I am buying an Epson 6100 projector, what fixed screen should I get?
Is there a particular fixed screen I should get for the Epson 6100 projector? I want the screen to be 106″ diagonal. What should I be looking for in a screen? ex. gain, manufacturer etc.
thanks.
Is there a particular fixed screen I should get for the Epson 6100 projector? I want the screen to be 106″ diagonal. What should I be looking for in a screen? ex. gain, manufacturer etc. I am not putting the speakers behind the screen.
thanks.
Here is what you should consider when buying a screen…..
1. which aspect ratio do you need? Will you be watching 16:9 HDTV or will you be watching DVD movies which come in three or four different formats. Or do you plan on watching 4:3 images……your projector is 1080p….so I would buy a 16:9 ratio screen in the size you mentioned.
2. how dark is your room……keep in mind, with a projector, the absence of light is what produces a black image……so if you have some ambient light in the room without the projector turned on, you should not get a white screen……however, despite your projectors awesome contrast ratio, the actual brightness isn’t spectacular (but it’s OK)……I would suggest a light-grey screen if you have a dark-room. You don’t have a bright enough projector to allow for a true, dark-grey screen unless you really have some ambient light (but in this case I would get a brighter projector as well)…….white screens may look bright, but make sure your projector doesn’t have some type of bulb dimming software (Optoma calls it “Image AI”, sorry for not looking into Epson for ya…..but I’d assume it isn’t too different)…..this feature makes your picture flutter and in my opinion, should be turned off (so instead of your projector having an 18,000:1 contrast ratio….it’s probably closer to 8,000:1 with the image AI feature turned off)
3. Do you want a painted screen or a actual framed screen?…..think about this, because you may have a perfectly flat wall where you want the picture to be, you could save yourself money and not compromise on image quality with a properly painted wall……..I personally love my painted wall, but I consider myself handy and I can paint without having roller-marks where I painted my screen……….either buy the screen or buy a product called “screen goo”…..you can find it here:
http://www.goosystems.com/screengoo/
that size screen should cost about $200 to $275 in paint (base coat and top coat)…..the paint has silver shavings to create a reflective surface painted on drywall……it is also very thick and dries to a similar texture as a screen.
It is also important that you surround your image with a black border……the black border tricks your mind into thinking that the contrast ratio is higher than it really is…….if your screen is too big, you will be able to see the greyish blank area around the image and you will know that the black isn’t truly black…….I have a flat-black front wall, and a flat-black cieling in my home cinema………because light and reflection is so important with a projector, these are all things you need to concern yourself with……the black cieling is important because the screen reflects light on the cieling (almost like a reflecting pool). This isn’t important with a TV because a normal living room is lit up…..but a dark room will make a reflection much more obvious.
I honestly hope this helps and doesn’t make a simple question seem difficult. I beleive you spent a good chunk of change on this projector. You hould do this right.
In general……use a grey screen if you have ambient light in the room, use a light grey screen if you have a dark room. Do not use a white screen unless your projector really doesn’t have a contrast-enhancing feature installed that dimms the light output…………also, a tight, black border will make your image look awesome…..do not underestimate the value of a border.