Da-Lite vs. Grandview....?!?

I've decided to purchase a Da-Lite High Power 2.4 110" Model C # 94368 screen for my setup.
Any particular reason for going with the 'High Power 2.4' screen. Unless there is some very specific reason that you have for wanting a 'High Power' screen, my recommendation for your projector would be a 'Matte White' 110" Model C # 94364 screen.

I received quotes from both Sight & Sound and ARN Systems. the quotes are quite close to each other.
What is the quoted amount?
 
Any particular reason for going with the 'High Power 2.4' screen. Unless there is some very specific reason that you have for wanting a 'High Power' screen, my recommendation for your projector would be a 'Matte White' 110" Model C # 94364 screen.
?

i researched a lot before deciding on the screen. I was all set to get a matt white and then i came across these 2 threads...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=773065

Da-Lite Screen Material Review - Home Theater Forum and Systems - HomeTheaterShack.com

In summary the benefits of the Da-lite High Power Screen are....

1. Gives a robust high brightness image with real to life colors and whites
2. Provides greater perceived contrast
3. Has a clean uniform image so that the surface completely disappears
4. Has no hotspotting or visable waves
5. Has an amazing ability to shed ambient light

And the 2 most important benefits....

6. The High Power screen is less susceptible to waves which all other screens develop ( sometimes in 2 months or sometimes in a year... )

7. The High Power is a high gain screen with 2.4 gain. As a result the image is super bright. This lets you run your projector in a lesser bright mode/eco mode or just in general reduce the various brightness/contrast settings to much lower value as compared to if you were projecting on a matt white screen. This results in a much longer and increased "Bulb Life".

I wanted to test the first 5 points myself so i got samples from Da-lite. they sent me all their screen types which are listed in the following link....

Selecting the Right Screen

I bought large chart paper and stuck these samples to it side by side and put them on the wall and projected various material on them. I tested the High Power, Matte white, High Contrast Matt White, Silver Matte, Video Spectra, Pearlescent & High Contrast Cinema Vision.

I tested them in Ambient light and then in Total Darkness. I tried to re-create all the test conditions in the above links to the best of my ability.

The High Power sample was just simply 10 times brighter with better contrast and superb colors than all the other samples.

All the other samples looked washed out and faded in comparison to the High Power. I was an instant fan and i decided to get it.

Now there are some limitations to the Da-lite High Power....

1. Since the High Power is Retro-reflective in nature the projector needs to be on the same horizontal viewing plane of the viewers. So basically it means with you table mount the projector or the other option is to hang it from the ceiling and drop it as low as possible to the level of the viewers head.

So it's more practical for a dedicated HT room where the projector can be table mounted in front or behind the viewers on a shelf at a permanent place but this is not possible/practical in a living room.

Since my setup is in a living room i needed a workaround.

So my work around for this was to get a projector mount with an extension bringing it down to about 35 inches from a 9 feet ceiling ( 113 inches ) This allows the projector to be high enough in living hall so that no one accidently walks into it.

According to the High Power Gain calculator ( Post # 566 ) this would give me a gain of 1.59 which is still below the 2.4 potential of this screen but is still better then the 1.0 of a matt white screen.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1213577&page=19

And in the future if i have a dedicated room for the HT then i can do the perfectly ideal placement for the projector and get the entire 2.4 gain.

2. The gain/brightness tends to drop as you move too far away from the center towards the left and the right of the screen.

Basically it means that this screen will behave like a 1.0 gain matt white screen if you look at it from the edges. Now far on the edges is variable to the screen size vs distance vs. projector placement.

So all in all in it's price range this is the Best Screen out there if..... you can place the Projector ideally to get it's 2.4 gain or as much gain below 2.4 as you can with a little compromise on the projector placement....!!!

Cheers :)
 
@Rana,
that's like serious investigation... kuddos to you..
I am convinced to for Da-lite High Power Screen....

Would you advise me to go for this screen for Epson 8350 projector?
if so, what should be the price i'll be looking at ?
I am in Delhi/NCR... are you any closeby ?

