Hi I am thinking of getting a 4:3 or 16:9 PJ screen with a viewable width of at least 9ft. I have seen there is a 4:3 Beamax R Series 10042 which is 9 ft 3" wide and is about 300 quid. Are there any other ready made inexpensive screens worth considering ? I thought custom made 16:9 would be expensive. Pull down would be OK, but pull up is prefereable...
I would strongly recommend 16:9 and not 4:3 as there is very little material on 4:3 you will find a lot debating 2.35:1 against 1.78:1 (16:9) Draper, DRH, Carada, beamax, and lots of others including more expensive options like stewart. I would read a few threads to understand viewing distances, lumens required from the pj and also consider fixed screens
There are a few 290cm wide 16:9 pull down screens on this page that match your £300 budget: 16:9 Manual Screens <br>Matte White Surfaces - CVSMedia Before you order though, some information about your room and PJ might help. If you have light walls and ceiling, plus ambient light, a white screen might tend to look washed out. You could get a grey screen or maybe one with gain depending on your PJ as that is quite a large size and some will struggle to light it up properly. The screen really makes a difference as I've just found out, going from a grey hi gain directional screen to a white lower gain wide viewing angle screen. I have gained a smoother surface which shows more detail, but I've lost the deeper blacks for example (I'm now improving my room to reduce reflections so I can have my old black levels back again).
What about this? Optoma Panoview Manual DS9120PMG Projector Screen I can't rate the service from these guys highly enough.
Thanks for replies. I am using an Optoma HD80 DLP PJ in a living room with magnolia walls, the latter of which display a reasonable image, if slightly yellower whites. Ideally I would like slightly bluer whites and no nail holes ! I do most viewing at night, 2.35 material via a vertical compression anamorphic lens but with white walls there are reflections. I want to keep the walls the way they are though and I don't feel the need for masking round the screen given that I use an anamorphic lens. That Optoma screen has an enticing price . Their HD80 isn't cheap and nasty, I would hope that this screen isn't either. I suppose 16:9 screen would be better that 4:3. I am not overly keen on a 2.35 screen as I want more of an open canvas to project onto. Any further thoughts appreciated ... Would a matte white be OK ? Has anyone seen the 270cm x 152cm Sapphire Parklane 16:9 Matte White Model: SWS270WSF-ASR (195 quid) The surface gain is 1.1, whatever that means ... I'm a screen newbie Alternatively there is the 300 quid 277cm x 156cm (120") Beamax R-Series 16:9 matte White Slow Retraction Model: 10046 with free Free Delivery. Is it a significantly better quality screen than the Sapphire Parkway , or little more than brand name ?