[brotherthx]

I would like to get a poll of 10ht owners (or sanyo plv-60) who also have the dal-lite high contrast da-matt screen. WITH CINEMA BLACK ON, does the picture seem to be too dark for your tastes, especially on daylight scenes of sky and anything associated with bright scenes? I held a sample of this material up to my other screen, and although I liked what it did for the blacks (awsome), it did seem to lower the brighter stuff quite a bit. Although this is just a 5"x5" piece, and don't have the "big picture" so to speak. I know this is just a question of taste, but I'm wondering if this screen material will give the projector too dim of an image....I have, however, optimized my contrast on my 10HT with SMART II, along with a CC30R filter.


Any feedback would be most appreciated!

 

[I'mListening]

I am currently using the Sony 10HT with a 159" Da Lite Cosmopolitan Electrol HDTV format High Contrast screen.


I have set the image using the Video Essential Disc, Munsilation, and some personal tweaks of my own.


I generally run my 10HT in Cinema Black Mode, except perhaps on sunny days where I need the increased lumens due to ambient room light.


I do not have a problem with the "image" seemingly being to dark. Of course, if you were to use a "split" projection screen say using the DaLite HC on one half and say a DaLite Da-Mat on the other...you would percieve the difference easily between the two.


However, utilizing one screen your perceptions adjust accordingly to that particular image. I spent approximatily eight weeks deciding on my screen. I had recieved all the samples from Stewart and DaLite, and placed them in a small pattern on a sheet onto which I projected my 10HT. I systematically removed the samples that did not perform to my taste. I narrowed my selection to the High Contrast and the Da-Mat, both by DA-LITE. Then finally decided on the High Contrast. In all fairness, many of subjects of my study (neighbors, friends and family...all novices) and one electronics engineer/HT-phile did prefer the Da-Mat over the HC.


With all said and done....these same people, having seen the HC HDTV screen at 14 feet wide..said I did make right choice. This was proven when Da-Lite sent the incorrect screen the first time. It was the Da-Mat screen. I kept if for a week and had my subjects view some select scenes on it. When my HC screen arrived I simply removed the Da Mat unit and quickly put up the HC screen. The subjects were allowed to view the same material on the new HC screen. Hands down....the HC screen won.


I really enjoy the increased percieved blacks with my HC screen...it seems to add more vibrant tones to color images as well, such as oceans, skys and clothing. There is also a dramatic increase in the tonal qualities of flesh colors, close up of faces reveal more defined lines and wrinkles in the skin (HollowMan is a great disc to subjectivily view close ups on Kevin Bacons character face.)


I hope this helps,

 

[Steve Smallcombe]

Clearly the first thing to do is to optimize contrast and black levels in the projector itself, as you have done. Then it's question of how much screen gain is necessary to achieve the right balance between black levels and overall brightness. Gray screens, like ND filters are a great idea for projectors like an un-tweaked 10HT with mediocre black levels, or some of the newer super-bright, projectors (PLV-60) that put out greater than1000 Lumens.


With Cinema black on and with a CC filter in place, my feeling is that a white matte screen with no gain is just about right for the 10HT (with a 102" diagonal). I'm not sure I would want to give up any more brightness to get even better blacks.


Steve