The official Carada screen thread. - Page 8

So you need lights to speak? Interesting.

Are you related to Yogi Berra?

k

So, we have a comedian in our group. If you had the friends I have, you wouldn't want to carry on a conversation without there being enough light.

Seriously, when we have friends over, the projector blasts out enough light that you can SEE and HEAR what each is doing. Makes watching a flick a little more sociable.

This weekend I'll be installing my Carada 2:35:1, 112" BW. I'll post so pics when it's up.

Do any of you Carada screen owners have much ambient light to deal with? On the website the BW blurb says that it is good, presumably because the brightness just overwhelms the ambient light and also with its narrower viewing angle, much in the same way the Dalite High Power does. Of course the BW is not as extreme in this regard as the HP, with its gain of 1.5 compared to 2.8 for the HP, and its viewing angle is not as constricted.

I wonder if anyone has any experience in comparing the BW and HP?

Quick question:

Can I use only the top (larger) bracket of the Carada Screen (100" Screen)?

The bottom of the screen/frame will be resting on a pretty sturdy window sill which will not allow me to install the bottom (smaller) bracket. I realize this won't be 100% secure, but will it work/do?

Thanks for any feedback.....

UPDATE:

I also emailed this question to David Giles (Carada) and here was his response (in case anyone else was wondering...)

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Yes it is certainly possible to use only the top wall bracket. Of course the frame would technically be more secure with both the top and bottom brackets installed, but the frame will be pretty secure with just the top bracket. In fact my own personal screen is only hanging from the top wall bracket. As long as nobody lifts up on the frame significantly (which is very unlikely since it will be resting on a windowsill, it would be virtually impossible for it to fall off the top bracket. One thing you'll need to make sure of is that the top wall bracket is in the exact right position (vertically) so that when you lower the frame down to the windowsill, the frame is still hanging from the top bracket. If you mount the top bracket too low, the frame could come loose when it sits down on the windowsill. The wall brackets come with oblong holes that will allow for small adjustments in the height of the bracket.

Does anyone here have a Carada installed in front of a window?

Was just curious what you used to stop any light from penetrating through the back of the screen. I have some ideas, but want to be sure I'm not missing out on a good idea to try. Many thanks.

Mike

I have the 104" CCW 1:1.85 Criterion Frame screen. I use both brackets but did try hanging it with just the upper out of curiousity. I would agree with David that you should be okay with just the upper bracket. Your biggest concern I would think is to ensure no one bumps it, touches it and that it isn't exposed to any wall vibrations (ie. close to a rail track, etc).

The upper bracket provides the hanging strength in my opinion. The lower one is there to keep the screen in place and provide stability.

If you're not concerned about the back of the screen you may want to try using a few strips of heavy duty two sided tape (you can get it at Home Depot or somewhere similar) along the bottom. This should help secure the screen in place but still allow relatively easy removal.

Where is your light coming from - sides, behind PJ, in front of screen, etc?

I can't remember the wieght but as S&H is inlcuded in Carada price not a big issue. Mine was the 104" Criterion Frame. One average-sized guy should be able to lift it but the problem is its length and bulk, You really need two people to navigate hallways and stairs safely and easily.

The same issue is with installation. One person can asemble everything and mount the wall brackets, etc, but having an additional set of arms to actually mount the screen is so much simpler.

Well first, the ceiling is light-colored, as are the walls (though they are largely covered up with pictures). There's no direct sunlight into the room, but during the afternoon (weekend sports) there is indirect light that filters in through window blinds (that are closed) and on one side of the room. In the evening, the lights are usually out, but sometimes we have a table lamp on low (~60 wattts); it sits on the far end of the room from the screen, and beyond the width of the screen (i.e., if it would translated forward to the front wall, it would not hit the screen).

So overall, the room is not bad light-wise, it is simply not the 'totally light-controlled' setup (with dark walls, etc.) that a rigorous HT would have.

Marvin,

Not sure if you have ordered yet but I have similar setup to you. PJ at 13ft, viewing 12-13 ft dead-on main sofa and from 8ft-12ft for side couch. HT takes up front 50% of room, rear has pool table etc. I use the Carada 104" 1:1.85 CCW Criterion with the Panasonic AE900. Don't know how it stacks up against your PJ but I find I can run the rear pot-lights (ie those behind the PJ) at about 40% before PQ degrades significantly. This is more than enough to watch a movie and play pool, etc. I can control all light in front of screen and to sides but personally I find the screen forgiving for some side light but not good with any light directly in front of the screen (ie. between screen and PJ).

Viewing from the side sofa is still pretty good. Don't really notice any PQ issues so much as the 104" size starts to come into play. When at only 8ft viewing, it becomes difficult to take in the whole screen - but as I prefer larger screens thats a problem I will accept and it only comes into play if we have more than 5 people watching at one time (which isn't too often).

