Hello everyone. I'm a long time lurker, and rarely post. However, I just moved into a new home that had a dedicated theater room, and I began the search for a projector to outfit it properly.
After months of searching I decided on the Epson 8500UB. Only intended to be my projector for a few years, until the 3D projectors come down in price. Well, I ended up going with the 8350 and was even happier with the cost savings.
Then I focused on a projector screen, what size did I want, etc. 100" in 16x9 format seemed to fit the bill best, and would give me some space on each side for speakers.
I came across Magnum Screens on Ebay, offering a 100", 16x9 screen, for a very attractive price of $189 with free shipping.
Here is an example of one of their ads:
http://cgi.ebay.com/100-16-9-FIXED-P...item415421cf67
No one had reviewed this screen, aside from Ebay reviews, so I decided to take a risk and purchase it.
When it first arrived, I was happy at the way it was shipped, very sturdy. After opening, I was also very happy with the ease of assembly. I had a little bit of concern about the material (it is about 1/16" to 1/8" inch thick material, and it comes rolled up.) My screen had a few wavy parts, but these were largely pulled out and smoothed when the frame was assembled and it was placed on the wall. After a couple days, it looks like it is perfectly flat now.
I fired up the projector to size the image onto it, but it was late and I did not have enough time to really tinker with it, but with the Epson, it's very easy. I wasn't able to get the picture size correct, and I figured I just needed to play with the zoom a bit later.
The next day I had more time to tweak the projector, and no matter what I did, I could not get the picture to fill the screen viewing area properly. It either expands and drops too low for a given width, or I am left with black bars on each side of the screen.
At first I thought it was my projector. But, I got out my measuring tape and sure enough, the screen was NOT a 100" diagonal viewing area.
For a 16x9 format, the dimensions should be 87"x49". This does not include the frame obviously. The dimensions of my screen measured 85"x46"... not even a true 16x9 dimension.
After a few emails back and forth, they stated that the "100 inch size includes the frame." Well, this is stated nowhere in their advertising. The end result is that I have a projector that can't project an image to fill this screen properly. It was incredibly annoying to see the picture somewhat reflected back on the frame, no matter how I sized it.
The size of my screen is the correct size to them. Anyone who orders a 100" screen will be getting the same size as I did, or roughly a 95" screen, with left over blank area that will be unused. I have no idea about the dimensions of their other products, if they are the correct size, so buyer beware. For the 100" screen, you will not be getting what you think you are paying for.
For the record, they did say they would refund my money, but I would be liable for shipping. Unfortunately I had already gotten rid of the packaging (it was delivered the night before trash day) before I figured this stuff out. For the cost of having to take it down and find some way to ship it back at a cost of at least $50 I'm sure, it isn't worth it to me. So for now, I will be keeping the screen until I can afford to spring for a Carada, or some other well known brand.
Hopefully my experience can help some of you. I'm very disappointed, as I initially liked the quality of this screen very much. What I believe they are doing is using a Wilsonart laminate type, in a 4ft roll, which is not quite enough to properly do a 100" screen.
Lesson learned, and hopefully you guys can make an informed decision now before purchasing.
Todd
