the PJ, and it's available native contrast.

To some, "bright is always right", but if the accepted norm of most calibration criteria is to be held up as being optimal, that certainly would not hold true.

A Gray or Silver surface can almost always maintain / restore image dynamics, and if Gamma & Gray Scale adjustments can compensate for any attenuation of Whites (...usually that is the ONLY complaint....) the the end result is an image that has plenty of PoP & SiZZle and can also resist a degree of reflected light coming back toward the screen.

Not so....never so in the case of a White surface.

Added note:

Some would wholly discount the use of Living Room or Dynamic modes...even after calibration, as being completely skewered as far as color correctness. I have not found this to be true in many, if not most cases. Instead, they become "enablers' when additional brightness is required to effect / allow for a more dynamic image to be obtained on a darker hued surface.

^This. I have a totally light controlled room, my pj is 2000 lumens and I went with grey over white. It was dimmer than before, but I was getting blacks like I never did before. I was worried a bit that I was getting some loss of shadow detail, so I messed around with some settings (gamma, brightness, etc.) and now it looks fantastic.

Thanks for clarifying. I am still very much a greenhorn.

Speaking of settings. I hope to be getting the disney wow disc for xmas. Any suggestions on greyscale tweaks for my moleskin silver without the use of a colorimeter. I really want to gwt ir dialed in. Doubt wife would let me pony up for one.

I was also scared to try a white screen because i have a pool table about 25 feet from my screen. When i'm playing pool i have 6 spot lights that light up the table completely and i'm totally happy with how beautiful the picture still looks. My ceiling are medium grey with a box of black on the inside. My wall are red and my floors are light maple colour. The white screen performs beautifully considering that it's far from being a cave.

I have a epson 8500 ub witch i'm sure is also helping things out

I also recommend painting the wall that the screen is on black, that really had a big impact it feels like my screen is floating and it also helps to blend in cheap masking panels, look awesome.
Edited by tank01 - 12/17/12 at 2:28pm