I would say your 102" will be fine. When we first got ours, the 104" looked huge and we wondered if we hadn't made a mistake - but as others on this forum have observed - after a month the screen seemed to "shrink" as we got used to it and now we wouldn't go any smaller at 13ft distance.

I second your positive comments regarding Carada service and shipping. Everything related to my purchase and delivery went great, without a hitch and it was actually delivered in about half the time they estimated it would require.

I am not a HT expert by any means but I run a Panasonic AE900 with my Carada 104" CCW Criterion 1:1:85. I have white walls, medium shade toupe-beige walls and a medium shade carpet. I have not found any need to darken the walls, ceiling etc. My PJ is ceiling-mounted at 13ft and we sit 12-13ft from screen. Before I bought, I was like you and really unsure about how much was "too much" light. I must say I have been pleasantly surprised by how forgiving my setup is.

I have found my screen pretty forgiving to side light. What is really important is how dark it is directly in front between screen and PJ.

It sounds like your main issue is afternoon viewing. The evening should be an issue unless there is a bright light outside your windows.

With respect to pictures, if these have glass covers to the frames, you may have issues here if they are on the walls to the side or where the screen is mounted. We found that glass frame covers will reflect the PJ light. In our case didn't so much impact PQ as they were way too distracting and annoying due to the reflections. We are replacing these with glass-less frames.

Hope this helps.

Black_Mustang_97: thanks for the feedback. Sounds pretty encouraging for my HT plans. (Ours 'pictures' are mainly just mounted travel posters, therefore no glass; this is an informal den!)

Re the Carada BW, I wonder if any of you compared this screen to the Dalite HP? It seems that the philosophy of both is similar, i.e., to overpower any ambient light with high gain. I wonder if the two perform similarly. (The Carada is less expensive, I believe.)

I just measured a screen sample of BW material with a spectroradiometer that can read light from the lens of the PJ or from the screen. ISF allows a tolerance of .0040 in x and y in the colorimeters approved for measuring and adjusting a PJs greyscale during calibration.

The Carada BW material shifted the greyscale by .0001 in x and by .0004 in y when compared to the measurements taken directly from the lens of the PJ. A shift of .0010 is barely perceptible. Anything less cannot be seen. To put this in perspective many top notch PJs have deviations of .0030 or more from D65 at some point in their greyscales at 20 IRE or above.

Light fell off by 12% at the edges of the screen as compared to the middle (seating distance 1.5 x screen width). The greyscale measurement at the sides was off by .0004 in x and .0000 in y as compared with the center of the screen.

I also took measurements of the center of the screen from 30 degree and 45 degree angles. The greatest color shift that I found compared to the face-on readings was only .0013 in x and .0012 in y. The luminance (brightness) fell off by 10% at 30 degrees and by 15% at 45 degrees.

This is supurb performance. Have no fear in purchasing this screen.

Glenn

I installed my 110" BW over a window using 6mil black plastic to cover the window.

I first hung blinds and left them closed then taped the plastic around the window frame. Absolutely no light is coming through. I then screwed an 18" 2x4 in each corner of the window, cut the large Carada mounting bracket into two 18" lengths and attached the brackets to the 2x4's. I never had to touch the milwork around the window this way and the 2x4's allow the screen to stand away from the milwork by about 1/2".

The only issue with this method is that the bottom brackets need to be positioned in the corners instead of the middle. I haven't tried yet but I'm guessing it will be difficult to pull the screen down enough for the corners to snap into the bracket. For now, I stacked double-sided tape to hold the bottom corners to the lower 2x4's.

Hope this helps.

Up until recently I have been satisfied with the image I have had from blackout cloth set up on a 108" 2:35 screen. The obvious question is whether a Carada 120" 2:35 in BW would be worth the cost. For someone used to the basic " DIY and save money" mindset I suppose it is all relative and although I have never been in any hurry to buy a screen from a company I would at this point like to see a reasonable improvement without spending a small fortune. I currently use a Hitachi HDP J52 and my seating distance is adequate at almost 17'. Anyone care to comment and "persuade" me? The room is light controlled with darker walls - the one the screen is mounted to is black. I like what I have read in this thread regarding the BW material I just need to be convinced!

I just installed a 110" BW. Easy setup and excellent quality construction. Picture is awesome. I looked at many screens and considered DYI or cheaper methods. Figured that since I sank ~20K into builidng my theater I wasn't going to cut corners on the main focal point of the room.

I guess it doesn't matter as much when the lights are off and the projector is on. But when people come into the theater and see all the equipment they "ooohh and aahhh" over the screen. Well worth the $750 in my opinion.

