Quote:
Originally Posted by
darth_majere 
Hi there, i'm newb with projector and i need some help... I will receive soon my pro8100 and i need to choose witch screens i need.... Like a paint wall, setup using laminate wilsonart or something like Grandview, stewart screen etc...
Also it's a good idea to put the projector near the wall or more in the middle of the ceiling...
Thanks for help.
Jeff
I am sorry to say that there is no one best screen because every room is somewhat different depending on its ambient light level and variations from day to night. Also the best choice of screen gain depends on what you like to watch, movies or sports, and the type of extraneous light you have in the room. Read through the various threads on screens and you will see there are many different opinions on screens. Nevertheless, some screens like the Studiotek 130 are widely accepted my many as being a standard to benchmark against.
Generally speaking higher gain screens are better for sports and lower gain for movies but that is not always true. The Stewart Ultramatte 200 that I use in a light controlled room with the Sony G70 has a gain of 2 and works well for sports and movies; the G70 has the ultimate level of back which is not seriously impacted by the 2 gain screen, but this screen is probably way too bright for the Pro8100 and also would probably not help the blacks; on the other hand the blacks are not that bad in the first place so maybe I shoudl try it.
The Stewart Firehawk, Grayhawk or StudioTek 130 are popular choices but there are many other excellent options available from companies like Carada, Elite, and Dalite that you would be well served to look at as well. The real challenge is to decide whether the improvement going from a Carada to a Stewart is worth the money. The Carada and the Elite are great examples of screens that are relatively good enough to make incremental gains in quality very expensive. So you can buy very good screens without breaking the bank if you do not care about being on leading edge with a Generation 3 from someone like Stewart. There are also some new players out there with some esoteric approaches like SI's Curved Black Diamond screens which I have zero experience with at this point.
Because I am most familiar with Stewart's products I will give you my take on where to use a Firehawk and Grayhawk.
If you have room with white walls and ceilings, and you will be sitting a reasonable distance from the screen, and sitting directly in front of the screen, not off to sides, I would pick the Firehawk with its 1.35 gain.
If you have a more front projector friendly room, and have people spread out too much beyond the edges of the screen then a Grayhawk with .95 gain would be my choice.
If you put these two screens side by side you will see duller looking whites on the Grayhawk. The key to the Grayhawk is that it substantially improves blacks and is able to do it without viewers noticing the duller whites because our brains do not have a brightness register for the color white. When we look at white we see it independently each time of all the white we have ever seen in our lives before it. Other characteristics like the gloss and sheen we do carry in our brains.
I personally like the Firehawk the most because it has noticeably enhanced blacks and a brighter picture and also rejects off axis light best, and is at home in the kind of typical multi-purpose theater room with white or off white walls and ceilings.
Also, remember that the black on the Pro8100 you are getting is average by today's standards which means it is actually more than just okay in the typical multi-purpose room that will not allow superb blacks because of ambient lighting. Consider the home built screen permanently if you like or as interim measure. I did it and never got the same result I got from Stewart screens but maybe things have changed in terms of materials since I last played around with it.
If I was new to this I would project the image on a wall to get the feeling for throw distances, screen size, and the effects of gain to understand the possibilities, or pickup something inexpensive like those Epson Screens that rolls out side to side that can be mounted on a stand or mounted unobtrusively to the wall, and closes when not in use. I think that Epson screen is only 80 inches so it is probably not big enough. My point is avoid spending too much on a screen before you know what you want.
Screens are like speakers, most often they are the last thing to be chosen, but maybe the most important. Running a 4,000 dollar amplifier into a 500 dollar pair of speakers is not a wise use of money. I would be more inclined to put a 500 dollar amp on a 4,000 pair of speakers.
This page has a lot of good links on screens:
http://www.projectorreviews.com/proj...eens/index.php
On projector placement it is wise to stay away from the walls to the extent possible (several feet at least for me) because of air flow, but this less of a factor with Pro8100 because the air is being directed out of the side of the projector.
