Projector Screens

Projector Screens are no doubt one of the most overlooked and under appreciated components to a great home theater. This piece is absolutely vital to the overall performance of the projector and has to match the type of projector well. There are a couple of things you need to consider first and then it gets a little more difficult after that:


Ambient Light

Ambient light in the room that you will be operating the projector in is the first thing that you should consider not only when purchasing a projector, but also the screen. The ambient light levels in the room determine whether you should have a glossy screen (high gain), a low gain (dull), or gray based screen. If you are looking for added contrast and at the same time think that you may have a fair amount of ambient light in the room, then you might want a gray colored screen. This color will help to make the blacks blacker and also stifle some of the ambient light. If there is not going to be any ambient light or very little, then a low gain screen would be a good choice as the higher gain screens can also cause warm and cool zones in the picture.

Power and Position of Projector and Speakers

The power of the projector as far as its Lumen output is a key factor in determining what the right screen will be. If the lumen output is very high (over 3000 is quite good), then it will not be as important to have a high gain screen. In fact if the screen is too high gain and the projector can output really good lumens, then there is the possibility of there being a light glow in the middle of the screen which is actually the reflection of the light from the projector. This is difficult to explain, but basically if you have a projector that has high lumens output and you are in a room with low ambient light then you want low gain. The exact opposite is a also a good rule of thumb for high ambient light and low lumens, then you want a higher gain screen.


The position of the projector can also change the possibility that the center of the screen will be warm. By making sure that the projector is pointing down to hit the screen it will not be as likely to make the center warm even on a high gain screen. There is also the factor of projection quality when adjusting the angle (just something to keep in mind). A perfect setup would have a projector facing a screen head on and not have any glow in the middle or coolness to the sides while still having good contrast and a bright picture (I know; it is all obvious). The other thought for more expensive screens and systems is the front center speaker placement. Ideally the speaker would be in the middle of the screen, but for most screens this is not possible. There are however, some screens available now that allow sound to pass through will little loss in quality or volume. This is a great option if you are willing to spend the extra cash.

Conclusion

There are tons of screens and tons of places to find more information on them, so be on the look out for the right prices and the right screens. To add insult to injury, all of the different manufacturers and dealers seem to have different lingo for high gain, low gain, and other things so it is even more difficult to understand what you really want. The first and most important thing to do before purchasing a screen is RESEARCH. Research and patience can be a real lifesaver (not to mention money saver) when you are looking to purchase a new screen.