Projector screen..manual vs. motorized?

[N. Abstentia]

Still continuing my education on projectors here :)

Other than the obvious (motorized sceen rolls down with the flick of the switch) are there any other differences in manual and motorized sceens? Is a motorized screen 'stiffer' than a manual screen, making it flatter and less wavy?

Either way this will be a permanent screen so even if it go motorized it will never be rolled up so I could care less about which is easier to pull down/up. If it will never be rolled, is there any reason at all to go motorized? I ask because the place where I'm getting my projector throws in a free manual screen but I can get motorized for a little more. The plan was to paint a screen on the wall but for free I'll give a cheap screen a try :)

[paul_pci]

Not that I really know much about this subject, but if you're building a dedicted HT room, are you going to be rolling up the screen? Would that be just to keep the dust off? And not that I have the money or wherewithal, but I've always like those screens that have artwork covers, so when you're not using the screen it's like having a painting on the wall. Of course, I've since forgotten the websites where I saw that.

[N. Abstentia]

Nope, like I said it will never be rolled up. It's permanent. I'm actually leaning towards just using the screen paint....that 'free' screen only costs $139 by itself and the 'free screen' bundle is $100 more than the non screen bundle so it's really just $39 off the screen really. If that screen would look $100 better than screen paint then i would get it but I don't think it will.

[kingdaddykeith]

I see no reason to get a motorized screen if you will never roll it up. I have one (Da-Lite cosmopolitan high contrast) and love it, but for me it's necessary, and is rolled up every night since it covers my built in entertainment cabinet and direct view TV.

There are drawbacks to motorized screens however if you use them regularly. They will wad up or come off the roll if you don’t have the limit switches set properly, nearly ruined mine.

IOW don’t buy one if you don’t need it, it’s no fun running the wire in the wall either.

[AVMASTER]

sounds like theres' no need for a motorized screen, however a good screen matched to the projector is always a good idea to get the most out of it; having said that-any " throw-in" screen is probably not the best way to go. Without knowing your projector choice i would look at a permanently tensioned screen with matching gain and high contrast material; maybe a black velvet frame to soak up the excess light. If this is part of a dedicated theater, you might want to look into acoustically transparent screens--may not be compatible with some lower end LCD projectors

[evil__betty]

I lean towards having a screen as opposed to wall paint when it comes to projector surfaces. I know that you are not planning on ever having the screen rolled up, however, you always want to be prepared for instances in the future where hving a completely white wall might be a draw back. When you see pictures of dedicated home theatre rooms, what do you see move of - white walls, or more cosmetically appealing screens? Now I know that when the lights are turned off, who really cares what the room looks like?

Some things to consider....

Will the room only be used for movies? Or will you ever sit down and listen to music in that room? Or do you have a dedicated two-channel stereo setup in another part of the house? Will you only be in that room when it is pitch-black in there, or do you want to be able to see what you are doing when you are setting things up for audio/video enjoyment?

Baisically, what I am getting at is that a white wall may not be the best choice if you ever want to do something in the room with the lights on. Not only that, but white walls often fall victim to fingerprints, dirt, and dings that might take away from the home theatre experience.

For the good quality paint that you would need, and the ammount of coats that you may have to apply, getting a higher quality screen might only be a matter of a couple hundred dollars between them. Personally, I believe that a good screen will out perform wall paint any day and have the best bang for buck and versitility. Between motorized and pull down - no difference except the motor.

Good luck with your search!

[N. Abstentia]

I have pretty much decided on the wall paint instead of the screen. I've seen a couple that were done right and the paint looked just as good, and there was no screen waviness to deal with. Plus with a screen you're stuck with one size no matter how good/bad it looks.

This will not be a white wall, all the walls will be a burgundy/orange and the screen will of course be grey/white with a black border.

This will be both for movies and music.

[evil__betty]

All that matters is that you have found a solution that you will be happy with! Can't wait to see the updated pictures!

[N. Abstentia]

Got the floor poured yesterday and took a day off to go listen to some Martin Logans that Tweeter had on sale for $3500, last pair he had. My Paradigms are definitely staying!

Also went to Home Depot (I had to take a day to do all this stuff because I have to drive like an hour to get to some real stores!) and asked them to point me to the Behr SilverScreen paint. You should have seen the stupid looks I got.

"They don't make that"

"It's right here in the Behr brochure"

".....uhh.....well they don't make it."

Morons.

[popolz]

N. Abstentia: I made myself a 106" 16:9 screen for 80$ CAN.

I used four 2x1x8 and 3 yards of blackout cloth and roughly 150 1/2" staples.

Took about 3h00 to build the frame and stretch the cloth on it.

It weight rougly 10-12lbs and it's hanging from the ceiling with three 3/4" hooks.


pic: http://upload.popolz.com/pics/DSC00027_small_bright.jpg

and don't look at my center "stand" :o :D

http://upload.popolz.com/pics/DSC00078_S.jpg