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Help me decide! Tensioned/non-tensioned Dalite??

826 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by jonnyb, Feb 17, 2005

MikeB1973

Discussion Starter · Feb 16, 2005

Just moved to a new house. My old house had a smaller theater room with a dedicated wall, so I rolled on some ScreenGoo with great success. I had an NEC LT240 DLP projector at the time.

My new house has a much larger room that I'd like to use even when I'm not controlling the lighting 100%. So, I located my 42" plasma on the front wall, and was thinking of a screen that would come down in front of the plasma.

I'd like to go electric and have pre-wired for it already, but the more I read the more I don't want to have to deal with curl and wrinkle issues, so am leaning towards a tensioned screen from Dalite.

But, I have no experienced with any of these so wanted to get some opinions - I want to do it right, but the cost of an electric tensioned is quite high for my budget .

If it matters, I'm planning on an Infocus 7205 on a 116" wide 16:9 screen. The room is approximatedly 22' x 24' or so.

Any recommendations??

Thanks!

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Rieper

· #2 · Feb 16, 2005

I can only comment on my screen size, 80x45 (92" Diagonal). I have a Da-Lite Model B Deluxe with tensioning arm. The material I picked is Video Spectra which has 1.5 gain (compared to High Power's 2.8). I had read about Video Spectra notorious waves forming over time. But I still chose it because of the moderately high gain, the viewing cone (35-degrees) and finally because of the included tensioning arm.

So far, I am happy to report the screen is flatter than when it first arrived (3 days ago). By this I mean, when I first put it up I noticed a stretching effect whereby the top and bottom were perfectly flat. But on the sides I noticed it was a little loose and not as flat. After 3 days of having it permanently down, I can now say the screen is perfectly flat on all 4 sides.

I can't comment on the Video Spectra's performance yet, until I receive my hs51 back from Sony service center. But so far, I am very pleased with the shape the screen is in. Perfectly flat.

Model B Deluxe Video Spectra 1.5 80"x45": MSRP $177

Pretty cheap, I think, for something that looks like a Da-Lite Perm Wall screen MSRP $500.

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johng

· #3 · Feb 16, 2005

The Da-Lite with the tensioning arm only applies vertical tension. I owned one of these screens for about a year. While I couldn't complain about the price or the screen material, I noticed a wrinkling of the edges starting at about 3 months. This produced waves. After further research, I realized that both vertical and horizontal tension are needed. Although it is costly, I went with the Stewart Tab-Tensioned motorized screen. This provides both vertical and horizontal tension and there has not been a hint of a wrinkle or wave in nearly 2 years.

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Rieper

· #4 · Feb 16, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by johng
The Da-Lite with the tensioning arm only applies vertical tension. I owned one of these screens for about a year. While I couldn't complain about the price or the screen material, I noticed a wrinkling of the edges starting at about 3 months. This produced waves. After further research, I realized that both vertical and horizontal tension are needed. Although it is costly, I went with the Stewart Tab-Tensioned motorized screen. This provides both vertical and horizontal tension and there has not been a hint of a wrinkle or wave in nearly 2 years.

Please indicate the Da-Lite screen material used, size and also how frequently you pulled down the screen. Thank you.

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johng

· #5 · Feb 16, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Rieper
Please indicate the Da-Lite screen material used, size and also how frequently you pulled down the screen. Thank you.

Matte White, 90" diagonal, pulled down once daily.

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MikeB1973

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 16, 2005

Quote:

The Da-Lite with the tensioning arm only applies vertical tension.

Thanks for the replies guys. Is the Da-Lite with tensioning arm the same as a tensioned screen?

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Ja Phule

· #7 · Feb 16, 2005

No it is not. I think your best option would be to go with an electric tab-tensioned screen. Tab-tensioned screens will not get wrinkles or waves AFAIK. I would either contact AVS or Da-Lite by phone and tell them your requirements and see what they recommend.

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johng

· #8 · Feb 16, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by Ja Phule
No it is not. I think your best option would be to go with an electric tab-tensioned screen. Tab-tensioned screens will not get wrinkles or waves AFAIK. I would either contact AVS or Da-Lite by phone and tell them your requirements and see what they recommend.

Agreed. They are not the same creature. If I recall correctly tab-tensioning is available only in motorized screens. I would recommend contacting Jason at AVS. Tell him that I sent you

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jonnyb

· #9 · Feb 17, 2005

I had posted this in some other threads as well, but a nice compromise between high priced tab tension and typical non-tensioned is Vutec's VuFlex Pro material. It is a thick screen material (non-tensioned) that is resistant to wrinkles. I ordered the Lectric 1 RF model with the VuFlex Pro material through AV Science. I have been very happy with the screen so far. The price should sit somewhere in between regular electric non-tensioned and electric tab tensioned. The other nice feature is the the RF transmitter is built in already and you don't need to pay extra for a remote kit.

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