I currently have an Inlight 135 in diagonal 16:9 screen. With the upgrade to the video last year, the two things that needed taking care of were the room and (seemingly) the screen. Added blackout to the back of the curtains I had in my room, but it has since become clear that more is needed if I have to see the benefits of the NX7's native contrast. Current plan is to provide for manually retractable blackout curtains a third of the way for the ceiling and sidewalls.
Which leaves the screen. Hadn't paid much attention to the screen (except for size!) until I began thinking about a PJ upgrade early last year. After the purchase of the JVC, it was suggested to me that a high-quality screen could enhance the PQ by around 20-30% for trained eyes (unlike mine).
However, by then, I'd already had my eyes on a newly released screen material that'd received a gushing review from a well-respected video calibrator in the US. Not only that, the reviewer then actually made the change in his personal HT to go from a unity gain screen to this 1.3 gain material because whatever artifacts there still were was offset by the additional brightness that helps with HDR. I tried to get a full landed cost quote for the screen in question, but what with shipping rates all over the place a couple of months after the onset of COVID last year, I wasn't successful.
A couple of weeks back, the screen upgrade was back on the agenda as I now needed an AT screen to allow for the front wall treatment benefits. A conversation with Mark Seaton confirmed the same (a non-AT screen would be like putting a giant reflective surface in front of the treatment). While Mark opined that it wasn't critical to put my Catalyst center upright behind the center, he did suggest that I'd benefit from having them higher up (still horizontally oriented), so the tweeters for L/C/R were at the same height. Not sure if I can do that, but I can certainly get the center close to the L and R in terms of tweeter height.
So, AT screen it was going to be. That still left the question of fixed vs retractable. With a considerable price difference for the 2 screens in question with respect to that choice. I have a window on the front wall, with a sliding acoustic panel that I move out of the way when not watching something. Tried leaving that window closed and my current screen down permanently to see how I'd feel about having a fixed frame screen in the room. Yeah, doesn't work. I do like the light streaming in through that window.
AT and retractable, then. The choice was down to the actual screen, then. Screen Research with the ClearPix 4K material was suggested because I wanted AT. And the measured results from Jeff Meier's report (
https://www.accucalav.com/wp-content/uploads/accucal_front_projection_screen_report.pdf) for similar Screen Research material suggested that it was indeed very good.
However, a combination of factors (pricing, the extra gain and the fact that it was my first choice) meant I finally made the decision to go with a Stewart Luxus 150 in diagonal in 2.4.1.
Screen
Screen material
The Kris Deering
review about the ST130 G4 screen material that got me seriously considering owning one. This is a dream screen for me and I expect to keep it for as long as we live in this house and have this theater. It is even more special as it is part of the missus' gift for my upcoming 45th! Fingers crossed that it gets here in time and is installed by then. Very, very excited!