Hey Guys,
Looking at converting a upstairs 'common room' to an evening movie room. I am looking at getting the refurbished Espon 5040 with a throw of between 14 and 15 feet.
We will be mostly watching movies at night however the room is a 'whiteish' color with white ceilings. I am looking for a screen around 100"
We will 90% of the time not be watching this room during the day. From reading this forum it seems that a High Contrast may help with the reflection being a bright room? Ideally my budget is under $300 and I know I may make some sacrifices but wanted to make sure I am looking for the right thing. I have attached a picture the screen is going on the right wall and the projector hanging from the angled ceiling on the left.

Any guidance would be appreciated!

Attached Thumbnails

 

Can the sources of light, the windows be covered up, with blinds for instance?

This is a difficult setup for a projector, even for a higher budget, not to mention on that budget.
A TV would have been better.

A grey screen may not be sufficient in combating ambient light.

Angular ALR's work by reflecting ambient light at the same angle it hits the screen, in the opposite direction.
If the light is coming from around the same area as the projector, that light will also be reflected towards the viewer.


A drop down ALR for that budget does not exist.
Neither does a grey screen.

The closest is this mode, but there have been quality control issues with it:
https://www.amazon.com/VIVIDSTORM-Ce...07KNZHS6F?th=1
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/23-sc...andview-2.html

A fixed screen with ALR fabrics would fit that budget. There are three options: Elite Cinegrey 3D, 5D, and Carl's ALR.
The fabrics themselves can be purchased individually, and a frame would need to be built.

Most ALR's also require a throw range of 1.5x at the minimum. Even at higher throw ranges, there is no guarantee that artifacts will be eliminated 100%.

An 100" screen has a width of 87.2" or 7.26'. With 14' -15 ' or 168 - 180" would provide a throw range of 1.92x to 2.06x.



Getting a drop down screen and paining it is an option:
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/110-d...l#post32911241
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/110-d...een-paint.html



More info on ambient light use:
https://www.avsforum.com/forum/68-di...l#post58810778

Thanks so much for the information
Yes most of the light producing windows will he covered however there is no expectations of quality in the picture during the day.
My budget was really just for the screen but is flexible of course.
I will look into the products and guides you suggested
I assume the throw could be dropped by a smaller screen?
Thanks

An 100" ALR with that 5040UB with a 1.9 to 2.0x throw is probably going to be fine.

Screen size is subjective.
What is the seating distance? It looks like 10' or so?

If the windows can be covered a grey screens can be had, but they're twice the budget.
There was another one, but can't find it:
https://www.amazon.com/SIE-169120-Si...01LXQW4WA?th=1
The Matte Grey's gain is actually 0.59.

A grey screen is fine in this situation. Some ALR's raise the black floor so I'm not sure how the Vividstrom will look like.
Maybe order a sample from ST with the Grey material. Not sure if Vividstorm sends out samples, contact them and find out.

The Vividstorm ALR claims 150 degrees viewing angle (75R/75L), but the Cinegrey 3D and 5D are around 80-90 (40R/40L).

A grey screen will not have potential visual artifacts like the ALR, and if all the windows are covered it might be a better option.

A cheap screen painted will probably be the best option. But this is more difficult since it requires spraying.


Non tensioned screens are susceptible to developing waves. Tensioned screens less so, but are more expensive.
The ST grey screen linked above is not tensioned. The Vividstorm is.

Great lots of good information. Mostly looking for a fixed screen so I will look for some samples and see where to go from there. Thanks for your great info.

I saw a video review of the silver ticket gray on this forum and it seemed the lowest performing out of the bumch

If it's a fixed screen you could look into ST High Contrast which has ALR properties, but that Silver Fire mix would be great.

Getting an ALR is for when the ambient light is higher.

SF paint > ST HC > ALR (Cinegrey 3D/5D or Carl's ALR)

Also worth looking at repainting the walls with a darker color, or hanging dark tapestries. Ultimately, the light coming off the screen is gonna get bounced around the room and reduce overall contrast perceived by your eyes, even with an ALR screen.