92" projector screen. (1 Viewer)

[steveGamble]

Draper Luma sillhouette vs EluneVision. ?

WHICH 92 INCH PULLDOWN SCREEN ?
I am putting a 84 to 92" projector screen in my just finished 12 x 20HT room.
I have researched projectors, and for the dollar...I am iether going for;
Infocus4805.
Or get a sanyo plv z4, or comparable.. and stick with it longer.
This is for 100% DVD's only.

I don't Like SDE at all.....I sit 10 to10'8" from eyes to screen, but have a seond row of seats further back.

I am looking for screen recomendations 92" manual pull down, to pull down in front of the DLP TV, for DVD's
Tension tab screens ?? Do they make a difference ?
Hi contrast screens,, do they make a P.Q. difference ?
OR..Does it depend on the projector ?

ANY ADVICE?

I use a Panasonic s77s upconverting DVD player via DVI, to 720p
But the infocus at 500 bucks on eBay may tide me over til' next spring.

Really Need screen recomendations from anyone out here ?
Budget?? 200 to 500 range.? give or take.

 

[steveGamble]

I got to look at a 854 x 480 toshiba MT200 with DVD connected via component set to 480p.
Looked pretty good except for the screen door effect. 92" screen at 10 feet away. in store
with some ambiant lighting..Would 854 x 480p DLP be different on a front projector ?
even with this lower resolution..?

infocus 4805 , say to a Optima H31 ?

any recomendations.?
are the 1280 x 720 ones twice as good , as they are twice the price ?
on avg.

 

[JediFonger]

first thing is first. what's your budget?

if $1,000, any of the Da-Lites.

$1,000-3,000, any of the stewart firehawk series.

$3,000+, i HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend ClearPIX2 so you can place your speakers BEHIND the screen like the cinemas. none of the competitions do a better job. have yourself a listen and find a local distributor with a setup.

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Appears like your budget is quite tight. Consider Carada.com screens.

Personally, I still recommend gray screens for improved black levels.

Regards

Gregg

 

[steveGamble]

My budget, depends on the future of 1080p...? I am thinking of a starter projector until I can get a 1080p.
I have a amazing dedicated HT room just finished, and set up with a sammy DLP 61" for high def viewing.
I just want to pull down a 92" screen in front of my DLP for watching DVD's on my upconverting panny s77s.
I don't need a acoustically transparant screen as my entire set up is beautifully done.
Just wondering for DVD's will a screen make a big difference with a Infocus 4805, or panny ae900u ? something along those lines. 1,000.00 to 2,000.00
projector.
I'd be happy for DVD's on a 480p...but !! I don't like SDE...so that's why I consider the panny.
92" diagonal screen viewed from 10 to 10 1/2 feet away.
Is the panny worth double the money ??
or the ae700u ? eBay for a grand . demo model.?
I just spent 35,000.00 on this room so wife says no more gear til it is all paid off.
Just in time for 1080p stuff to be affordable under 3k...he...he

 

[steveGamble]

MUST be a retractable screen.
gray..improves black levels ? never heard that before. just contrast, or same thing really.?
High contrast screen doubles in price at my future shop.
would I get more benefit ,putting that extra $ into a higher res. projector.?

 

[Gregg Loewen]

You woulld have had more benefit by putting $25K into the room and then $10K into the gear, rather than cutting the corners on what will make the most difference.
I will try to return later this evening to answer your other questions.
Regards
Gregg

 

[Andrew Pratt]

That's not necessarily true. In my room I have a 56" widescreen RPTV that I use for watching TV on and a 92" drop down screen for movies. Now in my case since the center channel speaker has to sit on top of the RPTV I required a transparent screen which pretty much means going the comercial route vs the more typical DIY options. What I ended up doing was ordering the screen material from Dazian (they have an eBay store) and custom building a frame to stretch the fabric over. Its very easy to do and will save you a lot of money. Is it as good as a Stewart? No but its good enough not to be distracting and will free up money to let you get a projector that won't have SDE problems (I recomend the Z4). As I mentioned above you had said that it needed to be a pull down screen but how I got around that with my fixed frame screen was to simply attach it to the ceiling with hooks and then just swing it up out of the way when not in use and attach it with another set of hooks. I covered the back with black acoustically transparent cloth so that it blends in with the ceiling tiles and honest most people don't even notice it at first so its not the eye sore you might initially think. Just another option to consider.

