White Walls OK?

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Advice please?

I'm just about to plunge into the seedy world of owning a PJ :smashin:

PJ will be about 4-5m away from a good sized wall so I guess I should get a decent picture size.

Was going to buy the Panny AX100 and just paint the wall pure white.

Will this be OK? I'll mostly be using at night when it's dark and have Sky HD, a 360 and a wii to hook up via some sort of HDMI enabled receiver which I havent bought yet - any thoughts ? :lease:

Thanks
 
nope, unless its projector paint then it isnt really going to look great, you will get a flat, lifeless image......... if your spending that much money on a panny, get a screen at least, you won't be seeing the true potential of what you projector can really do....... remember in any PJ setup the PJ is one half and the screen is the other!

Read this!
 
nope, unless its projector paint then it isnt really going to look great, you will get a flat, lifeless image......... if your spending that much money on a panny, get a screen at least, you won't be seeing the true potential of what you projector can really do....... remember in any PJ setup the PJ is one half and the screen is the other!

Read this!

Sorry but really disagree on that one. I can tell you right now that the single best image I've had from my projector was'nt even on a blooming flat white painted wall.. it was from a cheapo white BUMPY-wallpaper wall!! Oh and because I was sitting at more than 1.5x the screen size away I could'nt tell the bumps were there nor the joins in the wallpaper strips :DThe single biggest thing that will make your image look flat more than any other is letting light seep into the room. Once you do that you'll loose the darkest blacks in your image giving it a lot less depth to it, if you can avoid that you'll be fine.

If your really that worried then at least give it a try first on a wall to try it out and then if your still not sure go out and buy some "goo" ....

I'm not the only one who's not using "proper" screens to watch with and having great success with it, some of the guys around here are using blackout blinds to project onto and are reporting great results.

But like any good advice... use your own eyes and judge it for yourself. A white wall will produce more than satifactory results for 95% of people. If you project onto the wall and don't like what you see then hey.. get a screen put up in front of it..

So yes.. I'm probably the only guy on the planet who's got "HD Wallpaper"... :rotfl: and yes before anyone says otherwise... my eyesight is perfectly fine thanks..! ;)
 
Thanks guys - always nice to get a definitive answer :rotfl:

think I'll try it on the wall as it stands - a sort of cream bumpy wallpaper and if it looks ok I'll paint it.

Cheers!
 
Lol.. :smashin:

At the end of the day mate.. it's your eyes that know best. Whats the worst that can happen.. you stick the projector on, not like the image you see and then go and spend out hundreds on a decent screen while at best you'll stick it on, be surprised at how good it looks and save yourself a fortune to put towards your next gadget...:D

Honest to god, my wallpaper shows Blu-ray and HD DVD beautifully... and I'm using a Sanyo Z5 which is pretty comparable to what you'll be using. Oh and the other added benefit is that the wall will put out whatever shape picture you want it too.. 16:9.. 4:3 .. and whatever image size you settle on. Not everyone wants an image HUGE etc.. some guys like to sit more at the back of the cinema while others like to sit at the front.. and with a wall it's your choice as and when you want.. ;)
 
nope, unless its projector paint then it isnt really going to look great, you will get a flat, lifeless image......... if your spending that much money on a panny, get a screen at least, you won't be seeing the true potential of what you projector can really do....... remember in any PJ setup the PJ is one half and the screen is the other!

Read this!

I disagree as well. I use a screen but I know someone who uses a white wall and gets just as good image I do. He did paint the wall four times though.
 
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.... I too used to be happy projecting onto a white wall, but when I decided to dip for a screen, I was amazed at the clarity.... I got my screen for around £200 (90") which isnt too bad, of course there are higher grade ones.

Have a read of this:

http://projectorcentral.com/projection_screens_a.htm

http://www.projectorreviews.com/advice/screens/whyascreen.asp

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=19430&hl=screen

^^ It kinda explains this topic in a nutshell.

My opinion is just that if I spend a good amount of money on a projector, I want it to peform as best as it can so that I get maximum value for what I spent - of course some screens cost a crazy amount of money that even I wouldn't pay - but when you've bought a decent projector I think a <£200 screen isnt too bad. (£100-200 screens at www.ProjectorScreen.co.uk)

If you are going to go down the paint route, then as someone mentioned earlier, get some goo paint or search google for "projector x paint". This paint will have certain properties which will enhance the wall to give you an almost good effect as screens do.

... and remember as the link says, a projector screen will be with you for life, a projector wont...



Example (from 2nd link)

Stewart_Firehawk_projector_screen_vs_matte_screen.jpg


Here, matte white wall on the right, projection screen on the left, you can see the difference - some owners (like myself) are picky about this, but if your not at all bothered by it, then go ahead with the wall :) - hope thats "definitive" for you :D
 
If you have a good flat wall, two or three coats of bright white matt paint will give you performance not far from a matt white screen (not all screens have optical coatings btw). If you want something a bit more specialised like a grey screen or a screen with gain then you should look for proper screen material.

Having a black border looks nicer too, but if you want to keep the room looking like a lounge and don't want a screen on the wall, then compromises have to be made, and a good white wall can work well.

Gary
 
If you have a good flat wall, two or three coats of bright white matt paint will give you performance not far from a matt white screen (not all screens have optical coatings btw). If you want something a bit more specialised like a grey screen or a screen with gain then you should look for proper screen material.

Having a black border looks nicer too, but if you want to keep the room looking like a lounge and don't want a screen on the wall, then compromises have to be made, and a good white wall can work well.