@Jitu,
you sounding like me... hehehe
 
My take - especially for the 8350 - and any other projectors that have adequate brightness but are challenged in black levels - go for a gray screen. I believe each manufacturer has different trade names for this (Da-lite is called HCCV or high contrast cinema vision), cinema gray etc. It really increases the contrast by a good margin easily verifiable on viewing but at the same token reduces brightness (I think gain is 0.8 or 0.9) so you will need a good dark viewing space preferable a dedicated HT. In my set-up the Epson 8350 really shines - I have an Elite gray screen.
Cheers
Sid
 
@Rana,
that's like serious investigation... kuddos to you..
I am convinced to for Da-lite High Power Screen....

Would you advise me to go for this screen for Epson 8350 projector?
if so, what should be the price i'll be looking at ?
I am in Delhi/NCR... are you any closeby ?

buddy in my opinion and from the thread at avsforum my conclusion is that the High Power should work for every person. There can be an argument that it is more suited for low lumen output projectors but i do advise you to read through the links i've posted to come to your own conclusion.

I'm very close to ordering my screen but i still can't decide my screen size. I want to place the order within a week.

Yep i'm close by. You may pm me with your no if you'd like to discuss this on the phone or if you want i can give you the samples i received from Da-Lite so you may do your own testing/experiment at home.

Cheers
 
are more movies being made in 1.78:1 or 2.40:1...? Anyone know the ratio or a website which gives an exact count ?
 
a sincere thanks to all members who guided me in making a decision in regards to my screen.

i went ahead and placed an order for Da-Lite 110" High Power 2.4 with ARN Systems today. Hoping for good levels of customer service and high levels of after sales support from them.

I contemplated a lot over 110" vs 119" and after a lot of dry runs on my wall i decided to go for 110 for following reasons....

1. I really felt comfortable with 110" at 15 ft. 119" was just way too big. I also like to sit at the last row in a movie theater so that played perfectly with me liking a slightly smaller picture than most here.

2. If i had got 119" and never got around to be comfortable with it then i couldn't had moved to 16 ft as my room wouldn't allow it but if i ever get too comfortable with 110" then i can always move forward to 14 ft.

So keeping these above factors in mind i went with 110".

Cheers :)
 
a sincere thanks to all members who guided me in making a decision in regards to my screen.

i went ahead and placed an order for Da-Lite 110" High Power 2.4 with ARN Systems today. Hoping for good levels of customer service and high levels of after sales support from them.

I contemplated a lot over 110" vs 119" and after a lot of dry runs on my wall i decided to go for 110 for following reasons....

1. I really felt comfortable with 110" at 15 ft. 119" was just way too big. I also like to sit at the last row in a movie theater so that played perfectly with me liking a slightly smaller picture than most here.

2. If i had got 119" and never got around to be comfortable with it then i couldn't had moved to 16 ft as my room wouldn't allow it but if i ever get too comfortable with 110" then i can always move forward to 14 ft.

So keeping these above factors in mind i went with 110".

Cheers :)

Congrats :cheers:
 
met rana yesterday at ARN..he is a great guy..he has generously shared the DaLite samples which I would demo soon and would post the results here. In the current setup I have draper matt white.
Congrats again rana on the purchase.. and you are absolutely correct in choosing the 110". I am sure it is perfect with the dimensions of the room.
 
is this motorized version?

it's manual pulldown Model C non CSR.

met rana yesterday at ARN..he is a great guy..he has generously shared the DaLite samples which I would demo soon and would post the results here. In the current setup I have draper matt white.
Congrats again rana on the purchase.. and you are absolutely correct in choosing the 110". I am sure it is perfect with the dimensions of the room.

good to meet you to buddy.... :) let us know your impressions on the high power.


guys,

now that i've ordered the screen i'm wondering at what height i should install it....

how high should i install the screen from the bottom of the floor to have a comfortable viewing over a 2 hr movie ?

i don't want to be looking up at the screen i would rather have it at eye level. So considering my ceiling is 113 inches and while sitting/lounging my eyes are at 37 inches from ground...

110" is about 54" x 96" height x width.

At what height should be the bottom most part of the screen ?
 
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Does the color of the wall behind the screen matter?

Also, any good dealers in Bangalore from where i can get a quote for Da-lite or Grandview screens?
 
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
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