Projector screens

Knowing which projector to get will now aid you in projection screen decisions. I chose to get the Epson 5010, which helped me to decide if I needed a special screen or not. A secret best kept by retail salespersons is: The more expensive ‘special’ screens are developed for darker projectors or rooms with moderate to high-lit rooms (example: living room with lights on and blinds/shades open). Since you’ve decided to convert a bedroom into a theater, chances are there will be little to no light in the room while the projector is on. However, if you do not plan on darkening your theater (we will discuss darkening in a future post) you might have to spend the extra money and get a special screen that has a gain greater than 1.0. Gain is the reflectiveness of the screen.  A gain of 1.0 is reflecting 100% of the light from the projector, but a gain of 1.2 reflects 20% more (consumersearch.com). Knowing your projector’s capabilities is key to shopping for screens. My projector could allow me to get any size screen from 52” to 110”, according to the image size calculator. Below is a screen shot to show how I determined this.

Now that the smallest and largest possible screen sizes are known, you need to decide what size will look best for you. I suggest drawing (in pencil) the screen measurements on the wall and sitting in a chair in the spot where you will have your seating. If you have to turn your head to look at the far corners of the screen, your screen is too large. I decided on a 92” screen because 100” would have been too large for my room.

So, next is deciding where to purchase your screen. You can try your local electronics store, or shopping online. I found my screen on ebay for approximately $120 (after tax/delivery). It did come needing installation, which was simpler than I thought it would, but it was worth it for getting a screen with black velvet border for cheap!  Below is a picture of the finished product.

While searching for my screen, I stumbled across a video on YouTube showing how to build your own custom sized screen.

This was a little too cumbersome for me, but it is something to consider if the screens you are finding are too expensive for your budget.

References

Epson image size calculator. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.epson.com/alf_upload/landing/distance-calculator/

w., T. (2008, February 29). In-wall wiring guide: Installing speaker, audio/video, and ethernet cable. Retrieved from http://www.crutchfield.com/S-ZrYF64MT4vg/learn/learningcenter/home/inwall_wiring.html