 

[steveGamble]

That is EXACTLY what I was going to do.
I built a bulk head over the TV, and a stage under it and black curtains along ea. side., so it is kinda boxed in. Speakers 85" aprart, just enough for a 92" pulldown.
My center ch. polk CSi 5 is built into the stage that the TV sits on, about 15inches above the floor.Amazed how much better that sounds. So won't interfere with pull down screen, however the bulkhead is black stained pine, I was going to hinge a screen to it. fold up to ceiling, make a custom 1.85:1 aspect ratio. ??
Sanyo Z4 ?? heard it had SDE, unless I sit 2X screen width.
I will be sitting 1.6X screen width in my front row of seats.
Also Panny has (so I hear) has many mounting options, and a quiet fan ?
I don't know anywhere to see one, Ottawa Canada, so I have to buy based on opinions I can read.
So I Appreciate your opinions.
My 35k on my room included All my gear, cabling, etc.. HDTV Everything, I thought I did pretty good, Did all the work myself, when I close the door, my ears POP pretty good so I think I have her sealed.
I'm remote crazy, lights on remote with automatic movie setting, Almost black out. Door is manual though. I may put springs on the hinges.

 

[James D S]

Why not buy the Sanyo Z4 from an authorized dealer and try out the free 92" Draper pulldown that's being offered through Sanyo?

 

[steveGamble]

The 35K Included the gear. probably 50/50 split right now as I did All the work my self.
which is why I soon have to stop spending on gear for a while a year or two, everything is new.
But now it is so nice, compared to my old living room set up, that I want a projector.
The store would not take back the DLP 61" after 80 days, so I'll keep it for HDTV programming, and add a projector for DVD's, when family comes over etc..
So I need a temporary 1 to 2 year projector and screen that looks good, with NO Screen door effect at 10 feet.
Til my wife lets my toss another 5 k into the room.
1080p...+...Blueray...18 to 24 months...?
Thanks Gregg, for your advice.
Look foreward to your words of wisdom.
Panny ae700u vs panny ae900u , big price dif.
vs Sanyo Z4
vs In 4805 ????

 

[steveGamble]

I sent a email inquirey to eastporters about this.
They said the Panasonic blew the sanyo out of the water with performance
and that was much better eliminating the SDE ...which is my biggest concern.
I saw a toshibaMT200 at a store that was like looking at a scoreboard just a bunch of light bulbs grouped together to look like a image. 480p dvd.
it was 1499.00 plus taxes. So I began a eBay search.
500 to 1500 range I see...

In 4805...550.00 recondtioned
pannyae700u...999.00
panny ae900u...1499.00
sanyo plv z4...1499.00
mitsibishi HC3000u...1599.00
About the oly ones I recognize.
any of these you like ?? in order.
Oh and the Hitatchi pj tx100 at my local store for 2299.00 plus taxes.

 

[John Besse]

I would recommend a few different things. First, there is no need to spend tons of cash to make a great home theater using a projector. If you are sitting about 10-11 feet away from your screen I'd suggest a 72-84" screen to begin with. I made my 92" screen using hardboard and getting it cut at the home depot for less than $10. I purchased some Behr Silverscreen paint and mixed a gallon with a quart of white opal perlescent Behr paint. Then spray painted a black boarder around the edges and and used some wall anchors to mount it on the wall. I did this for less than $70 and am glad I never went the route of buying an actual screen. Over at the AVS Forum there is a Do It Yourself section for making screens. Check there, there are a lot of great recommendations for every budget.

I like the recommendation of the Sanyo Z4 with the screen. That is a good point and a great place to start. I love my Sanyo Z1 and Z2, but would recommend the Panny 900 at the moment. It is probably the better projector between the Z4 and 900. However, the Z4 will look amazing if all you are watching DVD, especially if they are upconverted.

If you want my $0.02, I'd say build the screen. It is cheaper, and if you don't like it... Somewhere down the road you can alway purchase a screen. That's how I started, and I'm not going to replace mine. Otherwise go with the Z4 and screen set-up. Either way... Best of luck, projectors are definitely a great way to go if you can get the room dark enough! ...And I would rule out the 4805, at the time it was a great projector. With the new stuff out you will never be completely happy with it, when compared to the other four projectors. Remember the 4805 is only a native 854x480 pixels and the rest are native at 1280x720 pixels. It will make a huge difference being that close to your screen.

 

[steveGamble]

You know what John....you have a point..84 or 92"...If I build one cheap ? I can also determine if 92 is too big at 10.5 feet away.
Just cut the home made screen down to 88" then 85.634".. etc.. til I find what looks best !
A lot of people say GO BIG, with projectors to get that theater feel.
I have a 61" DLP , so 72" seems not worth the trouble.
maybe 84"
The draper..is a 92 INCLUDING the borders 1.5 inch ea. side. so more like a true 88"-89" viewing area diagonal.. just a note.. I measured one.
I'll stay away from 480 res as you say. I'll always be wishing I got 720p
Just waiting for 1080p to come down.
Panasonic ae700u vs ae900u ???
I saw a review on line that showed pics sayint the 900 was only slightly noticably better, and may not be worth the big price difference, at only a slight improvement.
I see some ae700u on eBay open box? at 999.00
and Yep..I am ONLY watching DVD's upconverted panny s77s. DVI, to 720p.
panny can be placed 19 feet back on my rear wall,(18 feet lense to screen) on a shelf which is nice, easy to install, easy to service , clean etc..
Nice Bonus.