Gary

The voice of reason. Personally I use a painted wall, its not white, forget the actual colour but it works very well. The pj is mounted on the ceiling permanantly and it doesnt matter what format the picture is the wall accomodates it. My room is not a dedicated cinema so as Gary says comprimises have to be made and unless I had a screen that disappeared into the ceiling when not in use and automatically adjusted to the format I'm prepared to accept the compromise. :thumbsup:
Each to their own
 
i'm with the above two posts. if you just get an ordinary screen the picture wont be any better, and even with an expensive screen you'd have to do a side by side comparison to see that yes, a screen gives a 5-10&#37; better image.

For me, nothing beats the wow factor of having an ordinary white living room wall one minute, and an awesome 100" tv the next :thumbsup:
 
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.... I too used to be happy projecting onto a white wall, but when I decided to dip for a screen, I was amazed at the clarity.... I got my screen for around £200 (90") which isnt too bad, of course there are higher grade ones.

Have a read of this:

http://projectorcentral.com/projection_screens_a.htm

http://www.projectorreviews.com/advice/screens/whyascreen.asp

http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=19430&hl=screen

^^ It kinda explains this topic in a nutshell.

My opinion is just that if I spend a good amount of money on a projector, I want it to peform as best as it can so that I get maximum value for what I spent - of course some screens cost a crazy amount of money that even I wouldn't pay - but when you've bought a decent projector I think a <£200 screen isnt too bad. (£100-200 screens at www.ProjectorScreen.co.uk)

If you are going to go down the paint route, then as someone mentioned earlier, get some goo paint or search google for "projector x paint". This paint will have certain properties which will enhance the wall to give you an almost good effect as screens do.

... and remember as the link says, a projector screen will be with you for life, a projector wont...



Example (from 2nd link)

Stewart_Firehawk_projector_screen_vs_matte_screen.jpg


Here, matte white wall on the right, projection screen on the left, you can see the difference - some owners (like myself) are picky about this, but if your not at all bothered by it, then go ahead with the wall :) - hope thats "definitive" for you :D

both those images have poor black detail ? if anything id go for a white wall as its brighter.
 
I used to use my white wall as projector screen and liked it so much I then painted the rest of the wall chocolate brown and just had a white huge rectangle to project onto. I reckon it used to look great and certainly wouldn't have changed to a screen had it not been for the fact that a plasma now resides on said wall.
 
Example (from 2nd link)

Stewart_Firehawk_projector_screen_vs_matte_screen.jpg


Here, matte white wall on the right, projection screen on the left, you can see the difference - some owners (like myself) are picky about this, but if your not at all bothered by it, then go ahead with the wall :) - hope thats "definitive" for you :D

Well, I agree that screens make a difference and the difference wil depend on the quality of the screen. But the example image is do not justify either use of screen or why not use wall.

Since the last 2 years i have been using a PJ and have never used a screen (due to limitations in fitting in a rented house :mad:)

I still project on a yellow wall and get a good picture. I use white peaking to make the whites better. Some screenshots on my yellow wall.

aa_11.jpg

aa_10.jpg

aa_07.jpg

aa_20.jpg

aa_18.jpg
 
I can't see where the Stewart screen image is linked from, but the Stewart split screen isn't of a white screen and a white wall, but their Studiotec 130 material alongside their Firehawk greyscreen material. It shows the advantage of a grey screen vs a white screen with ambient light.

Edit: found it here:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/Stewartfilmscreen/Firehawk/index.asp

The image here shows a split screen that Stewart normally displays at tradeshows, with the left side being the Firehawk G3 material. The right side is a matte white surface. You can see how well the Firehawk does around ambient light - the right side is significantly washed out, and the Firehawk looks great.

Funnily enough, even Don Stewart himself said that a white wall with 2 or 3 coats of paint can be close to a matt screen.

Gary
 
Well spotted Gary, I did wonder how the OP managed to get a white wall with a Stewart logo on it :oops:
 
Sorry, meant dalar not eec3 for the image
 
I am projecting onto a virtually flat magnolia wall (new house so its not bumpy) and the picture looks awesome (the whites are whites!).

Trust me if the picture was noticeably affected I'd be the first to get a screen...
 
The eye has it's own 'white balance' so you may see white even though it isn't until you place a white reference in view. :)

Gary
 
My Owl screen control is fried, so I've been projecting onto the wall for the last few months. The image is perfectly satisfactory, it's just a Dulux emulsion - Nude Glow is the colour.

I'm not in any hurry to get the screen working again, though it would be a bit better, obviously.

Saying the screen makes half the difference is something I'd question TBH.
 
The eye has it's own 'white balance' so you may see white even though it isn't until you place a white reference in view. :)

Gary

That is the best explanation Gary :). I have seen this by putting a white paper and could see the diffrence. keeping the paper side by side it looks bit bluish but that is due to the colour corrections i have done against a yellow wall. And white material looks a bit brighter...
 
superb example Andy

I had to cut and past the square to believe it !!!

just how easy the eye is tricked
 
lol, I had to do that too.

I'd firstly cut too small holes into a piece of paper, and placed it over the monitor, but they still looked different shades.

I couldn't believe it when I cut and pasted. It really is the best optical illusion I've ever seen.
 
I used Vogel's Mighty Brighty screen paint. I have to say that the difference (from a white wall) is great. What surprised me though is that the picture was better with the base coat alone. This was a very light grey and made the contrast really stand out. The top layer had a brightness boost but it doesn't make that big a difference. However, the REALLY big difference is teh black magnetic border tape you can stick to the wall. It makes it real cinematic experience. Pictures here of the screen before border http://www.flickr.com/photos/7654016@N08/sets/72157601907377799/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7654016@N08/1342982282/

I'll put some up with the border later
 

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