One of the most important things to remember about getting good picture quality when using a front projector is to have the room as dark as you possibly can. And by that I mean that the room should really be pitch black. Because whatever light there is in the room reflects off the screen and becomes the minimum black level you’ll end up seeing.

But Planar wants to go about changing that with a screen that tries to reflect as little ambient light as possible and as much projector light as possible.

The screen does an admirable job of fulfilling up to its promises. But only if you’re sitting in its considerably small sweet spot. But if the ability to watch a movie with ambient on is what you want, that’s the trade-off you’ll have to live with. Oh - and the fact that the 60″ screen weighs 69 pounds (rigid frame) and costs $1,399. (And it only goes up from there.)

Planar Xscreen — Home Theater with the lights on

Sony is making waves with their 1080p SXRD front projectors, the Ruby and now the Pearl. Panasonic has announced a new 1080p LCD which will probably be price competitive with the Pearl. More 1080p projectors are being announced all the time. With all these 1080p projectors coming on the market, does that mean anything for those who want to sell you screens to go along with them?

Well, if you’re Stewart and make your living selling stuff like home theater projection screens, the answer is their new FireHawk G3 1080p screen for 1080p projectors. From what I can see, the only real thing they’ve enhanced about this screen versus other screens is its “reduced surface texture”. I can see that being important. This particular screen has a gain of 1.25, in case you’re interested.

Stewart Introduces FireHawk G3 1080P Screen Engineered For 1080P High-Definition Projectors

Every once in a while you see articles about how to make a projector screen. Like this article about making a projector screen for less than $100. Now Engadget has another similar article about making yourself your own projector screen, and they include a shopping list, instructions, photos, the works.

How-To: Make a custom projector screen

One of the people that replied to the above article suggested building your own retractable screen, and he’s got some pictures and videos to boot! But his instructions aren’t as detailed. The cool thing is that it’s remote controlled!

Remote controlled projection screen

My friend the other day held up his hand, wiggled his fingers, and said “purely decorative”. That is to say, he is not a handy-man. I could have said the same thing. I felt proud of myself when I put up some light fixtures in my house. The idea of finishing my basement is daunting, though maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to do it.

One of the things I might consider doing is to create my own screen. Projector Central has a tutorial about how to create a screen for less than $100. That’s in contrast to the many hundreds that you could end up spending on a purchased screen.

Make a Projection Screen for under $100

I don’t own a front projector, though I hope to one day. (The Sony VPL-VW100 SXRD projector looks nice. I’ll take one of those please!) So I don’t know too much about different kinds of projector screens yet. But I think they might be a lot like tires. Tires are what actually connect your car to the road and are therefore one of the most important things on your car. Similarly, the screen is where all that work the projector does actually gets showcased to your eyeballs. So therefore the kind of screen you buy must be pretty important. You wouldn’t want a screen to ruin all the hard work your projector does, do you?

Which makes me wonder about this screen from Screen Innovations. Supposedly it’s for use in high ambient light conditions. Wouldn’t it be somewhat of a waste to use a projector in those kind of conditions? Maybe. But Screen Innovations is definitely trying to show off your projector in both the best and worst of lights.

It succeeds, to a certain extent:

If the room has a fair amount of ambient light, but isn’t bathed in sunlight during the daytime, a projector, combined with the Visage screen would allow you to skip the plasma, and rely on the projector, at least for normal TV/HDTV type viewing, sports, etc. If you are trying to watch a movie with a dark scene, if there is a fair amount of light in the room, you may be able to seem most of the action, but dark areas will still be mostly washed out.

Projector Reviews - Screen Innovations Visage High Gain Screen

A bedsheet. A bedsheet on a frame. A wall. A wall painted white. A wall painted with special paint.

If you’re on a limited budget, there are lots of ways you can go to get that projector’s image to show up on something watchable. But for the absolute best performance, nothing can beat a real screen.

ultimate AV has a great article about screens that go up and screens that go down. Starting at the beginning: your projector and desired screen size. Then go from there. A great resource.

Link: ultimate AV - Screening the Screens

Recently ultimate AV reviewed Sony’s Dark Screen, a screen that reflects only red, green, and blue light, and doesn’t reflect ambient light. This screen works better in bad lighting conditions than your typical screen for front projectors. (Where “bad lighting conditions” means “any light at all”.)

Now Screen Innovations has introduced their Mirage Screen, another screen that does well under bad lighting conditions.

The screen features a high-contrast filter covering 60% of the screen surface which allows images to be reflected by the screen and also absorbs incidental light from other angles. By absorbing light coming in through windows or other sources, the screen is mostly unaffected by ambient light.

The screen comes in a wide variety of sizes in both 4:3 and 16:9 shapes.

Link: audio|video Revolution - Projection Screens for Bright Rooms

When Sony first announced their black-screen technology, and the masses agreed that this sounded really cool. A screen that only reflected red, green, and blue light, so that it can be used in a room with lights on. And the screen is black! Neato!

As it turns out, the screen is actually dark-grey. But it is still worth checking out. ultimate AV has a review:

Keep in mind that there are an infinite variety of interior lighting schemes that might be used with the ChromaVue. In the setup I used, it can provide an improved image over a high-quality white screen. But with the most difficult program material, which plays an important role in many films, you’ll need to keep the room lighting well subdued, even with this screen. The ChromaVue certainly can’t be expected to compete with bright sunlight. You’ll still get the best image any projector is capable of providing by using a good, conventional screen in a totally darkened room. But if your room’s ambient light can’t be completely controlled, and you have a suitable projector, the ChromaVue might help you see a better picture under less-than-ideal conditions.

Link: ultimate AV - Sony HCS-80 ChromaVue High-Contrast Home Theater Screen

ultimate AV has a review of the ClearPix2 acoustically transparent screen by Screen Research. The screen lets sound pass through, so you can place speakers behind the screen. I am considering this approach once I make my first million and can build a custom home theater. But seriously, having three speakers across the front that are identical (not like most people who have with a sideways center channel speaker) is actually the way to produce the best sound. The store where I bought my receiver (Dewars) highly recommends this approach, and it’s what movie theaters use and THX recommends (if I remember correctly). Using an acoustically transparent screen is one way to accomplish this.

Their ClearPix2 has already received certification from both THX and the Imaging Science Foundation (ISF). It is not perforated; instead, it is woven using microscopic fiberglass strands coated in vinyl and then woven in a propriety and patented knit design. It’s also available in all of the most popular configurations, including fixed and retractable. A variety of masking systems are also available for both fixed and motorized applications.

The choice of any screen involves compromises, either audio or video, and sometimes both. But in my experience, the advantages offered by the Screen Research ClearPix2 are significant and well worth considering for those who want to get the undeniable advantages of locating one or more of their front speakers behind the screen. It’s not without its own tradeoffs, but with the right choice of projector and screen size, I highly recommend it.

Link: ultimate AV - Screen Research ClearPix2 Acoustically Transparent Front-Projection Screen

If you’re going for the BIG IMAGE in your home theater, you have to look at front projection technology. There are many kinds of front projectors, including CRT, LCD, DLP, and LCOS. But one thing all those things have in common is the screen. You need something to project your images onto. It is a vital part of the system, and if the screen isn’t up to snuff, it will compromise your whole home theater experience. That being said, while you see a lot about projectors in the AV media, you don’t see a lot about screens. Which is why it’s great that Audioholics stepped up to the plate with a review of Carada screens. If you own a projector, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Link: Audioholics
Link: Carada