Projection Screen Advice - For LCD

Russ

Established Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2000
Messages
214
Reaction score
16
Points
82
Location
Warwick, UK
Hi,
I know there are lots of threads about screens here - I have been reading them, but they dont quite answer all of my questions ! So would you please help and share your experiences !

My living room / HT is not ideal - it has cream walls, a white ceiling and the screen will be at one end (where there is a large window/door to the garden. The plan is to ceiling mount a Sony VPL-vw12HT and project onto a screen of some 80" - 90" across - seating distance will range from 9' - 10', but mainly 14'.

Ideally I would like an electric mechanism, but more importantly,
Should I go for grey or matt white ?

How prone are screens to RIPPLE (horizontal creasing after being stored for a 2-3 wks) and curling ? - especially at the edges ?

Budget is £700 ish and I have found that the Direkt2u screens at www.Direkt2u.co.uk screens do fit into this budget - does anyone have any experience of using them - especially the 1mm thick materials ? Also, some the screens Gordon sells might fit into the budget too (maybe pull down though)


Also, where can I buy long (ish) component video cables (phono- phono) to connect from the PJ to my DVD player ?

Thanks for your help !
Russ

Thanks for your help
 
I'm not by any means a screen expert - Gordon is your man. However, for this PJ, and given the colour of your decor, I'd go for grey.

As for cables - Lektropacks.
 
I tried out a few samples before choosing my screen and eventually chose a 7ft screen from D.R.H. Screens. It was the cheapest ;)

In the end it was Matte white that won. The grey screen samples had darker blacks but in comparison the colours and whites weren't so good. It did look great on it's own though.

What's the point of an electric screen I thought? Before buying a manual one! It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of rolling up the manual screen but I've got it now :clap: Though if I was doing it again I'd have got some prices on an electric screen.... and getting it remotely controlled.

My room has cream walls like yours and the number one thing I would do different would be not to have black masking around the screen. Having an area of real black around the picture just shows how grey the LCD blacks are. The samples that I had taped to the walls had better perceived black levels as the walls were light. This prolly wouldn't be quite such an issue if I had picked a grey screen instead. :rolleyes:

Gordon seems a helpful guy. There's not a lot of point him advertising if no-one calls. :)
 
Thanks - I will be calling Gordon for a firm quote (hope he is back from Bristol !) This is not an easy subject !

Just wanted to know if anyone had bought the direct2u screens and could comment on quality ?

Russ
 
I haven't seen a grey screen in action. I tried a grey wall and I didn't think the difference was that much. The only grey screens I saw were the stewart ones that were too epensive for me.

I bought a projecta screen in the end. It was a projecta procinema electrol 180*102cm 16:9 in matte white. I got it from nexnix for £450.

I went for an electric screen because I thought that:
a) there was a good chance the roller drum in an electric screen might be bigger in diameter with the motor inside and hence the screen won't be curved and bent as much.

b) using a pull-down screen places stretching strains on the screen and introduces the possibility of incorrect roll up and introducing creases and ripples. At least if you get an electric screen and it develops a ripple or crease, you can blame the mechanism and get it replaced under warranty (I checked this out with the supplier and this is what they said).

c) An electric screen can be programmed to stop at a predetermined point which is 100% repeatable. Good for exactly filling the screen with your image.


Cables:

With component video it is important that the properties of the 3 cables are matched so that the signals arrive at the same time. In a long cable, the quality obviously becomes more important.

While I wouldn't bother with the garbage that hifi shops tell you about cables, I wouldn't buy cheapest you can manage either.

Farnell might sell component cables, as might keene electronics (search on the web). You would be better off with a component cable than with 3 separate 75ohm cables because of timing issues - they need to be all electrically the same length.

Kind Regards
John
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom