[silvergt02]

I currently have a BenQ 8700 projecting onto a white/gray wall. While the pic is good, Im sure I can get a much better pic by getting myself a screen.


I did a search and I have seen some interesting opinions.


I am set up in a basement with almost no light in a 13 x 18 room.

I plan on ordering some screen material and making my own frame.


First question is which material?

The BenQ is not the brightest pj in the world so I want to lean towards a white screen, But on the other hand I get opinions that with a DLP pj, I should get a gray screen to help with black levels.


High gain? low gain?? Viewing angle is not important since my room is long and narrow.


Next, What size to make the screen?


Currently I have a huge picture. Its like 11' wide by 6' high (approx)


Am I stretching this pj's limitations? Should I go a little smaller to get a more crisp picture?


Thanks in advance for all of the suggestions.. I look foward to discussing this some more.

 

[avdork]

Well, since you read the threads, you probably already saw the choices in screen material. HCCV by Da-Lite, Studiotek, or the Firehawk seem to be the ones to consider. Fixed screen, motorized?


If the room is 13' wide, I would think that somewhere around 125" diagonal would do nicely. This would put the ideal seating distance at about 14' to the screen. I assume this is 8 foot or better ceilings as well. The projector is going to be in the rear third of the room at that distance, so I suppose that isn't a problem. Really? You're projecting 11' wide right now? That's around 165" diagonal. How close are you sitting? That image must be gigantic!


"Almost no light" means what? Some sunlight leakage around a blind but not directly on the screen, some reflected light from other areas of the basement?


Need to know about seating distances to determine screen size. I assume two rows of seats...the first around 11 feet, the next around 16 feet.

 

[silvergt02]

OK, I exagerrated on the screen size. I just took a measurment and I have 116" diag.. (about 9 feet wide)


Only one row of seating for now at 16' from the screen.


There is no light at night. Some sun leakage during the day, but I almost never use the room during the day (except for sunday football games) But that is not my concern, so consider total light control

 

[Jason Turk]

If you plan to watch it mostly in the evenings and with little ambient light, I'd opt for a white screen. Gray screens are good when there is ambient light or with the lower contrast projectors (LCD's, older DLP's, etc....). In your setup a white is likely going to perform better. There are many options out there. Feel free to drop me a line for specific recommendations.

 

[MrRob]

After reading all the threads, and since I am budget conscious, I researched and went with Carada Brilliant White. Get some samples and test em out on your eyes, especially since you'll be maxing out the picture. You might want to try black out cloth and some blue painters tape to test out some distances. Determine your screen size first. I went with a 104" width screen - love the big pic. I just kept moving my 8700+ back....the screen looks much better than the BO cloth. Power buy on the top of the forum is still on at this posting. Great price for the quality!

 

[slo007]

Quote:

Originally posted by MrRob After reading all the threads, and since I am budget conscious, I researched and went with Carada Brilliant White. Get some samples and test em out on your eyes, especially since you'll be maxing out the picture. You might want to try black out cloth and some blue painters tape to test out some distances. Determine your screen size first. I went with a 104" width screen - love the big pic. I just kept moving my 8700+ back....the screen looks much better than the BO cloth. Power buy on the top of the forum is still on at this posting. Great price for the quality!

I'm blind. Where is the "Power Buy" link I keep reading about???