Parkland Polywall or Wilsonart DW

Just compared DW to PP Polywall to a Draper M1300 screen.

Colors about the same between the three. Amazing color accuracy. The PP and the 1.0 screen are about the same gain. The DW is a bit higher gain and is a little brighter when laid on top. But just a hair. You really can't even tell.

The PP is very thin and needs to be mounted on something or framed securely so that drives up the cost. The laminate could be just mounted to a wall. The DW can also come in larger sheets and is more durable.

If you want a 97 diagonal screen the 4x8 will give you 48x86 inches, with 5 extra inches on each side. The PP will do.

If you want a 110 inch 16:9 screen you need a 5 x8 sheet and need to step up to the laminate. You'll use the 96-97 width and 54 or so inches of the height. You'll have 5-6 inches extra on the height.

The DW is an extra inch in real life 49 x 97 inches for the 4x8 sheet.

I went with the DW for the larger screen, It has higher gain and looks even brighter than my 100 inch PP screen.

I liked the PP screen, but I could just tell as a very picky viewer that it was not a real store bought screen. The DW looks even better than any other screen I have seen with my type of projector. I can't tell at all its a DIY material. It looks like it is a dedicated screen material.

Those posting about their experience with the Parkland, please post whether you used its textured or smooth side. Also, please post the projector you used. Thanks

I'm pretty sure the Parkland Polywall is also 49 inches tall. Kosty, I recall you had posted before that you compared the textured side of the Parkland instead of the smooth side, which is brighter. My experience with the Parkland was about 2 years ago with the textured side and a Pany 500U projector, and I recall estimating its gain to be marginally under 1.0.

I recall reading where one member reported the smoother, brighter side of a Parkland worked very well with his CRT, which was not as bright as most projectors.

The DW probably would be easier to work with, mount and keep in good condition. I recall having issues with my Parkland in these regards as well as reading about this with others who used it.

I recently read where a member used scotchbrite on the smooth side of his Parkland to dull it which removed the hotspotting and retained its brightness. This would be one way I would consider using a Parkland with my projector, a new AE900U. Another possible way would be with a coat of matte polyurethane on the smooth side; it would be interesting to see how well this would work.

Don't forget price! Parkland is around $20 or less. DW is 3 or 4 times thator even more.

mech

I use the textured side of the PP. My PP piece is exactly 48 x 96.

Both are cheap compared to a bought screen. PP is McDonalds dirt cheap. DW is Pizz Hut very cheap. You need a backing for the PP. Both can be made for under $90.


I have a HC3000.

I'd keep teh PP if all I needed was a 4x8 96 inch screen. For me $60-75 more for a 100 inch screen met my needs. I liked both.

Do-able and Parkland plastic are not available everywhere. WilsonArt Designer White Laminate is available everywhere at Home Depot Lowes and other places and is available in the larger 4x8 5x8 5x10 5x12 sizes. And its a bit more durable. And still relatively cheap.

Really can't go wrong with either.

How much does a 4x8 piece of laminate weigh?

General Purpose grade is .322 pounds per square foot = 10.3 pounds for a 4x8 sheet.

Postforming grade is .260 pounds per square foot = 8.32 pounds for a 4x8 sheet.

Verticle grade is .186 pounds per square foot = 5.95 pounds for a 4x8 sheet.

For larger sizes just do the math, but it's pretty light and virtually indestructable as a screen.

I have more information on this stuff than anyone would ever care to know... but you never know when someone is going to ask something

wbassett is a DIY screen God IMHO. Thanks for the hard work.

I cannot believe how good WADW is for a screen before I read his posts.

I am using a 5x8 sheet for a 110 screen for my Mits HC3000 and the stuff outperforms or is equal to all the screen samples I got for a friggin fraction of the cost.

The man has made my life better by turning me onto this laminate as a large DIY screen material.

thanks wbassett and others for making my life better.

I'm flattered Kosty but I wouldn't go that far lol. All I did was make some phone calls over the course of a few weeks and asked lots of questions about their product.

Hey I've read through a lot of post in hear the past week. I have access to Home Depot, Menards and Lowes and being in WI I can not get do-able. I've check all 3 stores and find TWO Parklan Polymer sheets. One is .06 think, dull matte but would have to glue it to a board for wall mounting. The second was 5/16" think...sort of plastic backed (hollow tubes running through it) with a not as dull layer on top. I am not sure but I do not think either is what people are using....

Parkland and wilson is what I keep seeing but I still have NO CLUE what it "really" looks like.

Any part numbers, sku's or REALLY detailed information would really help a noob like me out!

I hope to order my Mitsubishi HD1000U in time for Xmas.

Wilsonart is a laminate. It is what countertops are made of. It has a wood type backing. You can find skus for it in the laminate thread.

mech

GraveLayer,

I went to Wilsonart.com and searched for "Designer White". I requested samples of Designer White and Fashion Gray. They sent me a free sample of each (3"x5") and as I recall the designer white # was D354-60.

question:
I'm using the smooth white side of the PP. During the daytime, no light control the picture comes out fine. But when at night, (room is fairly dark) I see sometimes lighter spots on just black images..Is that the hotspotting everyone is refering to? I did not try the texture side since the smooth gave a better color contrast. I am using a Dell 3200mp. Besides some of the black spotting, I have no complains at all...

those "spots" don't have anything to do with the screen. Those are most likely dust blobs in the projector.

Thanks Nate,

But I did not have this problem when I was projectoring on the wall or maybe I just didnt notice it? I will dust the projector out and see if it makes a difference.

FWI i ordered the wilsonart designer art d354-60 in a 5x10' sheet from menards, special order. it was $115 shipped to my door, should be here in a week or 2.

some of you said it was hard to find, they had a sample right on the wall....

just got an optoma ezpro719 ..got the pp 4x8 sheet ..i,m new to this guys so be gentle..good clear picture but i wish i could get a 5x10 screen but dont think they sell it at lowes

Parkland does not sell the larger sheets any more from what I can tell, in this case, you will want to go to the Wilsonart sheets, white or gray.

thanks teamspeed

one more question..i got a dvd player and my cable hooked up whats best to use to switch between the two without un plugging the rca plug..i am still trying to find a vga to composite...i am told the picture quality would get better if i had one

VGA to composite? What are you hooking it up to? A computer monitor? DVD to a projector can be composite to composite. Better would be component to component. Need a little more info about your setup but we're a tad bit off topic...

mech

ok i think its vga to component then...hooking my dvd and cable to the projector

i,m new at all this i think its vga to componant

I bought the aftermarket video switch made to look like the Xbox 360 finish (Intec). I am running the Tivo component output to this, as well as the Xbox 360. It is powered, and has a remote to switch between the components and has two storage trays on the bottom. Typically it goes for $35-50, I got it from the CompUSA auction account on Ebay for $13. Reviews were pretty negative, but it works just fine for me.

You can see it under the xbox in this pic: