[TooNice]

Hello,

I've been looking at pull-up screens (I have various reasons for not going for pull-down screens; the fact that I am living in rented accommodation being a major reason).

One thing I have noticed is that 4:3 screen often seen to offer much better value per surface area. For instance, I have seen one shop selling a 195cm x 146cm (4:3) Beamax pull-up screen for £435. The same shop also sells a 195cm x 110cm (16:9) Beamax pull-up for £445. In this instance, I really see no benefit for going for the 16:9 screen (in diagonal terms, it's smaller).

But even when the dealing with a screen of the same diagonal, I find that the 4:3 screen would again offer more surface area for the money. For instance, the Sapphire 100" pull up is 1977 x 1110 for the 16:9 and 1987x1490 for the 4:3. Both are the same price. I have a mix of widescreen and non-widescreen movies, so should I just go for the 4:3 version?

Second question is regarding the screen size. Those pull-up are expensive, and I don't really want to replace it in a long time (ever would be best ). The way my room is setup (to make use the most usable wall), 84" is the best I can do. However, if I get a pull-up screen, I may be able to find a place where I can get an even larger screen. But that would require moving everything around, and after doing that recently, I just want to sit back and relax a little.

My question is, would a 84" picture on a 100" screen look terrible? My reasoning is, if I go smaller, I will be stuck with that size. Whereas something bigger would give me more flexibility.

Cheers.

[AV Nik]

Hi TooNice,
You know when you watch some TV films and there's a black gap between the top and bottom of the image? This is where the filming was created in something like 16:9 aspect instead of the older TV shape which are 4:3 aspect.
Widescreen/16:9 TV's and Projectors realistically offer the same ratio as the latest filming equipment so if you buy a 16:9 projector and a 16:9 screen, they marry perfectly most of the time. Using a 16:9 projector on a 4:3 screen leaves a lot more of the top and bottom blacked out (an even Larger black border at top/bottom of whole image) and when you watch a film which fills the borders of your 16:9 projector, you still have lots of un-used white area so it's always best to Marry the Screen to the Projector.

Many people use blank walls, some even use 1:1 (square) screens which are even cheaper than 4:3 (you pay more depending on how much black resin is used to create the 4:3/16:9 borders) so with regards to your question: "would an 84" picture on a 100" screen look terrible?", my answer, which is personal opinion, is that once your engulfed in the movie, nothing matters!
Yes you can see the image does not fit the screen (too small) and yes, to a professional it will look wrong but, if you do not intend to have the public visiting you to see your projection with criticism, then who cares?
So, although it's not perfect, it shouldn't affect your viewing enjoyment and at least you won't have to replace it when you move it.
Thinking ahead is always a good idea .

Hope this helps.