The projector you have coming is one of the most flexible in terms of placement. It will work where many others will not. The remote motorized vertical control of the image placement means you can put a screen closer to the ceiling and not worry about dealing with the extra height you would normally need for projector offset. You will be able to place the projector lens in the vertical plane anywhere within the bottom half or top half of the screen with no problems. You will have a more limited control of the the horizontal plane so will have to be more careful with alignment.
Study screen placement to understand placement and again just shoot it at the wall until you start to get the drift of it before you start putting holes in the wall and ceiling only to find our later they are in the wrong place. This will also help you get a feel for the size screen you want as well as the screen and projector locations.
To initially get a feel for projector throw and zoom tolerance for a given screen size use the link below which is for the Pro8100 to play with it while you are waiting for delivery of your unit. Tinker with it until you understand how the screen distance and size effects the light on the screen for a specific screen gain and understand the projectors limitations on its working zoom range and get a feel for the ambient lighting conditions that it will work well in:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/View...ulator-pro.htm
Hmm ambient light is on the chart too so go to
http://www.siscreens.com/tools/screen-wizard/ which will give you a visual feel for what you are seeing on the projector calculator chart about ambient room light.
Use the links below to get a quick feel for some of the popular available screens. These are just some of the available screens and resources. There are many more screens than the ones below and they have followers who will cut your heart out if you imply that their choice is not the best. LOL. As I implied earlier screens are a lot like speakers, everyone has an opinion because we can all hear.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...ens_review.htmhttp://www.projectorpeople.com/screens/chart_fixed.asphttp://www.carada.com/http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585549http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585541http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585541http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=585554
The problem is that we all hear and see things differently enough to make it an honest horse race. A simple projector related example of this scenario is that a relatively small number of people see rainbows on DLP to the extent of not being able to tolerate watching it, others see rainbows but do not care because they love the image DLP produces, while the vast majority of people have trouble seeing rainbows even if they have someone pointing at them on the screen.
The top end screens go together easily because the frames are beautifully machined and the screens fit the frames like a glove. Putting them together is very simple and is actually enjoyable because of the quality. Knowing where to put it and the projector can be simple too, but often is not, hence ISFs.
If you do not feel comfortable installing the screen and projector yourself consider using an ISF in your area. All projectors will benefit from being calibrated to a specific screen because of color shifts. People can get in the ball park with layman calibration equipment but ISF have much more accurate equipment and software. AVS has a list of ISF here in the forums.
ISFs are a little like surgeons in that many of them are great for standard surgical procedures and then their are a handful in this country that not only do standard surgery but also heart and brain surgery. These people really know their stuff and can setup space age systems with push button automation who will even program your multi remote for one button clicking to watch television, dvd, hd-dvd, blue-ray and pc sources. You can search AVS for an ISF in your area, or ask the question here in the forums.
The ISF heart and brain surgeons travel all over the world to do installations. It is an education to watch them. They are not expensive for the value they add to a home theater installation and can often make equipment choices that will save you money. Users can learn a lot just by watching them do an install and calibration; but don's slow them too much as they are on the clock and will include the coaching in the bill
- Actually most of the good ones are very generous with their time and fun to be around because they love this stuff too. My ISF heart / brain surgeon is known as Chuchuf here on AVSForum - terfer@comcast - LOL - who will probably shoot me for calling him a ISF heart / brain surgeon.
Terry's attitude on avocational teachers like me is similar to my old golf pro who used to say he loved it when my buddy Mike gave me a free golf lesson because it improved his cash flow. LOL. Professional ISFs gave save a lot of money and time for people that want a superior installation. On the other hand it is good to occasionally remind the PROs that the Titanic was built by a professional !!!
heheh.
Whether you mount the Pro8100 on a table top, a deep bookshelf, or on the ceiling make sure it has adequate ventilation. Hot air goes up so sometimes I like a slow moving ceiling fans or a small fan that is quiet aimed from the floor to the ceiling to encourage air circulation if it can be done without being an eye sore.
Good luck !
