[artois]

As above: Do all Matt white screens distibute light evenly regardless of the gain?

Reading the info below on another post suggest that this may be the case but I dont have a clue.

I would be happy to get the beamax m-silver 1.5 gain matte white screen if the viewing angle is equally bright in all areas. I think having read up I do want a brighter punchier screen to go with my ae900.

However I am a bit confused as it is a higher gain it should have less of a viewing angle yet the info about matt white suggests otherwise.

Will this screen give me hotspotting and hideous viewing angles on a 106" diag screen with a 10.5ft throw distance and seating area under the projector the width of the screen/room?

Fiberglass Matt White—The standard to which all other screen surfaces are compared. Matt white vinyl reflective surface laminated to tear-resistant woven fiberglass. A matt white surface diffuses projected light in all directions, so the image can be seen from any angle. Provides accurate color rendition as well as superior clarity. Recommended for use with all high light output projection devices. Requires control of ambient light in the audience area. Washable, flame and mildew resistant. Now available seamless in all standard sizes through 8' high. Gain Chart

Care and Maintenance: Clean surface with a solution of mild dishwashing liquid diluted with warm water. Sponge the surface; rinse with clear water and blot dry. Do not use cleaning solvents or abrasives


To be honest guys I am really huckled. Some nice guys on here recommended a 1.0 gain screen but taking into consideration bulb dimming, calibration and the fact that I do want it to be nice and bright for my own personal tastes I really dont know what to do. Would this be ott and wash out the colours on my ae900 or would this be ideally bright in low lamp mode after d65 calibration?

Thanks

[sbowler]

You will find most pj owners with around the 1000lumens output will opt for a 1.0gain screen. As you sumise higher gain fabric will wash out colors and lower black levels.
Why not ask what settings owners of the 900 use, with regards to brightness and there screen gain.
I have the panasonic 700 and a 82 inch screen throw distance of 3mtrs and the brightness is at -6, I find the picture extremely watchable at these settings, but each to there own.

[artois]

I just found out from the avsforums that the ae900 outputs only 350 lumens in low lamp mode when properly calibrated to d65.

This sounds very low to me in which case the 1.5 gain screen would produce a better image without washing out the colours. Am I wrong with that thought ?????

Even with the 1.5 this would only give 15ftl and thats when the bulb is brand new at its brightest. I am even more confused now. Especially considering that it seems as though most people are opting for a 1.0 screen as you say.

Is anyone out there using their ae900 with a 1.5 or 1.4 matt white screen? Whats it like?

[artois]

Please, anyone???????

[davee]

dont get too hung up about lamp brightness dimming over age, most lamps stay at optimum brightness for a long time due to the way they operate. When they do eventually dim you wont notice it until you come to replace the lamp, or the pj, when any improvement will come as a nice surprise

[Gary Lightfoot]

All screens with gain will be dimmer the further away from the center you are - the viewing area is described as a viewing 'cone'.

In order to get the extra brightness in the center, the screen 'robs' the light from going to the sides, and you will often find a half gain figure quoted in degrees which is the angle at which the light reflected will be half that as seen from the center.

Image brightness will vary with screen size, so 350 lumens on a small screen will be a lot brighter than on a larger screen. 1.3 gain is pretty much a safe bet without hotspotting being an issue, though I would prefer to see a higher gain material before buying (if possible) to see if adds any noticable image 'qualities' due to the screen make-up.

I'd agree that the black level will look brighter with a higher gain, but I'm not sure the colours would look washed out - brighter maybe, but I could be wrong. They certainly looked more vibrant when going from a unity gain material to a 1.25 gain material, so in my case it was an improvement having the higher gain.

Gary.

[artois]

Thanks Gary,

Does the throw distance make any difference to this effect of hotspotting and half gain on higher gain screens?

Unfortunatly I cant get a demo unless anyone can point me in the right direction near edinburgh?

Do you think the 1.5 gain would be too high for a small dark room such as mine with my seating options one right in the centre and another two, one just to the inside of each side of the screen. viewing distance will be 11ft roughly with the projector just above my head in the middle of the screen.

If I were to sit right in the centre, Would the screen look even or would the middle be bright with the edges alot darker. Is that part of how the viewing cone works or is it dependant on where you actually sit? as to how bright the entire screen will be?

[Gary Lightfoot]

Some projectors are brighter the closer they are to the screen than further away due to the optics, but by how much depends on the model. I've only seen the Sony Ruby measured at 25% difference which is quite a bit.

Also, the closer the pj, the wider the zoom, the bigger the angle of reflection so more light will try to escape to the sides. The further back the pj is, and with the zoom in a smaller size, the more contrast you should have (but again, by how much will vary). The angle of reflectance will be tighter so more light will come back to the central viewing position. I've not experimented to see what difference this has with a particular screen gain though.

This may have a noticable effect on hotspotting but I couldn't really say by how much, but the viewing cone of the screen should remain the same I would think. You shouldn't notice the edges being dimmer though - CRTs typically are approx 50% dimmer at the edges than the center, and that's only noticable if you look for it.

You could try avsforum as there is a lot more experience over there with this, and you might get some more 'hands-on' replies.

Gary.