AVS Discussions
Projection Screens => Screens (General) => Topic started by: AVSToeJo on May 20, 2026, 04:40:54 PM
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I don't have a lot of experience with projector screens. I've purchased the $100 ones off Amazon and the $500 better ones?.
I'm wondering if any of you have any experience with using different screens in the same setup. Everyone I've talked to says a better screen has a significant improvement on picture quality. What have your experiences been?
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I have used two screens
My diy spandex screen and a $1k screen material.
The picture difference was marginal at best. Especially once you get used to one over the other.
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I have used two screens
My diy spandex screen and a $1k screen material.
The picture difference was marginal at best. Especially once you get used to one over the other.
I use a Stewart Firehawk and I'm on my second one (first was an 88" 16x9 screen and now I have a 110" 2.39:1 screen). Since I have a multipurpose room, it works great with the lights on and while it doesn't get as "bright" in a dark room, it's worth the tradeoff.
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I use a Stewart Firehawk and I'm on my second one (first was an 88" 16x9 screen and now I have a 110" 2.39:1 screen). Since I have a multipurpose room, it works great with the lights on and while it doesn't get as "bright" in a dark room, it's worth the tradeoff.
i would say the biggest diefference for screens is def the gain. if you need light output...high gain is the way to go. my theater is fully light controlled and relatively small so I am not starved for light :)
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i would say the biggest diefference for screens is def the gain. if you need light output...high gain is the way to go. my theater is fully light controlled and relatively small so I am not starved for light :)
Yes, the gain is important, but the way the Firehawk rejects sidelight makes it watchable in a semi-bright room. Now I wouldn't watch a movie that way, but it's OK for a sporting event or non-critical TV watching.
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i would say the biggest diefference for screens is def the gain. if you need light output...high gain is the way to go. my theater is fully light controlled and relatively small so I am not starved for light :)
Ive found high gain works well if you are centered on the screen. But if you are off-axis by more than 15 degrees the gain is lost.
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It probably depends a good bit on the environment.
Like David, I have my HT in a non-dedicated room. So I have a Screen Innovations Black Diamond, that's a motorized retractable version. It was super expensive, probably the most expensive single item in my setup. (Since I bought my JVC RS2100 as a B stock at a great discount - thanks AVS!) It was a "cry once" type purchase and it's worth it for me since I don't have perfect light control. I had a Firehawk in a different house before that, and the Black Diamond is even darker and works really well, given that you're never going to get an OLED type image on even the best ALR screen with a projector and some light in the room.
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There's also the question of whether or not you want/need an acoustically transparent screen. It's the one upgrade I've been considering. The drawback is that you lose some gain if you go with woven or some fidelity if you go with perforated.
The reason I hesitate is that the ventriloquist effect is real, and we've never felt like dialog was coming from anywhere other than the center of the screen. There's a secondary benefit for older viewers. If you recline the seats, you're still viewing with the top part of glasses rather than having to consider the distance portion of bifocal lenses. At least for those that wear glasses.
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AVST:
on one hand I am probably not the best person to answer your question. I am the least technical of all these great technical people here but I actually have had the conditionS you mentioned, and your inquiry.
sadly, I don’t remember the names of the first two screens that I had. when we had our standard definition projectors, I had my first screen. When we got Blu-ray of upgraded it to a Stewart’s screen, and instantly saw the improvement. then after I got my 4K projection set up, I switched to the Stuarts StudioTek 130 and saw an instant and great improvement. I saw it in the detail of the projection, but the contrast was just so much better and so was the brightness
I also improve the sound by putting sound dampeners around the screen. I hope you can see that in the picture. I think that is all that’s needed and it did stop the slight echo effect I had.
again, though, a really good screen doesn’t improve the picture immensely.
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There's also the question of whether or not you want/need an acoustically transparent screen. It's the one upgrade I've been considering. The drawback is that you lose some gain if you go with woven or some fidelity if you go with perforated.
The reason I hesitate is that the ventriloquist effect is real, and we've never felt like dialog was coming from anywhere other than the center of the screen. There's a secondary benefit for older viewers. If you recline the seats, you're still viewing with the top part of glasses rather than having to consider the distance portion of bifocal lenses. At least for those that wear glasses.
This. AT screen is what really makes it feel like a movie theater for me. Yes you lose gain. But for me worth every dropped lumen :)
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There's also the question of whether or not you want/need an acoustically transparent screen. It's the one upgrade I've been considering. The drawback is that you lose some gain if you go with woven or some fidelity if you go with perforated.
The reason I hesitate is that the ventriloquist effect is real, and we've never felt like dialog was coming from anywhere other than the center of the screen. There's a secondary benefit for older viewers. If you recline the seats, you're still viewing with the top part of glasses rather than having to consider the distance portion of bifocal lenses. At least for those that wear glasses.
If you can get 6" to 12" of space between your speakers and the screen and you have greater than a 10' viewing distance, I would take a serious look at Stewart ST130 Ultraperf. The loss in sound vs a woven screen can easily be compensated for by your room correction. You will lose some sound output, but I don't know anyone that could not live with a 3db/4db loss in output. Because you should have plenty of volume in the system to make up for that loss.
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If you can get 6" to 12" of space between your speakers and the screen and you have greater than a 10' viewing distance, I would take a serious look at Stewart ST130 Ultraperf. The loss in sound vs a woven screen can easily be compensated for by your room correction. You will lose some sound output, but I don't know anyone that could not live with a 3db/4db loss in output. Because you should have plenty of volume in the system to make up for that loss.
I'm a video guy, with minimal audio experience, but this is consistent with what I've been told.
But I have also heard people using less than 6" distance, also relying on room correction to compensate. What's your take on this?
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i did a REW sweep with and without my two screen material. and the top end droop was minimal +/- less than 2db which is nothing.
within 6" you may get reflections though. but if your using a AT screen you should have sound absorption materials behind the speakers to mitigate that early reflection