Advice on Projector Screens please... (1 Viewer)

[BrettisMckinney]

So far ive managed to use my Panny AE700 on my beige wall in a rented apartment with satisfactory results. I really wanted to get a screen and apart from models etc there is some things I dont quite understand.

I see that they come is aspects 16:9 and 4:3. For me its just for DVD so obviously 16:9. Now i'd prob be looking at 92-100". So what happens when dvds are different aspects? 2:35:1 and 1:85:1 etc? Do you just resize the projector to fit on? I notice on 2:35 films i still have greyish bars underneath, do you just squeeze them under the screens border? Im a bit confused how it all works out.

A fixed screen with a black border is what i'd like to have.

 

[Jim Mcc]

When you watch something other than 16:9, you will black bars on the top and bottom, or on the sides if watching 4:3 material. Most projectors allow you to stretch the 4:3 image horizontally to fill the 16:9 screen, but it looks bad(people look too fat). Some projectors allow you to stretch the image vertically to get rid of the bars on top and bottom, but I've never seen how that looks.

 

[BrettisMckinney]

I dont think mine stretches vertically, atleast i dont know how to do it. I notice that if i watch 1:85:1 is perfect but on 2:35:1 i have black bars top and bottom.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

Yes you will have bars of course with material wider than 16:9.

You really should get or make a screen of some sort, a beige wall just does NOT cut it at all. Something like the high power is always a simple choice for instance and quite reasonable. There is always blackout cloth as well.

 

[BrettisMckinney]

So what happens to the bars when you use a screen though? They do just sit under the border of the screen?

 

[Jack Gilvey]

If your 16:9 image fills a 16:9 screen, then of course the black bars for 2.35 will be on the screen, same as a 16:9 TV. The image can't get any wider (like it does in a theater), so it gets shorter to fit. Nothing too involved, just geometry.

I use a 2.35 screen in a "constant height" setup so only my width changes...but's that's way beyond the scope of this thread.

 

[ChrisWiggles]

With a fixed 16:9 screen, you just get black bars on the screen, i.e. dead area with no image (like a 16:9 TV with black bars).

You can design systems with variable masking(height or width or both) etc, anamorphic lenses etc that can essentially alter the effective screen size/AR to eliminate the bars, but as Jack points out it is a bit more complex than just the basics of a basic fixed screen.

 

[BrettisMckinney]

Thanks for the information guys. I think i will go for a motorized one and hopefully i can mount it on a couple of screws and get away with it in the place im renting