What screen for basic CIH setup

I have a 119 inch 16x9 screen that is getting pretty old. 13 years maybe. I was always interested in a CIH screen, but was always turned off by the lens cost and hassle. I updated my projector a couple times over the years and now have a JVC 1080p (an x30 or something from 2011).

I just ran a test of a BR where I zoomed it in and adjusted the height to play a 1.235 movie at the full height. It looks fine to me, so i doubt I'd want to spring for a lens.

With that in mind, what would a good screen be to project to a 60inch or so high screen?

I'm running a da-lite screen with a 1.3 gain. I was never really happy with how easily this thing got smudges and how hard it is to clean. I think its actually not recommended to clean it. I have a motorized masking system now, but would probably just just skip that and do an easy manual mask that I take off for movies. 80%+ of my watching is 16x9, so the scope would be for big occasion movies. I'd rather put the $$ towards a good screen material than fancy motors and lenses.

Any help would be appreciated.

No comments, but no worries. The screen turned out sweet. It really fills the wall now. The resolution seems fine. I just finished up the good scenes in The Matrix.

The screen size is 63" high x 148" wide (160.9" diagonal) . I had it made custom from Carada.
Edited by Chriscpm - 11/30/12 at 6:35pm

Now that you mention it, there is a lot of light on the ceiling. I might try some grey paint. I was originally going to paint the walls a really dark green. Once I did the stairway that color, it seemed too much like a cave, so I went with the lighter brown.

I watched a few more movies. Its pretty sweet. I'd say for a decent Blu-Ray, I don't see the need for a lens. Its pretty much spot on. I'd say every bit as good as a my old 720p projector for a 16x9 movie. There are no smudges that I can see on this one either.

I can't believe how much better wide screen movies look. I need to work up a mask now.

I've been watching a bunch of movies is scope format. Its pretty sweet. I did some dialing in on a few things. Now its spot on, at least for what it is. Here is a shot in use. Its hard to get good pics, but this gives you the idea.



Like most things, I'm now wanting more. I've been reading up on lenses. I might spring for a cheap one. Either that or just wait for native scope projectors to come down in price.

Thanks for the tips. I was leaning towards a lens, but then I looked at the prices of the newer JVC projectors. The JVC DLA-X70 dropped from 8k to as low as $5,400. Wow! So would my now almost two year old 1080p projector with a lens looks better than a simulated 4k projector zoomed? Who knows.

I read up on lenses and screens. Even though my screen is flat, I have solid light distribution. I can not see any drop off at the sides. Even with the couch that is up close, it looks solid. I'm a bit on the dark side for movies, but its still pretty good, even with the "low" lamp setting. I did a bunch of tweaks and have it looking even better now.

I sort of stumbled into this. I had a great 720p projector for its day (a Seleco). The JVCs were so cheap in comparison (years later), that I didn't do a whole lot of research. The JVC is so much better. Then that made me think of the scope screen. I did some tests with the zoom, then got the new screen. Now I'm looking to optimize, then maybe even scrap the lower end JVC and get a better one. Its got me all confused. For all the stuff, the longer you push things off, the more you get.

Thanks. I've been thinking about painting the walls and ceiling darker. I'm starting to get the bug for the JVC DLA-X70 too.

I watched a few movies today. Two Towers looked great. Then the new Star Trek is exceptional. I brought my good camera down to get some better pics. Here are some that show the rez I'm getting on the big screen. Its really crazy clear, especially for a 160 inch screen. With the detailed photos, you can see how I wedged the screen between the two top cuts. That leaves enough room for eh big Klipsch towers too. The whole screen sit on a shelving unit that came with the house. Then we covered it all in black cloth.