 

[JediFonger]

i sit about 5' away and love my 4:3 100" screen =). it's never too big.

re: DIY vs. buy. by the time it's all said+done, i bought a Da-Lite pull down screen for $200 delivered. why sweat when i can just mount+play? =).

 

[steveGamble]

5' from a 100" ??????? Do you have to swing your head back and fourth to see it all.?
Don't you have SDE at that distance.?

Da-lite pull down at 200 bucks Perfect...what model, do you like it fine, no regrets ?
sound perfect for me.!

and on another note..I'll need a long Optical audio about 25 30' anyone heard of Bluejean cable.
Think 30' will be a problem for audio? What do you use.?

 

[JediFonger]

if i move my recliner or a chair back 1 or 2 more feet i'll hit the bookshelf or block the project or block the path to exit the room.

my room's roughly 13'x16' or somn around that. my throw is about 10', the screen itself is 100' diagonal but fron 10' i can fill only about 90' diagonal max. it's a VERY SMALL room =).

 

[steveGamble]

I am going with a Sanyo PLV Z4,$1895.00 and a manual pull down Draper Luma High Contast 92 inch screen 459.00.
going to be able to place this 18.5 feet back on my rear wall with the DVD player, and only need a longer Optical audio cable. 25 to 30 feet.
sitting 1.6 x screen width. The whole thing with screen and cable is less than a projector only panny ae900 ? Canadian pricing. What gives Panasonic are they that much better to be a thousand dollars more thats a whole lot better.
Plus the Sanyo has a Three year warranty.
and automatic lens door upon turning off the unit. nice.
Thanks everyone for your input.
I'll be sure to come back and post a user opinion.

 

[TheTheaterGuru]

Ok I read the posts here and I will add my .02$.

I have been a dealer for over 22 years, and sold Draper as well as DaLite. I also sold Infocus and many other high end projectors. I have done celebrity and sports stars homes in upwards of $500K.

As far as which DaLite for the money, nothing beats the Luma2. They are under $200.00 all day long and go up to 165" for not much more.

I have 2 theaters in my home, 1 in the main room and 1 in the master bedroom.

In the main Room, I have a Vidikron CRT projector with the EluneVision 120" and its nothing short of spectacular. I was very leary in buying a $200.00 screen for a 9K projector, but am very satisfied I did. In fact, I was so happy, I sold my Draper Artisan 12' in the master bedroom and got another 120" EV and spent the rest on our bedroom furniture. In there, I have a InFocus LP530 DLP and its so bright and clear I had to turn down the brightness. (Which is fine for saving bulb life)

Things to consider are not always cost. While its true nowdays especially that for the most part you get what you pay for, be careful on some things. When considering what color screen material, dont focus on the colors so much that you dont see either. Gray and matt screens in silvers and light blacks, are made for video presentations not so much theater or videos where the image is always moving.

NTSC standards when a movie is filmed includes less than 1000 colors. When the image is edited and remastered, it is over 1/2 million. To this date, there is not a projector on the planet that will capture that all. Even if it did, Optometrists say the human eye is only capable of less than 300 colors.

Just remember that each screen color and material (matt,grooved, glass beaded etc.) serve a different purpose. Remember also that when you measure gain and gammas, that it is all within the index of where you are seated, never all around. The ambient light in the room is also a big factor or should be for which projector you get and use.

Finally with projectors, Remember that like a reciever, for the most part they do the same things. The first thing you should consider other than the price on any projector is the ANSI Lumens or brightness rating. And remember that CRT projectors dont go over about 8-900 lumens but that this is not that same as a 2400 lumen rating on a DLP. Remember that there are 3 CRTs or lenses, not 1 that runs on a laser or heat. This is why some experts say theres nothing that compares to a CRT projector. This is also why they cost more. They generally do not need new bulbs either, and the collor spectrum is far greater than that of a LCD or DLP. They just need a larger room because of their size. They also should be choice for larger screens.

I hope this helps you all, dont focus so much on the cost or what some ratings say from people who are not experienced to know the difference. I personally have a CRT and a DLP, and to me, they both have a few flaws and pluses. Eitherway, they do the trick very nicely. I will try and get some pics up here, I am new.

Best of Luck,

Dave

 

[Jim Mcc]

Dave, isn't the Luma 2 made by Draper? Are the pulldown screens still notorious for developing wrinkles?