I wonder if I should spring for the 128" 2:35 Precision version - I think it will work out given my room size and for the small amount it costs over the 120" I'm sure it will look great - it looks like I am pretty well convinced! Just have to save my pennies.
Glad I decided to check out this post.

Filmbuff,

You may want to send Carada an email. They are very helpful. I was originally going to go with a 2.35:1 screen and after several emails they convinced me that unless I spent 90% of my time in that format I would be happier matching the native resolution of my projector 1.78:1. Sure I get the bars for the 2.35 movies but the HD sports and 1.85 movies fill the entire screen. On a 110" screen I don't really notice the bars. I would have been either seeing bars or strecthing for TV and 1.85 movies.

I was also considering the grey screen material since I have total ambient light control and was concerned w/ black levels based on reviews. They were familar w/ my projector (AE900) and the guy I worked with actually bought it for his own use. He told me that if I was looking at an image of >90" it would be better to go w/ the BW 1.4 gain. They are really knowledgeable and spent a lot of time explaining the pro's and con's of the different options and helped me make an informed decision. I am so happy that I worked with them instead of just ordering as the end result is fantastic.

I will be getting a 136" 2.35 screen. Based on some back and forth email, I will probably get the BW 1.4 gain screen. However, Carada is sending me some screen samples for me to view.

Like kwildman said, send them an email. You'll find them very helpful.

How far back do you have your projector mounted?

My projector is mounted ~ 13 feet. I used a PerfectMount with the suspensed cieling adapter. My seating is at approximately 12 feet. Ideally, I would have liked to mount closer to the middle of the throw range for the projector (AE900) but I didn't want to mount it on a shelf or a rear wall.

CRAP! Looks like Carada made a mistake with my screen. I received the Criterion installation pack with my Precision screen. Thus, the screws were the wrong size and the installation brackets (J-Brackets) were missing. I need the screen for this weekend, so I'm going to fabricate something for now. I've already replaced the screws and sent Carada an email message but it's Friday and I don't expect to hear from them until Monday.

Maybe they will send me a Criterion frame to match my installation kit...

Update!

Friday night, Rex from Carada called me from his cell phone and apologized for the shipping error. He was on the road and told me that a new bracket would be shipped out on Monday. Pretty awesome customer service if you ask me

In the meantime, I went to Home Depot and purchased a strip of aluminum that fastens carpet to linoleum. It had a J shape similar to what I was looking for. I used my trusty Dremel to cut and drilled 2 holes in strip. I attached the strip to the screen and hung it on the wall.

Overall, the screen is very nice; I am pretty happy with it. Other than being significantly lighter and larger, I didn't notice any visual gain or improvement over my DIY Pollywall screen. Then again, I haven't compared them side by side either.

Well, my screen samples arrived. It is very difficult to actually see any difference between the CCW and BW screens. I'm going to order a 136" BW 2.35 screen on Monday. Can't wait to hang it on the wall.

My 136" BW 2.35 screen arrived Friday. It was packed really well. I was concerned with all the ripples in the screen but after snapping it to the frame, they were all gone except for 1 small section in the corner. Hanging it on the wall was quite the experience. It was easy but cumbersome. I spent about 30 minutes assembling and hanging the screen. The toughest part was getting the brakets level.

That thing is freakin' huge! It looks amazing! Granted I haven't compared it to any other screens so i can't comment on that area. It has the approval from my wife (very important).

Rex and I traded several emails discussing my needs. I am totally satisfied.

WOW, that's huge!

My screen had a small crease in the corner too. It didn't work itself out, so I used a low powered blow drier on the back of the screen. As the vinyl warmed up slightly, the crease vanished completely. I think it would have worked itself out eventually, but I was impatient.

I got the IN76 with my 102" Carada screen... I'm not getting 16x9 resoltuion.

computer running DVI-HDMI @ 1280x720 resolution, black borders on both side
DVD player running both DVI or Componet, Black borders on both side.

Please help... I tried everything.

maybe there is a setting in IN76 that need to be changed..try its onboard scaler..

I am with you filmbuff2, my diy screen is working out great, but I would love to know if a "real" screen is worth the $. I did order a sample of the different screen materials but it is so darn small, 8x11, that the improvement is hard to discern.

Hi Guys,
I'm afraid I have nothing more specific to contibute to
this post, other than to highly recommend David and the
guys at Carada. However perhaps if that helps make up
someones mind about where to go to get their screen then perhaps
it's a worthwhile comment. I'm not technically minded enough
to give a detailed review of my screen,so I won't try, but I
am extremley happy with Carada's product, service , packaging and delivery.
Only 4 days delivery to the UK if anyone's interested in importing.


Carada 94" Precision series screen - 2.35:1


Barry