Will Purchase First Screen

Hi

I auditioned screen samples from da lite and other companies and decided on what was the best for me at the time.
Many projectors later I still have the same screen.

I auditioned the Dalite high power, da mat, cinema vision, Pearlescent, mat white and maybe a few others.
I auditioned from some other companies as well but they either were more costly or did not look as good to my eyes.

Get the screen companies to send you samples and then try them out.
You can watch on a white wall for a while while you decide.

I went with the widest viewing angle and truest colors which was the cinema vision.
Joe Kane now promotes a line for Da lite called HD Progressive .6 through 1.1 that I would consider if I was to upgrade my screen material.

If you go over 90 inches then 3D will not be a viable option for you if you were even considering it.

Grey screens made of high contrast material make whites on the screen look grey for the sake of blocking out ambient light.
You can do better by removing sources of light yourself.

If I could do it again I would definitely go 235:1 ratio.
You get the bars on 235 material anyway with a 16:9 screen so bars on the side when watching 16:9 is about the same with a 235:1 screen.

Going over a 1:1 ratio means you might get spark-lies and poor screen uniformity.

Are you planning for a fixed screen or roll up?
Transparent or not?

Same as any item, say cars, there are $500.00, $5000.00 and $50,000.00 cars. They all run but there are differences yes?

A pull down $300.00 screen will show the screen more than the projected image.
A $800.00 screen will do a much better job of just allowing the image to be produced.
A $1500.00 screen will do that much better of a job.
It is all incremental.

The original screen I purchased I still own even though I have gone through many projectors.

I am in a similar situation as the OP as far as finding a screen for my brand new media room. My issues are compounded by having to select both a projector and a screen for a yet to be built room. My installer is pushing for the most expensive of both (not sure the most expensive is always what one needs) and I am pushing back with my ideas of a more middle ground...not too inexpensive and not outlandish. Since my room is not dedicated as a true home theater but shares space with music listening, computer work and general entertaining (not a primary entertaining space...overflow so to speak) my needs are a bit different but my desire for a great image at an affordable price is what I am striving to attain.

Like many things in life, what we really need is usually somewhere between what some perceive as junk and others a luxury. There is a middle ground if we can find it though the maze of confusing comments from reviews and owners alike. I have no previous experience with front projection ownership but am no stranger to the basic requirements for an acceptable listening and home theater experience. The devil is in the details it seems and without being able to preview different projectors and screens in my own home it is really a game of educated guesswork finding what will be acceptable in performance, quality and price.

Carada is on my short list along with Da Lite and possibly Stewart (given the justification for the premium price) for screens and JVC and Sony for projectors. I do have a budget and my goal is to find the best value...maybe not the best picture but something I can enjoy at the price I can pay. I have been searching for 8 months so far and will not make the final decision until the room is done. I plan on the projector first with some idea of throw and screen size; then determine what screen to get once I see the projected image in my room. Not the most idea way but it is what I have decided will work best for me short of getting a far less expensive screen as a sort of "training wheels" approach to screen selection and then step up to the one I really want later. This may not be the most cost effective in the short run but maybe over the life of the screen...TBD.