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Projector Screens
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:13 pm
by David Rowlands
We are a small club that has recently acquired a Panasonic 3000 Projector. We would like to purchase a suitable screen. Requirements are: 16:9 format, approx.8 feet wide, self standing, rigid when erected (ie no curling at the screen edges). It should be portable. The Draper Ultimate 230 x 128 cm folding screen looks ideal, but the price is a little steep for us. It would be used not only for club nights, but also to present shows at small & medium size halls. Any advice gatefully received.
Re: Projector Screens
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:59 pm
by Dave Watterson
First:
With that projector you could use almost any white surface and get a good picture.
Second:
I have attended international film festivals where the "screen" was a white sheet hung from a pole and commercial cinemas with huge patches on their screens ... no one complained in either case !
Third:
Nonetheless a good screen will enhance your pictures.
Fourth:
A black border is a must and it is wise to spend some money on black cloth to drape over tables, speaker stands and so on. (You are having your speakers at either side of the screen about half-way up it aren't you ?!!)
Fifth:
Avoid having an empty screen on show. If you can fit up simple curtains good. Otherwise have a colour-wheel or similar lamp to shine on screen before and after films.
Please remember that part of the screen market is aimed at home theatre people who mainly watch commercial DVDs and want a "cinema experience". In practice this often means relatively dim images ... it sounds odd but that's what you get in cinemas. Those images are intended to be seen in controlled situations where there is very little other light. Many screens for that market feature "grey" rather than white surfaces ... and they cost the Earth.
The general video club and public show scene is different. What audiences there want are clear, bright images. You are usually showing in a hall with a fair amount of emergency lighting. Frankly most audiences will not notice any curved edges etc ... though it is better to avoid them, of course.
Usually it is best to go for the matt white surface rather than any beaded/lenticular style. Those fancy ones concentrate the light from the screen into a narrow beam ... which makes it brighter for those in the middle of the hall and darker for those at the sides. Given you wish to use it for travelling shows matt white gives the best spread of light for various halls.
One possibility:
Optoma DP-9080MWL is available at around £135 inc VAT It is of the old-fashioned type which you place on a table and pull up out of its box.
Dave
Re: Projector Screens
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2009 10:35 pm
by billyfromConsett
We've got a 7 feet wide pull-up screen and it just about fits into a car. Any wider and you might have transport problems.
It'll cost you at least £200 for a decent quality one. Here's the kind I'm thinking of, which might be the sort of job you're after.
http://www.projectorscreen.co.uk/pp/Pro ... 118mm.html
I could dig out the details of ours which I looked hard for a good price for, if you're interested.
A cheap one, which I saw in ****** (can't say publically), looked like it would last about 5 minutes - infact one of the plastic catches was already knacked, so for mobility and lots of use, quality is what's needed.