[nerbe]

I am considering purchasing a Stewart Horizontal Screenwall ElectroMask with a Greyhawk screen to replace my 9 year old 1.3 gain, 4:3 screen (since I replaced my 9 year old CRT pj with a JVC G-15). My thought is to get the largest width 4:3 screen and the 16:9 image would be masked (resulting in the same maximum size 16:9 image given the PJ/screen distance). Please let me know if my assumptions are correct or if you have thoughts, pro or con, before I spend a ton of money.


Thanks,

Neil

 

[Aaron Oz]

Yup. That sounds correct. I assume that you're going to do a 4:3 screen since the projector element is 4:3 native? Otherwise, isn't most of the material you watch in 16:9? For me, I'm doing a 16:9 and the rarely used 4:3 will have to fit in the height of the 16:9. Of course I'm using a CRT projector and I'm not losing much in the way of resolution in 16:9. For a 4:3 native element (such as yours), 16:9 looses a lot of resolution, and then on top of that, a 4:3 window inside the 16:9 window, which is sitting inside the 4:3 native element is A LOT of resolution loss. The only option I would suggest would be a 16:9 optical lens for your projector. That would allow you to run EVERYTHING at the full 4:3 native resolution, including anamorphic DVD. You would have a lot more resolution of your image, and it would be brighter too. Not that light is an issue with your setup.


So the bottom line... unless you plan on getting a 16:9 anamorphic lens, you should go 4:3.


My $.02,

Oz

 

[nerbe]

Oz,


Thanks for your observations. Sometimes this stuff gets so confusing ..... like what type of DVD output (S-video/component-progressive) matters with various processors (FNRS, Rock, etc.). Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a tweakaholic but the results make Home Theater a reality. Members of this forum make the assembly and results to be achieved from HT much more feasible.


A perfect example of member support benefiting a product is the series of Pronto remotes. If it were left to Philips the potential of the devices would be close to nil. The Remote Central web site (and others) allows this product to shine.


Neil