Need recommendations for projector screens ... (1 Viewer)

[ahmadka]

Hi guys ... I'm back with another thread, this time discussing which projector screen should I use for my home theater room .. I've looked online, and it seems there are quite a few types of screens one could get, so I needed some guidance on what kind of stuff to look at ..
Some points:
1) Basically, I plan to use the Panasonic 7000 (or the new 8000) or the Epson 5010 (or the new Epson 5020 or 6020) projector ... Majority of my content will be 2D based, but occasionally there will be 3D stuff as well ..
2) The screen size will be between 120" and 130" I think ..
3) I want to get a *good* screen that I'll not regret later on .. But at the same time, I don't want to go crazy and spend all my money on the screen ..
4) My budget for all the home theater equipment is now about $7000 ~ $8000 (it has to cover the projector, the a/v receiver, the subs, any amplifiers, the projector screen, and all the wiring) ... So I don't want to go above $1000 for the projector screen
5) At this point I'm not sure if it will be a fixed screen or not, whether it will be curved or not ...
6) I'm also not sure if it would need to be perforated or not, because I haven't figured out the placement for the center speaker yet .. But most likely it will need to be perforated I think, as the center speaker normally goes behind the screens in home theaters, I think ..
Before giving me any screen recommendations, please do try to explain the logistics behind the above points (if its needed) ... This will increase my own knowledge too, so that I can also try to find screens myself ..
Even at this point, I still have the idea that projector screens are really a no-brainer kind of thing, because they are essentially just plain white sheets, and so should not be expensive or complicated ... I know this is a wrong assumption, but I just don't know why ... I hope you guys can help me out

 

[schan1269]

$1000 for your screen, even AT(perforated), is doable...
You need to decide if you want to "buy a kit" that you put together in 20 minutes, or spend half the money(or spend the same for better) and buy "raw material" where it will take 3-4 hours to set your screen up...
Personally I always recommend AT...because I'm an audio guy.
Obviously a non-AT screen can be done for less money(read the ProjectorCentral area for screens made under $100. Sherwin Williams has a paint that rivals $2500 screens...). I have a friend of mine who painted his "theater wall" in Porter Paint. The screen is in a "off-gray", sorta like egg shell and satin gray mixed. Looks fabulous...in his house. His projector is in a room with a 40% window wall to the outside and a kitchen done in "Greek stucco". The rest of the wall(roughly 4 feet from the floor) is done in chalkboard paint as his wife runs a daycare from home(reason for the painted wall...and not a mounted screen). Took him 4 years to figure out this satin gray/egg shell mixture. But, that is the beauty of paint. Cheap, and if you change your mind...so what. Go buy another couple pints of paint.
But before you can really get suggestions...
Fine tune your speaker plans...
I've seen "hybrid" paint and AT. The center was wall mounted and its "original" cover was left in the box. They made a 5x8 AT screen to cover the center speaker, the remainder of the screen is paint. And yes, it took some trial and error on the paint to get it "not obvious". You have to look for the center to know it is there.

 

[schan1269]

By the way, there are numerous reasons to paint a "borderless" screen...
When you switch from 16:9 to 2.40:1...you can turn the black bars off in the projector and "nobody" knows they are missing anything.